The lazy days of summer are upon us, and as you are heading off on vacation loaded with cottage country reading material, you might want to include this uplifting little novel full of humour and natural inspiration that could be taken straight out of the pages of Thoreau. Cassie Shaw has always felt dumb. Her teachers told her so, so she gave up on school. Her cheating-swindling husband told her so, and she believes him (but he gets what he deserves.) Cassie finds that the employment force has no room for a broke, uneducated widow; desperate, she lies on her resume and promptly lands a job as an assistant to a professor of animal behaviour. Always drawn to animals and nature, for the first time in her life Cassie finds that she wants to learn more. She begins to audit classes, discovers the true reason for her previous ‘dumbness’, and develops close relationships. But the secret of her false resume weighs heavily on her, and the more lies Cassie creates to conceal the truth, the closer the truth gets to the surface, threatening to destroy all that she has learned to love. Although it might sound it, A Version of the Truth is not your typical chick-lit novel, but should appeal to any fan of the genre.
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Meet Josey Cirrini, only daughter of Marco Cirrini, who rebuilt and brought prosperity to the North Carolinian town of Bald Slope. Being a quasi-royal has never fit Josey though – she quietly looks after her dominating, widowed mother and escapes by hiding in a secret closet, eating sweets and reveling in travel magazines or romance novels. To her dismay however, her private paradise is invaded by the brash Della Lee Baker, a woman as far removed from the society of the Cirrini’s as chocolate is from cheese. Hiding from a secret of her own, Della takes up residence in Josey’s closet, forcing her out into the world she dreams of but in which she never lives. In the real world Josey discovers Chloe Finley who makes the world’s best sandwiches, and is in dire need of a good friend. Through Chloe she also meets her not-so-secret crush Adam, the mailman and ex-extreme sporting participant. While Della pushes her to get closer to Adam, Josey tries to push Della away – or at least out of her closet. But Della’s presence harbingers a far greater mystery than any of them can at first intuit. From the author of Garden Spells, The Sugar Queen is a magical gem of a novel for a balmy summer evening.
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It is hard to fathom a more insidious disease than Alzheimer’s. A disease that slowly erodes memory and personality, it can be challenging, frightening, frustrating and heartbreaking for both victims and caregivers. Many people who develop Alzheimer’s prefer the familiar surroundings of their homes, and with ever-growing waiting lists to get into long-term care facilities, many patients rely on their loved-ones for care – which can be emotionally grueling for everyone concerned. The Comfort of Home for Alzheimer’s is well-named – it is a reassuring source that describes the development and effects of the disease. In addition, it helps one to prepare the home, to plan financial, medical and legal aspects for the patient, and to know when the time is right for choosing a home care worker. Part two provides plans for daily activities and special occasions, shows how to help move the patient and prevent falls, and of utmost importance, it gives detailed information about how to communicate with the patient at every stage of the disease. With helpful tips, notes and illustrations throughout, and a glossary and index in the back, this American series of caregiver’s guides gets extra points for listing contacts for Canadian support organizations. Written in a thoroughly compassionate manner, this book should be of use to anyone who knows someone suffering from Alzheimer’s. "

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The sign above the doughnuts in the bakery read, “Buy a Dozen Get a Dinosaur”. A dinosaur? A toy, perhaps? But no – the little boy (and his unhappy mother) were presented with a real triceratops after buying a dozen doughnuts! Next, at the doctor’s office, they were given a stegosaurus. And at the barbershop, the little boy received a flying pterosaur. “Yessss!” said the boy. “Noooo!” groaned his mother, as the newly acquired dinos followed them down the street. Suddenly, there seemed to be dinosaurs everywhere on the sidewalk, accompanying happy children and glaring moms, while signs on every business advertised even more Jurassic giveaways. What was going on?
When Dinosaurs Came With Everything is a clever story that is certain to delight young children. Elise Broach is a Connecticut author.
The art in this picture book is a perfect fit for the story. Illustrator David Small, from Michigan, has received both a Caldecott Medal and a Caldecott Honor for his artwork in previous children’s books. (He says that he would like to receive an Apatosaurus with his next coffee purchase….)
** Recommended for ages 4 to 7 years of age.
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Humphrey the Hamster is a popular pet in Mrs. Brisbane’s classroom, Room 26. However, Humphrey has a secret! Unknown to the students and their teacher, he can escape from his cage whenever he pleases. One night, his escape is noticed, setting off a series of unfortunate consequences. How can one little hamster cause so much trouble? Humphrey, who actually loves helping the students of Room 26, is appalled, and has no idea of how to fix the problems he’s unintentionally brought about. What can he do to make things better? Will Room 26 ever return to “normal”?
Trouble According to Humphrey is a lively, entertaining chapter book and Humphrey fans will be happy to know that the library owns two more titles about this intrepid hamster: The World According to Humphrey and Friendship According to Humphrey. Betty Birney is the author of many more children’s books.
** Recommended for ages 8 to 10 years.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”
Griffin Maxwell is a quiet student who hates, above all else at school, class speeches. This year he is determined not to give a speech at all. With his best friend, Bryan, he comes up with a plan to fool his teacher – one that seems fail-proof, at first. It’s a plan that will indeed make Griffin, “speechless”!
However, events don’t play out as anticipated, and Griffin’s “fail-proof” plan results in a bizarre set of hilarious events. Long before the end of this book, young readers will also be speechless - with laughter!
Readers will easily identify with the likeable, realistic characters of Griffin and Bryan in this enjoyable, light-hearted story. Author Valerie Sherrard, from New Brunswick, has also written Kate, Sam’s Light and the Shelby Belgarden Mysteries.
** Recommended for ages 9 to 12 years.

Sports fans are in heaven – the NBA and NHL are in playoffs, the World Cup of hockey is ongoing in Halifax, the boys of summer are hitting the field (go Jays!), the US Open is coming up for golf, the French Open starts soon in tennis, not to mention this summer’s Olympics in Beijing. But while watching or playing, have you ever wondered about the aerodynamics of a soccer ball bent by Beckham? Or what is the physiology behind a gold-medal dive? What makes one goalie quicker on the stick than another, or why Gretzky is the Greatest? And why exactly does a curve ball curve – or is it just an optical illusion? (No it isn’t, and the answer is closely linked to golf, volleyball, soccer and tennis.)
The editors from Popular Mechanics Magazine have compiled expert analysis from over 20 sports specialists on 15 sports, from football and soccer to running and bowling. With one chapter per sport, the authorities explain the science that supports the best athletes and their skills (yes, they include Tiger’s swing), ponder the question of doping in sports, and even look at some of today’s high-tech equipment, like the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit we will likely see on swimmers during the Beijing Olympics. This book is for any sports fan from the couch-surfers to professional athletes looking to improve their skills.
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Remember that book, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”? First it was a book, then a poster that hung on every university student’s wall and in every teacher’s classroom. Well, the author of that “simply living” guide was Robert Fulghum (that’s Ful-jum) and he is back with his latest book of ‘stories, observations and affirmations’. He traveled looking for other people like him, people who are willing to embrace their childlike enthusiasm, people who can turn mundane things into extraordinary experiences, and people who can find wonder in the world each day by looking around them with from different perspectives. Thus he learned the difference between kalimera (good morning) and calamari (squid) in Crete, came to be wearing a giant rabbit suit in Seattle, and found artesian water from Fiji in the middle of the Moab desert in Utah. For anyone who delights in finding the profound in everyday living, or who needs an uplifting laugh, What On Earth Have I Done? is a quick, quirky, conversational read sure to raise the spirits of even the gloomiest Gus.


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A secret is at the heart of Canadian author Rick Jacobson’s newest story, The Master’s Apprentice. Young Marco leaves his family to serve as a junior apprentice in Florence, Italy, to the famous but temperamental painter, Michelangelo Buonarroti. It is a tremendous opportunity for Marco. Before leaving, his father, a chemist, cautions him to “keep our secrets secret”. Marco promises. In Florence, he tries his best to please Michelangelo, knowing that he could easily be sent home in disgrace by the artist, whose temper tends to explode at any time for any small reason. Eventually, the inevitable happens and it appears that Marco will lose his position as apprentice … unless he divulges one of his father’s most valued secrets: the recipe to prepare the glorious alizarin crimson paint. What is he to do?
The Master’s Apprentice is a well-written children’s story about art and loyalty. The illustrations by Rick Jacobson and Laura Fernandez are exceptional: the facial expressions capture Marco’s uncertainty, Michelangelo’s anger and the emotions of the other characters perfectly. Jacobson has also written and illustrated The Mona Lisa Caper and Picasso: Soul on Fire for children.
** Recommended for ages 7 to 10 years of age.

Secrets can be happy, inspiring, humorous, scary, or painful – even shocking. They can be important or insignificant. Some are short-lived; some hide an unrevealed truth for many years - perhaps forever. Yet there is one thing that just about all secrets have in common: because of their very nature, each is intriguing, whether to one person or to many.
For this book, Marthe Jocelyn has collected a dozen short stories and portions of chapter books written by a number of authors, many of them Canadian, each involving a secret. From Can You Keep a Secret by Anne Laurel Carter, to Loris Lesynski’s I Don’t Have to Tell You Everything, readers are treated to a variety of fascinating secrets. Equally fascinating are the ways in which these secrets are revealed. As Marthe Jocelyn says, in the foreword, “Often, the best part of keeping a secret is finally being able to tell someone else.” How very true!
Readers – especially girls - will be captivated by Secrets.
Marthe Jocelyn is an award-winning children’s author who spends her summers in Stratford.
** Recommended for ages 9 to 13 years of age.