This Sunday, March 8 is International Women’s Day 2015. This list was originally compiled by Emma Sakamoto for our March 2014 newsletter, and was updated this year by our librarian Meghan Howe. Celebrate International Women’s Day in your classroom or library with one of these excellent Canadian books.

Picture Books
The Most Magnificent Thing Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires Kids Can Press, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4 IL: Ages 3-8  RL: Grade 2 This is a charming book about a girl who wants to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look and how it will work. But making her magnificent thing is hard, and everything she builds comes out wrong. Eventually, she gets so mad she quits. After a walk with her dog, she comes back with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. This funny, sweet story offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	My Name Is Elizabeth! Written by Annika Dunklee Illustrated by Matthew Forsythe Kids Can Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-55453-560-6 IL: Ages 3-7  RL: Grades 1-2 Elizabeth really likes her name. She likes that it’s nine letters long and that a queen was named after her! She does not like it when people call her by nicknames. In this story you’ll discover how this larger-than-life little girl puts her foot down and insists on being called by her proper name – by most people anyway. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Oddrey Written and illustrated by Dave Whamond Owlkids Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-926973-45-6 IL: Ages 6-10  RL: Grade 2 Oddrey is a young girl who is a little bit different from everybody else but believes it’s important to be herself. Sometimes she feels lonely and longs for friends who share her colourful outlook. When Oddrey saves her class play from disaster, her classmates decide to honour her in their own special ways. Young readers will also enjoy the sequels, Oddrey and the New Kid and Oddrey Joins the Team. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	The Paper Bag Princess Written by Robert Munsch Illustrated by Michael Martchenko Annick Press, 1980 ISBN: 978-0-920236-16-1 IL: Ages 4-7  RL: Grades 1-2 Tradition gets tweaked when an unglamorous princess outwits an arrogant dragon to rescue an equally arrogant prince in this charming whimsically illustrated feminist fairy tale. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Stella! A Treasury Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay Groundwood Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-55498-292-9 IL: Ages 3-7  RL: Grades 1-2 With gentle humor, freshness, a sense of whimsy and exquisite watercolours, Marie-Louise Gay gives us stories featuring our red-headed heroine, Stella, and her younger brother Sam. This collection includes Stella, Star of the Sea; Stella, Queen of the Snow; Stella, Fairy of the Forest; Stella, Princess of the Sky and When Stella Was Very, Very Small. Fans of Stella will also like Read Me a Story, Stella. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	When I Was Eight Written by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard Annick Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-55451-490-8 IL: Ages 6-12  RL: Grades 3-4 Based on the best-selling memoir, Fatty Legs, this picture book tells the story of a young Inuit girl whose dream of learning how to read takes her to a residential school. Treated poorly by one nun in particular, her mettle is tested but her spirit never breaks. Young readers will also want to read Not My Girl, the picture book adapation of A Stranger at Home. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Junior Fiction
Bernadette and the Lunch Bunch (The Lunch Bunch) Written by Susan Glickman Illustrated by Mélanie Allard Second Story Press, 2008 ISBN: 978-1-897187-51-7 IL: Ages 7-9  RL: Grades 3-4 Bernadette is finding third grade a bit challenging. It’s only when she makes three best friends and forms the Lunch Bunch that she finds a way to survive the school lunchroom! Contains black-and-white illustrations. Young readers will also enjoy Bernadette in the Doghouse and Bernadette to the Rescue. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Captain Lilly and the New Girl (First Novels) Written by Brenda Bellingham Illustrated by Clarke MacDonald Formac Publishing, 2009 ISBN: 978-0-88780-857-9 IL: Ages 6-9  RL: Grades 2-3 Lilly and her friends have joined a new soccer team, but when Annie gets hurt, the coach’s niece, Sara, takes her place. When Lilly’s team comes up against another team, the competing team’s coach doesn’t want to let Sara play because she’s wearing a hijab (headscarf). The soccer players, tired of listening to the adults argue, head off to have a game for fun, showing the adults what really matters. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Connecting Dots (A Gutsy Girl Book) Written by Sharon Jennings Second Story Press, 2015 ISBN 978-1-927583-62-3 IL: Ages 9-12  RL: Grades 4-5 After years of being passed around to various relatives, Cassandra Jovanovich has found a home where she feels she belongs. All she wants to do is forget her past and pursue her dream of becoming an actress. But her new friend, Leanna Mets, “the most annoying person she has ever met,” wants to know how Cassandra became an orphan, and encourages her to write her story. This is the companion to Home Free. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Justine McKeen, Walk the Talk (Orca Echoes) Written by Sigmund Brouwer Illustrated by Dave Whamond Orca Book Publishers, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-55469-929-2 IL: Ages 7-9  RL: Grades 2-3 In this second book in the Justine McKeen series, Justine decides that too many cars sit idling outside her school every day. So Justine plans to start a walking school bus to help create a greener environment at her school, but many adults don’t trust her crazy plans and ideas. How will Justine convince them to see things her way? Young fans of the Justine series will also enjoy Justine McKeen, Pooper Scooper; Justine McKeen, Queen of Green; Justine McKeen, Eat Your Beets and Justine McKeen and the Bird Nest. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
One Year in Coal Harbour Written by Polly Horvath Groundwood Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-55498-188-5 IL: Ages 9-13  RL: Grades 5-6 With her parents now safe at home (they were once lost at sea), Primrose is worried about other people and places. She can’t get Uncle Jack and Miss Bowzer to connect, Mendolay Mountain is being logged, and Primrose wants her new friend Ked, who’s a foster child, to stay in Coal Harbour forever. Will Primrose be able to save all that matters most to her? This is the companion novel to Everything on a Waffle. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Ting Ting Written by Kristie Hammond Sono Nis Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-55039-210-4 IL: Ages 8-11  RL: Grades 3-4 Ting is a happy eight-year-old girl in China when fighting in Tiananmen Square results in her leaving China to join her parents in faraway Vancouver, Canada. Suddenly, everything is strange and difficult. Home is a tiny, bare apartment, and although there’s less homework, Ting can barely understand a word her teacher or classmates are saying. All Ting wants is to belong. Amazon | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Intermediate Fiction
Amelia and Me Written by Heather Stemp Pennywell Books, 2013 ISBN 978-1-77117-254-7 IL: Ages 10-12  RL: Grades 4-6 The year is 1932. The place is Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, where most of the early transatlantic flights take off. Unfortunately, more of them end in tragedy than success, but that’s not going to discourage 12-year-old Ginny Ross, who longs to be a pilot like her hero Amelia Earhart. Does Ginny have what it takes to make her dream come true, even when the obstacles to her success are enormous? Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Days of Toil and Tears: The Child Labour Diary of Flora Rutherford (Dear Canada) Written by Sarah Ellis Scholastic Canada, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-439-95594-2 IL: Ages 10-14  RL: Grades 4-5 Eleven-year-old Flora Rutherford is reconnected to her mother’s family after being in an orphanage for almost 10 years. But her courage and strength are tested as she is put to work in a textile mill. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril and Romance Written by Marthe Jocelyn Tundra Books, 2006 ©2004 ISBN: 978-0-88776-826-2 IL: Ages 10-14  RL: Grades 4-6 Mable is an aspiring writer and an independent thinker. This coming-of-age tale about a girl finding her voice — and the courage to make it heard — is as funny as it is inspiring. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Making Bombs for Hitler Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Scholastic Canada, 2012 ISBN 978-1-4431-0730-3 IL: Ages 9-14 RL: Grades 5-7 During World War II, nine-year-old Lida and her sister are kidnapped by the Nazis and separated. Lida is forced to work in brutal conditions at a German munitions factory as a slave labourer. Fed only bread and soup and wearing a thin dress and no shoes, she works from dawn to dusk. Lida prays she will one day find her sister and escape the war. This is the companion novel to Stolen Child. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
My Name Is Parvana Written by Deborah Ellis Groundwood Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-55498-297-4 IL: Ages 11-14  RL: Grade 5 In this stunning sequel to The Breadwinner, Parvana, now 15, is found in a bombed-out school and held as a suspected terrorist by American troops in Afghanistan. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she remembers the past four years of her life. Her mother had managed to open a school for girls, but that put Parvana and her family in grave danger. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	A Sea of Sorrows: The Typhus Epidemic Diary of Johanna Leary (Dear Canada) Written by Norah McClintock Scholastic Canada, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4431-0710-5 IL: Ages 10-14  RL: Grades 4-5 This novel captures a dreadful time in history for those desperate, impoverished Irish famlies who hoped to make Canada their home. Johanna Leary and her family are among those who make their way to Canada. Johanna keeps a record of the ocean journey and her first few months in this new land. Her incredible journey of survival is told with insight and sensitivity. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
YA Fiction
Alice, I Think Written by Susan Juby HarperCollins canada, 2007 (© 2000) ISBN: 978-0-00200-889-1 IL: Ages 13 and up  RL: Grades 7-9 After years of home schooling, it’s time for Alice MacLeod to act her age, meet new people, maybe even go to regular high school. Soon Alice is on the hunt for a look, a social life, a boyfriend and, most important, a half-decent haircut. But getting any of those things in Smithers, BC, isn’t easy. Especially not with a family like Alice’s. Teen readers will also enjoy the sequels, Miss Smithers and Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	The Darkest Corner of the World Written by Urve Tamberg Dancing Cat Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-77086-214-2 IL: Ages 14 and up  RL: Grades 9-10 In Estonia during World War II, 15-year-old Madlii struggles to survive and keep her family together. When Nazis invade, her country and loved ones are divided as they choose which dictator they’d rather follow: Hitler or Stalin. Madli hears about a band of freedom fighters and is forced to choose the evil regime she knows, or help another evil regime in hope of freeing her father and her nation. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
The Friday Society Written by Adrienne Kress Dial Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8037-3761-7 IL: Ages 12 and up  RL: Grades 7-8 Set in Edwardian London, this novel follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, a lab assistant; Michiko, a Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, a magician’s assistant. The three young women meet by chance at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man. Now they must solve this and other related crimes without bringing too much attention to themselves. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Jewel of the Thames (A Portia Adams Adventure, Book 1) Written by Angela Misri Illustrated by Sydney Smith Fierce Ink Press, 2014 ISBN 978-1-927746-50-9 IL: Ages 12 and up  RL: Grades 5-7 Set against the background of 1930s England, Angela Misri’s debut novel introduces Portia Adams, a budding detective with a mysterious heritage. When her mother dies, Portia discovers that she has inherited 221 Baker Street — the former offices of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson — and she finds herself entangled in three mysteries. But the greatest mystery of all is her own. How did she come to inherit this townhouse? And why did her mother keep her heritage from her? Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
A Spy in the House (The Agency) Written by Y.S. Lee Candlewick Press, 2010 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4067-5 IL: Ages 13 and up  RL: Grades 7-8 Mary Quinn, an orphan and thief sentenced to die on the gallows, is rescued by a woman posing as a prison warden. In her new home, Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls, Mary is educated and trained to be an investigator for the Agency. In her first assignment, Mary must pose as a lady’s companion to infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hope of tracing his missing cargo ships. Book One in the series. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Violins of Autumn Written by Amy McAuley Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8027-2299-7 IL: Ages 12 and up  RL: Grades 7-8 It’s 1944, and Betty Sweeney is determined to make a difference. Instead of collecting scrap metal or running air raid drills like most 17-year-old, Betty lies about her age and trains to become a spy and member of the Special Operations Executive. Now known by her secret-agent persona, Adele Blanchard, she finds herself parachuting over German-occupied France in the dark of night to join the secret Resistance movement. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Non-Fiction
Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator Written by Shelley Tanaka Illustrated by David Craig Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-8109-7095-3 IL: Ages 8-12  RL: Grades 3-4 Ever since Amelia Earhart disappeared, people have wanted to know more about her. Follow this charismatic aviator from the first time she saw an airplane to the last radio transmission she made before she vanished. Contains original artwork, contemporary photos, bibliography and index. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Because I am a Girl: I Can Change the World (Plan Canada International Books) Written by Rosemary McCarney with Jen Albaugh and Plan International Second Story Press, 2014 ISBN 978-1-927583-44-9 IL: Ages 9-13  RL: Grades 4-6 Meet some remarkable girls from all over the world. The stories of their lives can be difficult to imagine. They describe the barriers and dangers that they, and millions of other girls, face daily. Despite the hardships they must overcome, these girls have hope for the future and strive to make their lives and those of their families and communities better. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Courageous Women Rebels (The Women’s Hall of Fame) Written by Joy Crysdale Second Story Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-926920-99-3 IL: Ages 12-15  RL: Grades 7-8 This book includes ten biographies of women reformers from around the world working in the realms of politics, social justice, media and women’s rights. These are profiles of international women – from abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who spoke out against slavery, to Canadian First Nations activist Shannen Koostachin, who fought for the right of all children to have access to good schools – who’ve made an incredibler difference to the landscape of social justice. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Every Day is Malala Day (Plan Canada International Books) Written by Rosemary McCarney with Plan International Second Story Press, 2014 ISBN 978-1-927583-31-9 IL: Ages 6-10  RL: Grades 2-3 At 15, Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban because she spoke out about the right of all girls to an education. Since that moment, she has become an inspiration, a voice for the rights of girls everywhere. This is a letter to Malala, illustrated with beautiful photographs from Plan International. Girls around the world express their sympathy, sisterhood and admiration for her. In Malala, these girls recognize a leader, a champion and a friend. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Irena Sendler: Bringing Life to Children of the Holocaust (Crabtree Groundbreaker Biographies) Written by Susan Brophy Down Crabtree Publishing, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-7787-2556-5 IL: Ages 12-15  RL: Grade 6 Irena Sendler was born into a Catholic family in Poland in 1910. Her father instilled compassion in her for patients that others refused to treat, particularly poor Jews. Throughout the German occupation in World War II, Irena worked tirelessly to help save Poland’s Jews. Convincing Jewish families to give up their children and Catholic families to take them in, Irena saved at least 2,500 Jewish children from certain death during the Holocaust. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Scribbling Women: True Tales from Astonishing Lives Written by Marthe Jocelyn Tundra Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-88776-952-8 IL: Ages 12 and up  RL: Grades 6-7 Many of the women in this book had eventful lives. They became friends with cannibals, delivered babies, stole horses and sailed on whaling ships. They came from all corners of the Earth and, though they had little in common, they all had the desire to leave something behind – each of them has illuminated the world through her words. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers
Shannen and the Dream for a School (A Kid’s Power Book) Written by Janet Wilson Second Story Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-92692-030-6 IL: Ages 9-12  RL: Grades 4-6 Attawapiskat had nothing but a few portables where their children attended school. Shannen Koostachin was one of those children and she, along with her friends and community, decided to do something about it. They started off by making a YouTube video about the poor condition of the portables and travelled to Ottawa to speak to politicians, telling them they were failing First Nations children. Their story inspired children across the nation. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers	Spic-and-Span! Lillian Gilbreth’s Wonder Kitchen (Great Idea, Book 6) Written by Monica Kulling Illustrated by David Parkins Tundra Books, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-77049-380-3 IL: Ages 5-8  RL: Grades 2-3 The sixth book in the Great Idea series introduces the amazing Lillian Gilbreth: industrial engineer, time management expert, and inventor. Gilbreth was the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering. A leading efficiency expert, she was also an industrial engineer, a psychologist, an author, a professor, an inventor and a mother of 11 children! Young science buffs can also learn about paper bag inventor Margaret Knight in Kulling’s In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up. Amazon | Indigo | Canadian Bookstores | Wholesalers