Captivating stories, two books to help children

Halfway to Schist
by Peter Bridgford

Red Rogers is the daughter of two geologists, so her childhood has been overshadowed by all things having to do with the rock cycle, plate tectonics and glaciation. When her mother commits suicide, Red and her father embark on an adventure to restore an old family fishing lodge on an island. Along the way, Red must navigate around the submerged hazards resulting from the friendship with a local boy, and an Anishinaabe man and his grandson -- all the while trying to fit in with the rich teenaged crowd at the local hotel.

With each misadventure Red encounters, her mother's journal continues to teach her how the lessons of geology and glaciation are as applicable to human beings as they are to her beloved rocks and ice.

Rex's Journey
by Dr. Ambroes Pass-Turner

A kid's emotional landscape is full of hills and valleys. Rex has been struggling with understanding why and how he feels. From angry one minute to sad the next, he just wants to be a kid. What's so hard about that? But we can't always control how we feel, especially not as kids.

Follow along with Rex's journey as he learns to cope with his emotions in a safe and healthy way: something we all can learn from. One Amazon reviewer calls it "a beautiful and timely story. We need more books like this! This book showcases the journey of a little boy who had to go to a counselor. Very well done."

Ghosted
by Jana Eisenstein

 In this memoir, Jana meets lots of men. Still single in her thirties, she realises she'll need to adjust her approach or risk being haunted by the mistakes of her past.

Though "Ghosted" depicts the struggle to find lasting love, at its heart it's a story about learning to accept that when it comes to dating, there are scarier fates than ending up alone.

Crossing the Pressure Line
by Laura Anne Bird

Twelve-year-old Clare Burch wonders whether her feelings of sorrow over her grandfather's death will ever go away. A special request sends Clare on a journey from her home to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. She knows she must honour Grandpa Anthony's last wishes.

Clare heads to rural Alwyn with her little blind dog and a duffel bag full of worries. What will she do without her best friends? Who will take her fishing and spoil her with candy now that her grandfather is gone? And is she strong enough to let him go? She stumbles upon the answers, learns to listen to the courageous voice inside and discovers just how tough she really is.