One in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Rat is a look at the black rat. It covers such topics as the rat's long, agile tail (it's good for balancing and picking noses), long teeth (they can chew through anything, including books) and disgusting taste in food (delicious electrical wires in tomato sauce, anyone?). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Rat contains factual information that will both amuse and teach at the same time.

When Richard Collier, a dying screenwriter, becomes infatuated with Elise McKenna, a celebrated actress at the turn of the century, his love proves strong enough to bring him through time to her side.

From the writer of Memoirs of Elise (proposed sequel/prequel to Somewhere in Time) comes a story of romance and time travel in the spirit of Jack Finney's Time and Again, and Richard Matheson's Somewhere in Time.

Day after day, Hugh looks for signs of German spies. It seems like a harmless way to spend time...at least at first. It's the summer of 1943 and America is at war. Eleven-year-old Hugh and his family are spending the summer on the South Carolina coast. Day after day Hugh scans the Atlantic Ocean through his binoculars, looking for signs of enemy activity. Then one day Hugh sees something in the water that looks like a periscope. Later he plucks a black bag out of the surf. Inside is a crudely drawn map. Then one night he spots a light flashing from the cupola at the top of an abandoned beach house. Have enemy soldiers invaded the coastline? Set against the backdrop of the home front during World War II, Elise Weston's dramatic adventure will draw readers in with its exciting blend of mystery and history. Young people will also respond to the sympathetic protagonist who learns that war is not a distant and exciting game, but a grim reality involving real people and real danger.

Don’t take the title as a metaphor: it really is the worst book ever. Governor General Literary Award winning children’s book author and illustrator Elise Gravel takes readers on an unexpected journey through the world’s most boring book. The story’s characters and omniscient readers alike quickly become annoyed by the author’s bland imagination and rebel against her tired tropes and stale character choices, spouting sass in an attempt to get her attention and steer the narrative in a more interesting direction. After all, you don’t even have to buy the book, but the characters? They’re stuck in there for an eternity, and they’re going to do their best to make the most of it, or at least have a little fun where they can. As the charming and bizarre true nature of the characters overpowers the dry attributes given to them by the author, this once blasé story quickly picks up speed, transforming the story into something much more unique than originally promised. With Gravel’s signature goofy characters behind the wheel, no silly twist or rude body function is off the table!

Growing up together in a mysterious castle in northern Queensland, Rose and Vivien Blake are very close sisters. But during the Second World War their relationship becomes strained when they each fall in love with the same dashing but enigmatic American soldier. Rose's daughter, Linda, has long sensed a secret in her mother's past, but Rose has always resisted Linda's questions, preferring to focus on the present. Years later Rose's granddaughter, Stella, also becomes fascinated by the shroud of secrecy surrounding her grandmother's life. Intent on unravelling the truth, she visits the now-ruined castle where Rose and Vivien grew up to see if she can find out more. Captivating and compelling, Castle of Dreams is about love, secrets, lies - and the perils of delving into the past...

An accessible picture book that oh-so-simply and graphically introduces the term "refugee" to curious young children to help them better understand the world in which they live. Who are refugees? Why are they called that word? Why do they need to leave their country? Why are they sometimes not welcome in their new country? In this relevant picture book for the youngest children, author-illustrator Elise Gravel explores what it means to be a refugee in bold, graphic illustrations and spare text. This is the perfect tool to introduce an important and timely topic to children.

The first in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Fly is a look at the common housefly. It covers such topics as the hair on the fly's body (requires a lot of shaving), its ability to walk on the ceiling (it's pretty cool, but it's hard to play soccer up there), and its really disgusting food tastes (garbage juice soup followed by dirty diaper with rotten tomato sauce, for example). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Fly contains factual information that will both amuse and teach at the same time.

May your inner strength shine through the dark times. May life be a light for you to know that someone has been through a similar pain. May these words show you, that trauma is only a small fraction of who you are. Remember to stop occasionally. Patience comes easier when you're focused on the moment at hand and remember to breath. It's good for the soul to welcome good days and bad ones. It is also ok to fall somewhere in between stuffed animals and your favourite chair and even if you can't erase the memories, remember you're making your own memories now. Sometimes you're going to feel trapped. But always remember; you have the freedom to choose. Chin up buttercup! You're a warrior. Screw them! Stop trying to please them! Yes, you do have a voice! Stand tall! Even in your darkest moments when you feel like shit and could care less about grace and gratitude! Karma will collect when it's due. Check your karma card. Second thought be more grateful than that... Live and stay balanced with the universe. Know that abuse, shame and pain can never truly define who you are. They say, "practice makes perfect '' but who the hell is? Nobody. Don't waste the time you have. Life is short and the moments left behind are fleeting. Always trust your instinct, your intuition and respect your values. Even if no one else will. Stand tall and speak more to the weak and less to the proud. Pour your heart out and yes it will break you and yes it will crumble your pride it never your spirit. Never. The sun will shine eventually. Then you will laugh, and you will cry and maybe even get mad. But the words you read here are pure, unfiltered and unrequited. Damage is only a word. You have the power to allow it to consume your heart. You will stray and run into danger. Drugs and alcohol can temporarily calm the hunger. But underneath you are still aching from the pain. You can try to drain all the shame from your veins. But reality is simple. When all is said and done, we have lost our way to live. We forgot our humanity. Who the hell wants to walk in their scars, when they can walk around them? I say to you with a proud voice, "swim in your pain rather than skip muddy puddles. Paint with your tears. Become the physical manifestation of a warrior and release it all! Who knows? You might actually heal." Yes, we are can be vulnerable by choice and not by force. Admit it. You can find peace in revealing your truth and letting your shame be known. I cried and screamed out to that little girl with force and tried to burn every twisted thought and internal battle. Why? Because I allowed my pain to hinder my purpose. I ran away from my trauma. This book is not to blame you, him or her. It is my story, my journey and my reconciliation with me. With her. Yes, that little girl. Our stories are not unique. They are universal." There are millions of people who have faced abuse, neglect, abandonment, suicide and depression. We all hurt the same and we are all a little damaged and changed.