If the Allies cannot send the German U-boats to the bottom of the Atlantic, all hope of winning WWII will be lost. Sixteen-year-old Bill O'Connell is a new recruit in the Royal Canadian Navy, assigned to a ship that hunts for Germany's feared U-boats. With the European mainland under Nazi occupation, safe ocean passage is critical -- but the Germans are building U-boats faster than the Allies can sink them, and Britain is starved of supplies. Every gallon of aviation fuel, every explosive shell, and every can of peas sent to the British Isles from North America has to be shipped by sea, so Bill and the rest of the Allied forces have the fate of the free world resting on their shoulders. If the Allies cannot keep their merchant ships from the attacks of Germany's U-boats, the odds of winning WWII will tip in favour of Hitler.

The sequel to Brothers at War finds best friends Jacob and Eli on opposite sides of the battlefield as the War of 1812 erupts. Jacob and Eli may be blood brothers, but they are on opposite sides in the battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812. While Jacob joins John Norton's Mohawk band fighting with the British-Canadian side, Eli fights with the Americans. The Canadians win the day, but the victory comes at a great cost: the death of General Brock. Eli is captured and jailed. Because he swore the oath of allegiance to the Crown before he left Canada, his return with the invaders makes him a traitor. He is charged with high treason -- a hanging offence. Can Jacob save his friend from the gallows?

A young Canadian soldier's account of the battle of Ortona, Italy! Seventeen-year-old Paul Baldassara lies about his age to enlist in the Canadian Army. He joins the Loyal Edmonton regiment, which is tasked with taking Italy's port town of Ortona. Little does he know the horrors of the battle that lie ahead . . . Paul soon finds himself in the midst of the fierce fighting that earned Ortona the name "the Italian Stalingrad," because of the massive casualties and deaths. He and his fellow Canadian soldiers resort to tactics such as "mouse-holing" -- blasting their way through the walls of houses which German snipers have made the streets and courtyards. Will Paul prevail and help the Canadians save Ortona, no matter what the risk?

Historical fact and fiction blend in this riveting novel set aboard the Titanic. Fourteen-year-old Jamie Laidlaw is returning to Canada from England aboard the Titanic. In his four days on board, he busies himself with new friends, finding ways to explore the ship's forbidden areas, and generally landing himself in trouble. When disaster strikes and the horrifying scramble for survival ensues, Jamie is on the front lines — struggling to help free the lifeboats and get people on board them. When a huge wave washes over the ship's sloping deck, it's time for Jamie to take action — and take his fate into his own hands. With hundreds of others, he dives into the sea, hoping he will find a way to survive. Since its launch in Fall 2010, the I Am Canada series has been praised for its accurate and energetic exploration of fascinating moments in Canadian history, through the eyes of young men who lived through them. In Deadly Voyage, award-winning author and noted Titanic historian Hugh Brewster draws from his vast knowledge of that fateful journey to create an enthralling tale of historical fiction — the ultimate adventure, whose terrifying end we know all too well.

Donovan, whose real gift is getting into trouble, finds himself at an academy for gifted students! Donovan is definitely skilled . . . at getting into trouble. And when one of his thoughtless pranks accidentally destroys the school gym during the Big Game, with the superintendent watching, he knows he's in for it. Suspension at best, maybe expulsion. Either way, a lawsuit and paying for damages. But through a strange chain of events, his name gets put on the list for the local school for gifted students: the Academy for Scholastic Distinction. Donovan knows he's not a genius, but he can't miss this chance to escape. Now, he has to figure out a way to stay at ASD -- and fit in with the kids there. And who knows, maybe his real gift will come to light . . . A new story from the master of middle-grade and YA humour Gordon Korman, Ungifted is a funny exploration of the special (and often surprising) talents that make each of us gifted in our own way.

A riveting story of a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War that changed Canadian history forever. Seventeen-year-old Sebastien de L'Esperance and his friend Guillaume have fought to keep the British from getting a foothold in Ile Royale (now Cape Breton Island) ever since the young men came from France two years ago. Britain has blockaded Louisbourg, and supplies for the 4000 inhabitants are running short. Despite Louisbourg's massive defences, if cut off from supplies provided by France, it cannot survive. Both young men are members of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine. They are sent out on scouting missions that provide valuable information about the British troops -- troops which outnumber the French three to one. When British warships arrive in force, Sebastien vows to defend the town, his friend Guillaume, and the woman he loves.

A captivating and rarely told World War II story: that of the Canadian troops sent to defend Hong Kong from the invading Japanese. Nineteen-year-old Jack Finnigan is a born troublemaker. He has grown up defying authority and leaves his small town to enlist in the Royal Rifles, expecting adventure . . . and not afraid of danger. Little does he know what awaits across the Pacific, where his untested regiment is being sent to defend the vulnerable British colony of Hong Kong. The Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, many of them young and untrained, quickly find themselves in the thick of battle as the Japanese attack on Sunday, December 7, 1941 (the same day as the bombing of Pearl Harbor). After nearly a month of fighting, the colony falls to the Japanese. Jack writes about the fierce battles during those hard weeks, the surrender and capture of his unit, and his brutal time in the POW camp. In those desperate battles and horrendous conditions, he befriends a once-despised sergeant and learns to work with him in order to survive.

A young sailor is caught up in the naval siege of Quebec leading up to the battle on the Plains of Abraham. Fourteen-year-old William Jenkins is working at a printing house when he comes to the attention of navigator and naval officer James Cook. William signs up to serve with Cook on the warship HMS Pembroke, part of Britain's fleet setting out to take the French stronghold of Quebec. William soon learns that the world of a British sailor is a harsh one, especially when the ship lays siege to the fortress and is attacked by French fire ships -- burning wrecks sent downstream to set the British warships on fire. On one raid, William is captured by the French allies, the Abenaki, and taken into Quebec itself, which is under constant bombardment from British cannons. With the siege strangling Quebec's lifelines, William finds a way outside the fortress walls just in time to join the British soldiers landing their boats and preparing to face the French on the Plains of Abraham. A dramatic story of the Seven Years' War, culminating in the siege and battle that claimed Canada for Britain.

A dramatic Arctic adventure set during Sir John Franklin's doomed search for the Northwest Passage George Chambers is a fourteen-year-old aboard HMS Erebus, one of two ships under the command of Sir John Franklin on his quest to discover the Northwest Passage. But when the Erebus and Terror are trapped in crushing ice, 129 men of the crew die from cold, scurvy, and starvation. Only two remain alive when George begins to recount his story: himself and Commander James Fitzjames. As his strength dwindles and starvation weakens him, George recalls the events that led him to Canada's desolate North, and the expedition's failure -- including gravediggers, a close call with a polar bear, standing up against sailors threatening mutiny, and his own impending death. George does not know whether the story he tells will be all that survives of Franklin's doomed Arctic expedition.

Sentenced to death for abandoning his unit, a soldier recounts the events leading up to his arrest. The reality of trench warfare is a shock to Allan McBride. Like many other young soldiers, he enthusiastically signed up for the chance to join the war effort and be a part of the fighting. But after months in the ravaged battlefields, watching men, including his friend Ken, get blown up by German shelling, something in Allan snaps and he leaves his unit, believing he is "walking home to Canada" to get help for his friend. After nearly a week of wandering aimlessly, Allan is taken in by a band of real deserters — men who have abandoned their units and live on the edge of survival in the woods of northern France. Once Allan realizes what he's done, he is paralyzed by the reality of his circumstance: if he stays with these men, it's possible they will be found and have to face the consequences; and if he returns to his unit, he will be charged with desertion — a charge punishable by death. In this outstanding new title in the I Am Canada series, acclaimed author John Wilson explores life in the horrific trenches of WWI and the effect of battle on a shell-shocked soldier.