breadwinner by deborah ellis

• New Ellis has Plenty of Suspense, Action

Once again [Deborah Ellis] has told a moving story about oppression and hardship of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. A longtime anti-war activist, Ellis has won the Governor General's Award for children's literature, among many other honours for her books about children in difficult circumstances. Among them were the lives of several of New Brunswick author Valerie Sherrard's ancestors. This led her to write the story of Three Million Acres of Flame (Dundurn, 200 pages, $13 paperback). Vancouver author Norma Charles explores a different place and time in Canada's story in Boxcar Kid (Sandcastle/Dundurn, 120 pages, $12 paperback).

... Deborah Ellis, best known for her Breadwinner trilogy about Afghanistan, switches continents to ...

• Winnipeg Free Press
• August 25, 2009

• New Twist to Northwest Passage Adventures

Those were the dreams of the 17th-century travellers who sought to unlock the New World's ice-laden mysteries. But in the young-adult adventure story The Alchemist's Dream (Key Porter, 248 pages, $17 hard cover) Vancouver Island author John Wilson suggests another compelling motive: to complete the search for four mystical elements that will unlock a new Golden age for England. Despite its dual authorship, the novel's narrative flows with surprising smoothness. Ontario-born world traveller [Deborah Ellis] wrote the chapters in [Haroon]'s mind; Toronto author [Eric Walters] writes as [Jay Wilson]. Many students will identify with [Jes]'s feelings as she approaches high school: "I was a little nervous because I'm going to a bigger school and starting eleventh grade, which is a big deal d...

...With her previous success with the Breadwinner Trilogy, set in Afghanistan, Ellis is able to desc...

• Winnipeg Free Press
• August 21, 2009