Fourteen-year-old Logan Grant is the star center for the Westside Wolves bantam hockey team. Logan has all the skills and all the looks, but he has alienated many of his teammates with his me-first attitude. One night Logan's life is forever changed when a fire sweeps through his house. He survives, but his face and body are badly burned. Too embarrassed to show his deformed face on the ice, Logan believes he'll never play hockey again until he stumbles across an old goalie mask that gives him the courage to get back to the rink. Taunted by the other players, Logan is defended by an unlikely ally, a teammate he once bullied because of his own facial disfigurement. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Ed Warnicki used to play football in the park with his dad and dream of being a great receiver. Now, at fourteen, Ed secretly wishes he could play for his Calgary High Mustangs team. But he worries that he's too tall, too skinny and too insecure — the exact opposite of star quarterback Tyrone Jackson. Wanting to contribute to the school's football team in some way, Ed accepts the job of waterboy. Tyrone teases Ed about his build, his old bike and his obvious crush on Tyrone's girlfriend and school sports reporter Zara, and one day at practice throws a ball right at Ed's head. Ed's instincts kick in and he makes a decent catch! So when the team's top receiver gets injured, Ed joins the team as back-up receiver. Getting annoyed that Zara seems to prefer Ed's company to his own, Tyrone won't pass to Ed, and even calls a play he knows could get Ed hurt. But the big game against their rival team puts school pride and Ed's confidence on the line. Will Tyrone throw to Ed? Can Ed catch a crucial pass and make his dreams of being a football hero come true?

Fourteen-year-old Griffin Finch attends school on scholarship and is struggling to stay on the basketball team. Griffin spends the summer playing basketball on a street court for the Running Rebels in a hardscrabble neighborhood. But a summer of fast, high-scoring play ends with Griffin running home, frightened by violence in the street. Griffin makes his school team and persuades a Running Rebels teammate to apply for a basketball scholarship. Opposing ideas of how basketball should be played emerge. How can Griffin convince Coach and the rest of his team that they need to play run-and-gun basketball to win? Can he bring together his schoolmates and his friends from Regent Park? Distributed in the U.S by Lerner Publishing Group.

As captain of the Westside Warriors, Colt plays clean and hard. But lately his coach has been losing his temper and ordering the team to win at any cost, even if it means playing dirty. What makes it worse is that Coach is Colt's father, and his erratic behaviour at home and on the field has Colt wondering if something is seriously wrong with his dad. Colt follows Coach's orders to go head hunting and take out an opponent with a helmet-to-helmet hit, but Coach then claims that Colt acted on his own. When it turns out that Colt's dad has symptoms from concussions he suffered in his NFL career, Colt is made acting coach for the championship game. But will he let a teammate continue playing after a hit to the head, even when the teammate's own dad is urging him to play through the pain? This book explores the dangers of concussion in contact sports and the lasting damage they can cause in the context of an action-filled football story.

Cade's dad thinks triathlons are for wimps. He doesn't think it's a real sport and wishes Cade would play football instead, like his older brother, Trent. So Cade trains in secret and qualifies to compete in the provincial championship in Sylvan Lake. The night before the event, Cade's coach suddenly can't go, and Cade is forced to ask his dad for a ride there. He only agrees because Trent has a football game nearby. The road trip takes a nasty turn when his dad swerves to avoid a deer and their car hurtles into an ice-cold river. It's up to Cade to use his skills to save his entire family. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

When Coach Gordon suddenly retires, Quinn Brown has to prove to a new coach that he deserves to remain the Spartans' starting quarterback. But Coach Miller's style seems to be throwing Quinn off his game -- and big-mouthed second-string Luke is gunning for Quinn's position. To top it off, Quinn has been paired up with a peer tutor for math, and the tutor's a new kid everyone's making fun of. Who would have thought that the new kid would be exactly the kind of friend a struggling quarterback needs -- both on and off the football field?

Orlando O'Malley has had to overcome a lot to play basketball. He's the worst shooter on the Evergreen Eagles middle school team. He can barely dribble around a cone in practice. And he's certainly the shortest. But Orlando has two special talents: a winning personality and the ability to call play-by-play almost everything that is happening around him. Orlando really wants to be a star player, but despite his best efforts he can't quite seem to make the right play at the right time. His biggest contributions to the team are his ability to get them energized and to call the shots. But accepting these as his special talents means he has to give up his dream of playing basketball.

In this high-interest sports novel, Jamal and his teammates take a stand against their new coach when his bullying and discrimination go too far.

Set against a backdrop of the threat of wildfires on the west coast, this book looks at the effect changes at home can have on a young athlete’s performance and the emotional support a team can provide. Thirteen-year-old kayaker Finn has been angry and resentful since his mother left the family. In a highly charged emotional state, Finn’s performance is not only suffering, but he is also taking things out on his teammates. Like the wildfires that threaten Finn’s Okanagan training camp, this book shows how new beginnings arise after a destructive event.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts in biodiversity management within agricultural landscapes Considers the role of farmers and rural communities in implementing ecological restoration practices Reviews the importance of habitat and animal rewilding in promoting biodiversity and other key ecosystem services