At FriesenPress, we celebrate each and every book we help our authors publish. Here are some of our team’s recent favourites – happy reading!
A princess born into a war-torn galaxy. Two ancient beings with the power of suns. A mortal bounty hunter. And a dark prince, whose shadow blankets the galaxy. Aladella, princess of Prytha, never imagined she would step foot off of her home planet. Especially, after the brutal murder of her sister and father. With the Darions invasion growing closer with every passing day, Aladella has no other choice than to run. Escaping the Darion with the help of a masked bounty hunter/pilot, she finds herself in the company of those she once thought would leave her for dead. With her new unlikely crew, Aladella discovers long-hidden secrets and a magic that was once thought to be gone forever. Now she must balance her heart and her head as the galaxy is thrown into chaos around her. After having visions of her mother's death, Aladella must return home with her rag-tag team of misfits in an effort to stop Darious and his army of silent soldiers. But, as Aladella learns more about the magic of a Syron, she realizes she may be the last hope in the fight against the Darion.
Every fly fisher wants bragging rights about landing a 32-inch behemoth of a carp. Even better? Adding extra colour to your tale by hooking the monstrous fish with a fly tied from a tuft of your golden retriever’s fur. These are just some of the tips, tricks, and fishing anecdotes packed into Stu Thompson’s illustrated fly-pattern book. Thompson, who has been fishing in the province of Manitoba and beyond for more than 55 years, has smartly grouped flies into categories such as chironomids, wet flies, dry flies, and streamers. Every fly pattern is accompanied by detailed photographs and step-by-step instructions for tying flies that work for multiple species of fish. From simple to more difficult (but always effective) the 101 fly patterns in this book were developed, tested, and proven—not only by Thompson but also by his friends across North America and Europe.
Mama, My Hero highlights the realities of the current pandemic and the magic of a uniquely innocent perspective. This is the story of one day in the life of an intensive care unit nurse working during the COVID-19 pandemic, as told by her unborn baby. The narrator is witness to his mother at work, where she takes care of her patients with great empathy, despite her fatigue. Returning home after a hard day, his mother is in turn cared for by her loving husband. Ultimately, the baby, like readers, praises his mother the nurse for her heroic deeds. The global pandemic has affected every child in one way or another. Health care workers and other essential workers are at the frontline of the pandemic. This book will teach children about empathy and to develop an appreciation for frontline workers.
In his first book “Rockin’ on the Rideau: Ottawa’s Golden Age of Rock and Roll”, veteran Ottawa broadcaster and musicologist Jim Hurcomb pulled back the curtain on the first 15 years of Rock and Roll in Ottawa, from 1955-1970. That fascinating story continues in “Rockin’ on the Rideau 2: The 70’s”. It was the decade when Ottawa welcomed some of the biggest bands in the world to town, including Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Queen, Kiss, David Bowie and many, many others. Rock FM radio arrived in Ottawa, and Geoff Winter, Brian Murphy, Shelly Hartman and Delmer and Cecil on CHEZ 106 became household names. We lined up to get into Barrymore’s and the Black Swan, and travelled across the river to enjoy Red Hot and Larkspur at The Ottawa House or the legendary Chaud, run by the mighty Gerry Barber. Midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Towne Cinema were wild, boisterous parties, and Punk Rock burst on the scene when The Rotter’s Club opened on Bank Street. And, of course, we had the great local bands: Octavian, The Cooper Brothers, Heaven’s Radio, Avalon, The Action, Tokyo Rose and Bolt Upright and the Erections, to name a few. Relive the best days and nights of your lives, with “Rockin’ On The Rideau 2: The 70’s".
For most people, gender identity is pretty straightforward. We are identified as a boy or a girl at birth and don’t give it a second thought. For others, however, the gender they were born into is not the gender they feel is their true identity. Whether you know someone who is questioning their gender or simply want to understand more about how to engage in this current dialogue, When Gender is In Question is a valuable guide to understanding. The book offers insights to many questions about gender: • What is the difference between being gay and being trans? • What are the current issues facing trans and gender diverse people? • What words and phrases are valuable to know? • What is the medical research on gender?
Something terrible happened when Josh Bencet was ten yours old, and it’s left him guarded, repressed, and unable to share—even with his beloved wife, Jackie, or Henri, his de facto father. But when Henri is dying and asks Josh to take care of his things, Josh’s attempt to comply causes a massive, unexpected reaction, which leaves him comatose. For two weeks, Josh withdraws into a dream state that no one can penetrate—a world where ghosts invade his consciousness and the past is his only contact with reality. It’s a voyage of visions in a dimension only frequented in dreams and fantasy, where time and space are like a child’s playthings—mutable, manageable, and infinitely elastic. With cinematic visuals, great heart, and wildly creative imagination, Henri’s Last Gift is not only a moving story about a man who changes from being emotionally shut-down to becoming ready to seize all life has to offer—it’s a highly entertaining, intellectually-engaging reflection on life’s deeper meanings. It will appeal to anyone with an open mind and an interest in the unusual.
With the enthusiastic Mr. McKenzie as their guide, Emma, Aatif, Lily, Jack, and their classmates embark on an unforgettable adventure. Surrounded by breathtaking scenery, the students dive into the magic of nature and witness the captivating lives and behaviours of countless animals in their natural habitat. However, they also uncover some strange and unwanted objects along the way and, unexpectedly, discover something remarkable about themselves. What will the students do with what they’ve discovered? You’re invited to join Mr. McKenzie’s class, where you can become an explorer, a naturalist, an inventor, and one of the Difference Makers.
Dragonville was written for young beginner readers, and their families and friends. Everywhere on the planet, we are dealing with gender equality where little girls are considered lesser than boys. A little girl dragon gets in trouble for doing something she is not allowed to do. We watch as she bravely faces the music, her family and the whole village and ends up changing their rules for girls and boys. The universal themes of gender equality, family structure, and community morals and how they affect the development of young children are all represented in Dragonville. Parents and all community establish the rules of how things are done. This has happened since the beginning of time. Change comes very slowly and usually through the people that disobey and suffer the consequences. Through the pain of loved ones, people will open their hearts and minds and have another look at the rules to see if they need to change. Reading Dragonville will hopefully make people look at how things need to be changed in order for little girls everywhere to be who they are; to be able to use their strengths and passions to live full lives even if they are just 'girls'. We have made many inroads in the last 100 years or so to bring equality to gender and give our children the strength to continue to battle the status quo.
