Tag: Ellen Schwartz

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2013 Rocky Mountain Book Award

The Case of the Missing Deed by Ellen Schwartz is the winner of the 2013 Rocky Mountain Book Award Gold Medal! Congratulations to Ellen, let’s break out the chocolate cinnamon sparkle cookies to celebrate!

The Case of the Missing DeedThe Case of the Missing Deed
Written by Ellen Schwartz
Hardcover | 200 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-0-88776-959-7
eBook: 978-1-77049-267-7
“…The Case of the Missing Deed is fast-paced, and full of cryptic clues, secret codes, and red herrings…. Schwartz beautifully captures the agony, ecstasy, and exquisite self-centredness of a 13-year-old girl on a family vacation…. The Case of the Missing Deed is a great summer read for kids who love a good, meaty mystery as much as they love a delicious homemade dessert.” – Quill & Quire

The Rocky Mountain Book Award invites students and educators to participate in their readers’ choice program. The Rocky Mountain Book Award is an Alberta based program designed to connect young readers with exemplary Canadian literature.

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Finalists for the 2012 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) has announced the finalists for its seven major children’s book awards – the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, John Spray Mystery Award, and the inaugural Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The nominated books exemplify some of the best work by Canadian authors and illustrators. The following Tundra titles have been shortlisted:

TD CANADIAN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AWARD

The Dragon Turn
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Fifth Case
Written by Shane Peacock
Hardcover | Ages 10-14 | 240 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-231-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-273-8
“With a trail of clues, a cast of shady characters, and even a hint of romance, The Dragon Turn has more twists and turns than a carnival ride and will keep readers guessing until its satisfying conclusion… Peacock is a master storyteller, and his richly imagined details of murder, revenge, betrayal, theatre, magic and exotic dragons combine to create an absolute page-turner of a book.” – Jury Comments

Stones for My Father
Written by Trilby Kent
Hardcover | Ages 11+ | 176 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-252-3
eBook: 978-1-77049-260-8
“In her powerful and compelling novel set during the Boer War, Kent explores friendship, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit… Corlie Roux is a fascinating, complex heroine, and Kent’s willingness to present her and her situation unblinkingly is a gift to us all… At times raw, but always gripping, this novel packs an emotional punch.” – Jury Comments

Congratulations to the other finalists in this category: Deborah Ellis (No Ordinary Day); Susan Hughes (Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World); and Andrea Spalding and Pascal Milelli (Seal Song).

NORMA FLECK AWARD FOR CANADIAN CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION

“Scribbling Women”
True Tales from Astonishing Lives
Written by Marthe Jocelyn
Hardcover | Ages 14+ | 208 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-952-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-230-1
“This beautifully written text evokes women’s private lives down through history as revealed in their own, often astonishing, words… Well researched, informative and engaging… Jocelyn engages the reader’s imagination through her accessible language, attention to historical detail, creative description and narrative skill.” – Jury Comments

Congratulations to the other finalists in this category: Rafal Gerszak, Dawn Hunter, and Rafal Gerszak (Beyond Bullets: A Photo Journal of Afghanistan); Dora Lee and Margot Thompson (Biomimicry: Inventions Inspired by Nature); Susan Vande Griek and Karen Reczuch (Loon); and Susan Hughes (Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World).

JOHN SPRAY MYSTERY AWARD

The Case of the Missing Deed
Written by Ellen Schwartz
Hardcover | Ages 8-11 | 200 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-959-7
eBook: 978-1-77049-267-7
“A delightful mystery for children ten and up… Schwartz mixes tricky codes, ciphers with facts and interesting characters… The theme of environmental protection is well explained and the clues to the mystery are ingeniously sprinkled throughout a packet of recipes… Good dialogue, well-differentiated characters and a wholesome setting complete this old-fashioned mystery.” – Jury Comments

The Dragon Turn
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Fifth Case
Written by Shane Peacock
Hardcover | Ages 10-14 | 240 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-231-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-273-8
“Peacock flawlessly recreates the London of the Victorian era… Readers feel as if they are walking along with the young Sherlock Holmes as he begins to awaken to his prodigious skills and fights to figure out how a magician can make a dragon appear… and disappear… Beautifully written with whip-smart dialogue.” – Jury Comments

Congratulations to the other finalists in this category: Rob Mills (Charlie’s Key); Edeet Ravel (Held); and Deborah Ellis (True Blue).

Congratulations to our authors and to our hardworking publishing team! The winners will be announced at The TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards later this fall, see you then!

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2013 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards Shortlist

The shortlist for the 2013 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards has been announced! Tundra would like to congratulate Ellen Schwartz, Shane Peacock, and the following authors:

The Case of the Missing Deed
Written by Ellen Schwartz
Hardcover | 200 pages | Ages 8-11
ISBN: 978-0-88776-959-7
eBook: 978-1-77049-267-7
“…This fast-paced mystery is filled with hidden clues and codes and believable, likable characters. It is a book that families could read together after cooking up one of the recipes.” – School Library Journal

The Dragon Turn: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Fifth Case
Written by Shane Peacock
Hardcover | 240 pages | Ages 10-14
ISBN: 978-1-77049-231-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-273-8
“…Shane Peacock delivers another intriguing novel exploring the boy detective…. His Sherlock is a penniless but resourceful young man living with an eccentric apothecary who encourages his curiosity and his powers of observation … the Canadian-made Sherlock has a real feeling for Victorian London.” – Winnipeg Free Press

  • Against All Odds – Natale Ghent (HarperCollins)
  • The Bedmas Conspiracy – Deborah Sherman (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
  • Blood Red Road – Moira Young (Random House)
  • Box of Shocks – Chris McMahen (Orca)
  • The Case of the Missing Deed – Ellen Schwartz (Tundra Books)
  • Dragon Seer’s Gift – Janet McNaughton (HarperCollins)
  • The Dragon Turn – Shane Peacock (Tundra Books)
  • Encore Edie – Annabel Lyon (Penguin)
  • End of Days – Eric Walters (Random House)
  • Fly Boy – Eric Walters (Penguin)
  • Ice Storm – Penny Draper (Coteau)
  • Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes – Jonathan Auxier (Penguin)
  • The Tiffin – Mahtab Narsimhan (Dancing Cat)
  • This Dark Endeavour – Kenneth Oppel (HarperCollins)
  • Timber Wolf – Caroline Pignat (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
  • True Blue – Deborah Ellis (pajamapress)
  • Undergrounders – David Skuy (Scholastic)
  • Witchlanders – Lena Coakley (Simon & Schuster)

The Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards Inc. (MYRCA) aims to promote reading and Canadian literature by giving young people the opportunity to vote for their favourite Canadian book from an annual preselected list. The books are nominated based on their quality and reader appeal. All young people in grades 5-8 who have read or heard read at least 3 titles from the list can vote. Voting takes place in April and the MYRCA winner is celebrated at a fall award ceremony attended by participating young people.

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Chocolate Cinnamon Sparkle Cookies

Trick-or-Treat? Here at Tundra, we always prefer treats. To celebrate Halloween, I made some chocolate cinnamon sparkles cookies for my colleagues. The recipe is from The Case of the Missing Deed by Ellen Schwartz, a culinary mystery for ages 8-11.

Take a dash of colorful characters, a pinch of danger, and generous scoops of adventure and you have a terrific culinary mystery for young readers. Ellen Schwartz introduces her young readers to a delicious genre. She even provides easy-to-follow and yummy to eat recipes. Here is one of them:

Chocolate Cinnamon Sparkle Cookies
Star light, star bright, can you see the sparkle tonight?
Recipe reprinted from The Case of the Missing Deed by Ellen Schwartz

Ingredients:
9 ounces (approximately 1¾ cups) bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 eggs
1½ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 cup more for rolling
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup finely ground almonds or almond meal
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Chop chocolate, then set aside ¼ cup. Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring to a simmer. Transfer remaining chocolate to a heat-proof bowl, then place bowl on top of simmering water. Stir the chocolate gently until it melts. Add cubes of butter and stir until they melt, set the mixture aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
  2. Beat the eggs, sugar, and honey until the mixture thickens. The eggs are ready when you can lift the whisk and the mixture holds a ribbon-like shape when you dribble it back on itself.
  3. Gently stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then add the ground almonds, cocoa, salt, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the chocolate you set aside earlier.
  4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill it until it is firm enough to roll, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  5. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
  6. Prepare a bowl with 1 cup of granulated sugar and the other ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Roll the chilled dough between your palms into 1¼” balls, and drop the balls into the sugar.
  7. Gently shake the bowl to coat cookie balls with sugar, then place on a lined or buttered baking tray 2 inches apart.
  8. Bake cookies until the tops are dry but the centers are still soft, about 12 minutes.
  9. Remove cookies from oven and cool 15 minutes, then gently drop the cookies (round side down) into the remaining sugar to add more sparkle.


Enjoy!


Recipe excerpted from The Case of the Missing Deed by Ellen Schwartz. Copyright © 2011 by Ellen Schwartz. Photographs Copyright © 2011 by Sylvia Chan. Excerpted by permission of Tundra Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Launch of: The Case of the Missing Deed

What a perfect place to launch a mystery with recipes – Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks, a warm, welcoming cookbook store with a complete demonstration kitchen! About 40 people gathered there on October 13 to celebrate the launch of the first title in Ellen Schwartz’s Teaspoon Detectives series, The Case of the Missing Deed.

Ellen and her daughter, Merri Schwartz, a professional pastry chef, who had created the recipes that form an integral part of the story, had prepared Grandma’s Famous Pesto, Brown Sugar Spice Cake, and Chocolate Cinnamon Sparkle Cookies, all featured in the book, as snacks.

After Merri did a cooking demonstration on how to make the Sparkle Cookies, Ellen read a short scene in which two characters attempt to make the Spice Cake – only to have it explode in the oven.

Ellen signed lots of books, and guests commented on how much fun it was to have a cooking element as part of the book launch. Bon appetit!

Tundra Book Group