Honouring Our Past, Embracing Our Future: Celebrating a Century of Excellence in Education at the University of Regina Campus Text by Dr. James Pitsula Photos selected by Don Hall and Dr. Stephen King Published by the Canadian Plains Research Centre Press Review by Jessica Bickford $39.95 ISBN 9-780889-772434 There are one-hundred years of history packed into Honouring Our Past, Embracing Our Future, which is a visually stunning compilation of archival photographs and historical tidbits about the University of Regina. Dr. James Pitsula, who authored the text, is not only a history professor at the University of Regina, but he is also the authority on U of R history – having written three other books on the subject. Honouring Our Past, Embracing Our Future chronicles the U of R’s story from its humble beginnings in 1911 when Regina College (which was then a high school established by the Methodist Church) opened its doors to a whopping twenty-seven students, right up to the present day when the University now has twelve-thousand students, three federated colleges, and twenty research centres to its name. The intervening years, all chronicled through gorgeous photographs of students, faculty members, staff and buildings, are thoroughly described in four…

Odd Ball by Arthur John Stewart Published by Thistledown Press Review by Jessica Bickford $12.95 978-1-897235-88-1 Central Middle School is in dire straights in Arthur John Stewart’s first novel, Odd Ball, and no one knows just how to fix it. The students the book follows are all from different family situations, have different friends, and all want something different out of their middle school experience. Kevin just doesn’t want people calling him a geek (he thinks he isn’t, he can talk to girls); Jobbi, a recent immigrant from a small town in Latvia, doesn’t want to get beaten up every day for the way he talks; Paula wants to be noticed; and Stephanie wants everything to be like it was last year – fun. Odd Ball skips around all of these (and a few other) characters’ lives, all detailing what it is like to be in middle school and unhappy. Everyone wants change, but who will step up and demand it from themselves and from everyone around them? The students find it hard to be different when doing so makes you the target for some harsh bullies, and sometimes even harsher families. Jobbi earns some respect when he joins the…

Ghosts of Government House by Judith Silverthorne Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Jessica Bickford $9.95 978-1-894431-63-7 Ghosts of Government House follows Sam and J.J., two young girls living in Regina, as they explore an integral building in this city’s history. Most people who have lived in Regina for a while will have probably been to Government House at some point, whether for tea, a tour, or any of the special events throughout the year. It is a special place, made even more special by the supposed haunting. Sam and J.J. make repeated visits to Government House trying to find out just who (or what) might be making mysterious things happen in the historical building. With the help of tour guides, the commissionaire, and Grandma Louise, the girls must prove to Sam’s older brother Gabe that the ghosts are real, or be forced to stay inside and out of trouble for two whole weeks! But the girls get even more than they imagined when they manage to not only see, but talk to some of the ghosts haunting the rooms and hallways of Government House. Grandma Louise helps the girls to overcome their fears, both about the ghosts…

Bison Delights: Middle Eastern Cuisine, Western Style by Habeeb Salloum Published by CPRC Press Review by Jessica Bickford $29.95 978-0-88977-215-1 As the title indicates, Bison Delights strives to integrate the traditional prairie meat, bison, with the flavours of the Middle East. Habeeb Salloum, an expert in Arab cuisine and a child of Saskatchewan homesteaders, begins by describing his long-standing love of bison, both the majestic animal, and the flavourful meat. He goes on to describe the many benefits of bison beyond the fact that it is truly a prairie meat. Bison is exceptionally healthy and the animals thrive without the aid of hormones or antibiotics; thus it is a great choice for those wanting to live a more healthful life. This cookbook has my favourite feature – a great index that can be quickly referenced either by the cut of bison used, or the other main ingredient (which is important as every recipe contains bison). It also has a bison facts and tips section, which includes nutrition information, basic tips for cooking bison, and other general bison knowledge, which is great if you have never worked with bison before. The book itself is broken down into accompaniments, appetizers, soups, stews,…

Ghost Messages by Jacqueline Guest Published by Coteau Books for Kids Review by Jessica Bickford $8.95 13:9781550504583 Ailish O’Connor is like any other thirteen year old girl living in Ireland in 1865, except she has what her father calls the “fey gift”. Ailish can see into your soul with the touch of her hand. She uses her gift to keep her and her father fed, telling fortunes that most think are a “penny’s entertainment” until her Da brings Rufus Dalton to their wagon. Ailish feels his darkness, but doesn’t know just how evil he is until she wakes up to find her father near death, and their one precious possession, a golden figurine which was to be their future, stolen. In Jacqueline Guest’s newest juvenile fiction Ghost Messages, a young girl is faced with a ship-full of trouble and will do anything to ensure the future of her and her father. This includes sneaking on to the Great Eastern as it departs Ireland for its mission to lay the first transatlantic telegraph cable between Europe and North America, cutting her long hair, donning trousers, and putting in her labour as a cabin boy. Luckily she meets David Jones, who is…