Michelle Mulder

Rosario and her parents come to Canada as political refugees from Mexico. Rosario hates her heavily accented English, but she breaks the language barrier to save a migrant farm worker's life.

Life is smoothest for thirteen-year-old Ellie when she keeps her opinions to herself, gets good grades and speaks carefully when her parents ask her to settle their arguments. She feels guilty that she welcomes the chance to spend the summer in another city with her mother's older sister, Jeanette. Ellie makes a new friend and learns to play an Argentine instrument called the bandoneón, which she finds in her aunt's basement. When she goes searching...

"Humans have always generated garbage, whether it's a chewed-on bone or a broken cell phone. Our landfills are overflowing, but with some creative thinking, stuff we once threw away can become a collection of valuable resources just waiting to be harvested. [This book] digs deep into the history of garbage, from Minoan trash pits to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and uncovers some of the many innovative ways people all over the world are dealing...

Did you know that cars can run on french fry grease or that human poop can be used to provide power to classrooms? Kids in Mexico help light up their houses by playing soccer, and in the Philippines, pop bottle skylights are improving the quality of life for thousands of families. Brilliant! is about what happens when you harness the power of imagination and innovation: the world changes for the better! Full of examples of unusual (and often peculiar)...

Pedal It! celebrates the humble bicycle--from the very first boneshakers to the sleek racing bikes of today, from handlebars to spokes to gear sprockets--and shows you why and how bikes can make the world a better place. Not only can bikes be used to power computers and generators, they can also reduce pollution, promote wellness and get a package across a crowded city--fast! Informative but not didactic, Pedal It! encourages young readers to be part...

This book explores how growing a cabbage can fight poverty, how a few dollars can help ten families start their own businesses, and how running errands for a neighbor can help you learn to become a bike mechanic. It asks the question "What if you could meet all your consumer needs while, at the same time, get to know your neighbors and protect the environment?

When thirteen-year-old Dian arrives in the Dominican Republic for the summer, she learns that her friend, fourteen-year-old Aracely, is engaged to be married.

"Frida and her brother, Zac, have lived in seven countries in ten years. In fact, they've been travelling for so long that Frida has never considered herself from anywhere -- until they inherit their grandmother's house in Victoria, British Columbia. Zac, always looking for money-making opportunities to fund their travels, is determined to sell everything in the house and expects Frida to help. Now they're up to their ears in family heirlooms, paintings...