La lecture en ACTION !
AIM Readers

André et sa famille
Story: Matt Maxwell
Illustrations: Adrien Deggan

This story takes place in Québec in the early 18th century. A family of pioneers are settling into rural life. One day the family goes off into the woods to pick berries. Seven-year-old André gets separated from his older sister and his parents. A young Huron boy finds him and returns him to his thankful family. Suitable for all elementary students with a basic fluency.
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Stéphanie is an 11-year-old girl who is a resident of a small town in northern Quebec.  The town folk decide to put on a Festival du Voyageur. Stéphanie becomes bored with the cultural activities – the singing and dancing, the costumes, the sugaring off – and wanders down to the riverside, where she gets in one of the voyageurs' canoes. The canoe gets caught in the rapids; only the heroic actions of a young villager save the day. Stéphanie comes away from her adventure infinitely more appreciative of the community of which she is a part. The blackline masters have many activities based on the story, and contain a cultural unit on the life of the voyageurs in Quebec, and activities based on a simple description of a North American river eco-system.
Blackline masters written by AIM teacher/presenter Edite Sammons.
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Manigan is a gentle giant and steward of the Earth who uses his bounty to aid those in need. He helps a couple of people who unfortunately take advantage of his kindness and eat up his stores of food. When the giant becomes weak, the couple realize that they have to give back to the one who has given them so much– they nurture Manigan back to health. This tale, which evokes First Nations wisdom, is a parable that reminds us of the need to treat our world with respect, and not just as something to be viewed as a resource for human consumption. As well as exercises based on the story, the blackline masters have a unit on pre-Columbian Mi'kmaq culture, and activities exploring ecological awareness and sustainability practices.
Blackline Masters written by AIM teacher/presenter Jacqueline Kelley.
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Ali lives in a North African village with his wife, Nadia. One day he decides to clean his water tank, a job that he has not done for ten years during which time his waistline has expanded considerably. His problems start when he has trouble fitting through the opening at the top of the tank; then he is attacked by mosquitoes and finally, when rain starts to fill the tank, he remembers that he does not know how to swim. Nadia has been practising her dance routine during this time so has not heard his cries for help, but eventually she arrives and rescues him from drowning.
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Two teenagers, Marie and Pierre, met in the story En vacances ! during a trip to Martinique. We travel with them again through Europe in this story, Un beau jour. At the beginning of the story, Marie decides that she no longer wants to allow Pierre to make all the plans, and sets out on her own. The two decide to meet in Paris in a couple of days at the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately, neither Marie nor Pierre realizes that this day is not a good choice if you want to find someone in this location, as it is the celebration of Le jour de l'Armistice !
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Two teenagers, Marie and her friend Suzanne, are on a trip from their home in Montréal to Martinique during their holiday. A series of amusing events take place after Marie bumps into a young man named Pierre at the airport. Marie's initial reaction to Pierre is not very positive, nor does her second impression of him improve when he accidentally spills water on her during some turbulence on the plane. However, he redeems himself at the end of the story during a scuba-diving excursion. The blackline masters contain language manipulation activities that focus on vocabulary-building as well as grammar, appropriate to the junior high or beginning high school level.  There is also a cultural unit on Martinique and a unit discussing the Caribbean rainforest ecosystem. Blackline Masters written by AIM teacher/presenter Edite Sammons.
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This is a traditional Iroquois story about a teenage girl named Rozène from the Iroquois nation. Rozène daydreams of meeting a tall, young man who will sweep her off her feet. Although her family wants her to marry Orenda, the young man from her village who loves her very much, Rozène wants more. One day, a strong, well-dressed young man arrives at her house and offers to take her away from the village. This is a story about decisions that young people must face as they grow up. It is a story that contains elements of fantasy, adventure and romance, while also giving insight into First Nations culture.
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The story begins the morning of a school field trip to the former sit of an Algonquin settlement near Ottawa. As a teenage girl named Renée is preparing to leave, she and her mother argue over her lack of responsability and Renée is frustrated by her mother's comments. Renée is not interested in this field trip and makes it very clear that she would rather be at the mall with her friends. During the field trip, Renée trips and falls in the forest. Suddenly things change and she finds herself among the Algonquins. is this real or just a dream? This story deals with relationships between adolescents and adults in our time and compares them with the relationships between people of different ages in native societies. Respect and awareness of the environment is another subject that is important in this story.
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Françoise la folle
Story: David Cameron
Translation: Wendy Maxwell
Illustrations: Adrien Deggan

This is a touching story about an intergenerational relationship between a young girl and a very old woman who lives in a dump.
Françoise teaches Anne many lessons through this story, including a sense of responsability for others, kindness, love and friendship. She teaches Anne that people are not always what they appear to be on the outside. This story is sure to capture your student's hearts. It is the first in our series of short novels for adolescents in the series La lecture en interACTION.

Au revoir, l'Acadie
Story: Jacqueline Kelly
Illustrations: Jana Tubinshlak

This story covers a day in the life of a typical Acadian family. Events follow the normal routine of rural community life until the unexpected arrival of British soldiers in the night to take from their homes and send them off to Louisiana as part of La grande expulsion.

Ce monde
Story: Matt & Wendy Maxwell

Ce monde provides a poetic description of our planet, placing it in its larger astronomical context and exploring the marvel and wonder of life in the sea, in the air and on the land. The poem points out that we are not passive bystanders but active participants in the unfolding ecology of our planet.

Les loups
Story: Matt Maxwell

Les loups gives an overview of the mythology, genealogy and ecology of wolves. This reader explores the life and hunting habits of wolves packs, and looks at the challenges that they face in the 21st century.

Nuit Blanche
Story: Jacqueline Kelly
Illustrations: Tom Nesbitt

In this touching story of a family required by financial circumstances to give up their home and live in  a tent city, a boy has to grapple with the decision on whether or not to live with his now-homeless immediate family, or to live far away with relatives.

Chez moi !
Story: David Cameron
Illustrations: Tom Nesbitt

Laura and Matthew have returned from a long trip to Europe. Although they arrived at the airport late at night, Laura was so happy to be back home she insisted that she show Matthew the house where she grew up. They entered the house quietly to avoid waking her parents, but discovered very quickly that something had changed ...