• Age: 7 to 10
• Grade: 2 to 5

One hundred years ago, on December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc collided with the Belgian relief vessel Imo in the Halifax Harbour. At first, a small fire broke out aboard the Mont Blanc, which grew bigger crowds of people and emergency responders linded the shores of Halifax and Dartmouth to get a better look. Suddenly, the Mont Blanc's explosive cargo blew up, flattening homes and businesses, and triggering a tsunami.

Amid the confusion and devastation that followed the blast was fourteen-year-old Barbara Orr, who had been walking from her neighbourhood in Richmond to a friend's house. Follow Barbara as she navigates post-explosion Halifax, learning about rescue efforts, the kindness of strangers, and the bravery of heroes like Vincent Coleman along the way.

Part of the popular Compass series, this full-colour non-fiction book includes highlighted glossary terms, informative sidebars, over 50 illustrations and historical photographs, a detailed index, and recommended further reading. In commemoration of the tragic event's 100th anniversary, Broken Pieces is a great resource for young readers and educators.

Allison Lawlor is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, and HomemakersI,/i>, Canadian Living, and University Affairs magazines. After graduating from Ryerson University she worked as a reported for several daily papers in Ontario before moving to Nova Scotia in 2003. Her first book, 250 Years of Progress: Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, was published by Nimbus in 2005. Allison lives in Prospect, Nova Scotia, with her husband and their two daughters.

Allison Lawlor's profile page

• Short-listed, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards (English Non-fiction)
• Short-listed, Ontario Library Association Silver Birch Non-Fiction Award

"Lawlor offers a remarkably vivid account of wartime Halifax, its inhabitants, and the impact of the explosion on the city and the regions beyond." —Canadian Teacher Magazine

"Allison Lawlor paints a very vivid picture of Halifax leading up to and following the Halifax Explosion." —Canadian Materials Magazine (Winnipeg, MB)

"Readers who are researching the Halifax Explosion for school or who have a personal interest in the topic will be able to use Broken Pieces as a starting point for further research." —Resource Links (NL)