My books

and their stories

Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune

Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune is based on a true story. Set in 1797, the story is about a teenage Herring Cove fisher- boy who rowed out in a storm to rescue the survivors of HMS Tribune, a frigate wrecked at the mouth of Halifax Harbour. He is known throughout history as Joe Cracker. His bravery shamed other locals into attempting a rescue. 20 out of 250 people survived this tragedy.

(Nimbus publishing 2025 ISBN 9781774714379)

Reviews: The climatic shipwreck at the end of the book provides a rich dramatic tension and a vivid description of the fury of the wind and waves. (Lisa Doucet. Atlantic Books Today)

Halsey masterfully blends historical detail with compelling fiction giving the reader a front row seat to one of Halfax's forgotten maritime tragedies. (Gail Haarsma The Beacon.)

Nominated for the prestigious 2026 Ann Connor Brimer Award

Piper

Piper is a story about a young family who leave their hardscrabble existence in the Highlands of Scotland to start a new life in Nova Scotia. The story describes their horrendous voyage in an old over-crowded immigrant ship called The Hector. With a research grant from Access Copyright, I was able to spend two weeks in Pictou where the Scottish settlers landed. I went over the full-sized replica of the old Brig, visited the Ship Hector Museum and explored the area. The picture of the Hector was painted for my birthday by my brother Michael Bury.
Piper was shortlisted for the 2019 CCBC Geoffrey Bilson Award for junior Historical Fiction, and the 2019/20 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award. It was a CCBC 2018 Best Books for Kids and Teens and on the Woozles Battle of the Books list. (Nimbus Publishing, 2018. ISBN 978-1-77108-605-9.)

Peggy’s Letters

Peggy's Letters was my first book. I still remember feeling totally stunned when I got the phone call from Maggie DeFriece telling me that Orca wanted to publish my story. I think this is mostly done by email these days. Peggy’s Letters is a short middle-grade novel set in London during the second world war. It is very special to me as it is based on my mother’s wartime stories and anecdotes.

Peggy’s Letters was voted an Honour Book in the 2007 Silver Birch Express Award. A Canadian Children's Book Center 2006 ‘Our Choice’ starred selection, it was nominated for the 2007 Hackmatack, and the Rocky Mountain Children's Choice Book Award. It is still very popular on Tumble Books.

(Orca Books, 2005. ISBN 1-55143-363-X. p-132)

The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate

The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate is a colourful pre-school picture book, which I co-wrote with my friend and library co-worker Carrie Muller. Writing and publishing it was pure fun from beginning to end. The large room in Alderney Gate Library heaved with our friends and families for the book launch. My section of the book was dedicated to my grandchildren. I asked my son, who lived in Hong Kong, for a photo of them dressed as pirates to show at the launch. Oh boy was I surprised when instead of a picture the whole family turned up in person! The pictures below were taken at the launch. The first one is of me with Eric, and Carrie doing the book signing.

Eric Orchard’s wonderful illustrations were nominated for the Lillian Shepherd Award for illustration. (2009) and won the Mayor’s Award for Illustration. (2009). The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate topped local best-seller lists for several weeks and eighteen years later, can still be found in book and gift stores up and down the Province. It has sold over 28,000 copies.

(Nimbus Publishing, 2008. ISBN 1551096552 p-32)

The Terrible Horrible Smelly Beach

Thirteen years after The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate, Carrie and I wrote a sequel. The Terrible Horrible Smelly Beach had an environmental theme, inspired by the many beach clean-ups taking place up and down the Province. It is the story of a mermaid who tricks the Not-So-Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate and his crew into doing a beach clean-up in their search for hidden treasure. Unfortunately, Eric Orchard was not available to do the illustrations at this time. Paul Hammond did an excellent job and gave the original characters a bright new look while keeping them recognizable.

The book launch was held in picturesque Fisherman’s Cove. Visitors as well as friends and family joined in the fun which included a beach scavenger hunt with rewards of golden coins.

(Nimbus Publishing, 2022, ISBN 9781774710982 p32)

Approximately 500 bags of garbage and fishing gear are collected from Mcnabs Island every year.

Mermaid Rainer reading "The Terrible Horrible, Smelly Beach" to the children at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's Ocean day event.

Explosion Newsie

Explosion Newsie is my second historical fiction picture book. The story came about when I learned that in the early hours of the morning after the Halifax Explosion, a one-page newspaper was printed on an old hand printing press. This was done even though the building was in ruins, glass was everywhere, staff had lost loved ones, and there was no power. The news had to get out. My story is about a distracted newsboy (my first choice for a title was The Worst Newsboy Ever) who becomes an everyday hero delivering newspapers in the days after the explosion. The book is powerfully illustrated by the amazing Loretta Migani and tells the story of the Explosion in a form suitable for younger children. It is a CCBC 2016 Best Book for Children and Teens. CM review 4/4*s

(Formac Publishing, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4595-0401-1. p-32)

Bluenose Adventure

Bluenose Adventure. I was asked by Formac Publishing to write a school-age picture book, about child-workers on the fishing schooners in the early 1920s. The focus was to be on Nova Scotia's iconic schooner, Bluenose. I had no idea that children as young as ten- years-old were out on the Atlantic for weeks at a time in very rough conditions, gutting fish. My research took me to The Fisheries Museum in Lunenburg. I was taken around by the curator who had actually talked to men who, like Artie, were flunkies on the schooners in the 1900s. The Bluenose really did have an encounter with another ship and was nearly sunk on her maiden voyage. I was thrilled when in 2021, on the hundredth anniversary of the launch of the original Bluenose, the Captain of Bluenose 2 read an excerpt of Bluenose Adventure from the decks of the Bluenose. I am seen below reading Bluenose Adventure on Theodore Tugboat at the Halifax, 2013 "Word on the Street festival." It was a very windy splashy ride. Beautifully Illustrated by Eric Orchard, Bluenose Adventure was nominated for the 2013 APMA Best Atlantic Published Book Award.

(Formac Publishing, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4595-0280-2. p-32)

Mom’s in the Navy

Mom’s in the Navy was commissioned and published by the Naval Association of Canada. They wanted a picture book to give younger children some idea of what their parents did when they were deployed. For research I visited the Naval dock yard in Halifax with a group of students. I climbed up and down the horrendously long ladder in a submarine and had a tour of one of the new frigates.

Lin Luo illustrated the story which compares a child’s life at home with Mom’s life at sea. (2019 ISBN 9780978486242) It has been translated into braille for a museum.

The Gran Plan

The Gran Plan, placed third in the WFNS Nova Writes Competition in 2006. It’s a story of how Josh’s plan to cheer up his recuperating grandmother goes very wrong but gets Gran laughing all the same. It later became a Scholastic school reader, illustrated by Stephen Hutchings.

(Scholastic Canada, ( 2007. ISBN 978-0-7791-6336-6)

Publication List

Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune

(Nimbus Publishing, 2025, ISBN 9781774714379)

A middle-grade historical fiction based on the true story of Joe Cracker.

Nominated for Atlantic Book Award's 2026 Ann Connor Brimer Award for children's literature

Terrible Horrible Smelly Beach

(Nimbus Publishing, 2022. ISBN 9781774710982 p.32)

A sequel to the Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate.

Piper

(Nimbus Publishing, 2018. ISBN 978-1-77108-605-9. p-170)

2013 Research grant from Access Copyright.

Shortlisted for the 2019 CCBC Geoffrey Bilson Award for historical fiction, and the 2019/20 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award.

A CCBC 2018 Best Books for Kids and Teens. Woozles Battle of the Books list 2018.

Explosion Newsie

(Formac Publishing, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4595-0401-1. p-32)

A CCBC 2016 Best Book for Children and Teens. CM review 4/4*s

Bluenose Adventure

(Formac Publishing, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4595-0280-2. p-32)

Illustrated by Eric Orchard.

Nominated for the 2013 APMA Best Atlantic Published Book Award.

The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate

(Nimbus Publishing, 2008. ISBN 1551096552 p-32)

Co-authored with Carrie Muller, illustrated by Eric Orchard.

Nominated for the Lillian Shepherd Award for illustration. (2009)

Winner of the Mayor’s award for illustration CA (2009).

Peggy’s Letters

(Orca Books, 2005. ISBN 1-55143-363-X. p-132)

A Canadian Children's Book Center 2006 ‘Our Choice’ starred selection. Nominated for the 2007 Hackmatack

and the Rocky Mountain Children's choice Book Award. Voted an Honour Book in the 2007 Silver Birch Express Award.

Currently available on Tumble Books.

The Gran Plan,

(Scholastic, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7791-6648-0p-48) (school reader)

My Mom’s in the Navy

Commissioned and published by the Naval Association of Canada (2019 ISBN 9780978486242)

A pre-school picture book, Illustrated by Lin Luo.

My books are available: on Amazon, Indigo, Woozles, Tattletales, The Open Book cafe

and gift shops up and down the Province.

I was featured in one of the episodes of the second series of Eastlink's Final Draft. The crew came to the house. Lights, cameras and all arrived but they were so nice and made me feel relaxed so it wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be.

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