Who is Frances Rain? by Margaret Buffie
Summary: Up at her Gran’s place on Rain Lake, Manitoba for the summer with her warring family, Lizzie seeks solace on an abandoned island with plenty of secrets. When Lizzie’s excavation of the remnants of a cabin turn up a pair of spectacles, Lizzie dons them only to be transported to another time when the island wasn’t abandoned. Witness to the life of Frances Rain and her mysterious visitor, Lizzie slowly pieces together who Frances Rain was and what happened to her. In real life, Lizzie is dealing with the potential break up of her new and fragile family and learns her...
Read MoreSandbag Shuffle by Kevin Marc Fournier
Summary: When Owen and Andrew are evacuated from their North Dakota group home during the Red River Flood of 1997, they take the opportunity to skip town and start their lives over on their own terms in Canada. With charm, smarts, and the skills of teenage con-artists, Owen and Andrew make their way across Manitoba by tugging on heartstrings with Owen’s missing legs and taking advantage of people. Humourous situations ensue, but underneath everything Owen and Andrew end up contributing their help to a province in need as the flood continues. Number of Pages: 206 Age Range: 13-15...
Read MoreThe World Outside by Eva Wiseman
Summary: As seventeen year-old Chanie works on completing her last year of high school, a chance encounter with a non-orthodox Jewish guy while performing Outreach introduces her to the world outside of her tight-knit Hasidic community. Despite being forbidden to hang out with members of the opposite sex alone, Chanie and David start meeting in secret, opening Chanie up to his influence. When David hears her sing, he encourages Chanie to apply to Juilliard to study music instead of becoming a teacher in her community. At odds with her family, Chanie feels the pull of wanting to pursue her...
Read MoreThe McGillicuddy Book of Personal Records by Colleen Sydor
Summary: Obsessed with breaking a world record, Lee McGillicuddy makes attempts on several different records unsuccessfully. After the latest attempt gives him sunstroke, Lee remains more determined than ever, forcing himself to walk the Manitoba Marathon, a thirty-five kilometre journey. Despite his failures, Lee is hopeful, until he comes to the abrupt realisation that some people are born talented as opposed to having to work to put their names in the record books. He becomes discouraged, but encouragement from his friend Rhonda (call me Ron) ends up leading to a situation that will test...
Read MoreKarma by Cathy Ostlere
Summary: With one parent who is Sikh and one who is Hindu, Maya (Jiva) is caught in the middle with two names and conflicting beliefs about God and life. As the only Indians living in rural town of Elsinore, Manitoba, the culture isolation hits Maya’s mother the most, leading her into depression and suicide. In response, her father takes Maya back to India, but it’s 1984 and prime minister Indira Gandhi is about to be assassinated, plunging the country into a violent rampage against Sikhs. Maya and her father are separated during the riots, each believing the other is dead, and...
Read MoreAbout Amy
Amy Mathers has been passionate about reading from a very young age, and hopes others will share her enthusiasm for funding a teen book award. Read more Follow Amy
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