Heck Superhero by Martine Leavitt
Summary: Thirteen year-old Heck finds himself on his own as his mother takes one of her breaks from reality. Caught up in the desire to be his mother’s hero while keeping the true nature of the situation a secret so he won’t end up in another foster home, Heck ends up getting locked out of his apartment and living in a car. When people who know him try to help, Heck shuts them out, believing that if he can only find and perform the one, greatest Good Deed, he’ll even out the cosmic score and his mother will come back to him. Along the way he meets Marion, a young man with...
Read MoreRookie by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Summary: Aaron Wong is a rookie who has moved from Vancouver to Calgary to play on the Podium Sports Academy hockey team. With a promise to his parents to keep his grades above 95%, Aaron’s under a lot of pressure on and off the ice. A new friend/love interest named Carrie in Aaron’s life inflames the jealousy of Rammer, a teammate, and when the rookies are hazed he threatens Aaron with something unspeakable. To get revenge and assuage his humiliation, Aaron ups his game, determined now more than ever to show up Rammer on the ice. But when Rammer’s violence escalates and...
Read MoreDawn Rider by Jan Hudson
Summary: Kit Fox has seen 16 winters in her lifetime and has grown up fearless and determined. When she has a dream that she will ride Eagle Flies Over Hills, her tribe’s horse, she manages to work around the objections others have and learns to ride him secretly, gently gaining the horse’s trust. Though female warriors among the Blackfoot tribe are rare and usually older, Kit Fox hones her skills and slowly helps her people adjust to new ways. Change is the future of the Blackfoot tribe though as getting used to Eagle Flies Over Hills and learning to use guns offered to them by...
Read MoreGraffiti Knight by Karen Bass
Summary: In Germany after World War II, Wilm and his family live under Soviet rule. It’s essentially a police state, and payback for Germany’s role in the war is harsh, affecting innocent citizens who weren’t responsible for the atrocities that took place. When sixteen year-old Wilm finds out his sister Anneliese was raped by Soviet soldiers, he uses the knowledge as motivation to fight back against the Soviets and the Germans they have placed in control of the community. His stunts start out relatively harmless but escalate with time until it is difficult to tell what...
Read MoreDrummer Girl by Karen Bass
Summary: Setting her sights on becoming the drummer of The Fourth Hand (THF) after she loses her place in her brother’s band when he goes off to university, Sid is all about the music. But THF is an all guy band sending Sid mixed messages. Some members think a girl member will break up the band, and others want her to dress more provocatively for the audience at their gigs. She’s competing against a fellow student named Wes for the spot, and even though she is clearly the more skilled drummer Sid decides to change her wardrobe to become what they want and hopefully snag the spot....
Read MoreThe Comic Book War by Jacqueline Guest
Summary: Living in 1943 with three older brothers fighting in World War II, Robert finds solace in reading his comic book adventures. An encounter with a meteorite leads to Robert carrying around a piece of an exploded star, and it seems to have magical powers as meteorites start appearing in his favourite comics. Convinced the superheroes he reads about are connected to his brothers, Robert uses his allowance to follow their adventures. But when wartime rationing causes his mother to use his allowance to buy war stamps, Robert must find another way to purchase his monthly comics and do what...
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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