The Way It Is by Donalda Reid
Summary: Ellen’s father’s mid-life crisis when his best friend dies unexpectedly feels like the end of the world for Ellen herself. Suddenly she’s starting over in a new high school in a small town called Salmon Arm, British Columbia, and because it’s 1968 she is facing serious discrimination about her academic and career ambitions to become a doctor. Feeling like an outsider, meeting Tony, another outsider, on the bus to school is just what Ellen needs. Tony is an Indian who is marginalized like Ellen is, albeit in different ways and for different reasons. Their...
Read MoreOut by Sandra Diersch
Summary: When Alex sees his friend’s father kissing a woman who isn’t his wife, his already fragile hold on faith in God is shaken as the man is a prominent member of the Catholic church Alex attends. As Alex struggles with his faith, he also finds himself dealing with a brother who is struggling to claim his sexual identity, and a girlfriend who is exploring her own beliefs. Challenged by various situations to re-evaluate his convictions, Alex is faced with deciding what is truly important, and the need to examine how far he is willing to go to meet God in the middle. Number of...
Read MoreB for Buster by Iain Lawrence
Summary: Enlisting early in the air force at the age of sixteen to escape an abusive situation at home, Kak is in England and in over his head. As the wireless operator in a bomber plane during World War II, he is so traumatised by his first couple of times on the job bombing targets in Germany that he wants to quit. Quitting isn’t an option though and while everyone must complete a minimum of thirty missions, it is rare for bombers to live that long. Kak’s watching his friends die left and right as planes don’t come back from their missions, and his only solace is found in...
Read MoreThe Snow Queen by Eileen Kernaghan
Summary: When Gerda’s childhood friend Kai starts to pull away, burying himself in what he deems to be more sensible areas of study and making fun of her artistic nature, Gerda is understandably confused and distraught. But when Kai’s so-called relative comes to town and seems to cast a spell on Kai before taking him away, Gerda knows something is seriously wrong. She sets out on a journey to save him from the Enchantress and himself, running into obstacles that slow her down, but also end up introducing her to Ritva, a shaman in training who is well-versed in dealing with...
Read MoreNo More Dragons by Rie Charles
Summary: Thirteen year-old Alex is a kid with a lot on his plate. His father is physically and emotionally abusive, his little brother Tobey has cancer, and at school Alex is being bullied. As everything piles up Alex finds a way to vent by writing letters to Graham, telling him what’s going on and how he’s dealing with it. When Tobey’s cancer gets worse and Alex’s grandmother has an accident of her own, it feels like home life is a pressure cooker. One wrong move can aggravate and invoke his father’s anger, and Alex is beginning to realise he and his mother and...
Read MoreFishtailing by Wendy Phillips
Summary: At a time in their lives when all are vulnerable, Natalie, Tricia, Miguel and Kyle find their friendships and attractions cause them more harm than good. Haunted by abuse in her past, Natalie’s influence poisons the others who are already close to the brink themselves. Expressing themselves through free verse poems often written as highly criticised English assignments, as their connections grow more twisted and individual histories are revealed, tragedy ensues. Even the careful interventions of the school’s guidance counsellor, Ms. Nishi, can’t prevent 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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