Swimmers by Amy Bright
Summary: Travelling by bus from Lethbridge, Alberta back to Victoria, British Columbia with his semi-girlfriend Lee, and his younger friend Poppy, Hunter reflects on the reason why he was sent away, and everything that has happened since one fateful day with his best friend Niall. Number of Pages: 215 Age Range: 14-16 Review: I know my summary is short for Swimmers by Amy Bright, but I hesitate to say more because Bright’s book is a delicately structured read that relies heavily on the suspense of a story slowly being unveiled. Hunter is a seventeen year-old who hasn’t always...
Read MoreThree Little Words by Sarah N. Harvey
Summary: Rescued from a neglectful mother by a couple named Megan and Caleb when he was just two years old, Sid has grown up in stable, loving environment. Sid’s new parents foster others as well, and over the years he has been a big brother and a little brother to many other children and teens. While his turmoil over his past comes out in his drawings, Sid seems to give little thought to his birth mother, until a man named Phil shows up one day to tell him she has disappeared. Turns out Sid has a half brother named Gawain who ran away shortly after their mother’s disappearance,...
Read MoreHalf Brother by Kenneth Oppel
Summary: When his mother comes home with a baby chimpanzee for his father’s university experiment, Ben has his doubts. Hoping to determine if chimpanzees are able to be taught language through using American Sign Language, Zan moves in with them and everyone except Ben’s father find themselves growing attached to him. The problem is while Zan is being raised like a human, he is still a chimp, and after they lose an opportunity for a major grant the whole project is in jeopardy. Ben and his mother struggle to keep Zan with them no matter what, but since he is owned by the...
Read MoreTruths I Learned from Sam by Kristin Butcher
Summary: After her mother gets married for the fifth time, seventeen year-old Dani thinks she will be spending the six weeks her mother is on her honeymoon by herself. But her mother springs a surprise on her: instead Dani will be spending the time with Sam, the uncle she never knew about. Although she could be angry about her mother keeping secrets from her, Dani opts for excitement over getting to know a new family member. Sam and Dani are two peas in a pod, enjoying an easy camaraderie right from the start. While on her vacation with Sam, Dani learns to ride a horse and starts a...
Read MoreBlood Red Road by Moira Young
Summary: Mid-winter twins Lugh and Saba live with their sister Emmi and their father on a lonely homestead plagued with drought. While the twins’ bond is fierce, their father is awash in grief and their sister fends for herself. Everything changes one day when the Tonton appear, kidnapping Lugh and killing their father. Left alone with Emmi, Saba sets out immediately to rescue Lugh, determined to leave her sister with a family friend along the way. But nothing seems to go as planned, and Saba’s journey to get Lugh back takes her from cage fighting in Hopetown, to battling deadly...
Read MoreFree as a Bird by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Summary: Born in 1957 with Downs Syndrome, Ruby Jean Sharp is put in an institution called the Woodlands School at the age of eight when her Gramma dies and can no longer care for her. The stigma against Ruby Jean’s condition is great, and those in the institution are often abused. But hope comes when Ruby Jean starts taking lessons on daily life activities with a helper named Grace, demonstrating that though others call her a retard she is capable of running her own life with some support. Finally she emerges from the Woodlands School to live with a friendly, caring older couple...
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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