Book Reviews

Below by Jason Chabot

Posted by on Nov 25, 2014 in Book Reviews, British Columbia | 0 comments

Summary: In what appears to be a post-apocalyptic version of our world, people live Above on floating islands that rest above the clouds, unhindered by bad weather because in the upper atmosphere nothing blocks them from the sun, moon and stars. The only life Elia knows is Above, but when the islands start descending and breaking apart and Elia finds herself caught up in a mystery she doesn’t understand, events conspire to put her Below. Completely out of her element and convinced the Scavengers who take the dead bodies from Above away are going to get her, Elia runs into Hokk, a...

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The Beckoners by Carrie Mac

Posted by on Nov 24, 2014 in Book Reviews, British Columbia | 0 comments

Summary: Moving from Prince George to Abbotsford, British Columbia for her mother’s work leaves Zoe less than impressed. When she starts a new school, she is taken under Beck’s wing, a girl with a group of loyal followers who are eager to do what she tells them to. Initially attracted to the Beckoners as they are called, things take a turn as Zoe encounters their darker side – the bullying of a girl they call Dog, the boyfriend who rapes members of the group, and the initiation ritual. The more Zoe learns, the less she wants to do with them, but getting out and beating the...

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Gravity by Leanne Lieberman

Posted by on Nov 23, 2014 in Book Reviews, British Columbia | 0 comments

Summary: When her Orthodox Jewish parents spend the summer in Israel, Ellie spends the summer with her Bubbie at a cottage in Northern Ontario. Meeting the girl next door changes Ellie’s life as she realises her attraction to Lindsay isn’t just about her secular ways, but also about the fact that Ellie is attracted to women. At the end of the summer, Ellie’s family reunites, but all are changed. Ellie’s questioning what her sexuality means when it comes to her religious beliefs, her sister Neshama is more determined than ever to make her escape to university, and...

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Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Posted by on Nov 22, 2014 in Book Reviews, British Columbia | 0 comments

Summary: When Brie’s older sister Faith falls off a mountain and dies, her family is plunged into grief as they struggle to understand what happened. As Brie tries to unravel the events leading up to Faith’s death, she’s also dealing with a cheating boyfriend, a best friend who would make a good enemy, and parents who are so overcome that they hardly notice her anymore. Thankfully Tessa, a Goth girl from school, takes Brie under her wing because she knows what loosing a sibling is like. Together, along with Alis, the brother of someone Brie didn’t know Faith was...

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Torn Away by James Heneghan

Posted by on Nov 21, 2014 in Book Reviews, British Columbia | 0 comments

Summary: Alone in Ireland after the violent deaths of his whole family, Declan joins the Holy Rollers, a militant terrorist group made up of teenage boys bent on getting revenge against the Protestants and the English. The idea of making people pay is all-consuming, and when his Uncle Matthew sends for him from Canada, Declan does absolutely everything he can to stop himself from being taken out of his country. Once in Canada, living in British Columbia, he’s still determined to make his escape, until his Uncle Matthew and Aunt Kate make a deal with him to stick it out for three months...

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Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Posted by on Nov 20, 2014 in Book Reviews, British Columbia | 0 comments

Summary: Faced with an impending arranged marriage within her Unity community, Celeste finds herself having doubts and falling for a boy named Jon instead. Spurred on by the stories of Tatianna, a girl taken in by the community while she gets back on her feet, and discouraged by her sister Nannette, a fervent believer in the way of the community who dreams of the day when she will become a sister wife, Celeste must decide for herself whether she will submit to becoming the multiple wife of an older man. Fearful of losing her family and hindered by strict religious life she has always known,...

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