Namesake by Sue MacLeod
Summary: 15 year-old Jane Grey is dealing with an erratic, alcoholic mother at home and a challenging school assignment about Lady Jane Grey, the nine days queen, at school. After getting books from the library to read up on her subject, Jane finds a peculiar little book among the others that she didn’t check out. Turns out it is Lady Jane Grey’s prayer book and it acts as a portal to 1500s England just after Queen Mary has taken the throne and banished Lady Jane to Tower of London. Jane and Lady Jane become friends, and Jane is witness to the effects of Lady Jane’s...
Read MoreA Sky Black With Crows by Alice Walsh
Summary: Thirteen year-old Katie is about to head to Labrador for a summer of cod fishing with her family that will change her life. By the end of the summer, her father is lost at sea, her mother is dead and her youngest sister, Hannah, is missing. Trying to find a way to keep her remaining family together, Katie makes the hard decision to leave her sister Ruth in the Grenfell orphanage in St. Anthony, Newfoundland to go to Halifax, Nova Scotia in search of Hannah. Following one false lead after another, Katie remains determined to find her lost sister, even if it means giving up her...
Read MoreAnn and Seamus by Kevin Major, illustrated by David Blackwood
Summary: Based on a true story from 1828, seventeen year-old Ann Harvey lives with her parents and her numerous brothers on the Isle aux Morts, Newfoundland. Her father is a cod fisherman and their lives revolve around fishing season until one day there is a shipwreck on their shores. As everyone focuses on saving the ship’s passengers, a subtle romance develops between Ann and Seamus, one of the survivors. Number of Pages: 108 Age Range: 13-15 Review: David Blackwood’s illustrations are haunting and beautiful with a soft quality about them, perfectly complimenting Kevin...
Read MoreHold Fast by Kevin Major
Summary: When their parents die in a car crash caused by a drunk driver, brothers Michael and Brent are split up among their relatives. While Brent gets to stay in Marten with his aunt and grandfather, Michael is sent to St. Albert to live with his other aunt and uncle and his two cousins. Michael soon builds a bond with his cousin Curtis, but Michael’s uncle becomes increasingly controlling and aggressive making Michael’s home life miserable. Events at school lead to Michael getting a two-week expulsion, and his uncle’s reaction is enough to inspire Michael and Curtis to...
Read MoreEdge of Time by Susan MacDonald
Summary: Unbeknown to the inhabitants of Earth (known as Terrans), a collective of different alien species has been fighting against an evil force named Rhozan who conquers whole worlds through the use of mind-control. Knowing Rhozan will eventually turn his sights to Earth, the collective seeds the population with genetic mutations that will make them immune to Rhozan’s powers. Teens Alec and Riley are part this new generation of Potentials, and when Rhozan begins his take-over, it is suddenly up to them and their Terran guardian Darius Finn to figure out how to stop him and prevent...
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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