Way to Go by Tom Ryan
Summary: Seventeen year-old Danny is launched into the summer of 1994 with a new job and a secret that’s becoming increasingly more difficult to hide. Unsure of what he wants to do after senior year, what Danny does know is that he wants to get as far away as possible from the small town mentality of Deep Cove, Cape Breton Island. His summer job at The Sandbar opens up new possibilities and creates new friendships, but it is ultimately Danny who must decide what to do with his life and who is safe to share his secret with. Number of Pages: 214 Age Range: 15-17 Review: With a cast of...
Read MoreNix Minus One by Jill MacLean
Summary: Nixon (Nix) Humbolt is a fifteen year-old who pretty much keeps to himself. Working with his hands in his father’s carpentry shop seems to be the only time when things make sense and words aren’t needed. A friendship with a neighbour’s dog he names Twig gives him some confidence, but then his sister Roxy starts pushing the family boundaries with her new boyfriend. Left to pick up the pieces when the relationship goes south, Nix does his best to keep things together when the unthinkable happens. Number of Pages: 287 Age Range: 15-17 Review: For me, the beauty of...
Read MoreAn Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
Summary: Living in a feudalistic society set in 1164 Scotland, sixteen year-old Lady Jeanette Avenel (Jenny) is used to a world where women are expected to submit a man’s will and are treated as property. When her older sister Isabel is disgraced by a marriage resulting in her new husband’s death, Jenny becomes the daughter whose marriage will advance her family’s stature in society. With her own estate and tocher (more commonly known as a dowry), Jenny is a potential bride for the King’s brother, William de Warenne. Then she meets Tam Lin, a former nobleman squatting...
Read MoreCreeps by Darren Hynes
Summary: With his short statue, wide-set eyes and penchant for writing, fifteen year-old Wayne Pumphrey is a target for the local bullies in Canning, Labrador. Marjorie, a fellow target of bullies, changes Wayne’s life one day when she sticks up for him. A friendship is fostered by their shared experiences, but the bully Pete the Meat is angered by it and vows to get revenge. Just as Wayne and Marjorie find reasons to believe in themselves and their futures, events that will shake their newfound resolve begin to unfold in a way that no one could have expected. Number of Pages: 307 Age...
Read MoreThirty-Six Exposures by Kevin Major
Summary: Lorne’s last year of high school is full of challenges. There’s the teacher he keeps butting heads with, the girlfriend who won’t sleep with him, and the best friend who’s having serious problems of his own. His feelings of hopelessness are somewhat tempered by his two loves – photography and poetry – both of which help him express himself and his observations of Newfoundland. Learning a family secret helps Lorne change his attitude toward some things, but a graduation party with a tragic ending is what ultimately fosters his will to live. Number...
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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