Irma Voth by Miriam Toews
Summary: Living as a Mennonite in Mexico, Irma Voth is a young, married nineteen year-old who lives with her husband on the farm adjacent to her parents’ farm. Her husband, Jorge, is a native Mexican and an outsider to the Mennonite community and when he leaves Irma she doesn’t know what to do with herself. A local filmmaker comes to the farming community with a vision and hires Irma to translate between him and his star actress. As Irma entangles herself with the outsiders, her father’s anger grows, spilling over onto Aggie, her younger sister, until Irma must take action...
Read MoreThe Apprentice’s Masterpiece by Melanie Little
Summary: The son of a Jewish scribe, Ramon and his family are converts in the face of the Spanish Inquisition during the 1400s. But while Jews and Muslims are openly despised, conversos as they are known are not far behind. Under the ‘Edicts of Faith’ a mistrustful society is fostered as everyone is encouraged to watch and inform on other’s contact with the undesirables. When Ramon’s family takes in Amir, a Muslim teen, Ramon sees himself as being above him and seeks to show him up especially when he notices Amir is becoming close with his father. But what seems like...
Read MoreThe Alphabet Stones by Ursula Pflug
Summary: Living on a commune with her older sister Alana and her best friend Ethan, Jody encounters a particularly difficult summer during her fourteen year when everything seems to change, thrusting her into a new life she wasn’t anticipating. Looking back years later, the story of that summer and the years following come flowing out of her, and Jody is able to examine the details of what was really going on, turning over the events in her mind. Resolution comes when Jody encounters people from her past, but the truth of her heritage might mean she is caught between two worlds...
Read MoreSwimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
Summary: Living with his mother’s best friend Bundle and her family since his parents died when he was six, fourteen year-old Amrith is left to piece together the mysteries of his past. Although his new family is very supportive, Amrith is still drawn to connect with his blood relatives when the uncle and cousin he never knew he had come visit Sri Lanka from Canada. Being around his older cousin Niresh opens up the past for Amrith, and also ends up revealing surprising truths about himself. Amrith’s anger over his sisters taking up Niresh’s precious time grows, but figuring...
Read MoreAs She Grows by Lesley Anne Cowan
Summary: Fifteen year-old Snow is mature beyond her years. Girlfriend of an eighteen year-old with his own apartment and caretaker of her grandmother who may have mental health issues but is definitely an alcoholic, she reaches her breaking point when her grandmother’s boyfriend tries to molest her in the middle of the night. For her own safety and protection, Snow moves into a group home and is determined to finish high school, until she learns the devastating news that she is pregnant. As her world slowly crumbles around her, she learns truths about her family history that leave her...
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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