Red Wolf by Jennifer Dance
Summary: Red Wolf has a happy life with his parents and The People. He is part of the Anishnaabek nation and lives in close community with nature and the animals around him. The summer before everything changes Red Wolf is befriended by Crooked Ear, a recently orphaned wolf cub who must learn to survive on his own. When Red Wolf is forced to go to a residential school at the tender age of five, he also finds himself in a similar situation. As he grows, his experiences at school change his relationship with his parents and affect his trust of white people, leaving him with limited options and...
Read MoreThe Night Wanderer by Drew Hayden Taylor
Summary: Two stories intertwine as Pierre, an ancient vampire, retraces his journey across the ocean to come home at last and a teenage girl named Tiffany from his old community finds herself at odds with her family and herself. When Pierre rents a room at Tiffany’s father’s house, he becomes involved in her life and helps to give her some direction when things in her life go downhill. The connection between the two, though brief, is enough to set Tiffany straight and helps Pierre bring a satisfying close to a long and lonely life. Number of Pages: 215 Age Range: 17-18 Review:...
Read MoreNights Below Station Street by David Adams Richards
Summary: Adele is a high school student with an older boyfriend named Ralphie, an alcoholic father named Joe and a mother named Rita that she despises. As bitter as Adele is and as much as she wants to be rid of them at times, all of their lives are intertwined with each other. Being a family and living in their community isn’t easy, but when things are at their toughest, Adele’s family proves again and again that they have the strength to band together and face whatever arises. Number of Pages: 218 Age Range: 17-18 Review: At first, I didn’t like Nights Below Station...
Read MoreChasing Freedom by Gloria Ann Wesley
Summary: Sarah and her grandmother Lydia are slaves living in Carolina when the Revolutionary War between the British and the American Patriots takes place. Their owners are Loyalists who plan to flee to Nova Scotia, and Sarah and Lydia find themselves in The Book of Negroes with passage to freedom in the new country. Once there though, freedom is an uphill battle as promises are broken and old attitudes threaten their safety. Number of Pages: 231 Age Range: 17-18 Review: From Barbara Smucker’s Underground to Canada to Lawerence Hill’s The Book of Negroes, Gloria Ann...
Read MoreGame Plan by Natalie Corbett Sampson
Summary: Basketball athlete Ella is usually responsible and cautious, but one drunken Hallowe’en night lowers her inhibitions with her boyfriend, Sam, leaving her only seventeen and pregnant. Katherine and Danny Frayne are a married couple who have tried unsuccessfully for five years to conceive without success so they begin the process to adopt a child. These two heartfelt journeys unfold separately, but Ella’s decision about her unplanned pregnancy will connect them forever. Number of Pages: 306 Age Range: 17-18 Review: Appearances are deceiving on this one. What looks like a...
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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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