Fastback Beach by Shirlee Smith Matheson
Summary: Lured into the wrong crowd by his best friend Larry the Lark, Miles finds himself being charged for auto theft after being abandoned at the scene of an accident on Fastback Beach. Sentenced to 100 hours of community service, Miles spends time with the Berniers, an elderly couple with a love for fast cars as well. Their positive influence leads Miles to realise he can have the cars he loves if he really works at it, but his friends, while grateful he didn’t give them up as well, are reluctant to change their ways. When another car goes missing, and then the car Miles was...
Read MoreThe Vow by Jessica Martinez
Summary: Annie’s best friend Mo is the most important person in her life. Their entrance into each others’ lives in grade school is a saving grace for both with Mo being a new immigrant to the United States and Annie losing her sister. So when Mo’s father loses his job and his family must move back to Jordan from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, the idea is unthinkable. Annie and Mo need each other, and to prevent their separation, Annie comes up with an idea to keep him in the United States. But neither of them truly realises what is involved in what Annie is proposing, and what...
Read MoreChild of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji
Summary: When Ugandan President Idi Admin has a dream that all British Indians should be expelled from the country in 90 days, a nightmare begins for Sabine and her family. With a grandfather who came over from India with his family, Sabine was born in Uganda, and considers herself a Ugandan citizen. Struggling to come to terms with the sudden hatred from friends and the country she loves, Sabina must find within herself the strength to face reality, help her family and grasp the courage to start over again. Number of Pages: 215 Age Range: 13-15 Review: In a powerful, historical tale of the...
Read MoreHow I Lost You by Janet Gurtler
Summary: Best friends Grace and Kya have a rule to live by: Buds before studs. But a rape at the age of thirteen has changed Kya, and she hides her pain in alcohol and sexual encounters. Grace’s empathy for Kya leads her to continually make allowances for her behaviour, until Kya’s actions begin interfering with Grace’s future plans. Used to doing everything she can to take care of Kya and safeguard her well-being, Grace is eventually faced with a choice between trying to protect Kya from herself and realising that Kya must start taking responsibility for her own decisions....
Read MoreCowboys Don’t Cry by Marilyn Halvorson
Summary: A terrible car accident leaves Shane without a mother from the age of nine, and in the hands of a father who drinks to forget. As bull rider and rodeo clown, Shane’s father has them following the rodeos across the Prairies in the United States and Canada, but when Shane’s grandfather dies and leaves him a piece of land in Alberta, Shane and his father finally have a place to put down roots. Untangling the feelings and pain of the past is going to take longer than the four years that have already passed; unfortunately no healing can begin until someone starts talking....
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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