The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley
Summary: Françoise Laurent is the daughter of a prostitute and a soldier in 1700s New France. Trained to be a washerwoman by her mother, she has dreams to rise above her station, and when he parents die from illness a neighbour helps her get a position as a ladies’ maid. In her work for Madame Pommereau, she finds what she thinks is an ally and a friend, but her knowledge that she and the Madame should be considered equals gets her into trouble when she steals a pair of ladies’ gloves. Her crime earns her the punishment of hanging by noose to deter other uprisings and maintain...
Read MoreCry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron
Summary: Wuditu lives in Ethiopia and is a part of the Beta Israel community with her family. Secure in her family’s love, things begin to change slowly at first when the government orders all adults to be educated, progressing to Wuditu’s family being exiled from Ethiopia. Driven from their homes, Wuditu and her family journey to live in the refugee camps in the Sudan in the hopes to catch an airplane to a new life in Israel. Instead her family gets separated and Wuditu finds herself having to leave her sister behind in the search to reunite with them. On her own, Wuditu goes...
Read MoreChanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton
Summary: Sixteen year-old Chanda has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. After the death of her youngest sibling, Sarah, her Mama is sick with grief and something else, and her step-father is drinking and sleeping around to forget. Chanda’s family lives in a community where gossip is rampant and reputation is everything, so when Chanda suspects her mother may actually have AIDS, she keeps it to herself. But the secrets in Chanda’s life are building up, and when her Mama goes away on a trip she doesn’t return from, Chanda must find the courage to break through the...
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 MoreThunder Over Kandahar by Sharon E. McKay
Summary: Yasmine’s parents have moved her to Afghanistan with idealistic hopes of helping to change the country. Their outsider ways and liberal beliefs attract unwanted attention, and put all of their lives in serious danger from the Taliban. Along the way Yasmine’s parents hire Tamanna to be her companion and the two become the best of friends since going to school is not an option. When the situation turns deadly, their friendship is put to the test as they are forced to make a perilous journey, but the kindness of strangers and family persistence will pull them through....
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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