Hummingbird Heart by Robin Stevenson
Summary: Trying to getting in contact with her absent father even though her mother refers to him as ‘the sperm donor,’ Dylan is understandably surprised when her father comes into her life out of the blue on his own. But there’s a reason why he has suddenly appeared – his three year-old daughter needs a bone marrow transplant, and there’s a chance that Dylan may be a match. Thrust into an impossible situation, Dylan begins learning secrets about her parents’ past she never knew, all while dealing with the normal challenges of being a teenager. Number of...
Read MoreBig Guy by Robin Stevenson
Summary: Since Derek’s mother left his father, life has been a challenge. Uninterested in school, Derek drops out to get a job instead, but living with his father alone is only made bearable with the support of his best friend Gabi, and his online boyfriend, Ethan. When Ethan asks for a picture though, Derek sends one from before his substantial weight gain, thinking it won’t matter because Ethan will never know the difference. Ethan has plans to come to a wedding in town and meet Derek while he is there, and Derek must decide whether to come clean about his appearance for the...
Read MoreWhat is Real by Karen Rivers
Summary: Dex is a seventeen year-old disillusioned by life. With a step-brother who died of a heroin overdose, a father paralyzed by a botched suicide attempt, a mother who favours his step-father over him and a girlfriend who was abused as a child, Dex numbs his pain with liberal doses of the marijuana his father decided to grow. As the lines between reality and fantasy blur considerably, Dex’s filmmaker’s eye frames the story of his life as he sees fit, but eventually he reaches a point where even he can’t tell the difference anymore. Number of Pages: 295 Age Range: 15-17...
Read MoreThe Whole Truth by Kit Pearson
Summary: Sent to live with their grandmother on the coast of British Columbia after their father drowns, Maud and Polly are newly orphaned with secrets between them. It’s 1931 and taking care of one’s family in the midst of the Depression is a daunting task, but after living in poverty with their father, Maud and Polly are suddenly well taken care of with ample educational opportunities. In this new environment Maud flourishes, making friends and developing her own beliefs, while Polly has a great deal of trouble living with the secrets she has been encouraged to keep. When the...
Read MoreLooking at the Moon by Kit Pearson
Summary: Living as a guest of war in Canada with her little brother Gavin during World War II, Norah Stoakes is a thirteen year-old girl on the cusp of womanhood. Gairloch, a Muskoka cottage, is their home for the summer, and along with guardians Aunt Florence and Aunt Mary, Gavin and Norah are absorbed into the Drummond clan. But after three years away from her home in England and her family, Norah is now a teenager dealing with a changing body and emotions. This summer marks her departure from childhood, her first experience with romantic love and her realisation that in the face of war,...
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