A Sky Black With Crows by Alice Walsh
Summary: Thirteen year-old Katie is about to head to Labrador for a summer of cod fishing with her family that will change her life. By the end of the summer, her father is lost at sea, her mother is dead and her youngest sister, Hannah, is missing. Trying to find a way to keep her remaining family together, Katie makes the hard decision to leave her sister Ruth in the Grenfell orphanage in St. Anthony, Newfoundland to go to Halifax, Nova Scotia in search of Hannah. Following one false lead after another, Katie remains determined to find her lost sister, even if it means giving up her...
Read MoreNix Minus One by Jill MacLean
Summary: Nixon (Nix) Humbolt is a fifteen year-old who pretty much keeps to himself. Working with his hands in his father’s carpentry shop seems to be the only time when things make sense and words aren’t needed. A friendship with a neighbour’s dog he names Twig gives him some confidence, but then his sister Roxy starts pushing the family boundaries with her new boyfriend. Left to pick up the pieces when the relationship goes south, Nix does his best to keep things together when the unthinkable happens. Number of Pages: 287 Age Range: 15-17 Review: For me, the beauty of...
Read MoreAnn and Seamus by Kevin Major, illustrated by David Blackwood
Summary: Based on a true story from 1828, seventeen year-old Ann Harvey lives with her parents and her numerous brothers on the Isle aux Morts, Newfoundland. Her father is a cod fisherman and their lives revolve around fishing season until one day there is a shipwreck on their shores. As everyone focuses on saving the ship’s passengers, a subtle romance develops between Ann and Seamus, one of the survivors. Number of Pages: 108 Age Range: 13-15 Review: David Blackwood’s illustrations are haunting and beautiful with a soft quality about them, perfectly complimenting Kevin...
Read MoreThe Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton
Summary: Blay Raytee is an orphan living in a Committee (or government) work camp. Her life changes one day when she is chosen to be the tutor/maid for the new Bio-Indicator, Marrella. Living with Marrella gives Blay a chance to become part of a community and also allows her a chance to figure out the secrets of her past, something Blay is reluctant to give up when she realises her time with Marrella is coming to an end. Number of Pages: 238 Age Range: 13-14 Review: Janet McNaughton goes from Scotland circa 1164 in An Earthly Knight to a dystopian Canada circa 2368 in The Secret Under My...
Read MoreAn Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
Summary: Living in a feudalistic society set in 1164 Scotland, sixteen year-old Lady Jeanette Avenel (Jenny) is used to a world where women are expected to submit a man’s will and are treated as property. When her older sister Isabel is disgraced by a marriage resulting in her new husband’s death, Jenny becomes the daughter whose marriage will advance her family’s stature in society. With her own estate and tocher (more commonly known as a dowry), Jenny is a potential bride for the King’s brother, William de Warenne. Then she meets Tam Lin, a former nobleman squatting...
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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