Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant
Summary: After being burned by her mother Mimi’s celebrity status, Robin has withdrawn from the world to avoid further pain. Her one remaining friend, Selena, challenges her to get off her pampered butt and do something, and when Robin finds a mysterious ring as well as a photograph hidden carefully in her mother’s room she gains the motivation to do so. Impulsively she travels to Port Minton, Nova Scotia in search of answers to the origins of the ring, but Robin ends up learning more than she ever expected. Number of Pages: 290 Age Range: 15-17 Review: Last book on my journey of...
Read MoreRunning on Empty by Don Aker
Summary: Seventeen year-old Ethan has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Every thing is everyone else’s fault and he deeply resents having to face the consequences of his own actions. This attitude of entitlement leads him down a self-destructive road that will take away almost everything he has and put his closest relationships to the test. Hopefully he’ll be able to pull himself out of it before anyone gets hurt. Number of Pages: 265 Age Range: 15-17 Review: The interesting part of reading more than one book by an author is developing a sense of their specific writing...
Read MoreRun by Eric Walters
Summary: Fourteen year-old Winston’s bad behaviour at home and at school has his mother at her wits’ end. Following a suggestion from the police officer who brought Winston home from his latest runaway attempt, Winston’s mother sends him to live with his father for a bit. About to leave on a trip to Nova Scotia to follow a lead on a story, Winston’s father takes Winston along. It’s 1980 and it turns out the story is about a young, unknown man named Terry Fox who is on the cusp of changing the country and perhaps Winston too. Number of Pages: 236 Age Range: 12-14...
Read MoreRattled by Lisa Harrington
Summary: Bored after her fifteenth birthday, Lydia’s life picks up when new neighbours move into the old Henley place across the street. Suddenly there’s a new love interest named Sam that her older sister Jilly calls dibs on, and Lydia gains a new friend in his younger sister, Megan. After what seems like merely a rough start with Mrs. Swicker, Lydia realises Sam and Megan’s mother’s hostile nature is meant to hide something and decides to investigate. What she uncovers will not only have consequences for the Swicker family, but will also put Lydia’s life in...
Read MoreThe Leaving by Budge Wilson
Summary: A collection of short stories about gender inequality, coming of age, and complex familial relationships written by classic Canadian writer Budge Wilson. Number of Pages: 161 Age Range: 17-18 Review: I want to pick a favourite story but it’s impossible to do. I enjoyed “The Metaphor” because it fondly reminded me of my own seventh grade experiences with my English teacher Mr. Miller. “Mr. Manual Jenkins” confused me. “The Leaving” made me think about gender roles and the right everyone has to being treated with respect. “My Cousin...
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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