Signs of Martha by Sarah Raymond
Summary: Living in Putnam, Ontario, sixteen year-old Martha is caught between a potentially premature marriage and wanting to pursue her dreams of being an artist. For the summer, Martha is harvesting a cucumber crop with her friend Bernie, but when a woman named Velvet rolls into town painting unique signs for her customers, Martha is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Under Velvet’s influence, Martha finds her voice, revealing hidden truths around town that have previously gone unsaid through her own signs. Velvet invites an art critic to town to view Martha’s work and Martha...
Read MoreUntil Today by Pam Fluttert
Summary: For as long as she can remember, Kat has been harbouring a terrible secret: her father’s best friend has been manipulating her and abusing her since she was little. Volunteering in a children’s hospital where she encounters Taylor, a girl dealing with physical abuse, Kat becomes inspired by her bravery in telling others who is to blame. With a family that labels her as a troublemaker, Kat is understandably hesitant to reveal the truth, fearing no one will believe her. But when Greg, her abuser slips up, others start to question the nature of their relationship and Kat...
Read MoreWhat We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn
Summary: After receiving their draft notices to fight in the Vietnam War, Tom and his friend Matt take very different paths. Matt’s family encourages him to serve his country, while Tom’s family frantically searches for a loophole, finding one in the education clause. Tom and his sister Jenn are sent to England to go to school, hiding far away from the reality of war, and in the process end up meeting several colourful characters at Jenny’s boarding school with secrets of their own to hide. Number of Pages: 275 Age Range: 15-17 Review: A full-length novel, What We Hide by...
Read MoreLumiere by Jacqueline Garlick
Summary: Plagued by mental fits that could cause her to be committed, Eyelet finds herself all alone after her father dies the Night of the Great Illumination and her mother is executed for being deemed a valkyrie. Before his death, Eyelet’s father was working on a machine to cure her affliction that he called the Illuminator, and Eyelet’s quest to find it causes her introduction to Urlick, a young man afflicted with his own demons. Together, Eyelet and Urlick embark on a journey to find her father’s journals and make the machine work in a quest for healing, but the true...
Read MoreA Troublesome Boy by Paul Vasey
Summary: Labelled a troublesome boy by his old school, Teddy’s mother’s boyfriend decides to send him to St. Iggy’s, a Catholic boys boarding school. Once there he makes friends and gets along well with his classmates, but the priests and brothers who run the school often abuse their power through the use of physical discipline and intimidation. When one of the priests begins using Teddy’s friend Cooper for sexual favours, Teddy feels powerless to stop what becomes Cooper’s gradual descent into depression and hopelessness. The one good part of their lives comes...
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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