Leap by Jodi Lundgren
Summary: Natalie is a newly fifteen year-old girl who is about to have a life-changing summer. With plans to take an intensive summer dance course with her friends, those plans go askew when attentions from Kevin, her best friend Sasha’s older brother, alienate Natalie from her friends. Before she knows it, Natalie is involved in a relationship she doesn’t fully understand, crossing physical boundaries in the moment she later regrets. Unable to take the flak from her dance class friends and drawn to a different type of dance anyway, Natalie finds herself taking more chances with...
Read MoreThe Way It Is by Donalda Reid
Summary: Ellen’s father’s mid-life crisis when his best friend dies unexpectedly feels like the end of the world for Ellen herself. Suddenly she’s starting over in a new high school in a small town called Salmon Arm, British Columbia, and because it’s 1968 she is facing serious discrimination about her academic and career ambitions to become a doctor. Feeling like an outsider, meeting Tony, another outsider, on the bus to school is just what Ellen needs. Tony is an Indian who is marginalized like Ellen is, albeit in different ways and for different reasons. Their...
Read MoreChild of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji
Summary: When Ugandan President Idi Admin has a dream that all British Indians should be expelled from the country in 90 days, a nightmare begins for Sabine and her family. With a grandfather who came over from India with his family, Sabine was born in Uganda, and considers herself a Ugandan citizen. Struggling to come to terms with the sudden hatred from friends and the country she loves, Sabina must find within herself the strength to face reality, help her family and grasp the courage to start over again. Number of Pages: 215 Age Range: 13-15 Review: In a powerful, historical tale of the...
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 Happened to Ivy by Kathy Stinson
Summary: Growing up with a younger sister dealing with cerebral palsy, David is used to being independent and coming second in his parents’ attentions. In love with the girl across the street, David’s attraction only grows when Heather shows she is comfortable being around Ivy and his parents. But a trip to the family cottage changes everything when David’s dad takes Ivy for a swim and she has a seizure and dies. When questions are raised about whether Ivy’s death was accidental or intentional and David’s father comes out with a startling confession, David...
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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