Zack by
Uprooted by his parents' move to the outskirts of a small Ontario town, friendless and at the lowest point of his life, Zack undertakes research into the life of Richard Pierpoint, former African slave, soldier of the American Revolution as well as the War of 1812, and the pioneer farmer who cleared the land on which Zack's house now stands. Pierpoint's story inspires Zack to go to Mississippi to look for his maternal grandfather. What Zack discovers shakes the foundations of all he once believed.
Angels Turn Their Backs by
Fifteen-year-old Addy panics and runs back to her room, her heart pounding. She can't do it. She can't go to school. Addy is afraid of taking even one step out of the house. And it's worse than that. She can't hear people when they're right in front of her, yet she hears voices that no one else can. Addy feels as if she's falling apart. Where can she turn? Her parents have just split up and her one real friend is a thousand miles away. Addy wishes she were back at her old school, but she knows there's no going back. The trouble is, she can't move forward. She can't even leave her room. Margaret Buffie's Angels Turn Their Backs is a compelling, supernatural thriller about a girl whose life is suddenly turned upside down by agoraphobia.
Janey's Girl by
Fourteen-year-old Claire and her mother, Jane, are on their way across the country to visit Claire's grandmother. As they approach the family farm, Claire watches her mother become more and more anxious. Until now, she thought they had an open relationship with a healthy respect for each other's privacy. This trip unlocks the key to the many questions Claire has about their past - including the identity of her father and the reason her mother never went back home until now. Gayle Friesen's novel Janey's Girl is a coming-of-age story with a twist: Claire's mother is the one who reaches maturity.
Mercy's Birds by
Learning to accept help can be the hardest lesson of all. Mercy doesn't have your average family, but it's the only one she's ever known. She, her mother Pearl, and her aunt Moo move from one falling-down rental house to another. Somehow they've always managed to get by, but lately things seem to be spinning out of control. Why is Pearl growing smaller, saying less and less as she retreats to the security of her bedroom? Why is her aunt growing larger and noisier as she reads fortunes in teacups and tarot cards and palms? And while Mercy tries to keep up at school and with her job, she lives in fear of the day Barry, Moo's boyfriend, comes back to live with them all.
Sins of the Father by
Ever since Mick arrived in his father's hometown, people have been acting strange around him. Like father, like son, they say. But Mick's dad has done his time in prison - and besides, Mick's mom always said he was wrongfully convicted. Who's hiding the truth? And what does Mich have to do to uncover it?
Make or Break Spring by
In the spring of 1945, fifteen-year-old Evelyn McCallum finds herself competing with her best friend, Peter Tilley, and Stan Dawe, the handsome golden boy of her school, for the scholarship that bears her father's name. Although missing in action since 1942, Ev clings to the hope that her father might somehow still be alive. As the war ends in Europe, in her final year of high school, Ev's life begins to alter in ways that will change her forever.
Awake and Dreaming by
While living a miserable, poverty-stricken life with her young, irresponsible mother, nine-year-old Theo dreams of belonging to a real family but finds a shadowy figure haunting her thoughts.
War of the Eagles by
During WWII, Jed's English father serves as a fighter pilot overseas, while Jed and his mother move back to her Tsimshian community on Canada's west coast. When the military sets up a naval base in town, Jed is hired to help out, honored it seems, for both his father's bravery and his own native skills as a hunter. Presented with a military jacket, Jed finds an allegiance to his country and a pride in his mixed heritage that he's never felt before. But one day Jed's world is shattered. His best friend Tadashi, along with the other members of the nearby Japanese village, are declared enemy aliens and told to prepare to leave their homes. Now Jed must ask himself where his allegiance really belongs...to his country's rigid code, or to the truth that is buried in his Tsimshian soul. War of the Eaglesis the first of two books in a series. Book two is Caged Eagles.
Brad's Universe by
When Brad tries to run away from his problems, he discovers that he cannot escape his feelings, his memories or the past. Brad''s Universe is a story about family and love and friendship, a story about coping with less-than-perfect situations.'
Stephen Fair by
At the age of fifteen Stephen begins having nightmares like the ones that drove his older brother away from home, and eventually the dreams lead to a discovery that is shocking but ultimately allows his family to come back together.
Janey's Girl by
Fourteen-year-old Claire and her mother, Jane, are on their way across the country to visit Claire's grandmother. As they approach the family farm, Claire watches her mother become more and more anxious. Until now, she thought they had an open relationship with a healthy respect for each other's privacy. This trip unlocks the key to the many questions Claire has about their past - including the identity of her father and the reason her mother never went back home until now. Gayle Friesen's novel Janey's Girl is a coming-of-age story with a twist: Claire's mother is the one who reaches maturity.