By Natasha Tarpley A mystery with history, The Harlem Charade unites three very different kids who must solve a brutal attack on a senior while tracking down some precious paintings that could help save their Harlem neighbourhood. Jin is being raised by her grandparents and spends a lot of time in their bodega (corner grocery […]
by Adam SilveraGriffin is a sixteen-year-old boy suffering in the aftermath of the loss of his ex-boyfriend Theo, who has just died in a drowning accident in California. On top of grieving the death of his first love, Griffin is also struggling with worsening symptoms of his OCD, the deterioration of his friendship with another […]
by Jason ReynoldsCastle Cranshaw, aka Ghost, has been running for a long time. Three years ago, his father tried to shoot Ghost and his mom. His father is now behind bars, and Ghost has a lot of anger issues that lead to him continually getting into trouble at school.His mom works long hours at a […]
Killer InstinctBy S.E. GreenWhat would you do if you had urges to kill? How would you feel if a local serial killer was sending you morbid messages? Most of us would be horrified, not Lane, the protagonist of Killer Instinct, book one of the Killer Instinct series by S.E. Green.Lane spends her days keeping up […]
And Then It Happened By M & L Wade“…After dinner that evening, we had a large bonfire and the Head Counsellor read us some really hokey, kiddie stories… until Gordon interrupted and asked if he could tell a story. The Head Counsellor smiled and said, ‘Sure, go right […]
The Skeleton TreeBy Iain Lawrence I’ve already mentioned that I love survival stories and this one is no exception. Twelve-year-old Chris doesn’t know much about the outdoors. His parents never taught him to fish or hunt or survive in the wild. He’s scared of wild animals and downright terrified of mountain climbing. Chris’s dad, who […]
Don’t I Know You?by Marni Jackson There is a slightly surreal quality to Marni Jackson’s debut novel, Don’t I Know You? A novel broken into short stories, each one following Rose McEwan’s life from 16-60. These stories go through Rose’s life chronologically, and each one contains a pop culture figure as a central character role […]
Jungle JittersBy Lisa DalrympleThis post was originally published in Canadian Materials, Volume XXIII, Number 23, February 24, 2017. Tate, aka the Potato, is known as a pretty boring kid. Nonetheless, when he and some of his grade six classmates get the opportunity to travel to the Amazon with their teacher to help build a school, he […]
The Thickety: A Path BeginsBy J.A. White Kara Westfall is a witch – at least that’s what the townsfolk keep telling her. Her mother was a witch too, although Kara doesn’t remember any magic or spells. She does remember a loving mother whom she misses very much. Kara’s mother’s legacy and reputation as a witch […]
by E. K. JohnstonExit, Pursued by a Bear is a worthy successor to Laurie Halse Anderson’s seminal novel Speak. In Speak, Melinda Sordino was so traumatised by her assault that she was unable to even say the words “I was raped,” to herself, much less out loud for months afterwards. Hermione Winters, the protagonist of Exit, […]