Special Collections
High Interest Y. A. Novels
Description: High Interest, Low Vocabulary books are for teenagers looking to advance their reading capabilities. Perfect for emerging teen readers. #teens
- Table View
- List View
Riley Park
by Diane TullsonSeventeen-year-old Corbin plays hockey and is known as a scrapper on and off the ice. Fighting makes him feel strong. Corbin's friend, Darius, is socially adept and popular, and Darius's reckless risk-taking makes Corbin feel alive. With Rubee, a girl both boys like, Darius crosses a line, and after a party at Riley Park, Darius and Corbin are attacked. Darius is killed; Corbin is seriously injured. Corbin fights his clouded memory -- he can't identify the assailants. He fights his weakened body -- he can no longer play hockey. He fights the loss of his friend. But when he gives up the fight, he finds strength in acceptance.
No More Pranks
by Monique PolakPete likes to play pranks. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it gets a laugh. When he impersonates his vice-principal on a radio call-in show, he goes too far and is suspended from school. Pete's parents send him to spend the summer working with his uncle, a whale-watching guide in a tourist town far from the city. When a whale is injured by a reckless tour guide, Pete struggles to save the animal. Then Pete has to pull the most important prank of his life to bring the guide to justice.
Home Before Dark
by Jo HammondErik and his friends spend all their time on the water, exploring the shoreline and islands off British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. While they all have experience with boats and the outdoors, the unpredictable weather and fickle seas often manage to test their courage and abilities. While exploring a burned-out homestead on a remote island, the teens find themselves involved in a decades-old crime and realize that danger still lurks in the coastal rainforest. After befriending Gary, a retired logger who lives alone, Erik and the others learn of the death of Gary's aunt and uncle in a suspicious fire years before. They are then shocked to find they have aroused the interest of a shadowy stranger who seems to have designs on Gary's home and boat, and perhaps, most terrifyingly, his life. Frantically trying to unravel the web of secrets, the teenagers are in a race to save Gary and ultimately themselves.
After the Fire
by Becky CitraMelissa is waiting for the "new life" that her mother Sharlene has promised her since a fire devastated their family. But nothing ever seems to change. Melissa has difficulty making friends at school, they never have enough money and her little brother Cody is a brat. When Sharlene announces that they will be spending the month of August at a remote cabin on a wilderness lake, Melissa is less than thrilled. But there is more to do at the lake than she expected, and she is surprised to learn that her mother knows how to paddle a canoe, fish and make bannock and s'mores. On an island in the middle of the lake, Melissa meets Alice, a strange girl who is writing a fantasy novel. Alice shares her tree fort on the island with Melissa, and while at first Melissa is attracted to Alice's strong personality and her stories of her "perfect family," she becomes increasingly uneasy around Alice. As Melissa's relationship with her mother improves and her confidence increases, she is able to hold her own with Alice and start to appreciate her own imperfect family.
Caged Eagles
by Eric WaltersWhen Canada went to war with Japan following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Canadians of Japanese descent were declared "Enemy Aliens". Without recourse of any kind, they were forced to leave their homes along the British Columbia coast, their possessions were sold, and their rights as citizens denied. Sequel to War of the Eagles.
Sudden Impact
by Lesley ChoyceWhen Kurt is hurt in a soccer game and ends up in the hospital Tina tries to help him, but nobody will tell her what is wrong, and Kurt's parents don't want her around. Tina learns that Kurt needs a donor with a rare blood type, and she finds a match in Kurt's soccer rival Jason. Jason agrees to donate his blood to Kurt, but when Kurt disappears from the hospital, the situation becomes desperate. Then Kurt's rival is in a tragic accident that may change everything.
Red Sea
by Diane TullsonFourteen-year-old Libby didn't want to go on a year long sailing adventure with her mother and her stepfather, Duncan, and she isn't about to let them forget it. Traveling through the Red Sea, Libby causes them to be late and make a dangerous crossing alone. When modern-day pirates attack, Duncan is killed and Libby's mother is left seriously injured and unconscious. Libby is left alone on a crippled boat to find safety and help for her mother. Libby must call on all her strength and face some hard truths about herself if she is to survive and reach land. A thrilling tale of one girl's struggle for survival against the elements and her inner demons, Red Sea is adventure writing at its best.
Split (SideStreets)
by Lori WeberAfter her mother suddenly leaves her family for good, Sandra is left behind with her alcoholic father -- and a lot of anger. At first, Sandra is more concerned with getting a job and getting on with her life, but then the people around her start pushing Sandra to at least try to find her missing mother. What will Sandra say to her mother if they are reunited? And how do you find a person who may not want to be found?
Flip Turn
by Monique PolakVictoria is a hard-working member of a Montreal swim team. Other swimmers are spurred on by their parents - but not hers. Her mother doesn't seem to be interested in much of anything these days.
Winter Hawk Star
by Sigmund BrouwerTyler is a good, solid hockey player, but not a great one. That honor belongs to the obnoxious Riley, a sixteen-year-old spoiled superstar who makes Tyler's life miserable. When Tyler and Riley are sent to volunteer at a local youth program, Tyler finds the passion and commitment he needs to step up his game on ice—and off.
Breathless
by Pam WithersBeverly is in Hawaii, helping her uncle at his dive shop, learning how to dive and trying to lose weight and get a boyfriend. When Garth, an accomplished diver, shows an interest in her, Beverly is ecstatic, until it turns out Garth is only interested in one thing. Struggling with failing strength from her self-imposed starvation diet, Beverly finds herself in deep trouble when she has to fight Garth off underwater. Also available in Spanish.
Feral (Orca Books)
by Bev CookeA street kid and a small cat experience fear, hunger and pain in a dangerous subterranean world.
Shadow Ride
by Tamara L. WilliamsBronwen Smith trains hard with Olympus, her Hanoveriean-cross gelding, preparing for the most grueling of equestrian events: three-day eventing, including dressage, stadium and cross-country jumping. A member of the Ontario Young Riders' Team, she aims to excel at the North American Young Riders' Championships upcoming in Illinois. She trains so hard, in fact, that she hasn't time to make friends, and recently her secret demon--bulimia--has returned to plague her. A chance encounter with a poet and his wife, however, forces Bronwen to reassess her priorities. Soon she's moving towards the balance needed to truly succeed, in the show ring and in life. Shadow Ride shows how hard it can be for a young woman to set high standards for herself and at the same time accept who she is.
Runner
by Peter McpheeKyle never expected to see Calgary's hard side--its seedy neighborhoods marked with trash-filled lots, abandoned buildings, abandoned lives. But when his 14-year-old sister Meghan runs away from home, he knows he has to track her down. Soon Kyle discovers a dark world of after-hours clubs, desperate street kids, drugs and violence. As he gradually uncovers clues about Meghan's whereabouts, he realizes that she is in grave danger and his search becomes an urgent race against time. Kyle is willing to do what it takes to save Meghan--but will it be enough? Set against the gritty world of Calgary's inner-city, Runner is a suspenseful story of a brother's love for his troubled sister.
The Lit Report
by Sarah N. HarveyJulia and Ruth have been unlikely best friends since they first met in Sunday school—Ruth was standing on the Bible-crafts table belting out "Jesus Loves Me." Now that they're a year away from graduation, they're putting the finishing touches on their getaway plans. But their dream of a funky big-city loft and rich, interesting older men is threatened when preacher's daughter Ruth goes to a wild party without studious Julia, and all hell breaks loose. Ruth gets pregnant; Julia gets creative. Determined to support her friend and stay on track for life after high school, Julia comes up with a plan that will require all her intelligence, compassion, ingenuity and patience. Drawing on some great (and some not-so-great) works of literature, Julia proves that you can learn a lot just by opening up a book.
Waiting for Sarah
by James Heneghan and Bruce McbayMike's parents and sister are dead and his legs are gone. The horrific accident that shattered his life continues to haunt him. When he grudgingly returns to school and a life that he no longer understands, Mike is bitter and unwilling to participate in school life. To avoid one of his classes Mike agrees to put together a 50th Anniversary history of the school. Looking forward to time alone, he is annoyed when a young girl shows up in the archives on a regular basis. Sarah seems too young to be a student in the school, but her resemblance to Mike's sister and her bubbly personality have him intrigued. She gradually draws him out of his shell and manages to interest him in the archives project, and more importantly, in life itself. As their relationship grows and changes, Mike slowly becomes convinced that Sarah is more than just another student. When he discovers the shocking secret she is carrying, he sets out to give Sarah the peace that she so desperately needs.
Salt (The Salt Trilogy #1) (Orca Books)
by Maurice GeeIn this compelling fantasy Hari and Pearl must discover the secrets of Deep Salt in order to rescue Hari's father Tarl. Their journey becomes far more than a quest to save Tarl-- their world is on the brink of unspeakable terror.
Fighting for Gold
by Lorna Schultz NicholsonCanada is recognized as a leader in men's and women's hockey - but in 2006 Canada had yet to conquer the world of sledge hockey, the Paralympic version of ice hockey played by athletes with a physical disability in the lower part of the body.
First Descent
by Pam WithersMontana-born Rex loves nothing more than to take his kayak out on a river, the faster and more powerful the better. When he gets the opportunity to tackle the well-named El Furioso in southwest Colombia, he is thrilled. He anticipates the river's challenges, but finds himself in a situation where the real danger is human. In Colombia, he meets Myriam Calambás, an indígena, who has lived along the El Furioso all her life. Though she loves its rushing waters, she dreams of leaving to get an education so that she can help her people. Her dreams, and her very survival, are in the balance when she and Rex are caught up in the clash between paramilitaries, working for rich landowners, and guerillas, who are supposed to be protecting the poor.Pam Withers' skill at writing about extreme adventures combines with a compelling story about an endangered world and a people struggling for their very right to exist.From the Hardcover edition.
Hello Groin
by Beth GoobieWhen Dylan Kowolski agrees to create a display for her high school library, she has no idea of the trouble it's going to cause -- for the school principal, her family, her boyfriend Cam and his jock friends, and her best friend Jocelyn. And for Dylan herself. If only her English class had been studying a normal, run-of-the-mill, mundane book like Lord of the Flies instead of Foxfire things wouldn't have gotten so twisted. Then the world wouldn't have gone into such a massive funk. And then Dylan wouldn't have had to face her deepest fear and the way she was letting it run her life. Hello, Groin presents a compelling, realistic and refreshing look at teen sexuality and one girl's struggle to make the difficult choices that face her.
In the Clear
by Anne Laurel CarterOn her seventh birthday, Pauline rode across the lawns on her street followed by her best friend Henry, he on the blue wooden horse, she on the red. On the seventh lawn at the top of the street, she collapsed, becoming a sudden victim of the polio outbreak of the summer of 1954.Five years later, when In the Clear begins, she has survived, but paid a heavy price. A brace on her left leg allows her to walk, but she confines herself to her house, humiliated at the notion of being seen. Terrified by what Pauline has already suffered, her mother watches over her, forbidding her to play hockey on the ice rink her father has created in the backyard. In the Clear alternates, chapter by chapter, between Pauline's horror-filled year in the hospital five years earlier and her struggles to adapt in the present of 1959 and 1960. At the end of the book, her triumphs in past and present come together and she is able to move forward with new friendships, a renewed bond with her mother and, most important, a new faith in herself.
Tripping
by Heather WaldorfAn opportunity to escape a dull summer -- and perhaps to find a future for herself after high school - persuades Rainey Williamson to join a school-sponsored program that will take her and five other teenagers on an eight-week road trip across Canada. The challenge of this journey is heightened, in view of the fact that Rainey has had to wear an artificial leg from birth. On the eve of her getaway, a crucial complication arises: she finds out that the mother who left when she was just a few months old is alive and well and living in Squamish, B. C. , directly on the route of the student expedition. What's more, her mother now wants to see her. Rainey's ambivalent at the prospect, to say the least. The cross-country trip begins, and she soon meets the others who become friends and comrades, all with issues and challenges to deal with. Rainey discovers her own strengths as she struggles with the decision about whether or not to meet her mother and figuring out what she might do with her life. In the end she discovers that her family tree is more extensive than she'd thought - and that taking chances provides perspective, opportunity, and a springboard from which to launch her future - and even a way back home. The story is laced with Heather Waldorf's customary sharp intelligence and sense of humour - and her understanding of the themes teenagers are most engaged with.
Sink or Swim
by William PasnakDario Cavalito has his summer plans all mapped out: he's going to split his time between the basketball court and his Uncle Vinny's cafe, the "Via Granita," off Commercial Drive in a funky Vancouver neighborhood. His plans are derailed, however, when his mother tells him he' s going to summer camp--to a water sports camp, no less. Dario can barely do the dog paddle, so he's not exactly thrilled. When he finally gets tired of playing sick and hiding in the camp's infirmary, he finds he actually kind of likes the water. As the camp's sailing regatta approaches, he fights to overcome the last of his reluctance and to win big. Packed with action and humour, "Sink or Swim" is a story about a boy overcoming his fears and striving for his best performance.
Danger Zone
by Michele Martin BossleyJason loves playing for his Calgary hockey team, but everything changes when he accidentally checks an opposing player from behind. The player hits the boards hard and is seriously hurt, and Jason faces suspension from the league. Against tough odds, Jason must find a way to prove himself -- to his family, his friends, his teacher and to his team. Powerful and entertaining, Danger Zone follows the struggle of an underdog -- both on and off the ice.
The Lottery
by Beth GoobieEvery student at Saskatoon Collegiate knew that all the most important aspects of school life were controlled by a secret club called Shadow Council. Each fall, Shadow held a traditional lottery during which a single student's name was drawn. The rest of the student body called the student the lottery winner. But Shadow Council knew better; to them, the winner was the lottery victim. Whatever the label, the fated student became the Council's gofer, delivering messages of doom to selected targets. In response, the student body shunned the lottery winner for the entire year. This year's victim was fifteen-year-old Sally Hanson.