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
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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.
Something Girl
by Beth GoobieSophie is in a lot of trouble. She is on probation for stealing and is doing poorly at school. Her mom doesn't really talk to her, and the other adults in her life are pressuring Sophie to talk about her bruises. Sophie worries that if she tells, she will be sent to live in a group home. Her friend Jujube is the only person who knows the truth, and now Jujube, too, wants Sophie to speak up.
Sticks and Stones
by Beth GoobieJujube is thrilled when Brent asks her out. She is not so happy when the rumors start flying at school. Pretty soon her name is showing up on bathroom walls and everyone is snickering and sniping. When her mother gets involved, Jujube's reputation takes another hit. Deciding that someone has to take a stand, Jujube gathers all the other girls who are labelled sluts -- and worse -- and tries to impress on her fellow students the damage that can be done by assigning a label that reduces a person to an object.
Who Owns Kelly Paddik?
by Beth GoobieKelly Paddik is locked up. Sent to a secure facility because she is a "danger to herself," Kelly wants only to escape. But her painful past continues to haunt her until she is forced to face up to the most painful memory of all. A searing look at one girl's struggle for self respect.
Comeback
by Vicki GrantRia is rich, slim, pretty, popular. If you only knew her at school, you'd think she led a charmed life -- and until recently you'd have been right. But her situation has taken a sudden, unfortunate change. Her parents' seemingly perfect marriage has broken up, and before she's had a chance to absorb the blow, her beloved father disappears in a plane crash. What's worse, rumors begin to surface that he may have perpetrated a multimillion-dollar investment scam and everybody -- Ria's mother, her best friends, even her boyfriend -- believes them. Ria sees no choice but to take her little brother and run. She vows to keep the memory of her father alive. Soon, though, she begins to wonder: is her memory playing tricks on her, or is he?
Dead End Job
by Vicki GrantFrances works the night shift at a local convenience store, dividing her time between restocking shelves and working on her art. Her routine is broken one night when Devin comes into the store. He claims to be the son of a famous local artist and offers her advice on her drawings. Although he seems to know way too much about her, Frances decides, against the advice of her boyfriend, that he is odd but harmless. By the time she realizes the danger she is in, Devin is completely obsessed with her and convinced that if he can't have her, no one will. Frances will be forced to use all her strength to escape from Devin.
Nine Doors
by Vicki GrantEmery's neighbor, Richard, is the kind of kid who gets under your skin. When Richard suggests a game of "Nicky Nicky Nine Doors," Emery can't come up with a good excuse not to play. Using chocolate bars as "stunt poo," the boys start playing the classic prank of the burning bag on the doorstep, but this game has a modern twist. They videotape their neighbors' reactions. The naked guy and the man in the apron are highly entertaining, but Emery starts to get cold feet when another neighbor is reduced to tears. Emery wants out, but he's not sure how to stop the game without losing face. Soon the game gets serious, and Emery has a lot more to worry about than his reputation.
Pigboy
by Vicki GrantDan is not sure he'll survive the boring field trip to a remote heritage farm. How could a place with no running water, telephone or electricity be anything but dull? The farmer knows nothing about farming and is angry about having to conduct the tour. And what's with his tattoo? The teacher requests a private word with the farmer and then mysteriously disappears. After a messy attack of allergies, Dan is excused to find a tissue. He sneaks back to the school bus and discovers the driver and teacher have been bound and gagged. The farmer is really an escaped convict with nasty plans. Will Dan be able to find help in time?
Quid Pro Quo
by Vicki GrantQuid Pro Quo is a high-stakes, fast-moving legal thriller about real people, and funny people at that. Cyril MacIntyre's mother is a twenty-eight-year-old ex-street kid who drags her son to all her law school classes, then proceeds to get herself kidnapped. That aside, Cyril's life isn't too different from that of other thirteen-year-olds. He has all the usual adolescent issues to deal with: parent problems, self-esteem problems, skin, hair and girl problems. He just has legal problems too. And he's got to solve them if he wants to save his mother's life.
Res Judicata
by Vicki GrantCyril MacIntyre, son of firebrand lawyer Andy MacIntyre, smells something fishy about one of his mother's cases. And it's not just that there are sea lice in the coffee. When Cyril starts investigating the death of a millionaire inventor, he gives a whole new meaning to the term "legal aid." Long on smarts and short on—well, just plain short, Cyril tangles with deranged criminals, indulges in a little bit of B & E and confronts the scariest person in the world—his mother.
At Risk
by Jacqueline GuestEdgy and suspenseful young adult fiction that explores topics teens want to read about. Tia is spending the summer working at a special ranch designed to "scare straight" at-risk youth. She tries to bond with Sage, a street kid who has been given one last chance to get her life together. But Sage resists Tia's overtures, and when money goes missing, all fingers point to the troubled teen. At Risk combines a satisfying mystery plot with a sympathetic portrayal of teens grappling with dark pasts and uncertain futures.
Belle of Batoche
by Jacqueline GuestBelle, an 11-year-old Metis girl, and Sarah both want the coveted job of church bell ringer. An embroidery contest is held to award the position, and Sarah cheats. Before Belle can expose her, the two are caught up in the advancing forces of General Middleton and his troops as they surround Batoche in the 1885 Riel Rebellion. The church bell disappeared that day and remains missing to this day.
Dream Racer (SideStreets)
by Jacqueline GuestZoë's caught the racing bug. Not only is she following in the tire tracks of her older brother as a rally racer, she thinks she might even have the stuff to become a race car engineer one day. But Zoë's mother has another dream for her daughter, and it's called "Zoë Kendall, M.D."
A Goal in Sight (Sports Stories)
by Jacqueline GuestAiden is the roughest player on his Calgary hockey team, as likely to be in the penalty box as on the ice. When he hits another player after a game, however, he's charged with assault and sentenced to one hundred hours of community service. He's bored and annoyed when he's forced to help Eric, a blind player with the Calgary Seeing Eye Dogs. In time, his new team shows him hockey is more fun on the ice than in the box.
Hat Trick (Sports Stories)
by Jacqueline GuestTwelve-year-old Leigh is one of the top players - and the only girl on the Falcons hockey team. Leigh knows the the captain of the team doesn't like her, but she' s willing to stick it out. Her real problem is that she can't tell her mom. Leigh just knows her mom wouldn't approve of her playing hockey. But because her parents are divorced, it's easy to keep a secret. Or so Leigh thinks! Before long, things start to fall apart. Someone is leaving threatening messages on her answering machine, the captain is trying to get her thrown off the team and, on top of it all, Leigh's mother wants her to go to a recital on the same night as the finals. What a mess!
Lightning Rider
by Jacqueline GuestJanuary Fournier, a sixteen-year-old Metis girl, learns her brother is in intensive care after a motorcycle crash. When she arrives at the hospital, the police tell her the crashed bike was stolen, and her brother is now the prime suspect.
Racing Fear
by Jacqueline Guest"Racing Fear" is an action-packed ride that takes a hard look at the selling of prescription drugs.
Rink Rivals
by Jacqueline GuestWhen twin brothers Evan and Brynley Selkirk move with their family from the remote Cree community of Whapmagoostui to bustling Calgary, their worlds turn upside-down. In place of the grey, frigid waters of Hudson Bay, they see the downtown canyons of a modern city. Bryn, a musical prodigy, trades piano practice for hockey practice to impress a new girlfriend; Evan, the family hockey hero, starts running with a bad crowd and neglecting the game. As the brothers' lies get them in deeper and deeper trouble with their parents, they have to rely on each other to gain the courage to do what's right.
Rookie Season
by Jacqueline GuestLeigh Aberdeen is determined to win the hockey championship with a new, all-girls team, the Chinooks. So when the coach adds a know-it-all boy to the mix, Leigh is furious. To make matters worse, the team goalie -- Leigh's best friend -- starts mysteriously dropping out from practices just as the Chinooks show they can win. With humour, action, and suspense, Jacqueline Guest weaves these threads together to their surprising conclusion.
Soccer Star!
by Jacqueline GuestSamantha Keyes is used to a life on the move. Her military family has been transferred across Canada, and she's grown up with stories of her Inuit ancestors exploring the far north. For Sam, soccer has been the one constant in her life. But now that she's thirteen, her home base isn't the only thing that's changing. Sam longs to show up Carly, her school's reigning soccer star, but Sam's new interest in theatre is taking up a lot of time. Does she have the time to practice her sport and be the lead in the school play? And just how far will she go to prove to her parents that she can handle more than one extracurricular activity?
War Games
by Jacqueline GuestRyan Taber's father is about to deploy for his first tour of duty with the Canadian army in Afghanistan. Ryan lives his days on an army base in Alberta, and spends his evenings at the CyberKnights cafe, playing his favourite video game, Desert Death. At CyberKnights, Ryan meets the Desert Death ultimate champion and becomes entangled in a world of danger and deceit that begins to resemble the very real circumstances his father is facing overseas.
Wild Ride
by Jacqueline GuestIn this sequel to "Lightning Rider", January and her family have taken in an RCMP summer student as a border. When Willow Whitecloud pulls up on her Kawasaki ZX-10R, January takes an instant liking to her. Willow becomes both a friend and a spiritual guide, who helps January connect with her Native heritage. But January is shocked when a number of clues suggest that her mentor may be involved in illegal activity that threatens the natural world she has taught January to respect.
Out of Bounds
by Sylvia GunneryJay Hirtle plays on the basketball team at Richmond Academy in a small rural Nova Scotian town. The team to beat is Centreville, where star player Mike Murphy is seen as Richmond's number one opponent. After the Hirtle house is destroyed by fire, Jay's family moves in with his grandfather and the kids must switch schools until the end of the school year. Jay has a choice: give up a basketball season, or play alongside his former enemy on the Centreville team.
Blue Moon
by Marilyn HalvorsonBobbie Joe didn't set out to buy a limping blue roan mare -- she wanted a colt she could train to barrel race. But the horse is a fighter, just like Bobbie Joe. Now all she has to do is train the sour old mare that obviously has a past. While she nurses the horse back to health, Bobbie Joe realizes that the horse, now called Blue Moon, may have more history than she first thought. With the help of the enigmatic Cole, she slowly turns the horse into a barrel racer.