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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Alone at Ninety Foot (Orca Books)
by Katherine HolubitskyA realistic portrait of a young girl's struggle to come to terms with her mother's death.
Frankenstein (Adapted Version)
by Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyEach story complete in few pages, has been painstakingly adapted to retain the integrity of the original work. Each provides the reader a sense of the author's style and an understanding of the novel's theme.
Home Team (Orca Young Readers)
by Eric Walters and Jerome Williams and Johnnie Williams IIINick and Kia will do just about anything to convince the Toronto Raptors to visit their school.
The Trouble with Liberty (Orca Soundings)
by Kristin ButcherLiberty is the new girl at school, and everyone wants to be her friend. When she accuses a teacher of assault, doubts start to surface about her motives. (RL4.2)
Kicker
by Michele Martin BossleyIzzy and Julia have been on the same team for years. Izzy is frustrated that Julia spends too much time cherry-picking and getting all the credit when they score. But when someone starts threatening the team and their home field is sabotaged, the friends must work together to find the answers. Why would someone threaten their star player? And what is the connection to a century-old train robbery and the rumor of buried treasure? Trying to solve the mystery and keep the team in the playoff race, Izzy and Julia find themselves in deeper than they thought, and in more danger than they imagined.
A Christmas Carol (Adapted)
by Charles Dickens and Emily HutchinsonAdapted from the classic by Emily Hutchinson. This 88-page book includes described drawings and an 8-page study guide at the end.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (An Adapted Classic)
by Frederick DouglassIt is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. Includes a reading review at the end.
Leftovers
by Heather WaldorfFifteen-year-old Sarah Greene's father—chef by day, camera buff by night—choked to death on a piece of steak. It was the best day of Sarah's life. But a year later, Sarah still struggles with the legacy of her father's abuse. While other girls her age are determined to find boyfriends and part-time jobs and dresses for the prom, Sarah is on a search-and-destroy mission: to find the shoe box containing her father's collection of kiddy porn. After a brief skirmish with the law, Sarah is sentenced to do community service hours at Camp Dog Gone Fun, a summer program for shelter dogs. With the love of a big goofy dog named Judy, the friendship of Sullivan, a guy with problems of his own, and the support of a few good adults, Sarah begins to understand her past and believe in a brighter future.
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.
Learning to Fly
by Paul YeeJason is an outsider. A recent immigrant from China, he lives in a close-minded town with his mother and younger brother. Falling in with the wrong crowd, trying to fit in, Jason takes chances and ends up in trouble with the police. Holding on to his friendship with an Indigenous boy, also an outsider, Jason finds he needs to fight to belong and to find a new home.
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.
Bull Rider
by Marilyn HalvorsonLayne wants nothing more than to follow in his father's footsteps and to be a bull rider. His dad was one ride away from a National Championship when he got trampled to death. Layne wants to be able to give his dad that championship -- by winning it for him. What he doesn't want, though, is to end up like his father and die in the rodeo arena. When the chance comes, Layne realizes he must face up to his greatest fear. With the help of his friend Jana, and his bratty younger sister, Layne learns to reach deep inside and trust himself.
Two Foot Punch
by Anita DaherNikki blames her brother, Derek, for their parents' death in a house fire, but when Derek gets involved with a gang, Nikki knows she is the only one who can save him. Enlisting the help of a girl named Rain, who uses her athletic abilities to carry out acts of petty thievery, Nikki uses all her gymnastic and free-running skills to stay ahead of the gang and keep her brother from being killed.
Queen of Disguises
by Melanie JacksonAmateur detective and singing sensation Dinah Galloway has enough on her plate without having to worry about being pursued by a vengeful stalker. The red-headed twelve-year-old is in the running to sing in commercials promoting beautiful British Columbia. To clinch the job, Dinah has to get fit at a wellness retreat on Salt Spring Island. Veggies? Exercise? Yech! Grudgingly, though, Dinah admits that her lifestyle could be a little healthier. Off to Salt Spring she goes, along with the two other finalists: one friendly, the other the last word in sulky. Her friends Talbot and Pantelli make their usual disruptive appearances, along with Dinah's ever-anxious mother and cool, elegant sister Madge. Hoping to shed not only pounds but her crazed pursuer, Dinah learns the true meaning of personal best—it truly is how you play the game, not whether you win or lose.
Too Many Men
by Lorna Schultz NicholsonSam is made first goalie on the Kanata Kings, but he feels insecure about his place on the team.
Zee's Way
by Kristin ButcherZee is torn between making a statement with graffiti and making art. (RL3.2)
Off Season
by Eric WaltersReaders of Hoop Crazy will remember Ned as the bug-loving beanpole who lives in an isolated national park out West, three hours from the nearest basketball court. But Ned's participation in the three-on-three tournament when he visited Nick has sparked his interest in the game and now he and his father have built their own basketball court in the wilderness. And Ned's hoop skills have improved considerably. Nick and Kia are just beginning to get the hang of life in the wilderness when disaster strikes. A raging forest fire threatens to destroy Ned's home and cut off their escape.
The Dangerous Breakup
by Anne SchraffHigh school junior Reece tried to break up with Natalie, but Natalie didn't like that idea. One of her favorite activities with Reece was to watch gory movies, the more gruesome the better. She liked to choose what they would do. She got jealous if he spent time with anyone, including his family. After the breakup, she began doing more and more to try to get him back, like sending dead flowers to his new girlfriend's parents, scratching words on his car, and eventually even kidnapping him. Will Reece survive being locked up in a remote spot while she has him at gunpoint?
Snitch
by Norah McclintockJosh had been living in a group home after being ratted out by Scott, his one-time best friend. Now he has moved in with his brother and overbearing sister-in-law and has been sent to a class designed to teach him to deal with his anger. When an old enemy continues to push his buttons and Scott appears to be up to his old tricks, Josh struggles to control his temper. Framed for a crime he didn't commit, it will take all of his new-found strength to keep his cool and his freedom.
Finding Elmo
by Monique PolakFifteen-year-old Tim loves his job at his dad's pet store, partly because he gets to spend time with his best friend, a black cockatoo named Elmo. But things at work have been tense since the store moved to a larger, more expensive location. To make extra money his father rents out the store's exotic birds for parties and Tim is furious at this exploitation of his friend. When Elmo is stolen from one of the parties, the police are unconcerned about the theft. Tim and his new human friend, Sapna, set out to find Elmo and discover that Elmo is more valuable than they'd ever imagined.
Scum (Orca Soundings)
by James C. DekkerFifteen-year-old Megan's brother is dead, apparently a random victim of violence. As Megan digs deeper, she finds that Danny was "known to police" and that nobody wants to solve the crime.
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!
Hitmen Triumph
by Sigmund BrouwerLeft winger Nolan Andrews thinks it's great that he can play hockey in Calgary, where his older brother, Nathan, is a star center for the Hitmen. When Nolan finds out that a lot of things about Nate's new life in Calgary don't make sense—or might not even be legal—Nolan has to make some difficult choices that will affect him and his brother for the rest of their lives.