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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121 Express
by Monique PolakThe students of the 121 Express are infamous for bad behavior and Lucas knows his role on the bus will determine his social standing at his new school. Lucas is tired of being one of the nerds. When he attracts the negative attention of the cool troublemakers, he saves himself by teasing another kid. His ploy works and soon Lucas is right in the center of the mayhem on the bus. He loves his new found popularity, but when the fun and games push the bus driver to a nervous collapse and hospitalizes an elderly lady, Lucas begins to question his choices. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
90 Days of Different
by Eric WaltersKey Selling Points This coming-of-age novel follows a girl's quest to make her life more interesting after she is broken up with on the last day of high school for being too boring. High school is over, her 90 days before university start now. 90 Days of Differentexplores themes of boundaries, social media and finding yourself. This best-selling novel is now available in paperback for the first time. Author Eric Walters is a tireless presenter and speaks to over 100,000 students per year. Best-selling, award-winning author Eric Walters has published over 100 books and has been named a Member of the Order of Canada.
Absolute Pressure
by Sigmund BrouwerIan has been going to Key West every summer for years, helping his Uncle Gord at his dive shop and spending as much time as he can underwater. When he's not diving, he's admiring Sherri, the girl who works at the dive shop, and wondering how she would feel if he told her that he tastes blackberries whenever he sees her. A series of accidents leads Ian to believe that his uncle is in grave danger, but the truth is more complicated and terrifying than he could ever have imagined.
Adrenaline High
by C. A. ForsythD'Arcy is a 16-year-old overachiever and a budding newshound. When her classmate Zania's mother goes missing, D'Arcy thinks she's found the mother of all scoops. She's determined to solve the mystery and capture it all on film. But Zania's troubles are no game. She suspects her mother's drug-dealing boyfriend may be behind her sudden disappearance and Zania's too scared to go home. It's not long before the girls realize that they're in over their heads. Adrenalin High is a gripping, fast-paced story for mystery lovers.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (An Adapted Classic)
by Mark TwainThe classic boy-hero of American literature. Impish, daring young Tom Sawyer is the bane of the old, the hero of the young. There were some in his dusty old Mississippi town who believed he would be President, if he escaped a hanging. For wherever there is mischief or adventure, Tom is at the heart of it. During one hot summer, Tom witnesses a murder, runs away to be a pirate, attends his own funeral, rescues an innocent man from the gallows, searches for treasure in a haunted house, foils a devilish plot and discovers a box of gold. But can he escape his nemesis, the villainous Injun Joe?
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.
Against the Boards
by Lorna Schultz NicholsonPeter has done it! He's made it onto an AAA Bantam team and is now playing hockey in Edmonton. But this shy boy from the Northwest Territories is having a hard time adjusting to city life, his new school, and host family.
Alecia's Challenge
by Sandra DierschAlecia's soccer team, the Vancouver Burrards, is the one stable thing in her life. Everything else is new or changing: a new school, a new stepfather. When Anne, Alecia's friend and the Burrards' best player, decides to quit playing, Alecia decides to fight to keep the team together. She soon learns, however, that life's hardest matches are fought off the soccer pitch. Alecia's Challenge shows how the struggles and joys of life and sport are intertwined.
All In
by Monique PolakTodd Lerner's never been much of a student, but he's got plenty of street smarts and he's a mean poker player. Todd's always had a thing for Claire, the most beautiful girl in grade eleven -- but Claire likes nice things. If Todd wants to date her, he'll need cash and plenty of it. Soon, a weekly poker game turns into a costly and dangerous obsession, and Todd's luck begins to change. Inspired by true events, All In journeys into the high-stakes worlds of gambling, addiction, and fraud.
All Sleek and Skimming
by Lisa HeggumA collection of 22 compelling short fiction for older teen readers.
All-Star Pride
by Sigmund BrouwerIt's the All-Star team, made up of the WHL's young hockey players, just one short step away from the NHL. Their goal is to beat the Russian All-Stars in a best-of-seven series to be shown as a television special. Hog Burnell, one of the biggest and toughest players in the league, is happy to be part of it. He could use the money that would come with a series win by the WHL All-Stars. At the very worst, it's a free vacation to Russia. It doesn't take Hog long to discover there's plenty more money to be made along the way...if he's willing to pay the price for it.
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.
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.
Back
by Norah McClintockJojo's back, released from jail, and people are tense and afraid all over again. They wonder if his friends will start showing up again. They wonder if they'll be walking down the street one day and they'll run into Jojo and Jojo will give them attitude or shove them around, just for fun. Jojo's friends have a way of making it hard—really hard—on people who decide to press charges against Jojo. Those people just wish Jojo would go away and never come back. Then there are the people who have hate in their hearts. These people wish something bad would happen to Jojo. Something really bad. Ardell Withrow is one of those people. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Also available in Spanish.
Back
by Norah Mcclintock"Back" chronicles the story of Jojo-- an ex-thug -- who has just returned home after serving a two year prison sentence. Despite having reformed, his neighborhood seals itself off from Jojo. But this time, real justive will be done -- even if it involves violence...
Orca Soundings
The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw
by Lois PetersonAfter eight-year-old Kevin Mason's mother abandons him, he takes refuge in his fantasy of becoming Knuckles McGraw, a tough cowboy roaming the plains on his legendary horse, Burlington Northern. But instead of riding the range, Kevin is stuck in a foster home with a pierced and tattooed teenager named Ice and a mute girl named Breezy. While he waits to be claimed by the father he barely remembers or the mother who left him a good-bye note in his lunchbox, Kevin (aka Knuckles McGraw) tries to communicate with Breezy, learns to get along with his bunkhouse-mate Ice, and discovers that memories can be as deceptive as family secrets.
Bang
by Norah McclintockAfter a robbery goes terribly wrong, Quentin is framed for murder.
(Orca Soundings)
Barracuda
by Sigmund BrouwerFishing for barracuda from a kayak in the Florida Keys. That's what Jim Webb thinks this resort vacation with his grandfather should be about. Except the dying resort owner holds the key to legend about a generations-old crime. A crime that is worth way too much to those who want the legend to be true. Webb soon discovers that what lurks in the sun, sand and shallow waters of the Keys is much more dangerous than a slashing game fish. And along the way, he learns an important truth about himself and his own past. In this exciting prequel to Devil's Pass and Tin Soldier, the musically gifted and tenacious Webb finds himself caught in a dangerous mystery.
Battle of the Bands
by K.L. DenmanJay, Kelvin and Cia are The Lunar Ticks, a dedicated band who are convinced they are on their way up. They hope to win an upcoming battle of the bands where the first prize is a full day in a recording studio. Jay is struggling to write new material but finds he lacks the experience to come up with a truly original song. Going up against Indigo Daze, a band from another school, Jay finds himself falling for Rowan, the leader of the other band. When Rowan's guitar is trashed right before the contest The Lunar Ticks are the prime suspects. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Also available in Spanish.
Before Wings
by Beth GoobieHaving barely survived a brain aneurysm two years earlier, fifteen-year-old Adrien, working at her Aunt Erin's summer camp, is caught between the land of the living and the spirit world, unsure where she belongs. As she struggles to understand the message delivered by the spirits of the five young women that only she sees, she learns of the tragic consequences of their connection to her aunt. Faced with the knowledge that another aneurysm could strike her at any time and mostly shunned by the other staff because she is the boss's niece, Adrien finds a soulmate in Paul, the camp handyman, who is convinced that he has seen his own death foretold.
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.
The Big Dip
by Melanie JacksonJoe and his friend Skip are enjoying the thrill of the Big Dip, a famous rollercoaster, until they learn the old man in front of them has been shot. The old man mutters with his dying breath something about getting a Margaret Rose to the police. Joe leaves the crime scene to get on with his life. But someone is desperate for the Margaret Rose and thinks Joe has it. When his sister is kidnapped, Joe is in a race against time to solve the puzzle.
Big Guy
by Robin StevensonDerek thinks he might be falling in love. The problem is, he hasn't been entirely honest with his online boyfriend. Derek sent Ethan a photo taken before he got depressed and gained eighty pounds. Derek hasn't been honest with his employer either. When he lied about his age and experience to get a job with disabled adults, the last thing he expected was to meet a woman like Aaliyah. Smart, prickly and often difficult, Aaliyah challenges Derek's ideas about honesty and trust. Derek has to choose whether to risk telling the truth or to give up the most important relationship in his life.
Big Water
by Andrea CurtisSeventeen-year-old Christina McBurney has led a sheltered life. But when her twin brother, Jonathan, dies of consumption, Christina, unwilling to be farmed out as a nursemaid or teacher, runs away from home and her destiny. In Owen Sound she boards the Asia, a steamship that transports passengers and freight throughout the Great Lakes. She doesn't really have a plan other than to get to Sault Ste. Marie. She'll figure things out once she's settled.
But a violent storm suddenly rises on Georgian Bay, and the overloaded and top-heavy steamship begins to sink. Christina is tossed overboard. Pulled to safety just before she loses consciousness, she finds herself on a lifeboat, surrounded by a number of bedraggled and terrified passengers and crew. One by one they succumb to their injuries, until only Christina and a brooding young man named Daniel are left alive.
The usual rules of society no longer apply—Daniel and Christina must now work together as equals to survive.
Big Water is a fictional account of the real-life story of the only two survivors of the sinking of the SS Asia in 1882.
Bio-pirate
by Michele Martin BossleyTrevor, Robyn and Nick decide they have a mystery to solve when Trevor discovers a suspicious looking young man snooping around. They learn about missing research involving the use of carob beans to aid in cancer treatment-potentially valuable information. With a shady looking grad student, a bitter activist and an employee of a medical research firm to deal with, our amateur sleuths are faced with their greatest challenge yet.