National Network for Equitable Library Service

Thirteen-year-old Declan lives only for revenge. His mother, father and sister were all killed on the streets of Belfast, and Declan will stop at nothing to settle the score. When he is torn away from his native soil and sent to live with relatives in Canada, he is disgusted by their efforts to welcome him into their lives, and determined to make them regret their hospitality. Can he devise a plan to return to Ireland and rejoin his cause? Or will the strange beauty of his new life and surroundings weaken his resolve?

Fresh from a thrilling basketball season playing for the varsity team, Matt is looking forward to a new challenge: baseball. The South Side team seems to be strong this year, if only Matt can control his fear of being hit by an errant pitch. But when Matt's friend, Jake, the team's star, falls in with the wrong crowd, the entire season, not to mention their long-standing friendship, seems to be on the line.

New Hope Academy, or, as seventeen-year-old Jane Learning likes to call it, No Hope, is a Baptist reform school where Jane is currently being held captive. Of course, smart, sarcastic Jane has no interest in reforming, failing to see any benefit to pretending to play well with others. But then Hannah shows up, a gorgeous bad girl with fiery hair and an even stormier disposition. She shows Jane how to live a full and fulfilling life even when the world tells you you're wrong, and how to believe in a future outside the "prison" walls.

Baron dreams of being like his favorite hard-boiled detectives: tough, sexy and in control. In reality he's anything but, as his older sister, Kitty, never fails to point out. When a new client presents herself at their backyard detective agency, Baron and his best friend, Myles, are suddenly at odds. Will Wilson, new in town and lonely, choose Baron or Myles -- or neither? What happened to her sister's blue whale? And her sister? But the biggest mystery of all is whether Baron will ever tell Wilson how he feels.

Tamar Robinson knows a lot about loss, more than any teenager should. Her younger sisters are dead, her parents are adrift in a sea of grief, and now Tamar is losing her hair. Nevertheless, she navigates her rocky life as best she can, not always with grace, but with her own brand of twisted humor. She joins the chess club with her friend Roy, earns a part in the school production of The Wizard of Oz, buys an awesome wig, lands a crappy job, gets invited to the prom (by three different guys!) and helps her parents re-enter the land of the living.

On a visit to a seaside town in Australia, fifteen-year-old Sam meets Annabel, who works at the local museum. Annabel's interest in history is infectious, and Sam soon finds himself eager to hunt for the remains of a boat called the Mahogany Ship, a shipwreck sought after by many. When a storm creates an erosion hole that exposes a structure, Sam and Annabel are convinced it's the fabled ship. Soon all of the museum staff are at the erosion site to check it out.

Claire’s life is in need of a major overhaul. She’s failing math, her depressed mother won’t get off the couch, and the boy of her dreams is dating her nemesis Lucy. Just as Claire is wishing, her life changes, and Claire has everything she thought she ever wanted. It doesn’t take long before Claire starts to worry that the cost of good fortune may be too high.

Fiona’s dad comes home after sixteen months and eight days in jail. Along with her mother and family friends, she awkwardly welcomes him home. Uncle David is there, because he picked Dad up at jail. Dad’s best friend Simon, his wife May and neighbor Elisabeth are also at the house to greet Dad. He’s been away so long, it’s an uncomfortable reunion for Mom and Fiona, who have suffered financially, emotionally and socially in his absence. Even the dog, Honey, isn’t sure about Fiona’s dad anymore.Fiona’s dad was in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Or did he? Fiona thought she knew him.

At fifteen, Ethan is on the fast track to nowhere. In and out of group homes and constantly in trouble, he is fighting to find a sense of who he is. After breaking into an amusement park and being savaged by a police dog, Ethan is befriended by a paramedic. Offered a choice of court or going on a ride-along in an ambulance, Ethan takes what he thinks is the easy way out. On Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Ethan comes face-to-face with the horrific truth from his past and must learn to deal with where he came from, and where he is going.

Fifteen-year-old Kyle Evans has been a jock for years – a triple-threat basketball player who can dribble, pass or shoot with considerable skill. When an old friend encourages Kyle to try out for a part in the school play, he has to deal with more than stage fright. After an act of vandalism shocks the school, Kyle realizes that it’s time for him to take a stand, even if it means his team will suffer.