National Network for Equitable Library Service

Inspired by the kinds of real-life stories that prompted the It Gets Better campaign, Paul Dunn's play for middle-grade and high-school students brings the discussion around homophobia, bullying, mental health, and gay-straight alliances directly to the young people who are on the front lines.

Chanda is a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl in Harare, Zimbabwe, who suffers from unexplained memory lapses, which become even more worrisome when she starts seeing her totem animal, a zebra, in all sorts of places. But nobody else can see it. Afraid of being institutionalized in a hospital, she follows the advice of an old aunt and sets off for her ancestral village, a backward, primitive settlement without the amenities she is used to in the city.

What does a teenage girl do when she sees her beloved older brother commit a horrific crime? Should she report to her parents, or should she keep quiet? Should she confront him? All her life, Naledi has been in awe of Basi, her charming and outgoing older brother. They've shared their childhood, with its jokes and secrets, the alliances and stories about the community. Having reached thirteen, she is preparing to go to the school dance. Then she sees Basi commit an act that violates everything she believes about him. How will she live her life now?

The Youth of God tells the story of Nuur, a sensitive and religious seventeen-year-old Somali-Canadian boy who becomes radicalized by the teachings of Imam Yusuf at the local mosque in a neighbourhood in Toronto called Dixon that has become synonymous with crime, unemployment, and the broken dreams of many Somali immigrants. Trying to rescue Nuur from Islamic radicalism is his Somali biology teacher, Mr Ilmi. Through the story of this one boy, the novel dramatizes the struggle for the soul of Islam.

[This is the story of] Edie Murphy, an indomitable and engaging heroine who leaves Newfoundland on the cusp of womanhood. Against the backdrop of the history-making "Uprising" of 1909 and the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911), Edie begins to find her own voice, hone her already-strong will, and learn about the true nature of home. A celebration of the strength of women and the power of community.

Poppy wants to go to college like everyone else, but her father has other ideas. Ever since her mirror twin sister, Lola, mysteriously vanished, Poppy’s father has been depressed and forces her to stick around. She hopes she can convince Lola to come home, and perhaps also procure her freedom, by sending her twin a series of eighteen letters, one for each year of their lives. When not excavating childhood memories, Poppy is sneaking away with her girlfriend Juniper, the only person who understands her.

In the world of Sorrow's Knot, the dead do not rest easy. Every patch of shadow might be home to something hungry, something deadly. Most of the people live on the sunlit, treeless prairies. But a few carve out an uneasy living in the forest towns, keeping the dead at bay with wards made from magically knotted cords. The women who tie these knots are called binders. And Otter's mother, Willow, is one of the greatest binders her people have ever known. But Willow does not want her daughter to lead the lonely, heavy life of a binder, so she chooses another as her apprentice.

Following the events of Pulse Point, 12-year old Ama and the other Underlanders living in a world of darkness dig for brine, the City's real energy source. Underland is a dangerous place: cave-ins, starvation and illness are constant threats. When their leader deserts them, Ama goes looking for him and stumbles on two Citizens. Neither knew the other existed. 18-year old Sari lives in the City, blissfully unaware of what goes on beneath her feet. The disappearance of her best friend, Kaia, has left her feeling isolated.

New at her high school, Imogene enlists the help of her introverted friend Maxine and the ghost of a boy who haunts the school, after receiving warnings through her dreams that soul-eaters are threatening her life. Some descriptions of violence and strong language. For senior high readers. 2006, c2004.

After the cliffhanger ending of A World Without Heroes, Jason is back in the world he's always known--yet for all his efforts to get home, he finds himself itching to return to Lyrian. Jason knows that the shocking truth he learned from Maldor is precious information that all of his friends in Lyrian, including Rachel, need if they have any hope of surviving and defeating the evil emperor. Meanwhile, Rachel and the others have discovered new enemies--as well as new abilities that could turn the tide of the entire quest.