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Olivia is living a double life -- high-school student by day, drummer by night. Olivia doesn't know when hanging out in clubs and drinking to appear older and enjoy the music scene became a habit, but she finds herself hungover at school and sneaking alcohol at home. Her bandmates Eddie and Lucas think she is older, and Olivia keeps up the pretence even as her real life starts to fall apart. When Lucas catches Olivia talking to her friend Raymond in the women's washroom, he beats up Raymond in a jealous rage. With Raymond unconscious and seriously hurt, Lucas tells Olivia that Raymond's criminal brother is looking for them for payback. They go on the run, sleeping in a borrowed van and stealing to get by. Lucas keeps Olivia drunk and off-balance, telling her he loves her and pressuring her to have sex with him -- even when she reveals she's only sixteen. Still, through an alcoholic haze, Olivia sees that Lucas is delusional and dangerous. When she finally discovers that the story about Raymonds brother is a lie, she realizes she has to get out of Lucas's obsessional trap.
When the pressure to win becomes too intense, a talented young hockey player ends up against the boards and looking for a way out.
Baseball season has begun for the South Coast Sharks. As a senior, Griffin has college in his sights and plans to land himself a baseball scholarship. His determination causes him to turn a blind eye to the hazing of new players by the team captain, Wade. But when Griffin senses that his cousin Carson is getting the brunt of Wade’s aggression, Griffin finally stands up to him. Soon after, steroids are found in Carson’s locker, and he’s kicked off the team. Can Griffin stop Wade’s reign of terror, prove his cousin’s innocence and still stay on track with his baseball dreams?
Gregg Stokes can tell you exactly when his life took a turn for the worse. It was the day his new stepsister, Amy, joined the starting line-up of his hockey team, and everyone immediately felt the deep chill between them. Can they thaw their icy relationship for the sake of the team and their new family? [Fry Reading Level - 3.4
Everything stops making sense for southpaw Travis Barkley when his parents die in a car crash and he is separated from his sister, Amanda. After years of being in the foster-care system, Travis receives a puzzling postcard from Amanda and heads to southern California to try to find her. His search is a dead-end until he meets Jesse and Ethan. With the help of his new friends, Travis continues to look for Amanda. Travis's love of baseball is rekindled when Ethan convinces him to pitch on his baseball team. His attention divided, Travis must decide between jeopardizing his chance at a future in baseball and connecting with his sister.
Sixteen-year-old Angelo has moved to Toronto from the Philippines to join his mother, who has been living and working in Canada for most of Angelo's life. Adjusting to a new country isn't easy for Angelo, with a new language, curfews, new rules, and pressure from a mom who seems like a stranger. Angelo's mother takes him to the Filipino Community Centre where he meets Marcus who has shared the same experience. At school, Marcus introduces Angelo to Felix and Darius. The boys quickly give Angelo a reality check, pointing out how rich everyone else is, and how no one respects poor Filipino immigrants. They lure Angelo into running petty thefts as a way of proving his friendship. But when Angelo is accused of stealing something valuable from the house his mother cleans and she loses her job, he realizes that everyone sees him as just a punk. He wants to set things right, but how can he go against his friends without getting the law involved?
Noah is the top member of his rock climbing team, the Rock Dogs. Along with Lucas, Noah's best friend, and Eric, his biggest rival, the Rock Dogs win the annual in-house competition, and are rewarded with a three-day camping trip to Rattle Snake Point. There is only one catch: everyone must bring an adult. Luckily, Noah's dad, who has been preoccupied with his new business, finds the time to go along. But he is unable to leave his work at home, resulting in a survival lesson for both Noah and Eric. [Fry Reading Level - 3.5]
Gregg's new stepsister joins the starting line-up of his hockey team.
Teen homelessness is not always connected to poverty and crime. Sometimes there's more to the story. No Known Address follows a teen named Tyler from a privileged family in Victoria, British Columbia, who is kicked out of his home by his abusive dad after being blamed for bringing prescription narcotics to a party. This novel brings to light the serious nature of verbal and emotional abuse and how difficult it is to be understood and access support in such circumstances.
For spring break, sixteen-year-old Maya travels from Vancouver to Palm Springs to visit her grandparents, soak up the sun and play some tennis. When they surprise her with tickets to the Indian Wells tennis tournament, she can't believe her luck. This is going to be the best vacation ever. But on the way back from the match they get into a fender bender. The other driver suggests they just square up and not involve the police or insurance companies. That seems odd to Maya, especially since the passenger of the other vehicle is visibly pregnant. But because Maya was driving, her grandfather is worried about repercussions and agrees to the deal. Later, Maya and her new friend Ruby discover that similar incidents have happened to others in her grandparents' gated community. They start to investigate, and when they spot the woman from the crash working in a clothing store, and clearly not pregnant, they know they are onto something. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.