Acceleration

by Graham McNamee

It’s a hot, hot summer, and in the depths of the Toronto Transit Authority’s Lost and Found, 17-year-old Duncan is cataloging lost things and sifting through accumulated junk. And between Jacob, the cranky old man who runs the place, and the endless dusty boxes overflowing with stuff no one will ever claim, Duncan’s just about had enough. Then he finds a little leather book. It’s a diary filled with the dark and dirty secrets of a twisted mind, a serial killer stalking his prey in the subway. And Duncan can’t make himself stop reading.

What would you do with a book like that? How far would you go to catch a madman?

And what if time was running out. . . .

The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world, and this tenth anniversary edition, with a new introduction from the author, will only increase that following. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

The Secret Life of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life Of Bees is the story of Lily Owens, a girl who has shaped her life around one devastating memory—the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Besides her harsh and unyielding father, Lily’s only real companion is Rosaleen, a tender, but fierce-hearted black woman who cooks, cleans and acts as her “stand-in mother.”

Set in 1964 in South Carolina, a place and time of seething racial divides, violence explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten. Lily is desperate, not only to save Rosaleen, but to flee from a life she can no longer endure. Calling upon her colorful wits and youthful daring, she breaks Rosaleen out of jail and the two escape, into what quickly becomes Lily’s quest for the truth about her mother’s life.

They are taken in by three black, bee-keeping sisters, May, June, and August, and Lily is consumed by their secret world of bees and honey, and of the Black Madonna who presides over this household of strong, wise women. Lily’s journey is one of painful secrets and shattering betrayals but that ultimately helps her find the thing her heart longs for most.

Dive I: Discovery

By Gordon Korman

Kaz, Star, Adrianna, and Dante are on a marine expedition for the summer, diving to explore an underwater habitat that's just been altered by a seismic event. What they find, though, is much more than fish -- it's sunken treasure.

Dive II: The Deep

By Gordon Korman

The "adults" in the expedition are trying to convince Kaz and the crew that their sunken treasure ship is nothing more than a prop from an old movie. When they figure out that it is real, they also realize that it will take ingenuity and teamwork to get back what's rightfully theirs.

Dive III: The Danger

By Gordon Korman

The kids found sunken treasure. The adults want to keep it for themselves. But there's a chance that both will lose it if they don't act fast. Our heroes learn that trust is more vital than air in the thrilling, shark-infested conclusion to this underwater trilogy.

Everest 1: The Contest

by Gordon Korman

They come from all across America to be the youngest kid ever to climb Everest. But only one will reach the top first. The competition is fierce. The preparation is intense. When the final four reach the higher peaks, disaster strikes — and all that separates the living from the dead is chance, bravery, and action.

Everest 2: The Climb

by Gordon Korman

The youngest expedition ever to attempt an Everest climb has begun. But the trouble starts long before they reach the summit. Competition is fierce. Conditions are harsh. And the trek from Base Camp proves a challenge that not all the contestants can meet ... with disastrous results.

Everest 3: The Summit

by Gordon Korman

Four kids are prepared to go into thin air in order to become the youngest person ever to climb Everest. But they are not prepared for the challenges that await them as they get closer to the summit. Supplies are low. Conditions are extreme. One of the kids is trying to sabotage the others.

And then the storm hits....

The First Stone

by Don Aker

Squeezing the rock in his clenched fist made Reef Kennedy feel powerful, as if he were in charge. Except the stone also made him angry, the pain of his grandmother’s death exploding through him. It was easy, then, to look down from the overpass and choose an anonymous target… Now Leeza Hemming’s world has also exploded, her body twisted and broken from the car crash that nearly killed her. Facing months of tortuous rehabilitation to cure her broken body and spirit, Leeza finds a friend in an unlikely hospital volunteer, a young man about her age who looks like he would rather be anywhere than in a hospital. Reaching out to one another in an unconscious need for healing, neither Leeza nor Reef can guess that their fragile bond is based on an act of cruelty and hate.

The First Stone is multi-award-winning author Don Aker’s third novel for young adults. He tackles the tough issues of teen violence and crime in a way that is gritty and unvarnished, in a style that will instantly connect with his adolescent audience. At the same time, Aker’s sensitivity to his characters and refusal to manufacture a pat resolution to the story’s emotional climax make this a novel that will resonate with all teens.

Forbidden City

by William Bell

Seventeen-year-old Alex Jackson comes home from school to find that his father, a CBC news cameraman, wants to take him to China's capital, Beijing. Once there, Alex finds himself on his own in Tian An Men Square as desperate students fight the Chinese army for their freedom. Separated from his father and carrying illegal videotapes, Alex must trust the students to help him escape.

Closely based on eyewitness accounts of the massacre in Beijing, Forbidden City is a powerful and frightening story.

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

Jonas''s world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Holes

by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.

Johnny Kellock Died Today

by Hadley Dyer

"You probably never heard that I got the oldest mother in the whole world. She was coming up on fifty when I came along. I tell people that’s a world record. The truth is I never looked it up. Having a mother who holds a world record, that’s better than having a mother who’s just really old."

Rosalie Norman is 11 years old, the afterthought in an already grown-up family. Confronted with a mother who’s not only old but also a no-nonsense authoritarian, Rosalie retreats into the long, hot Halifax summer of 1959 with her drawings. But because of Rosalie’s carelessness, her mom falls and breaks her leg. Now, to help out, the family has hired the strange new neighbour, a boy named David—or "the Gravedigger," as other kids cruelly call him. Even worse, Rosalie’s favourite cousin, Johnny, has suddenly disappeared. Unsure of herself in a clan that’s never quite what it seems, Rosalie not only uncovers family secrets as she searches for Johnny and befriends David, but also finds her own special place in the world. A wonderful whirlwind of bravado and vulnerability, Rosalie is an unforgettable voice in an original and compelling novel.

A Separate Piece

by John Knowles

Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.

A bestseller for more than thirty years, A Separate Peace is John Knowles's crowning achievement and an undisputed American classic.

Small Steps

by Louis Sachar

Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it’s hard when you have a record, and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of control, with only one thing for certain. He’ll never be the same again.

In his first major novel since Holes, critically acclaimed novelist Louis Sachar uses his signature wit combined with a unique blend of adventure and deeply felt characters to explore issues of race, the nature of celebrity, the invisible connections that determine a person’s life, and what it takes to stay on course. Doing the right thing is never a wrong choice–but a small step in the right direction.

Stones

by William Bell

Garnet Havelock was always a bit different from other guys. He never quite fit in and he was okay with that. Now, in his final year of high school, he’s just marking time, waiting to get out into the real world.

When a mysterious girl transfers to his school Garnet thinks he might have found the girl of his dreams, if only he could get her to talk to him.

As Garnet struggles to win over one girl, another girl is trying to get his attention – unfortunately she lived over 150 years ago. Garnet becomes fascinated by her history and that of the black community she belonged to. As he draws closer to the truth, he uncovers a horrifying chapter in his town’s history, and discovers the ways in which deep-seated prejudices and persecution from the past can still reverberate in the present.

All Quiet on the Western Front

by Erich Maria Remarque

Paul Baumer enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Youthful, enthusiastic, they become soldiers. But despite what they have learned, they break into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. And as horrible war plods on year after year, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principles of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against each other--if only he can come out of the war alive.

Who Has Seen the Wind

by W.O.Mitchell

When W.O. Mitchell died in 1998 he was described as “Canada''s best-loved writer.” Every commentator agreed that his best – and his best-loved – book was Who Has Seen the Wind. Since it was first published in 1947, this book has sold almost a million copies in Canada.

As we enter the world of four-year-old Brian O’Connal, his father the druggist, his Uncle Sean, his mother, and his formidable Scotch grandmother (“she belches…a lot”), it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary book. As we watch Brian grow up, the prairie and its surprising inhabitants like the Ben and Saint Sammy – and the rich variety of small-town characters – become unforgettable. This book will be a delightful surprise for all those who are aware of it, but have never quite got around to reading it, till now.