Jacqueline Guest

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.

Educator & Series Information
Interest age: From 13 To 17
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 4.6
Lexile Reading Level: 760L

SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels, that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short heart-stopping books - sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Additional Information
192 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

Zoë's caught the racing bug. Not only is she following in the tire tracks of her older brother as a rally racer, she thinks she might even have the stuff to become a racecar engineer one day. But Zoë's mother has another dream for her daughter, and it's called "Zoë Kendall, M.D." In this fast-action sequel to Racing Fear, Zoë must learn to stand up to her mother's good intentions before her true aspirations come to a screeching halt.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the SideStreets series. SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short, heart-stopping books — sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Interest age: From 13 To 17
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 4.6
Lexile Reading Level: 800L

Additional Information
136 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

When January Fournier arrives at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary, her brother Grey is barely clinging to life in intensive care after a horrible motorcycle crash. She''s devastated--but things get worse when the police accuse Grey of a string of bike thefts, claims he''s in no condition to dispute.

Jan decides she''s the only person who can uncover the truth and sets out to find the real thief. Soon, however, she finds her efforts blocked by a police officer who''s determined to see Grey convicted. In pursuit of the truth Jan has to pilot her own bike through the twisting switchbacks of Kananaskis County, with both her fate and that of her brother hanging on the edge of disaster.

Lightning Rider is the story of a young Metis woman''s determination to see her brother vindicated--whatever the cost.

Educator & Series Information
SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels, that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short heart-stopping books - sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Additional Information
168 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

Trent and Adam were best friends and rally racing buddies until a terrible accident, when Adam was at the wheel, puts Trent in the hospital. After a long separation, the teens try to pick up their friendship where it left off, but Adam's guilty feelings and Trent's odd behaviour make it tough. Why is Trent hanging around Marcus, a guy he says he can't stand? And why isn't his Ritalin working anymore?

When Adam discovers Trent is dealing with the dark side, it's a race to save his friend from himself. Racing Fear is an action-packed ride that takes a hard look at the selling of prescription drugs.

Educator & Series Information
SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels, that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short heart-stopping books - sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Interest age: From 13 To 17
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 5.2
Lexile Reading Level: 760L

Additional Information
160 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

Ryan Taber's father is about to deploy for his first tour of duty with the Canadian army in Afghanistan. Ryan lives his days on an army base in Alberta, and spends his evenings at the CyberKnights cafe, playing his favourite video game,Desert Death. At CyberKnights, Ryan meets the Desert Death ultimate champion and becomes entangled in a world of danger and deceit that begins to resemble the very real circumstances his father is facing overseas.

Educator & Series Information
Fry Reading Level - 5.5

SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels, that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short heart-stopping books - sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Additional Information
184 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

Jan and her new family have moved to Banff, Alberta and when Willow Whitecloud, an RCMP Summer Student, comes to live with them, things start to happen.

Is it coincidence that a rash of grizzly bear poaching begins soon after Willow arrives? And what's with Willow's strange religious beliefs? She smudges, believes in evil wittigos and is sure Jan has a spirit helper. When Jan compares Willow's spiritual beliefs with her own mainstream religious background, conflicts arise that she can't deal with alone.

An action packed read with fast motorcycles, computer hacking and evil spirits all clashing to make this book a truly Wild Ride!

Educator & Series Information
SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels, that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short heart-stopping books - sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Interest age: From 12 To 17
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 3.3
Lexile Reading Level: 770L

Additional Information
168 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

Belle, an 11-year-old Métis 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.

Reviews
"This book can be a starting point for a more in-depth look at the Métis settlement and the struggle which ensued or it can be read just for enjoyment." — Resource Links, September 2004

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Orca Young Readers series, which are award-winning, bestselling chapter books for ages 8–11. Titles in this series include historical and contemporary stories with age-appropriate plots.

Additional Information
144 pages | 5.00" x 7.50"

After her ikusin (grandmother) dies, Kai Hunter, a part-Navajo, part-Stoney Nakoda 16-year-old, runs away to Banff, Alberta, to avoid being placed in a foster home. Kai lies her way into a new identity, a job, and a safe place to live. She makes new friends and volunteers with a rapid attack crew for the forestry service. She even meets a great guy named Rory, who's into motorcycles, just like her - and who seems to be into her, too. But Kai is scared of being found out, and she isn't sure that she can trust all of her new friends...or that she likes the person she's pretending to be. Meanwhile, she's got to pay rent, figure out whether Rory is boyfriend material, and assist the rap-attack crew as they face a string of suspicious forest fires. In the thrilling conclusion to this romantic adventure, Kai's choices become matters of life and death.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the PathFinders series.

R.L. 3.5

Recommended for ages 12 to 16.

Additional Information
128 pages | 4.53" x 7.00"

Leigh Aberdeen is one of the top players on her Alberta hockey team, the Falcons. But as a Métis and the only girl on the team she's different--and not everyone is happy about that.

To top it off, she doesn't think her mother wants her to play hockey, so Leigh hasn't told her about the Falcons. Soon she's getting threatening messages on the phone, the Falcons'captain tries to get her kicked off the team, and her mother wants Leigh to go to a dance recital on the same night as the finals. When the pressure becomes too intense, Leigh has to face some hard decisions.

Hat Trick is a suspenseful, action-packed story about a young woman who learns the price of living a double life--the hard way.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 13.

Fry Reading Level - 4.2

Additional Information
128 pages | 5.00" x 7.75" | Paperback 

When twin brothers Evan and Brynley Selkirk move with their family from the remote Cree community of Whapmagoostui to bustling Calgary, their worlds turn upside-down. In place of the grey, frigid waters of Hudson Bay, they see the downtown canyons of a modern city.

Bryn, a musical prodigy, trades piano practice for hockey practice to impress a new girlfriend; Evan, the family hockey hero, starts running with a bad crowd and neglecting the game. As the brothers' lies get them in deeper and deeper trouble with their parents, they have to rely on each other to gain the courage to do what's right.

Rink Rivals is an action-packed account of how sport can help young people find the courage to confront sudden and radical changes in their lives.

Additional Information

Samantha Aqsarniq Keyes is used to a life on the move. Her military family has been transferred across Canada, and she's grown up with stories of her Inuit ancestors exploring the far north. For Sam, soccer has been the one constant in her life. But now that she's thirteen, her home base isn't the only thing that's changing.

Sam longs to show up Carly, her school's reigning soccer star, but Sam's new interest in theater is taking up a lot of time. Does she have the time to practice her sport and be the lead in the school play? And just how far will she go to prove to her parents that she can handle more than one extracurricular activity?

Soccer Star! is a novel about big ambitions and tough choices.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 10 to 13.

Additional Information
136 pages | 5.00" x 7.75" | Paperback 

Matthew Eagletail can't wait until his on-line friend John Salton flies from San Francisco to Bragg Creek, Alberta for a summer visit. John is almost as big a basketball fan as Matt is, and dreams of being the first coach in the NBA to use a wheelchair.

When Matt's sister Jazz tells them about the upcoming Rocky Mountain Summer Basketball League in Calgary, they decide immediately to get a team together. Unfortunately, so does Matt's archrival, John Beal. Soon the Bobcats and the Mean Machine are fighting it out on the court, determined to win by any means necessary. It's too close to call, until Matt and John get some crucial advice from an unexpected source.

Free Throw is a basketball novel that smokes down court with hard-hitting action and suspense.