Lorimer - Childrens & Teens - Books for reluctant readers

This book tells the story of a small-town basketball player who is bullied by a teammate who comes from a wealthier family. The story plays out against the realistic backdrop of an economically struggling small town, a fictional version of Chatham, and touches on the emotional realities of performance anxiety, socioeconomic status issues experienced by kids, depression, and bullying.

A 14-year-old Aboriginal/Caucasian girl, from a mixed-income Vancouver suburb, is raped at at party she attends with her two friends. Two years later, photos of the incident appear on social media, which has serious consequences for everyone involved. This book tells a tough but realistic story about teen relationships and sexual assault and how social media plays a role in magnifying its impact.

Abbas and his soccer team of fellow refugees are playing in a big tournament. When a traffic accident triggers crippling flashbacks to war-torn Syria, Abbas perseveres to support his teammates through the competition.

Shy Dylan and outgoing Coral bond at a summer camp over a shared love of comics and mermaids. When the camp bullies threaten to prank the final show, Dylan has to decide if she will stand up for Coral or stay behind the scenes where she is comfortable. Using comic-book illustrations starring Dylan's and Coral's alter egos, this book combines humorous text with an exciting but quite real-life comic-book adventure.

A 15-year-old Black girl from small town Nova Scotia is lured into the sex trade by an older teenage boy. Based on true-events, this book recounts the physical and emotional abuse experienced by young victims of sex trafficing, and how one girl survives, escapes, and finds her way back home.

Vienna, a mixed-Métis teen, and her mother experience racism and domestic violence while living with her step-father. They try to escape the situation by moving to Edmonton where they begin to start new lives. But when her step-father shows up at her new high school's grad party, Vienna has to find a way to keep herself, her mother, and her friends safe. This book illustrates the very real circumstances women and children victims of domestic abuse face and one family's struggle to escape a violent situation.

When hockey player Janine is left paralyzed after a car accident, her best friend encourages her to get into sledge hockey. She quickly finds a new love for the sport and finds her voice speaking up for disabled people's rights.

Unable to concentrate on his game because of the traumas he experienced in Syria, Victor, captain of a soccer team of refugee kids, discovers how to offer real leadership to his team during a national competition.

Jorge Gomez is a gay teen from a working-class family who begins training to become a pro wrestler when he drops out of school and shows a talent for the sport. At his first wrestling meet, he falls for another wrestler from a prominent upper middle-class family. But he soon finds himself up against the ropes when he adopts a flamboyantly gay "bad guy" wrestling persona, and is accused of promoting homophobia. Jorge has to find a way to be true to himself as a successful gay athlete and repair his career and relationship.

Freyja is a 17-year-old who has always identified as a lesbian and is a leader and activist on her school's Gay-Straight Alliance. But when she breaks up with her girlfriend, she decides to volunteer at the local food bank, where she meets and develops feelings for her male team leader, Sanjay. The GSA accuses Freyja of "going-straight" and opposes her leadership. Freyja has to decide if she can reconcile with identifying as a bisexual and take a chance on love with Sanjay.