Easy Reads Booklist
Stella Rising
by Nancy Belgue
106 Pages
Stella Connor has spent her whole life following the latest musician her mom, Viv, has fallen in love with. She vows that she will never become like her mother. One day, Stella’s best friend uploads a video of Stella singing a cover of her favorite band’s biggest hit. The video goes viral, and suddenly Stella is asked to perform with the band on the road. Stella forgets every bad thing she ever thought about being a groupie. After all, she’s nothing like her mom, right?
Trapped
by Sigmund Brouwer
77 Pages
Homeschooler Matt can’t wait for the day that he turns sixteen so he can leave his home and never return. Matt lives with his abusive foster parents in an isolated cabin in the Yukon valley, where he hunts for animal fur for his foster father. One day, Matt discovers a valuable gold nugget. He knows he must hide his gold, because he is convinced that his foster parents only take in kids for the money, and they will steal it from him. Will Matt be able to escape and outsmart his foster parents?
Girls Like Me
by Kristin Butcher
133 Pages
Emma and her best friend, Jen, have a crush on the same boy, Ross. One day after school, Ross offers to drive Emma home and then rapes Emma. The next day, Ross tells everyone at school the sex was consensual, and no one believes Emma. Not even her best friend, Jen, who is angry with her for having sex with the boy she had a crush on first. Emma not only faces harsh slut-shaming from her classmates and family, but she has a miscarriage. Ross begins dating Jen, and Emma tries to warn her of his intentions. Will Jen believe Emma before it’s too late?
Union
by Sara Cassidy
83 Pages
15-year-old Tuck has dealt with a lot of heartbreak and trust issues. His mother’s boyfriend, especially, has been the cause of a lot of his hurt. Tuck begins to fall for his childhood friend, Grace, and imagines a life where he is happy with her. At his job, a fast-food restaurant, Tuck is asked to explore starting a union. This, and his growing love for Grace, helps him come to terms with his pain and begin his healing journey. This novel is written in verse (poem style!).
Kryptonite
by Lesley Choyce
128 Pages
Jackson knows how to get what he wants. Whether it's sweet-talking his friends into buying lunch or convincing teachers to give him extensions, he feels entitled to take whatever he wants―even a day off school or a new pair of shoes. Now he's set his sights on Abby, a troubled girl fresh out of juvie who only has eyes for Bryce, the go-to dealer of a dangerous new drug called kryptonite.
The Thing You're Good At
by Lesley Choyce
172 Pages
Jake's friend Maria is the daughter of undocumented immigrants who have been living and working in the country for a long time. But the new government has implemented a crackdown. Maria's parents are detained and quickly sent out of the country. Maria, who was born here, decides to hide out in Jake's basement rather than risk becoming a ward of the state. But when she returns to her old apartment to retrieve her hidden birth certificate, Maria is abducted by young men on the lookout for teenage girls who have lost their parents to deportation. Jake is determined to rescue Maria before she's turned over to the authorities. Or worse.
Thicker Than Water
by Natasha Deen
127 Pages
Teenager Zack is interested in true crime shows, so when his friend Ella goes missing, Zack is ready to begin investigating. While trying to piece her disappearance together, Zack can’t stop thinking about one thing: he saw his dad with Ella at the mall the day before she disappeared, and he doesn’t know why. Zack’s friend, Ayo, encourages him to tell the police this information, but Zack is reluctant to. Will Zack solve this mystery and learn information about his father that he does not want to know?
Hide and Shriek
by Alison Hughes
125 Pages
Emily, Tess, Cam, and Dylan decide to ignore their town’s new curfew during their Friday-night game of hide-and-seek. While down by the river, they see something they definitely shouldn’t have. When the teens get discovered by the perpetrators, they are hunted through the dark streets and back alleys. They will have to use all their hide-and-seek skills to save each other. Who knew that hide-and-seek could turn so deadly?
Tornado
by Sharon Jennings
105 Pages
A Friday afternoon and the power goes out at school, cutting the day short. 16-year-old Cam decides to ditch picking up his younger brother, Peter, from the bus stop and get burgers with his friends and girlfriend. While in the car, a powerful tornado touches down and flips the car. His two friends are killed and girlfriend is badly hurt. Cam manages to make it home and discover that his parents are arguing about something that will change his life. Will Cam and his family find Peter alive?
The First Part Last
by Angela Johnson
131 Pages
Bobby is a normal teenager. He’s restless and impulsive. But the one thing that makes him different is… he’s going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time hanging out with their friends, they’re going to be spending time at the doctor’s office and changing diapers. They have two options: keep the baby or give it up for adoption. They want to make the right decision, but what is it?
Open Secrets
by Jennifer Manuel
190 Pages
Ana Santos is a 17-year-old musician, and music is everything to her. She has a lot of ambition and will do anything to make her dreams come true. One day, Gill Daring, a local club owner, offers Ana an offer that she cannot refuse: a band and a Friday night headlining spot at his club. Ana is excited for this opportunity and her and her band play every Friday night and start having real fans. As time goes on, Gil starts to pull Ana away from her friends, family, and asks her to keep their time together a secret. Ana will have to endure her friends and family expressing concerns about this new relationship that is giving her a shot at becoming a star.
Blood Sport
by Tash McAdam
118 Pages
Jason is convinced that his sister, Becca, was murdered, yet no one else believes him. After finding a picture that Becca kept hidden, he decides to infiltrate a boxing gym to prove that her death was not an accident. Jason is transgender, so he is used to fighting and he knows these skills will come in handy as he investigates his sister's death. Jason quickly fits in at the boxing gym, balancing newfound friendships and the investigation. Will Jason uncover the mystery of Becca’s death or stay in a community where he finally feels like he belongs?
Caged
by Norah McClintock
106 Pages
Kenzie’s dog has disappeared from his family’s fenced in backyard, but he knows that Clancy would not have gotten too far. As Kenzie and his dad continue to search for their chocolate lab, they hear from other neighbors about their dogs that have gone missing. Kenzie finds Clancy’s dog tag and spots a van filled with dog food and he knows that he has to investigate further. With the help of his schoolmate whose dog has also disappeared, Kenzie uncovers an illegal operation that grabs dogs off the street and turns them into bloodthirsty killers.
Countdown
by M.J. McIsaac
69 Pages
Myles has it all: he has an amazing girlfriend, a full athletic scholarship to a top university, and he’s the valedictorian. On graduation day, as Myles is trying to finish writing his speech, he receives a text from an unknown number. This anonymous person is threatening to expose Myles and ruin his life by posting a picture of him at a rugby hazing. Myles is then forced to face his past wrongdoings and apologize to people he’s hurt. Can Myles make amends in time, or will his future be ruined?
Bodyguard
by Sean Rodman
120 Pages
Ryan “Replay” Hale is the star running back on his school’s football team, even though he doesn’t care about football. He cares about filmmaking. Replay’s teachers encourage him to apply to UCLA’s film school, but he doesn’t have enough money for the application fees. His parents are insistent that he tries to receive a football scholarship to college. Suddenly, Replay’s life changes after he rescues the new exchange student from Estonia, Markus, from a bully. Markus offers Replay $125 a week to be his bodyguard. Replay sees this as a perfect way to get the money he needs to apply to film school and live out his dreams. Markus warns Replay about the danger he faces, including mobsters and hackers, but it’s still worth it for film school, right?
Easy Street
by Jeff Ross
108 Pages
Three years ago Rob's brother, Adam, was sent to jail for his part in the death of a girl who overdosed at a rave. But now that he has been released, Rob hopes that things can go back to the way they used to be. His brother has changed, the times have changed, and Rob has changed. Adam tells his mom and brother that he is planning to apply to a college in Toronto. He has already discovered how difficult it can be for someone with a criminal record to land a job and thinks he needs to get some education under his belt. He invites Rob to go on a road trip to the city to check out the college. However, Rob suspects that Adam hasn't asked him along just for company. If Rob can't find a way to save Adam from himself, will he end up going down with him?
Hey Jude
by Star Spider
108 Pages
Penny is 17 and she’s living a double, or maybe even triple life. She is struggling to balance caring for Jude, her sister with mental health challenges, working part-time to help her mother with money issues, and facing her final year of high school. She cannot afford a single distraction, but then she meets Jack. They click immediately, yet just as things begin to heat up, it slows down, and Penny doesn’t know why. Will Penny be able to balance another person in her life?
Baby Drag Queen
by C.A. Tanaka
137 Pages
Ichiro, a transgender teenager, is struggling financially. He’s in his final year of high school and is working a job as a dishwasher to earn money to support his single mother. He dreams of having enough money to buy an RV for him and his mom to live off-the-grid. Ichiro is also an up-and-coming drag queen, and takes another job performing drag at a local club. Here, he learns that there’s a contest with enough prize money to buy his beloved RV. He only has one problem: no one knows he does drag. What happens will his friends from school find out what he really does in the evenings? Will they still want to be his friend?
No ONE'S bABY
by Wanda Taylor
191 Pages
Lizzie, a biracial teen, was adopted by white parents. She’s never felt like she belonged in her family. After her dad dies, Lizzie starts to act out - dating, staying out for days, and giving up school. During this time, Lizzie accidentally becomes pregnant. Lizzie is unsure of what to do, and cannot decide if she wants to have an abortion. This decision leads Lizzie to try and find her birth mother. Will she find her mom and make the right decision for her future?