An intimate coming-of age novel for teens, told in verse with delicate line art, chronicling the beauty, magic and transformative power of summer camp, for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Judy Blume.After having her heart broken, seventeen-year-old Nora Nichols decides to escape her hometown and take a summer job as an arts and crafts counsellor at an all-girls' camp in the mountains of West Virginia. There, she meets girls and women from all walks of life with their own heartaches and triumphs. Immersed in this new camp experience, trying to form bonds with her fellow counselors while learning to be a trusted adviser for her campers, Nora distracts herself from her feelings, even during the intimate conversations around the nightly campfires. But when a letter from home comes bearing unexpected news, Nora finds inner strength in her devastation with the healing power of female friendship. Presented as Nora's camp journal, including Nora's sketches of camp life,...

Wit and humour shine in this debut novel by a refreshing new voice in middle-grade fiction!Clarissa Delaney had a plan — this was going to be her year. But so far, grade seven sucks.First of all, her favourite teacher has gone on sabbatical, leaving her with Mr. Campbell, whose lame sense of humour is completely annoying. Everyone in class drives her crazy, except for her best friend, Benji, but even he is troubled these days. His gentle demeanour has made him the target of threats and some serious bullying. Mr. Campbell hasn't even noticed, which only feeds Clarissa's resentment.But the worst news comes at home.Her loving mom, who runs a hair salon out of their home, has always had a gift for lifting everyone's spirits when they're down. But an upsetting diagnosis takes her away temporarily, just when Clarissa needs her the most.Readers will laugh through their tears, as Clarissa finds her bravest self to get her through this year of...

A famous rock star, a family secret and a boy with a great smile make for one unforgettable summer.It's 1962, and thirteen-year-old Reenie Starr comes alive the minute guests begin to arrive at her family's summer resort. She dreams of the day she can run Sandy Shores, and she spends her time helping out at the resort, swimming, climbing trees,and singing under the stars.One day, Reenie's mother announces that she thinks the resort could use some entertainment. She invites Gwen, her best friend's almost-grown daughter, to come and teach a dance class. Although Gwen seems sad and remote, Reenie's thrilled to have her there.As Reenie starts to learn more about the world beyond Sandy Shores, she comes up with a plan that could really put it on the map. She also finds herself caught between the simpler world of her childhood and all of the wonderful new discoveries (boys) and heartaches (boys) that growing up can bring. Reenie thought she wanted Sandy...

Clarissa tries to find her happily-ever-after in this clever, heartfelt follow-up to Love Is a Four-Letter Word!One summer. That's all the time it takes to set your world spinning — or so Clarissa learns. Feeling abandoned by Mattie (camp), Benji (drama school), and even Michael (babysitting), Clarissa feels even more alone when her mother tells her she's marrying Doug. This announcement gets Clarissa thinking about her father, and her search for answers leads to her stumbling upon information about the secret teenage life of her mother, and more importantly, about Bill, her absentee father.Things get complicated when she spots a man who looks a lot like Bill. Approaching him winds up revealing a whole world of surprises that threaten to shake her image of her mother forever.Will Clarissa be able to move beyond the past and take part in Annie's vision of the future? Happily ever after has never seemed so impossible.

Where love and friendship are concerned, if you don't move forward, you'll get left behind.Love: little word, big consequences. Clarissa has never given much thought to the word herself; she has other things to worry about. Her mother is still recovering from breast cancer, and until Clarissa hears that magical word "remission," shedoesn't think she'll ever be able to relax.As a distraction, she and best friend Benji try out for a community production of The Wizard of Oz. But sadly only he makes the cut, leaving her disappointed and best-friendless, and forced to spend her time with other people, like boy-crazy Mattie.When Mattie becomes distracted by a new crush, and Clarissa's mother starts spending far too much time with her personal trainer, Clarissa wonders when she stopped being enough for all the people in her life. Enter Michael, who seems to be interested in more than just friendship. But is that what Clarissa wants?