Jess and Sara Jean couldn't be more different. He's a loner with a criminal record; a Metis raised on the Reserve; the son of a residential school survivor. She's from nearby Edelburg, a conservative small town. Abandoned by her mother, Sara Jean cares for her obese grandmother and tries to find time to work on a novel that is her escape from her life. Does Jess really have a role to play in what happens next in her life? When Jess is found guilty of arson, he's ordered to complete 250 hours of community service, starting with Sara Jean's neglected garage. Sorting through boxes left by her grandfather, they discover that the secrets keeping their communitiess apart are the very things that will bring them together.
Colleen Nelson is the author of Tori by Design, which won the 2012 McNally Robinson Young Adult Book Award and was nominated for a 2012 Snow Willow Award, as well as one other novel for young readers, The Fall. As a middle years teacher and an avid reader of young adult fiction, Colleen is inspired by her visits to schools and interactions with young people.
Jess and Sara Jean couldn’t be more different. He’s a loner with a criminal record; a Metis raised on the Reserve; the son of a residential school survivor. She’s from Edelburg, a conservative town. When Jess is found guilty of arson, he must complete 250 hours of community service, starting with Sara Jean’s neglected garage. Sorting through boxes, they discover the secrets keeping their communities apart are the very things that will bring them together.
This novel will appeal to adolescents who like to read stories about troubled teenagers questioning their identities and their relationships. Important too, is that the narrative is centered on 250 hours of community service, which will hopefully inspire readers to think about how they can make a difference in their own communities and peer groups.
Author available for school visits @ColleenNelson14
Source: Association of Canadian Publishers. Top Grade Selection 2016.