• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

Just when sixteen-year-old Cameron thinks he's going to straighten out his troubled life, his parents break up and he ends up living on the street with his dog, Ozzie. He meets a girl named Mackenzie, who has been sleeping in a pup tent in the park. With her help, he tries to survive on the street and continue with school, despite the new challenges in his life.

Finding a safe place for them to crash at night is difficult, and panhandling for money isn't as easy as it looks. Cameron learns that Mackenzie has her own emotional baggage to deal with, and life for a kid with a dog and no home gets even more challenging. After Mackenzie gets into some real trouble, Cameron realizes he needs to come up with a realistic solution if they are going to survive the turbulence.

No one has a clearer view of Atlantic Canada's literary endeavours over the past twenty years than Lesley Choyce. He is the founder of the literary journal Pottersfield Portfolio, and the publisher of Pottersfield Press. He has edited several fiction anthologies and has been the in-house editor of many books from Pottersfield Press including Making Waves, a collection of stories by emerging authors from Atlantic Canada. He is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from poetry and essays to autobiography, history and fiction for adults, young adults, and children. Among his recent books are the novels The Republic of Nothing, World Enough, and Cold Clear Morning, and the story collection Dance the Rocks Ashore. Choyce is the writer, host, and co-producer of the popular literary show television program, Off the Page with Lesley Choyce, which is broadcast across the country on Vision TV. He also teaches in the English department of Dalhousie University in Halifax and is leader of the rock band The Surf Poets.

Lesley Choyce's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
• Commended, Resource Links, The Year's Best Books

"Crash shows that there is still more to say about modern life."

Resource Links

"A picture of a stubborn, self-aware, highly intelligent teen who has fallen on hard times. Particularly engrossing are his struggles to survive and his shame at having to panhandle...This short novel packs a lot of thought-provoking and character development in a small package, and the ending is far from a “happy” one, leaving the door open to much curiosity of what might happen next."

CM Magazine