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

Blaise is a fairly average Native girl growing up in Winnipeg and dealing with the normal triggers of teenage angst—parents, school, friends. Then her best friend is murdered by the Reds, a local gang, and she is the only witness. For protection, she turns to a rival gang called the West Bloods and her life changes forever. She must quickly learn to navigate the violent and often volatile world of street gangs to survive or succumb to the same fate as her friend. An engrossing and compelling coming of age story depicting the gritty and often gruesome realities of life on the streets, Deadly Loyalties is an open and honest look at the violence and pressures teenagers face when trying to belong.

Jennifer Storm is Ojibway from Couchiching First Nation in North Western Ontario. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jennifer completed her first novel Deadly Loyalties at the age of fourteen. When she was nineteen, her book was accepted for publication. In 2006 Jennifer received the Manitoba Aboriginal Youth Achievement Award as well as the Helen Betty Osbourne Award. Jennifer is currently completing her second year of Native Studies at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Jennifer Storm's profile page

Deadly Loyalties

A remarkable achievement for its fourteen-year-old author, Deadly Loyalties tells the story of fourteen-year-old Blaise, who sees her childhood friend Sheldon murdered by gang members. Scared they know she is a witness, she joins Sheldon’s gang for protection. Blaise has a desperate need to belong, so fighting, having sex, getting high, shoplifting and “jacking” (stealing money from other kids) gives her a “confused sense of guilt and pride”. When she unknowingly dates a rival gang member, and her gang seeks revenge, Blaise finds herself living with Sheldon’s murderer. This book will appeal to reluctant readers.

Storm, an Ojibway from the Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, is currently enrolled in the First Nations Studies Program at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. She won the Manitoba Aboriginal Youth Achievement Award.

Caution: Includes violence, swearing, and references to drugs, alcohol and sex.

Deadly Loyalties

A remarkable achievement for its fourteen-year-old author, Deadly Loyalties tells the story of fourteen-year-old Blaise, who sees her childhood friend Sheldon murdered by gang members. Scared they know she is a witness, she joins Sheldon’s gang for protection. Blaise has a desperate need to belong, so fighting, having sex, getting high, shoplifting and “jacking” (stealing money from other kids) gives her a “confused sense of guilt and pride”. When she unknowingly dates a rival gang member, and her gang seeks revenge, Blaise finds herself living with Sheldon’s murderer. This book will appeal to reluctant readers.

Storm, an Ojibway from the Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, is currently enrolled in the First Nations Studies Program at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. She won the Manitoba Aboriginal Youth Achievement Award.

Caution: Includes violence, swearing, and references to drugs, alcohol and sex.