• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Inspired by real-life events, Hate Mail examines the transformative power of speaking out against prejudice.

Jordie’s cousin Todd has moved back to Montreal and is attending Jordie’s high school. Todd has autism and requires an aide. Todd has not been welcomed in the school. He’s known as a freak, and even other parents seem to resent Todd’s special needs. Jordie does everything he can to distance himself from his cousin, fearful of what his friends might think. When he learns that Todd’s whole family is buckling under the pressure of a hateful letter, Jordie starts to question his own behavior. But Todd’s resources are unique, and he soon finds a way to prove his worth to his peers and to the community at large.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

MONIQUE POLAK écrit régulièrement pour le Montreal Gazette et a été publiée dans de nombreux autres quotidiens de renom tels que le Globe and Mail, le National Post et Newsday. Dans la collection SideStreets, elle a écrit All In et On the Game, ainsi que Flip Turn pour la collection Sports Stories. D’ailleurs, ces deux derniers ouvrages ont figuré sur la liste des meilleurs livres pour enfants du Centre du livre jeunesse canadien. Monique enseigne l’écriture ainsi que la littérature anglaise. Elle vit à Montréal, au Québec, avec son mari et sa fille.

MONIQUE POLAK is the author of 26 novels for young readers, as well as two non-fiction titles and a board book. Her books Hate Mail, Room for One More, and the historical novel What World is Left, which was inspired by her mother’s experience during the Holocaust, were all winners of the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and YA Literature.

Her books have also been nominated for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Arthur Ellis Award, and several have been selected as Best Books for Children and Teens by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

She is also a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Macleans, and Postmedia newspapers across the country, and is a columnist on ICI Radio-Canada’s Plus on est de fous, plus on lit Monique lives in Montreal, Quebec, where she teaches English and Humanities at Marianopolis College.

Monique Polak's profile page

• Winner, Quebec Writers' Federation (QWF) Literary Awards - Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

"A compelling read...[Polak is] deft at informing readers about autism—explaining behavioural patterns, for instance—without lapsing into lecture mode...Encourages teen readers to consider the prejudices at play in their own lives, and to find the courage to stand up for what they believe is just."

Montreal Review of Books (MRB)

"Shows how a young person learns to deal with autism and depression. Just doing the right thing and standing up can bring about change...A quick and easy read."

Library Media Connection

"A timely and topical story about bullying, prejudice, human justice and finding the courage to act in the face of it all...Highly recommended."

Resource Links

"Polak does a great job at getting inside Jordie’s head, to his true feelings and the reasons behind his reluctance to stand up for his cousin. He is so afraid that his friends will look at him differently that he hesitates to discuss his personal life with anyone. And what teenager cannot relate to that?...[Recommended] to anyone who is interested in teaching their children about social justice and the importance of standing up for what you believe in."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials