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

Bram's friend Jeremy wants to go public with information about a hazing-related student death.

The morning after he tells Bram this, he's injured in a hit-and-run accident. Now Jeremy is in a coma, and Bram is trying to follow the trail that he left. The trouble is, Abby, Jeremy's sister, is convinced Bram's swimming coach is to blame. Bram knows Coach is innocent, but can he prove it? And what will happen if he's wrong?

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!

Erin Thomas is the author of several books for children and teens. Part of the inspiration for Haze came from Erin's own experiences with hazing at university. Erin's first book in the Orca Sports series, Boarder Patrol, was a Canadian Children's Book Centre "Best Book for Kids and Teens" selection. She lives in Whitby, Ontario, with her husband, their daughter, a small gray cat and a large black dog. Both the cat and the dog hate to swim. To learn more about Erin and her books, visit www.erinthomas.ca.

Erin Thomas' profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

"Perfect for older middle school and high school students who are struggling readers...Fast paced and will keep students interested and guessing what will happen next."

Tacoma Public School District

"Thomas writes efficiently and well. Her passages describing swimming are particularly vivid. The first-person narrative voice is strong and engaging. Haze is aimed at teenage boys and has all the elements to appeal to its target audience. It's short and exciting and an enjoyable read. Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"With its quick pace and action-packed plot, this book is sure to be popular with its target audience of young male readers and will also appeal to reluctant readers."

Library Media Connection

"Readers will root for Bram and Abby."

School Library Journal (SLJ)

"With its fast-moving plot and its easy-to-read format, Haze is a good choice for a student who wants to escape for awhile."

TriState Young Adult Book Review

"An engaging mystery...This is certainly a title I will be happy to add to my collection."

Resource Links

"I’m the kind of person who has trouble starting new books. I’ll buy them, and plan to read them. But somehow there’s never time. My dad told me I should try reading Haze, so I started it on the spot. I got to page twenty-seven before we had even left the Bookshelf. On the way home, my dad tried to talk to me, but I had my nose in the book. I did not put it down once that day. I read it in the bath, I read it while I was walking downstairs, and I read it until I finished it. In other words, it was amazing."

Bookshelf Reviews