• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 11

Brick’s home life is a horror show. His dad has a temper like a pressure valve; you never know when he’s going to blow. His mom’s a self-absorbed flake who leaves the care of his little sister to Brick. A guy could go crazy with all that tension. It’s no wonder Brick has to let off a little steam of his own once in a while. It’s not like he’s anything remotely like his dad. The day he turns sixteen, Brick’s out of there. This summer he’s going to take up Mr. Larkin’s offer of work, even though he’s been forbidden to “fraternize with the neighbors.” And he’s going to earn enough money to escape. Get out and never look back. But who will his dad turn to when he doesn’t have a son to kick around anymore?

 

A compulsive read by a two-time winner of the Ann Connor Brimer Award, Home Truths is a revealing portrait of a bully-in-training and his journey to redemption.

Shortly after the publication of her 2003 poetry collection, The Brevity of Red (2003), Jill MacLean‘s nine-year-old grandson Stuart asked her to write him a book with hockey and Skidoos in it. The result was The Nine Lives of Travis Keating (2008) which won the 2009 Ann Connor Brimer Award, was shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children, 2010 Hackmatack, Silver Birch and Diamond Willow Awards, and was a KIND Children’s Honorable Mention Book for the Humane Society of the United States. Its 2009 sequel, The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy, won the 2010 Ann Connor Brimer Award. Both books are set in Newfoundland, where Jill’s family lived for eighteen years.Jill now makes her home in Nova Scotia, which is the setting for her third novel. Always an avid reader, she is delighted to rediscover the world of children’s literature. In her free time she gardens, canoes and hikes.

Jill MacLean's profile page

• Short-listed, OLA Red Maple Award
• Short-listed, SYRCA Snow Willow Award

“Jill MacLean has created a remarkable portrait of a bully, taking readers carefully into his mind and heart … This is an intense and sobering look at an all-too-common experience, and and invitation to look beneath the surface of the characters we encounter in our lives.”

Atlantic Books Today

“Highly recommended.”

CM Magazine

“If I were to rate this book on a scale from one to five, it would definitely be a five. … I absolutely adore this book.”

National Post

“A thought-provoking novel … What makes the book so compelling is the line that Brick straddles between being a mildly likeable character to a very unlikeable one.”

The Chronicle Herald

“As I read, I found myself cheering for Brick, as engaged in his struggles as if he were real. In my mind, that’s about the highest compliment a book can be paid … A powerful, suspenseful story about redemption.”

Ten Stories Up

“Sensitively written, this novel provides a real context to discuss bullying … in addition, the character development is engaging for the intended audience.”

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Home Truths

Brick MacAvoy is taking off for Halifax the day he turns 16 — in 17 months. His mother Opal lives in her own world and neglects four-year-old Cassie, and his father Floyd hands out punches like candy. It’s no wonder that Brick’s AQ — Anxiety Quotient — gets so high he’s got to bully other kids to relieve it. So over the summer, Brick searches for jobs and saves up money. But, as he slowly gets to know the neighbourhood, secrets are shaken and jarred loose. Soon Brick can’t tell whether his neighbours are going to turn him out for his bullying problem… or help him with his own personal bully — his father.

With well-tuned prose and a distinct attitude, MacLean slips her readers straight into Brick’s mind. His loving care of younger sister Cassie and his enjoyment of reading make him fully endearing. It’s heartwarming to watch Brick open up slowly to his neighbours and reform his bullying ways, though not without personal trials. The idea of karate as self-defence juxtaposed with the pleasure Brick feels in hitting back at his father makes for an interesting theme — at what point does self-defence become offense? The different relationships Brick has with neighbouring families and other kids are developed and explored with all the tenderness and kindness our protagonist is capable of. This moving, character-driven story offers a clear-eyed insight into a dysfunctional family and the real man of the house.

Home Truths

Brick’s dad has an uncontrollable temper and his mom is selfabsorbed, which leaves Brick to care for his little sister, Cassie. Every now and then Brick feels the need to release a little anger, and bullying seems the right way to do it. This summer Brick is going to earn enough money to escape and never look back. But who will Brick’s dad take his anger out on when Brick’s not around?