• Age: 10 to 14
• Grade: 5 to 9

Fourteen-year-old Claire and her mother, Jane, are on their way across the country to visit Claire's grandmother. As they approach the family farm, Claire watches her mother become more and more anxious. Until now, she thought they had an open relationship with a healthy respect for each other's privacy. This trip unlocks the key to the many questions Claire has about their past - including the identity of her father and the reason her mother never went back home until now. Gayle Friesen's novel Janey's Girl is a coming-of-age story with a twist: Claire's mother is the one who reaches maturity.

GAYLE FRIESEN is the award-winning author of five novels for young adults, which have garnered critical acclaim in both Canada and the United States. The Valley is her first novel for adults. She lives in Delta, British Columbia, with her husband and two children.

Gayle Friesen's profile page

• Short-listed, Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award
• Winner, Red Cedar Book Award
• Winner, Young Readers Choice Award , Pacific Northwest Library Association
• Winner, Books for the Teen Age List , The New York Public Library
• Winner, Violet Downey Book Award, National Chapter of Canada IODE
• Winner, Junior Library Guild Selection
• Short-listed, Mr. Christie's Book Award
• Short-listed, Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award
• Winner, CLA Young Adult Book Award , Canadian Library Association
• Winner, Red Maple Award, Ontario Library Association
• Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Award, Children's Text, Canada Council for the Arts