• Age: 10 to 14
• Grade: 5 to 9

In this novel by Gayle Friesen, normal life for Jes is slipping away. Her mother is getting married again and is totally preoccupied with planning the perfect wedding. And if one fool in love is not enough, Jes's best girlfriend has fallen for a complete jerk. To make matters worse, Jes also has to deal with Angela, her soon-to-be stepsister, who has come to stay for a month before the wedding. A half-crazed mother, a lovesick friend, a perfectly evil stepsister --- could things for Jes get any worse?

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, Chocolate Lily Young Readers' Choice Award
• Short-listed, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award
• Runner-up, International Book Award, The Society of School Librarians International
• Winner, Red Maple Award, Ontario Library Association
• Short-listed, Young Adult Book of the Year, Canadian Library Association'
• Winner, Books for The Teen Age List, The New York Public Library
• Winner, Our Choice, Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Short-listed, The Sheila A. Egoff Award

Particularly well crafted

Booklist

[T]his is an above-average novel with spirited dialogue and well-developed characters.

School Library Journal