• Age: 13 to 18
• Grade: 3
• Reading age: 7 to 8

Adopted by Caucasian parents, biracial teen Lizzie feels like she never belonged. After the death of her father, Lizzie starts acting out — dating, staying away from home for days and giving up her plans to continue her education. When Lizzie discovers she is pregnant, she is faced with the difficult choice of having a child or getting an abortion. This leads Lizzie to want to find her own birth mother. After running away from home, Lizzie ends up in Kingston, where she tracks down an older woman named Ruth who sheds light on the circumstances surrounding Lizzie's birth.

Wanda Taylor is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, journalist, and college professor.

As an author of fiction and nonfiction, Wanda writes across children's, YA and adult markets. Her next two fiction titles are set for release with HarperCollins Canada in June 2023 and Spring 2024. As a journalist and former television producer, Wanda has written and produced content for film and television. Her magazine features, poems, and essays appear in publications across Canada, the US, and the UK.

As a former Acquisitions Editor, Wanda has acquired and championed titles from emerging and established authors and continues to support the work of new writers as a freelance editor.

In her role as a sensitivity reader, Wanda works with publishers and authors on works in progress to ensure accuracy and authenticity in areas such as race, diversity, cultural history, social work, and trauma.

Wanda currently teaches courses in journalism, communications, and several writing courses. She previously taught journalism courses at King's, where she will continue to serve as a mentor in the MFA Writing and Publishing program.

Wanda Taylor's profile page

"The text, written at a second grade reading level, combined with edgier, relatable content for high schoolers, will appeal to striving readers."

School Library Journal

"With gritty themes like teen pregnancy, abuse, and discrimination, this title deals with important issues head-on."

School Library Journal

"A fast-moving plot, written at a second grade reading level, will keep hi-lo readers engaged."

School Library Journal

"Tackles difficult issues head on, matter of factly and with sensitivity."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials