• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

Curt seems to have it all—a girlfriend, friends, a good summer job and a guaranteed position on the baseball team with the promise of a professional career.

Then, one misstep causes his world to unravel and his life to plummet into the depths of depression and addiction. A bleak yet ultimately hopeful story about one teen's struggle with the pressures of growing up, fitting in and getting by.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Dayle Campbell Gaetz grew up in Victoria and attended the University of Victoria. She has always loved books, both reading and writing them. Her writing career began on Salt Spring Island where she wrote her first 16 novels. For several years she wrote a column for the local weekly newspaper and published the occasional article in children's magazines. Dayle now lives in Campbell River, British Columbia where, in addition to her own writing, she teaches a correspondence course on Writing for Children and Teenagers. She has published 21 books for readers from ages seven to 17. Never knowing what idea will strike next, Dayle writes books that range from science fiction to history and from biography to mystery.

Thanks to a strong interest in British Columbian history, she wrote two historical novels that take place in B.C.'s early days. On the heels of those books came Mystery From History and Barkerville Gold, both with historical connections. She had meant to end there, but the three young characters refused quit at Barkerville. They have since travelled on to Alberta, (Alberta Alibi) and recently into Saskatchewan (Something Suspicious in Saskatchewan). Manitoba is calling to them next and it seems wherever they go the children trip over mystery and tumble into danger.

Dayle's other books from Orca include Sea Dog (Currents), the story of two lonely people, a seven year old boy and an old man who are brought together by their love of one dog. At the other end of childhood is No Problem (Soundings), where a 17 year old boy stands on the brink of drug abuse. In between is an Orca Currents, Spoiled Rotten, about an outdoors-loving 14 year old girl who needs to deal with a new stepsister who really is spoiled rotten.

For more information about Dayle, visit http://web.mac.com/gdgaetz.

Dayle Campbell Gaetz's profile page

• Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Our Choice
• Commended, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) Top Forty

"'No problem' is the mantra of all addicts, and this novel shows just how insidious that denial can be...It provides that elusive 'high-interest/low level' book to recommend to students who believe 'reading sucks' because they have a hard time reading and have never finished a book. I think that they'll stick with this one. Highly recommended."

CM Magazine