• Age: 14 to 18
• Grade: 9 to 12
• Reading age: 7 to 10

To an outsider, it might seem like an uneventful summer, but to Jackie it's a whole new world. Her father has a new girlfriend -- a young tattoo-artist named Nicole. Her mother seems more interested in Theresa, the sick girl living across the street, than she is in her own daughter. The only thing keeping Jackie from disappearing altogether is the small butterfly tattoo she lets Nicole give her. But when Jackie's Mom forces her to spend time with Theresa, Jackie learns to value the vibrancy in her own life, by adding a bit of colour to someone else's.

Lori Weber is the author of eight young adult novels, including Yellow Mini, a novel in verse, and Deep Girls, a short—story collection; one historical middle grade novel, Lightning Lou; and one picture book, My Granny Loves Hockey. A native Montrealer, she lived for several years in Atlantic Canada; upon returning to Montreal, she began teaching English at Vanier College in 1994 before moving to John Abbott College in 1996, a position she recently retired from. She has delivered workshops in writing for teens through the Quebec Writers' Federation. Lori currently lives in Dorval, Quebec, where she hopes to do more writing, taking inspiration from the beautiful Lac Saint Louis at her doorstep.

Lori Weber's profile page

• Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens - Canadian Children's Book Centre

"The well-paced prose and realistic dialogue combine to present issues of family breakup, friendship, illness, and self-discovery that should appeal to early teen readers..."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Tattoo Heaven (SideStreets)