• Age: 13 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12

It’s the summer before grade twelve, and sixteen-year-old Noah Greene is in the relationship of a lifetime with his brilliant and book-smart girlfriend, Miranda Owens. But when Miranda overhears his private conversation with another girl, what he says destroys everything they’ve built, shattering Noah’s world.

Determined to make amends, Noah sets out to truly understand the harm his words have caused and maybe become worthy enough for Miranda in time for prom. Along the way, he’s been turning his journey into a manuscript called The Book of Us and wants to give it to Miranda to prove to her how far he thinks he’s come.

What did Noah say that upset Miranda so much? What will she say when he finally asks her out again? Has he been able to mend the harm he's caused, or are some things beyond repair?

Shane Peacock is a novelist, playwright, journalist, and television screenwriter. His first book was a biography of the spectacular Canadian personality “The Great Farini,” his plays have been produced by the acclaimed 4th Line Theatre, and his documentaries have included Team Spirit, aired on the CTV national network. His best-selling series for young adults, The Boy Sherlock Holmes, has been published in ten countries in twelve languages and has found its way onto more than forty shortlists. It won, among other honors, the prestigious Violet Downey Award, The Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction, the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Award, a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Gold Medal, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction and The Libris Award. Each novel was also named a Junior Library Guild of America Premier Selection. The Ottawa Citizen said of the series, “More than just right, dazzlingly right for teen readers, is a new series by Ontario writer Shane Peacock. The vitality of Peacock’s creation of Sherlock is so inspired it feels like the writer is possessed, channeling Sherlock’s spirit.”

Shane Peacock's profile page

“The Book of Us captures the intensity of first love and demonstrates the positivity of a relationship based on mutual respect and honesty … The story is told from Noah’s perspective; thus, his inability to understand how his words could affect a female’s reputation helps readers implicitly understand the stigma surrounding female sexuality and male sexual conquest. It also helps teens realize the importance of their words and the impact they can have on others.”

Canadian Children's Book News

“Because Noah is writing this for Miranda, it was in the back of my mind that Noah was now an unreliable narrator – was he really changing for himself, or was he still doing what he hoped would impress Miranda? The author, Shane Peacock, masterfully plays with this tension, allowing Noah to be aware of what he is doing and why.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials