• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12

Can you ever escape the past? Kiran Wells, a mid-30’s professional living on the West Coast, thought he was safe until an anonymous letter arrives from his hometown. Its only contents- an old newspaper clipping about a drowning twenty years earlier. Leaving career and friends behind, Kiran returns to the place of his youth to find the conjurer of his past.

Kiran is a quiet and shy teenager with a taste for alternative music growing up in a suburban northern town during the mid-80's. The arrival of two students, the confident and rebellious Marius and the naive, cloak-wearing Moony, awaken Kiran.

On the eve of graduation, fate turns the volume off in Kiran’s world and his memory fades to black. Returning to his hometown, Kiran is forced to confront the demons that haunt him. His future depends on whatever hope he has left and the life or death decision he must ultimately make. Will he hear the music again?

The Boys Who Danced with the Moon is a coming of age tale of friendship, youth, and love.

Mark Paul Oleksiw's profile page

Mark Paul Oleksiw loves to write, always has and always will. It started with his first composition class when he was 7. Many moons, experiences and zany characters later, his first novel, the coming of age tale of a 1980’s music-loving teen, The Boys Who Danced with the Moon is entertaining and hopefully inspiring readers. His works are based on his fascination with offbeat characters, the challenges of growing up and the search for, well, you will just have to find out!

Born in the suburbs of Montreal in the late 1960’s, Mark survived the cold winters and a career in the business world. In between, he graduated from McGill University, where he was co-editor of his faculty’s satirical and sometimes politically incorrect monthly magazine. Mark grew up a fan of guitar-driven music, great lyrics and was grunge before grunge, at least in his mind.

Mark lives in the western part of his hometown with his wife, three teenage sons, and cat. When not working on a novel, he is listening to music, daydreaming or just being mischievous. You can find out what Mark is up to by checking out his website, www.markoleksiw.com or following him at https://twitter.com/markpauloleksiw

"This skillfully crafted YA mystery novel revolves around a past event that continues to haunt its protagonist. Oleksiw offers a realistic portrait of a suburban town in the 1980s and of the ties that bind individuals to the place of their origins. Oleksiw works in a clear, lyrical prose that effectively conveys the unfolding events, while kneading at the more elusive aspects of the story, as filtered through time, tightly held secrets, and memory. Oleksiw deftly blends a coming-of-age story with elements of a mystery, resulting in an insightful and refreshing YA novel with crossover appeal to an older audience. While the protagonist remains somewhat of an enigma throughout the novel, readers will come to know him through his relationships with other characters. The circumstances of the mystery will keep readers fully engaged, as will Kiran’s quest to rediscover, or perhaps reclaim, his soul." Source: The Booklife Prize Review