• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12

One misunderstood teen. One eccentric granny. One missing uncle. A coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of one family’s secrets.

Zoe’s straitlaced and narrow-minded parents don’t understand her — they are shocked by her swearing and believe that she’s a bad girl. They also want to put Zoe’s Granny in a seniors home, despite Zoe’s objections. Sure, Granny has become a bit odd and her memory is spotty, but she’s outspoken and funny, and Zoe loves her. Granny still mourns her favourite son, Teddy, who was also a troublemaker, and who died before Zoe was born.

Or did he?

After a series of disastrous incidents, including a school suspension and a near-death experience, Zoe decides to liberate herself and her grandmother from their respective prisons, taking them on an unforgettable journey to Toronto, where Zoe learns the truth about her uncle and discovers strengths of her own that just might help her find a way back home.

From award-winning storyteller Allan Stratton comes a moving story of unresolved family conflicts, and a young girl’s awakening to the things that matter most.

Allan Stratton
est l'auteur de renommée internationale du roman Le secret de Chanda, un livre sur la liste d'honneur Michael L.
Printz. Son adaptation cinématographique, Life Above All, a
remporté le prix François Chalais au Festival de Cannes. Son dernier roman
thriller pour jeunes adultes, Les chiens, a gagné le prix Red
Maple de l'Association canadienne des bibliothèques et a été mis en
nomination pour le prix Arthur Ellis et le prix Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz.
Allan habite à Toronto, en Ontario.

Allan Stratton is an acclaimed playwright and author, who began his career acting at the Stratford Festival and regional theaters across Canada. His plays include "Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii" and "Rexy!," winner of a Chalmers Award, the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Canadian Author's Association Award. Leslie's Journal is Allan's first novel for teens. Allan now lives in Toronto with his partner, a dog, three cats and any number of fish.

Allan Stratton's profile page

• Winner, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award
• Nominated, Carnegie Medal, UK
• Short-listed, Amy Mathers Teen Book Award
• Short-listed, OLA Red Maple Award, Fiction
• Commended, Resource Links, Best of the Year
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Starred Selection
• Short-listed, Governor General's Award, Young People's Literature - Text

Praise for The Way Back Home:

"Funny, raw and heartbreaking, this emotional story about family, loss and transformation will touch readers and raise questions about loyalty, justice and forgiveness." — Canadian Children's Book News

"The Way Back Home is a heartfelt, riveting novel from a master of his craft." — Quill & Quire