• Age: 11 to 16
• Grade: 6 to 9
• Reading age: 11 to 16

Randy surfs the waves in April off his Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia home, dodging the ice pans and swimming with the seals. In fact he surfs year-round--in August and in February--and gets up before the sun to do it.

Come summer, though, Lawrencetown Beach is invaded by townies from nearby Halifax, fair-weather surfers. Randy is willing to help them out a little, show them how to catch the waves. Soon he's hanging out with a new, fast crowd. In the water everything is fine, but when Cathy, a townie girl, shows interest in him, Randy heads for trouble with her boyfriend Brian. Is Randy getting in over his head?

Set against a background of wild surfing action, Wave Watch is the story of one young man coming to terms with his abilities--and with his limitations.

No one has a clearer view of Atlantic Canada's literary endeavours over the past twenty years than Lesley Choyce. He is the founder of the literary journal Pottersfield Portfolio, and the publisher of Pottersfield Press. He has edited several fiction anthologies and has been the in-house editor of many books from Pottersfield Press including Making Waves, a collection of stories by emerging authors from Atlantic Canada. He is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from poetry and essays to autobiography, history and fiction for adults, young adults, and children. Among his recent books are the novels The Republic of Nothing, World Enough, and Cold Clear Morning, and the story collection Dance the Rocks Ashore. Choyce is the writer, host, and co-producer of the popular literary show television program, Off the Page with Lesley Choyce, which is broadcast across the country on Vision TV. He also teaches in the English department of Dalhousie University in Halifax and is leader of the rock band The Surf Poets.

Lesley Choyce's profile page

• Winner, Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection

"A compelling book for just about any teenager..."

"A realistic view of a teenager's attempts to fit in with the 'cool' crowd."

"An exciting, fast-paced novel that speaks to the real conflicts experienced by young males in our society..."