Spafford-Fitz, Karen

"Ria, is a teen girl living in Edmonton, Alberta, whose obsession with beauty and fashion leads her mother to insist that she either get a job or join a team sport. At an age when too many girls stop competing athletically, Ria discovers her own capabilities as well as the rewards of challenging herself and connecting with others on a team"--Amazon.

"As captain of his school track and field team, Jonas runs only to win. His specialty is the 100-metre sprint. When the team's first track meet does not go as he hoped, Jonas turns his anger on his teammates. He ends up in the office, where the principal also notices that Jonas has failed to complete his required volunteer work. She kicks him off the team and strips him of his captaincy, but later makes him a deal: Jonas can compete at the final track meet if he finishes his volunteer hours. To do so, he must train Darien, a vision and mobility impaired teen, for a 5k race. Through working with Darien, Jonas gains a new appreciation for his sport and for what it means to be a true winner"--Amazon.com.

"Sixteen-year-old Zaine Wyatt's mother walked out of his life when he was twelve, and he was kicked out of his aunt's house. After living on the streets and getting badly beaten up, he is back at his aunt's, but is angry and uncertain that he has a permanent place to live. When his mother breaks another promise to take him back, he flees and trashes a storage shed, injuring the owner as he runs away. To try to get the charges dropped, Zaine agrees to participate in a restorative justice program. He has to fix the damage [and] help out the owner and his disabled grandson, while avoiding being recruited to a gang"--Provided by publisher.

Highlighting girls' volleyball, a sport that has overtaken girls' basketball in popularity, Volleyball Vibe shows how engagement in sports can boost self-esteem, confidence and foster responsibility and teamwork. The main character, Ria, is a teen girl whose obsession with beauty and fashion leads her mother to insist that she either get a job or join a team sport. At an age when too many girls stop competing athletically, Ria discovers her own capabilities as well as the rewards of challenging herself and connecting with others on a team.

"As captain of his school track and field team, Jonas runs only to win. His specialty is the 100-metre sprint. When the team's first track meet does not go as he hoped, Jonas turns his anger on his teammates. He ends up in the office, where the principal also notices that Jonas has failed to complete his required volunteer work. She kicks him off the team and strips him of his captaincy, but later makes him a deal: Jonas can compete at the final track meet if he finishes his volunteer hours. To do so, he must train Darien, a vision and mobility impaired teen, for a 5k race. Through working with Darien, Jonas gains a new appreciation for his sport and for what it means to be a true winner"--Amazon.com.

To avoid the violence of her stepfather, Vienna Fleury and her mother run away to a new city with no money and no where to go. As they begin to get their life back, Vienna enrolls in a new high school to finish her senior year. She even joins the grad committee. But Duncan finds Vienna and demands to know where her mother is.

"Sixteen-year-old Zaine Wyatt's mother walked out of his life when he was twelve, and he was kicked out of his aunt's house. After living on the streets and getting badly beaten up, he is back at his aunt's, but is angry and uncertain that he has a permanent place to live. When his mother breaks another promise to take him back, he flees and trashes a storage shed, injuring the owner as he runs away. To try to get the charges dropped, Zaine agrees to participate in a restorative justice program. He has to fix the damage [and] help out the owner and his disabled grandson, while avoiding being recruited to a gang"--Provided by publisher.

Fourteen-year old Simone is a key witness in a parental abduction investigation.

Vienna, a mixed-race teen and her mother experience racism and domestic violence while living with her step-father. They try to escape the situation by moving to a big city where they begin to start new lives. But when her step-father shows up at her new high school's grad party, Vienna has to find a way to keep herself, her mother, and her friends safe. This book illustrates the very real circumstances women and children victims of domestic abuse face and one family's struggle to escape a violent situation.

Turk, in need of money but not really wanting to work, notices that girls love dogs, so he starts a dog-walking business, recruiting friends to do the actual work with the side benefit of meeting girls, but the whole scheme is threatened when Chuck, the school tough guy, wants in on the action.