Stellar Books

The Stellar Book Award is B.C.’s Teen Readers Choice Award. The Stellar Award book nominees are selected by teens from around the province.  All titles are by Canadian authors.  Since 2005,  a Stellar Book Award has been chosen by B.C. Teens from a short list of 20 titles.  Check out the Stellar Award website for more info.  The following are Stellar Award nominated books that have been reviewed by Sutherland students.

Out of Focus

a novel about Teen Angst

by Margaret Buffie

Reviewed by Brook A

Grade 9

The story is about a teen girl who’s mother is an alcoholic. She has to take care of her little brother and sister but she gets fed up with her mother’s crazy antics. If she doesn’t change her ways, she might get the children taken away, but in between the fights and running away, she finds out about a side of her mother she has never discovered. The writing was definitely interesting because the author has a way of foreshadowing without giving too much away. The suspense gave a twist to it and finding out things you thought were not what they were made it a lot of fun.

I liked everything about the book from the writing to the characters to the scene. I found that the characters were very realistic and easy to relate with in one way or another. Even though it was a very captivating book, there were a couple of things I didn’t like about it. One was the way the chapters were very short and the next chapter wouldn’t begin where the last one finished. The other thing was that I wanted to find out what happened in the end so the author should have made a chapter on the total out come or maybe made a sequel. Other than that, Out Of Focus was a phenomenal book.

Fighting the Current

an adventure

by Heather Waldorf

Reviewed by Ashlynn P

Grade 9

Something interesting about the book is that though it is very dramatic and sad, there is a hidden romance you will find. The book is about a girl whose dad got into a huge car accident and doesn’t even remember who she is. She has no mom or siblings. She becomes very depressed and meets Ethan, a boy that seems to be a super hero in her life. They feed of each other and MANY MANY other terrible events happen. Pretty much Ethan is all she has left. This book will keep you incredibly entertained. MUST READ. Very well done.

I honestly LOVED the book. The thing I don’t like is that there is no PART 2! It was so good. And I wish she and Ethan got married. But oh well.  It was definitely a story I couldn’t put down. The characters were phenomenal and very realistic. The thing that made it special was that it seems that even when you have so little you can still find happiness and be thankful for what you have. After a hurricane comes the sun right? 🙂 Great book. Everyone must read.