Tyler and Mason dream of escaping to the big city and getting started on their lives.

One night, Mason convinces Tyler to help him steal a car and they are soon having the adventure of a lifetime. Until they run out of gas. Stranded on the side of the highway, Mason blames Tyler, Tyler blames Mason and their argument turns physical. Their fight is broken up by a scruffy-looking guy who offers them a ride to the city. Eventually the teens realize their rescuer is none other than Sean Dakota, a heavy-metal musician who suddenly disappeared from the spotlight the previous year. Tyler is intrigued by this music legend, but Mason wants to take advantage of him. Listening to Sean and the lessons he's learned from his own life choices, Tyler starts to realize how dangerous and damaging his friendship with Mason is. But will he find the courage to branch out on his own?

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Nick was used to being good at everything. Hockey, football, track, they all came easy to him. Surfing was his latest passion. That is, until the accident.

Now partially paralyzed, Nick is angry, depressed and getting far too fond of his prescription meds. But his frequent visits to his physiotherapist, a Syrian refugee, and a budding friendship with a partial amputee who has also experienced firsthand the horrors of war help him start to piece his life back together. A story about overcoming the odds and changing your life for the better.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

For Sylvie, Ragged Island - and the whales who swam around it - is the only world she has ever known. It is the place where she was born and raised, where she lived with her four late husbands, and where she plans to live out her remaining years.

It is also the home to a community whose love for the island is immense. But when the Nova Scotia government decides to shut down the ferry service that is the lifeblood of Ragged Island, the residents see their world beginning to disappear.

Sea of Tranquility is the lyrical and moving story of an island struggling to survive. Lesley Choyce's seventh novel, it contains the elements for which the author is known: engaging characters, page-turning storyline, and uproarious humour. Choyce is in top form.

Zach y Ashley llevan un tiempo juntos y las cosas van bien, hasta que un día Ashley descubre que está embarazada. Enseguida se enoja y culpa a Zach, pues no estaría en ese estado si él no hubiera sido tan imprudente. Pensando al principio en el aborto, se vuelve en contra de Zach que, confundido, trata de adoptar una actitud responsable. Después de ver las reacciones de sus familiares y amigos, Zach se da cuenta de que esta es una decisión que él y Ashley deben tomar juntos.

Disponible en inglés: Reaction.

John Alexander MacNeil is back with another astonishing adventure. The ninety-year-old still lives alone on the blessed isle of Cape Breton. He still sometimes makes tea for his wife, who died decades ago. He accepts his lonely life, ignoring the world changing around him. But one night, he feels his heart stop. After willing himself back to life with sheer stubbornness, John Alex finds Death himself sitting at his kitchen table, perplexed and intrigued by his victim's recovery. What follows is a tale on the edge of reality, full of love, doubt and the inexplicable details of an extraordinary life. Keeping what wits he has about him, John Alex needs to muster all the wisdom and courage he has to protect those around him from the dangers of an ever-changing world and the grim reaper he has come to know.

In his 103rd book, acclaimed author of The Unlikely Redemption of John Alexander MacNeil takes the reader through another beautiful adventure about time and love. Lesley Choyce tackles topics like dementia, elder sexuality and assisted dying with humour and grace.

John Francis Cummings (JFC) is big, but his size is not his problem. It's the bullying that it seems to attract. With tensions at home and stress at school, he draws on the support of a neighbour, his one friend, and a drop-in centre for strength to always do the right thing. Which does not always turn out well.

Lesley Choyce is a 70-year-old year-round North Atlantic surfer, the godfather of transcendental wood-splitting, and the award-winning author of over 100 books. His wife, Linda, a former high school principal who has fearlessly commandeered knives from teenage malcontents, usually guides her husband away from quixotic quests, but she is fully on board for this one. As for Kelty, the couple's West Highland terrier, he's always ready to give up on chewing shoes and chasing pheasants for something more exciting.

For years, Lesley has been fascinated and perplexed by the tumultuous history of England, the inexplicable customs of the English, and the many paradoxes of the people, but also their indomitable spirit. If he were to continue to grow intellectually and spiritually, he was certain that the answers to the meaning of life were to be found in England. As their itinerary expands, Lesley and Linda will cross borders into Wales and Scotland as well.

Join the Choyces as they hurtle around the U.K. in search of history (all kinds), good food (mostly Indian), quirky destinations (the smaller and weirder the better), and places for the dog to pee. All while waiting for the imminent arrival of new grandchildren back home in Canada. Ever wondered what a Nova Scotian surfer/wood-splitter/Renaissance man/Westie owner thinks of the U.K.? Now you can find out.

Winner, Dartmouth Book Award
Shortlisted, Atlantic Booksellers Choice Award

A small Canadian island declares its independence to the world and benign anarchy reigns. A god-like ocean deposits many a thing, yet it also takes away. The 1960s blaze off shore and draw the island's inhabitants into politics, the Vietnam War, and the peace movement.

Sound impossible? Not on Whalebone Island, AKA the Republic of Nothing. Where else can a dead circus elephant, a long-dead Viking, the discovery of uranium, a raven-haired castaway who may be psychic, an anarchist turned politician, and refugees fleeing from the United States all be part of everyday life? Where else is eccentricity embraced with such open arms?

In this new readers' guide edition, complete with an afterword by Neil Peart, Lesley Choyce's novel about resilience, independence, and anarchy comes alive, leading readers to discover once again that everything is nothing and nothing is everything.

Tara's life in Halifax is about as good as it gets--she gets top marks in her class, her parents are cool, she has a good part-time job, her boyfriend Ron edits an alternative paper.

Her life is especially good compared to her friend Janet's. Janet fights with her parents whenever she sees them, which isn't often. She spends more time begging for change on the street and crashing at the dismal squat locals call Hell's Hotel.

Soon, however, cracks start to appear in Tara's perfect life. When Ron writes an exposé on the kids who live at the Hotel, Tara is forced to question his motives. Things start falling apart, one by one: her grades slip, her friends drop her, her mom leaves town. When catastrophe hits Hell's Hotel, however, Tara and Janet find themselves relying on each other more than either expected. Together they aim to make big changes, in their city and in themselves.

When Kurt is hurt in a soccer game and ends up in the hospital Tina tries to help him, but nobody will tell her what is wrong.

Even Kurt's parents don't want her around. Tina learns that Kurt needs a donor with a rare blood type, and she finds a match in Kurt's soccer rival Jason. Jason agrees to donate his blood to Kurt, but when Kurt disappears from the hospital, the situation becomes desperate. Then Kurt's rival is in a tragic accident that may change everything.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

After three years abroad, sixteen-year-old Blake Pendleton returns to his old high school and is shocked to find that the world he knew has turned upside down.

Everyone at school wears a military-style uniform now and Blake soon learns the hard way that independence in any form is not encouraged. After questioning something his teacher tells him, he gets locked up in an isolation room.

Once he's released, Blake goes looking for allies and finds Ming and Gina, two students who have learned how to play along. From them, Blake learns about the school's induction education, a mind-training program set up by the government to train students to be teachers, cops and other types of community leaders. It's brainwashing and job training all in one. Somehow, Blake and his new friends must find a way to escape their predetermined fate. But who can they trust?

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

This new edition brings the history of Nova Scotia up to date and looks at the issues that will challenge the province in the future.

It is a good tale, well told, which opens the door to the wanderings of the imagination. --The Globe and Mail

The history of Nova Scotia is an amazing story of a land and a people shaped by the waves, the tides, the wind, and the wonder of the North Atlantic. Choyce weaves the legacy of this unique coastal province, piecing together the stories written in the rocks, the wrecks, and the record books of human glory and error. In this newly revised sweeping true-life adventure, he provides a thoughtful down-to-earth journey through history that is both refreshing and revealing.

Here, well into the twenty-first century, he looks back at the full story of Nova Scotia from the geological history to the civilization of the Mi'kmaq, the arrival of the Europeans, and beyond to the stormy history of English and French. Choyce takes a critical look at the wars that helped shape the province, the scoundrels and the heroes who lived here down through the centuries, and the seas and storms that swept through the land of the Bluenosers. The original edition of Nova Scotia: Shaped by the Sea was published to acclaim by Penguin Books in 1996. This new edition brings the story up to date and looks at the changes in politics, economy, and global climate that will challenge Nova Scotians in the years ahead.

Lesley Choyce's writing captures the ebb and flow of Nova Scotia seafaring, from its Golden Age of Sail to the disasters and crimes at sea. --The Halifax Chronicle Herald

After her parents are deported, Maria's life is not only upended, it's in danger.

Jake's friend Maria is the daughter of undocumented immigrants who have been living and working in the country for a long time. But the new government has implemented a crackdown. Maria's parents are detained and quickly sent out of the country. Maria, who was born here, decides to hide out in Jake's basement rather than risk becoming a ward of the state. But when she returns to her old apartment to retrieve her hidden birth certificate, Maria is abducted by young men on the lookout for teenage girls who have lost their parents to deportation. Jake is determined to rescue Maria before she's turned over to the authorities. Or worse.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

With the aid of Plank and Sara, Trevor revises his bucket list to include more important things and takes charge of his illness and his life.

A densely packed guide to Nova Scotia's most raucous adventures, inspiring landscapes, and amazing history, this book ensures that visitors to and residents of the region never have a boring weekend again. From tidal-bore rafting on the Shubenacadie River or strolling among lions at the Oaklawn Zoo to searching for ancient fossils on Joggins Beach, Day Trips from Halifax is filled with all you need to know about hidden beaches, unexpected hiking trails and much, much more.

ULTIMATE GUIDE
This is the ultimate day trip guide and Jon Tattrie -- a Nova Scotia born-and-bred journalist, author and off-the-tourist-trail explorer -- is your ultimate guide.
-- Stephen Kimber, Professor of Journalism, University of King's College and author of What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five

PERFECT
A big reason why Halifax is one of the continent's great small cities: it's striking distance from a long list of fascinating day trips. Tattrie -- with his clear eye and distinctive way with words -- is the pefect guide.
-- John DeMont, author of A Good Day's Work: In Pursuit of a Disappearing Canada and columnist The (Halifax) Chronicle Herald

Sixteen-year-old Cody was born and raised off the grid deep in the wilderness by idealistic parents.

When Cody's father becomes seriously ill, the family is forced to move into the city so he can get treatment. Attending high school for the first time, Cody is an oddity and has a hard time adjusting. He finds unlikely allies in DeMarco, an inner-city kid, and Ernest, a philosophical homeless man, and he begins a tentative friendship with Alexis. When he comes to DeMarco's defense in an altercation at school, Cody finds himself in trouble with the police. A second confrontation puts Cody in more trouble with the cops, and he is convinced he must escape to the family homestead or be arrested. But Cody is torn between fleeing the city or staying with his ailing father and facing whatever consequences come his way.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!

Ben is determined to learn to surf.

In the rough North Atlantic waters near his home, only the tough can make it on the water. His first attempt is a disaster. Then he meets Ray, a surfing veteran from California. Ray promises to teach him to surf--and to face his inner demons. As Ben becomes more comfortable on his board he learns to face his fears and prove that he has what it takes to become a Wave Warrior.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!

Jeremy's band is hot--really hot.

Thunderbowl is on the way up and they have had their first big break--a long-term gig at a local bar. The only problem is that while Jeremy should be doing his homework and keeping up in school, he is spending most nights in a rowdy club, trying to keep the band together while his life is falling apart. Trying to balance his dreams of success with the hard realities of the music business, Jeremy is forced to make some tough choices.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! Available in Spanish as Los Pandemónium.

Thunderbowl, la banda de Jeremy, está de moda y han conseguido su primera gran oportunidad: una serie de presentaciones en un bar local. El problema es que, aunque Jeremy debería estar al día con sus trabajos escolares, pasa casi todas las noches en el escandaloso club tratando de mantener a la banda unida. Equilibrar los sueños de éxito con las realidades de la industria musical obligará a Jeremy a tomar decisiones muy difíciles.

Disponible en inglés: Thunderbowl.

Cameron has been in trouble with the law more than once for breaking and entering.

After Cameron's latest conviction, he's sent to an outdoor program for young offenders rather than a standard juvenile detention facility. There he meets Brianna, a girl who has been caught selling drugs at her school. They bond quickly, and she convinces Cameron to steal two sea kayaks and head off with her into the wilderness of bays and coves of Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. It's a fearless but ill-timed escape as a hurricane is about to pound the coast. They must use all their courage and newfound survival skills if they are going to make it back to shore alive. And Cameron suspects that Brianna may not be telling him the truth about her real plans.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!