msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

A gorgeous, heart-wrenching, unforgettable read from award-winning Canadian author Miriam Toews, All My Puny Sorrows tells the story of two sisters, Elf and Frieda, living in the aftermath of their Mennonite upbringing and their father's suicide, and the love between them. Ms. Toews' tale masterfully blends dark and funny: just when the heaviness becomes too much, she adds a bit of lightness to keep you turning the pages. A stunningly spot-on portrayal of depression and the aching aftermath of suicide, not to be missed by fans of sad yet funny modern fiction. Click here for a full review.

Blink and Caution are two teens on the run from the past: one from a horrific accident and one from an equally nightmarish stepfather. Blink lives hand-to-mouth, and when he's lucky, he dons a Blessed Breakfast Uniform, heads for a posh Toronto hotel, and eats whatever leftovers he can find on room service trays left in the hallways. When he inadvertently witnesses the kidnapping of mogul Jack Niven, he thinks he has discovered a way out of his impoverished existence. Caution (aka Kitty Pettigrew)lives with drug-dealing super creep Merlin, one act in a series of self-destructive moves she makes to punish herself for her past. When these two broken wounded teens meet, the story kicks into high gear, and we discover their past as well as their future. The perfect companion book to Punkzilla by Adam Rapp, this book would also work well for Individual v Society units. Click here for the full Globe and Mail review and here for Wynne-Jones' website . Grade 8+