My Time as Caz Hazard

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

Caz Hallard caps her Grade 10 experience by decking her cheating
hockey-player boyfriend and getting suspended for two weeks.
Subsequently, the principal suggests that her parents move her to a
“new environment”: East Vancouver’s Dogwood Senior Secondary
where, after undergoing tests that reveal mild dyslexia, Caz is assigned
to a special education (sped) class in English to improve her “poor
reading, writing and spelling skills.”

At home Caz and her brother, Ted, face a family breakup when Mom moves
out. At school, labelled as a “sped” and marginalized, Caz elects to
befriend one of the five members of her class, outspoken and reckless
Amanda, and abandons her long-time friend Mel. Amanda dubs her Caz
Hazard and encourages her to skip class, shoplift, get a belly ring, and
bully the awkward and badly dressed Dodie, the weakest member of the
sped class.

Privately, Caz admits to learning useful skills in the sped class;
outwardly, she displays disdain. The “in-group” bullies the
“speds,” provoking an altercation that results in suspensions,
reprimands, and Amanda’s escape from the program. Before leaving,
Amanda, with Caz’s complicity, hassles Dodie one last time;
unfortunately, a few days later they learn that Dodie committed suicide.
Caz struggles with guilt, although the teacher comforts her by insisting
that Dodie had been “troubled for a long time,” and even Rob, her
non-verbal classmate assures her, “you’re not so bad. Not Terrible.
I think you’re good underneath.”

An entry in the Orca Soundings series for reluctant teen readers (the
books combine high interest and low reading levels), this short novel
features plenty of action and lively dialogue as Caz narrates her
experiences. Owing to the brevity of the narrative, character
development is minimal and myriad teen issues like anger management,
family dysfunction, learning disabilities, bullying, peer pressure, and
friendship are included only superficially. Recommended.