Chapter One

Jami van Haaften is a professional librarian and author of An Index to
Selected Canadian Provincial Government Publications for Librarians,
Teachers and Booksellers.

Alderson teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia.
Her works include poetry, short stories, and children’s books,
including the Bonnie McSmithers series. Here, she mixes together several
subjects that teens may experience. The main character has divorced
parents, faces peer pressure daily, and copes with an aged grandmother
who has suddenly come to live with her and her mother. She is a witness
to child abuse, and suspects her friends are responsible for vandalism.
She experiences loneliness as major changes occur within her family and
among her friends. The story handles a number of complicated emotions
and relationships that teens may relate to.