Yellow Line

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Vince lives in a remote village along the West Coast where the First
Nations people live on a reserve on one side of the river, and the
whites on the other. The segregation is so complete that even on the
school bus, the white kids sit in the back and the First Nations kids
sit in the front, as if an invisible line separates them. Vince accepts
the status quo and even defends it when his best friend Sherrie starts
to take an interest in a boy from the “other side.” Vince is
confused and upset by this breach in protocol and also a little jealous
that Sherrie doesn’t show a romantic interest in him. To make matters
worse, Vince is being tormented by a group of Aboriginal kids, his
friends are a couple of hot heads who are looking to cause trouble, and
he is starting to fall for a beautiful and sensitive Aboriginal girl
himself. As Vince sorts out his feelings, he discovers that he is
capable of changing—and perhaps his village is capable of changing,
too.

As a high-interest, low-vocabulary selection for teens this book is an
ideal choice. The author brilliantly conveys a full and convincing story
with depth of character, plot, theme, and setting in a clear, simple
style. This is an excellent example of how interesting and
thought-provoking the stories in the Orca Soundings series can be.
Highly recommended.