New Releases by Carrie Mac

When twins Eira and Soren escape from their survivalist home into a world overcome by zombies, there's only one way to stay alive: run! Eira and Soren are queer twins living with their survivalist parents when a plague starts spreading that turns people into zombie-like monsters. They disagree with their parents about a lot, but they can't deny that their way of life keeps them safe while much of the world perishes--for now. When it becomes clear that their safety won't last, the twins decide to strike out on their own. They don't get far before encountering the one remaining person in the closest town: their friend Racer, a gold medal-winning Special Olympics champion. Racer is appalled at the twins’ slow speed and tells them that their survivalist skills aren't worth anything if they can't outrun the monsters. He sets them on a training regimen that comes in handy when they embark on the bigger journey ahead of them. On their trek they find friends, enemies, and even love. But with zombies on their heels at every turn, will they ever be able to slow down?

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER As gripping and unforgettable as Fredrik Backman's Bear Town and Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, this haunting novel digs into the impact of a fatal avalanche on a small BC mountain town, as seen through the eyes of those who survive the tragedy. "Heart-rending and heart-stopping." —Alix Ohlin, author of Dual Citizens "...lays bare the truths of mental illness...epically unforgettable." —Jen Sookfong Lee, author of Superfan "Deeply raw...Insightful and unsparing, this is an important book." —Zoe Whittall, author of The Best Kind of People Content Note: this is an important book and a powerful depiction of extreme Bipolar disorder. It deals with sensitive subject matter, and we encourage readers to take care of themselves and their mental health while reading. Last Winter is the story of a child who might not survive the heartbreak of her father’s death and a mother who struggles to both parent and manage her grief in the grips of a Bipolar crisis. Fiona and Gus’s marriage has veered off course. Fiona’s mental health is shaky at best, and is now further strained under the weight of a transgression that she would like to both forget and repeat. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide, is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and her ambivalence about their relationship, but mostly by the impact of her erratic behaviour on their eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. Ruby loves them both, but has a much closer relationship with her father, and has stopped talking in the face of the tensions between her parents. In the midst of this marital crisis, Gus takes Ruby’s class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. While Fiona’s mental health is unravelled further by grief, Ruby is flattened by Gus’s loss. After the search ends with no sign of her father, Ruby is determined to find him herself, using the survival skills he taught her and believing that he must still be alive. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point. Atmospheric and deftly told with an economy of words and a finely tuned gaze on the small moments that build up to an inexorable and shocking end, Last Winter is a contemporary drama that will grip readers both for the story and for the vibrant portrayal of the complexities of family life.

Into the Wild meets The Serpent King in this story about Annie and Pete, two best friends on a dangerous and emotional trek through the woods. Annie and Pete have been best friends since they were little. They know each other better than anyone, and they've been on more adventures than they can count--they even have a notebook filled with all the times they've almost died. But they always survive, because together, they're invincible. And they've always been just friends. But lately, Annie has been thinking that maybe friendship is just the beginning, and she's been mentally replaying all the times they were almost something more. Now they're heading out on their next great quest: a ten-day backpacking trip through the mountains of Washington State, ending at Fire Camp, where they'll learn to fight the area's growing wildfire problem. The woods spark with the promise of adventure, but a freak climbing accident interrupts their progress, and as the wildfires close in and smoke envelops them, Annie and Pete wander farther from the trail. Carrie Mac's gripping story of the power of unrequited love and the danger of the elements is harrowing, beautiful, and unforgettable. A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year "Mac is as comfortable writing about the wilderness as she is exploring the internal world of a teenage girl, and the combination of the two is enthralling and devastating."--Quill and Quire, Starred review "At turns heartbreaking, joyful, and frightening. An affecting combination of wilderness adventure and poignant teen angst."--Kirkus "For a novel so introspective, the pace is remarkably quick...Recommend to fans of John Green, Adam Silvera, or Sarah Dessen. Advise readers to have tissues on hand for this riveting tale of friendship, grief, and survival."--SLJ

Perfect for fans of John Green's Turtles All the Way Down and Nina LaCour's We Are Okay, this is the poignant and uplifting story of Maeve, who is dealing with anxiety while falling in love with a girl who is not afraid of anything. Think positive. Don’t worry; be happy. Keep calm and carry on. Maeve has heard it all before. She’s been struggling with severe anxiety for a long time, and as much as she wishes it was something she could just talk herself out of, it’s not. She constantly imagines the worst, composes obituaries in her head, and is always ready for things to fall apart. To add to her troubles, her mom—the only one who really gets what Maeve goes through—is leaving for six months, so Maeve will be sent to live with her dad in Vancouver. Vancouver brings a slew of new worries, but Maeve finds brief moments of calm (as well as even more worries) with Salix, a local girl who doesn’t seem to worry about anything. Between her dad’s wavering sobriety, her very pregnant stepmom insisting on a home birth, and her bumbling courtship with Salix, this summer brings more catastrophes than even Maeve could have foreseen. Will she be able to navigate through all the chaos to be there for the people she loves? An ALA Rainbow Book List selection A Bank Street Best Book of the Year "With Maeve, Mac delivers a character who's heartwarmingly real and sympathetic, and her story provides a much needed mirror for anxious queer girls everywhere."—Kirkus, Starred review "This is a good companion book for other anxiety-riddled stories, such as The Shattering by Karen Healey, and Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella."—Booklist "This hopeful offering will resonate with young people for their own lives, even if the journey is hard and takes time and patience...[a] compelling portrait of a teen’s experiences with anxiety and challenging family dynamics."--SLJ "Mac carefully makes clear that Maeve is plenty able to find joy other places than the perfect girl and that she’s working at dealing with her own problems; the romance is therefore lovely and cozy and free from overtones of dependency. The descriptions of anxiety are true and powerful, and romance buffs will likely revel in a book celebrating deep connection."—The Bulletin "Mac is good at showing how a dread-filled mind works... [An] affecting story.''—Publishers Weekly

Things go from bad to worse when Colby, who is drug-addicted, loses her home and then ends up pregnant. Maybe now she will find a real family.

Phoenix envie son frère Gryphon, un casse-cou et un héros sportif qui sort tard le soir et dont les fervents admirateurs sont légion. Il lui reste aussi toutes ses renaissances — trois chances d’être ramené à la vie. Mais Phoenix, à qui il n’en reste qu’une seule, est déconcertée quand elle apprend que son frère bien-aimé est responsable de l’incident qui l’a menée à un de ses décès. Avec sa disparition finale sans cesse au fond de son esprit, sa relation avec Gryphon devient tendue du fait de ses actions devenant de plus en plus risquées et il semble jouer avec le destin. Puis Gryphon est victime d’un accident horrifiant — et le conseil d’administration de Chrysalid refuse de le ramener à la vie, jugeant sa mort un suicide. La loi du silence de ses amis rend difficile la découverte de ce qui s’est passé, mais Phoenix est déterminée à éclaircir le mystère et à sauver son frère. Plein de mystère et de suspense, ce thriller de science-fiction de l’auteure primée Carrie Mac garde en haleine les lecteurs jusqu’à la dernière page.

How do you come clean when your life is a mess? Fifteen-year-old Junie is barely coping. Her mother has started sleeping in the chair in front of the TV, and the house is so packed with junk, newspapers, cupboard organizers and other helpful items from the Shopping Channel that she can barely get in the front door. Her father is no help, since he's always with That Woman. To top it off, she's failing math. So when Wade Jaffre, the hot new guy at school, offers her a ride home from school, it seems too good to be true. Junie surprises herself by accepting-and even talking! But as they approach her house, her parents are outside, screaming at each other. Junie doesn't have to think twice about directing him on to her best friend Tabitha's house, nor about continuing the charade of pretending she lives there. Tabitha and her mother are understanding-and willing to go along, for the moment. But as the weeks go by, Junie's lies start piling up and the opportunity to tell the truth seems to slip away. Until the day Junie's world-and her mother's-is literally turned inside out for the world to see, and Junie and her mother must face the consequences of her mother's illness ... and the lies they both told to hide it.

As far as Zane knows, today is just another boring day at his boring gas-station job. Until he gets carjacked by a masked gunman. Zane has no idea where they're going or what will happen when they get there. All he knows is that the lunatic in the passenger seat has a gun aimed at him. Zane tries to reason with the guy, and when that fails, he tries a couple of daring stunts to get free, but they backfire. They've been on the road for a long time before Zane's fear starts to ease just a little, enough for his curiosity to take over. His captor has had several opportunities to hurt him or punish him for trying to get away, but he hasn't. Zane starts to wonder who this guy is. And what he really wants.

Phoenix envies her brother Gryphon. The daredevil and sports hero has all of his recons left: three more chances at life. But she is left with only one, and learns that her beloved brother is responsible for one of her deaths. When Gryphon himself has an accident, the governing body Chrysalis refuses to recon him, deeming his death to be a suicide. His friends' code of silence makes it difficult to find out what happened, but Phoenix is determined to unravel the mystery and save her brother.

This Teaching Guide provides age-appropriate discussion questions and lessons about literary devices, relevant vocabulary, grammar points and more.

With thousands dead after the Triskelian massacre, Eli and Sabine flee with the survivors Days later Seth is rescued from the rubble and discovers that people think the ambush was his fault—so he goes into exile. As the devastated Triskelian survivors recuperate at a safe mountain retreat, Seth finds his way to the wretched city of Triban and begins amassing an army of orphan boys and children from the street.When the time is right, and difficult decisions made, he and his child soliders will fight the war that will topple the Keys once and for all—and prove to Triskelia that the massacre wasn’t his fault.

At fifteen, Ethan is on the fast track to nowhere. In and out of group homes and constantly in trouble, Ethan is fighting to find a sense of who he is. After breaking into an amusement park and being savaged by a police dog, he is befriended by a paramedic. Offered a choice of court or going on a ride-along in an ambulance, Ethan takes what he thinks is the easy way out. On Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Ethan comes face to face with the horrific truth from his past and must learn to deal with where he came from—and where he is going.

With enemies at every turn, it will take all their strength and resilience to topple the Keys and free the Droughtlanders. As the mind, hands and soul of the revolution the Maddox siblings have one final goal in mind, to find their father and make him pay for his crimes. When the storm finally abates, who will lead the new world, in whatever form it takes?

This Teaching Guide provides age-appropriate discussion questions and lessons about literary devices, relevant vocabulary, grammar points and more.

Droughtlanders, is a very entertaining book that raises a lot of interesting questions about trends in modern society including environmental degradation, globalization, intolerance and social justice.

Jazz l'attrapa par les oreilles et lui secoua la tête dans tous les sens. - Zoé ? Ça t'intéresse ce que je vais faire à Dog ? - Non, répondit Zoé, l'air pitoyable, le nez dans ses souliers. Alors seulement, Dog détourna le regard. Même après la première vacherie, elle avait laissé à Zoé une seconde chance ; celle-ci ne faisait pas encore partie de la bande, mais à chaque occasion, elle s'enfonçait davantage dans cet infâme nœud de vipères où la loi consistait à s'en prendre au plus faible, où en permanence régnait la terreur.

Because of a moment of indiscretion, Hope's parents send her to New York to spend the summer with her hipster sister while they travel to Thailand. Miserable, Hope ends up meeting Nat, and developing a powerful crush. The only problem is that Nat is a girl. Hope is pretty sure she isn't gay. Or is she? Struggling with new feelings, fitting in and a strange city far from home, Hope finds that love -- and acceptance -- comes in many different forms.

This Teaching Guide provides age-appropriate discussion questions and lessons about literary devices, relevant vocabulary, grammar points and more.

Izzy's mother works far away and leaves Izzy at home, alone with Rob the Slob. Angry at her mother and trying to deal with school, friends and the attentions of charismatic Cody Dillon, Izzy finds her life swirling out of control. Coerced into putting out to help Cody, Izzy finds she is one in a long line of girls ensnared in prostitution, with no way to escape. Believing that her mother will come for her, Izzy manages to fight back and, when the chance appears, make a run for it. 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!

A chilling portrait of the bullying and violence that is all too common in schools, The Beckoners illustrates the lure of becoming tormentor rather than victim, and the terrible price that can be exacted for standing up for what is right. When her mother suddenly moves them to a new town, Zoe is unhappy about leaving behind what passes for a normal life. And when the first person she meets turns out to be Beck, who rules her new school with a mixture of intimidation and outright violence, she is dismayed. But she has no idea how bad things will get. Unsure of herself and merely trying to fit in, Zoe is initiated, painfully, into the Beckoners, a twisted group of girls whose main purpose is to stay on top by whatever means necessary. Help comes from unlikely quarters as Zoe struggles to tear loose from the Beckoners without becoming a target herself, while also trying to save April—or Dog, as she is called—from further torment.

This Teaching Guide provides age-appropriate discussion questions and lessons about literary devices, relevant vocabulary, grammar points and more.