The Thing You're Good At

After her parents are deported, Maria's life is not only upended, it's in danger.

Jake's friend Maria is the daughter of undocumented immigrants who have been living and working in the country for a long time. But the new government has implemented a crackdown. Maria's parents are detained and quickly sent out of the country. Maria, who was born here, decides to hide out in Jake's basement rather than risk becoming a ward of the state. But when she returns to her old apartment to retrieve her hidden birth certificate, Maria is abducted by young men on the lookout for teenage girls who have lost their parents to deportation. Jake is determined to rescue Maria before she's turned over to the authorities. Or worse.

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! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Lesley Choyce, who has been teaching English and creative writing for over thirty years, is the author of more than 100 books of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction and young adult novels. He has won the Dartmouth Book Award, the Atlantic Poetry Prize and the Ann Connor Brimer Award. He has also been shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, the White Pine Award, the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, the Aurora Award from the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association and, most recently, the Governor General’s Literary Award. He lives at Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia.

• Junior Library Guild (JLG) Gold Standard SelectionCommended 2018

Lesley Choyce is the award-winning author of dozens of books for young adults, including Kryptonite and Identify in the Orca Soundings series. He has been shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal, the White Pine Award, the Hackmatack Award and the Governor General’s Award.