New Releases by Diane Tullson

In this high-interest novel for middle readers, fourteen-year-old Taz is dealing with her parents’ divorce and trying to win a cooking competition.

When Daniel falls for the hottest girl in school, he ends up unwittingly running drugs across the border.

Daniel and his best friend get caught up in a postgame riot.

Lucas rarely sees his father. On a trip to reconnect on the remote north coast, Lucas discovers that kinship goes beyond blood, and that while he can''t pick his relatives, he can find his own community.

Seventeen-year-old Corbin plays hockey and is known as a scrapper on and off the ice. Fighting makes him feel strong. Corbin''s friend, Darius, is socially adept and popular, and Darius''s reckless risk-taking makes Corbin feel alive. With Rubee, a girl both boys like, Darius crosses a line, and after a party at Riley Park, Darius and Corbin are attacked. Darius is killed; Corbin is seriously injured. Corbin fights his clouded memory—he can''t identify the assailants. He fights his weakened body—he can no longer play hockey. He fights the loss of his friend. But when he gives up the fight, he finds strength in acceptance. 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.

Some days it''s just easier not to go to school at all. Adam has been slacking off lately, but today he stuck around to see his girlfriend. When Josh, who has been bullied mercilessly, brings a gun to school, the building is locked down and Adam is forced to risk everything to save himself and to find Zoe before Josh does. Calling on reserves he didn''t know he had, Adam could end up a hero—or a victim. 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!

Tej and Liam are going snowboarding. When they take a shortcut over a treacherous logging road and have an accident, their adventure becomes more about survival than fresh powder. Tracked by a hungry bear, while trying to outrun the weather without any food, Tej and Liam learn about their friendship and what it will take to survive. When Tej is hurt, Liam decides he has to go for help—alone. 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!

CCBC''s Best Books for Kids & Teens, 2008 Kas fights to conceal her dangerous secret. Kas has everything a teenager could possibly want. Away from home for the first time, and attending a prestigious art school, she makes friends with a model and aspiring actress, Marin, and meets Jacob, a handsome young musician. Her future is bright and promising. But Kas is hiding a secret--a secret so dangerous that it threatens to destroy not only her friendships, but also her own future. Diane Tullson has written a powerful, coming-of-age novel about eating disorders, and of the vulnerable teenager who fights to conceal her secret from her friends. Zero is a realistic portrayal of a very subtle disease that challenges readers to figure out just when they should have recognized thesymptoms of anorexia and bulimia. The novel includes an afterword that outlines the warning signs of anorexia and bulimia, as well as the common misconceptions about the victims of eating disorders.

Libby doesn''t want to go on a yearlong sailing adventure with her mother and stepfather, Duncan. Modern-day pirates attack, killing Duncan and leaving her mother seriously injured. Only Lilly is left to help her mother and find safety.

In this gripping story, the author of the critically acclaimed "Edge" explores teen alcoholism and demonstrates a keen awareness of what drives ordinary teenagers to trouble and what makes them withdraw from the world.

Sometimes a good kid is drawn into a bad crowd. Sometimes a bad crowd goes over the edge. Ever since Marlie started grade nine, she''s been an out cast by the rest of the school--even her own best friend. She finds her place among a group of students, who, like herself, are social misfits and often bullied by their classmates. One of Marlie''s new acquaintances, Mike, is especially serious about getting back at the bullies--dead serious. When Mike plots for the groups revege to take place a a formal school dance, Marlie''s fear that he might seriously hurt people compels her to take mattters into her own hands. If the story seems dark, it is. But Marlie has a wicked sense of humor. And her mentor, the lovable undertaker Chuck, provides a perfect foil for the serious subject material. Imagine learning how to apply make-up from a guy who prepares corpes for their funerals! Edge''s subject is timely, and it''s characters are unusual but believable. The tone is accessible to all young adults, but with enough metaphor and symbolism to interest the sophisicated reader. The pace at times breathless, and the resolution is as satisfying as the subject allows, as Marlie develops the strength she needs to stand alone, if she must. Edge is a great read for today''s teen - tragic and funny, it''s a story too many can relate to.

Confronting his family''s cruelty and his friend''s fear of a deadly disease, Gavin learns that life is often unfair.