Valerie Sherrard – författare

Short-listed for the Forest of Reading Red Maple Award, 2012 Before you judge me, there are two things you should know about why I did it. Shana Tremain is a good kid. She knows right from wrong and she’s never been in any serious trouble. But when her best friend, Carrie, comes to her for help, Shana agrees to break the law to save Carrie from a molester. She even feels good about it for a while. Then trouble starts. Someone in their group of friends is stealing from the others. As she searches for the truth, Shana uncovers evidence that raises a terrifying question: Has she made a horrible mistake? Faced with the reality of what she’s done, Shana finds herself trapped in a web of her own lies and deceit. Can she convince the right people that she’s telling the truth now? Either way it’s clear someone is going to pay a terrible price for her crime.

Short-listed for the 2012 SYRCA Snow Willow Award Lexie Malton is an average Vancouver teen with fairly typical issues. Her stepmother is far from her favourite person, she has a sister with special needs, and life outside the home is the usual mix of school, friends, and social events. But Lexie has a secret. Her ex-boyfriend, Devlin Mather, is now a heroin addict living on the street, and only Lexie knows that shes the one who put him there. Guilt makes her give in to Devlins demands for money time and time again, even though she knows how dangerous his drug use is. Lexie finally gathers the strength to stop enabling Devlin. But when he seeks treatment for his addiction, Lexie finds herself drawn back to him, never guessing what a dark and deadly path she has just chosen. Devlin relapses, and his desperation leads to an act that will change both of their lives forever.

"I knew one thing – I wasn’t going to be rotting in that place for the rest of my life. I was getting out of there. That place turned people into the living dead. In that neighbourhood, it was hard to hear anything that didn’t carry the sound of defeat."

Sixteen-year-old Porter Delaney has his future figured out, but his nice, neat plans are shaken when a man he believes may be his father suddenly appears in his Toronto neighbourhood. Porter knows that he wants nothing to do with the deadbeat dad who abandoned him and his sister twelve years earlier, but curiosity causes him to re-examine the past.

Unfortunately, actual memories are scarce and confusing, and much of what he knows is based on things his mother told him. As Porter looks for answers, it begins to seem that all he’s ever going to find are more questions.

At last, Shelby Belgarden has put her crime-solving behind her and has returned to the life of an ordinary teenager. Now 16, she has taken her first job: working at a new local restaurant called The Steak Place. But when one of her co-workers — a waitress named Nadine — goes missing, Shelby suspects foul play. The police won’t believe her. Neither will Shelby’s boyfriend, Greg, who grows frustrated with her search for a criminal who may not exist.

An unexpected delivery from the florist points to a secret admirer for Shelby Belgarden, but when an ominous phone call and a disturbing email follow, the teenaged sleuth and her family realize that the dangerous obsession of a stalker lies behind them. While the messages become increasingly sinister, the police are unable to uncover the culprits identity, and Shelby finds her world has turned into a nightmare of fear and betrayal.

When an arrest is made, it seems that life can return to normal for the Belgarden family, but the stalker proves more cunning than anyone could have imagined. Just when it seems she is safe again, Shelby finds herself at the mercy of a twisted but brilliant mind. Time is running out, and with no one to help her, Shelby must outwit her captor before he can carry out his deadly plan.

With school over, Greg visiting relatives, and Betts on vacation with her family, it’s looking like it will be a quiet summer for Shelby Belgarden. Until, that is, she finds out that Betts and her family have returned home suddenly, and Betts’s mom faces criminal charges in the theft of a computer program from her workplace.

To save Mrs. Thompson’s job and reputation - and to keep her out of prison - Shelby infiltrates the company in order to dig up clues. But with no clues to be found, can Shelby find the answers that will keep Betts’s family together?

When Shelby Belgarden’s peaceful hometown of Little River is shaken by a series of robberies, suspicion falls on Amber Chapman, a new girl in town who has alienated others with her standoffish attitude. Shelby’s own dislike of the newcomer is fed by jealousy as she begins to suspect a relationship growing between Amber and Greg Taylor.

But as evidence against Amber mounts, leading to her eventual arrest, new clues cause Shelby to question her own judgement. Shelby races against time to free her, and soon realizes that in order to do so, she must uncover a dark secret known only to the thief.

Short-listed for the 2003 Red Maple Award and Arthur Ellis Award for best Juvenile Book, commended for the 2003 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Our Choice Selection Shelby Belgarden isn’t exactly thrilled when people start thinking Greg is her boyfriend. After all, she’s more interested in the athletic Nick Jarvis. But one day Greg suddenly becomes more interesting to Shelby – though for all the wrong reasons: Shelby begins to suspect that Greg is responsible for the series of arsons that have occurred in her small New Brunswick town in recent weeks. After finding out that Greg and his father had moved to this town after their old home burnt down – with Greg’s mother inside – Shelby finds Greg’s gasoline-soaked mitten near the scene of the latest arson. Shelby launches her own investigation into the crimes. As she does, she becomes aware that whoever is responsible may have been a victim of sexual abuse.

Short-listed for the 2005 Snow Willow Award and for the 2006 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award Cole Fennety doesn’t know it, but he is about to have the strangest summer of his life. His little sister, Jessie, is driving him crazy, his mother is too wrapped up in the world of daytime soaps to intervene, and his best friend, Wayne, is out of control. Worst of all, his boss, Sam Kerrigan, is the meanest man in town. But beneath Sam’s crusty exterior lies a kind heart – as well as a terrible secret that forces Cole to face questions to which there are no easy answers.

Commended for the 2009 Best Books for Kids & Teens Annie Berkley, a schoolmate of Shelby’s who has appeared in previous books, lives in a foster home and has become depressed. Shelby is concerned and eventually wins over Annie’s trust in order to find out what’s bothering her. Annie’s mother disappeared several years ago, leaving with her boyfriend when Annie was 8. she was never in touch with her daughter again. But now, the boyfriend has returned, saying that he lost touch with the mother and doesn’t know what happened to her. Shelby suspects that something more sinister is going on, and as she digs through clues, discovers that the boyfriend knows far more about the mother’s whereabouts than he’s letting on. But the attempt to uncover secrets puts Shelby and Annie’s lives in danger.

Commended for the 2008 Best Books for Kids and Teens, short-listed for the 2008 Snow Willow Award and Ann Connor Brimer Award "No one pays much attention to you if you don’t have much to say, so there was no way I could have predicted what would happen when I stopped talking altogether." When his teacher announces that it’s time for the yearly class speeches, Griffin Maxwell starts to sweat. His past experience with the dreaded speech was humiliating, to say the least, and he just knows there’s no way he can go through that again. So Griffin’s best friend, Bryan, comes up with a solution – one that’s so simple it just has to work. But neither boy can begin to predict the bizarre chain of events that will be set in place when Griffin goes along with the idea. From squaring off with the school bully to reading a teacher’s private letters, Griffin Maxwell will have to face things he never imagined, and all without saying a word!

Commended for the 2009 Best Books for Kids & Teens For Skye Haverill and her family, it begins as an ordinary day. But in the annals of Canadian history, October 7, 1825, is the date of one of our greatest national disasters. The Haverill family has been turned upside down in the last year. Following the death of their mother, Skye and her brother, Tavish, have adjusted to live with a single parent. And when they’re asked to make another adjustment – when his father remarries and his new wife becomes pregnant – Skye finds that some changes are too much to handle. But family struggles quickly become irrelevant when the Haverills and their community are caught up in the Miramichi Fire, the largest land fire in North American history. As the family and the town struggle through the fire and the devastating aftermath, all must find a way to rebuild homes and relationships.

Commended for the 2007 Canadian Children’s Book Centre, short-listed for the 2008 Red Maple Award "You know how it is when you get a feeling that something big is going to happen? Well, it wasn’t like that for me. In fact, that Thursday started out like any other day." With these words, Sarah Gilmore begins the remarkable story of what happened when she and her mother, Maggie, suddenly found themselves recipients of an unusual inheritance. A home of their own sounds too good to be true to the Gilmores, who have been struggling to manage on Maggie’s income as a waitress - but the conditions that come with the house are strange indeed. Then Sarah receives a message that she should look for a mysterious bequest in an old chest and her imagination runs to thoughts of jewels and wealth. She is disappointed when the chest seems to yield nothing of value - until she learns the truth about her legacy.

Short-listed for the 2012 SYRCA Snow Willow Award Lexie Malton is an average Vancouver teen with fairly typical issues. Her stepmother is far from her favourite person, she has a sister with special needs, and life outside the home is the usual mix of school, friends, and social events. But Lexie has a secret. Her ex-boyfriend, Devlin Mather, is now a heroin addict living on the street, and only Lexie knows that shes the one who put him there. Guilt makes her give in to Devlins demands for money time and time again, even though she knows how dangerous his drug use is. Lexie finally gathers the strength to stop enabling Devlin. But when he seeks treatment for his addiction, Lexie finds herself drawn back to him, never guessing what a dark and deadly path she has just chosen. Devlin relapses, and his desperation leads to an act that will change both of their lives forever.

Short-listed for the Forest of Reading Red Maple Award, 2012 Before you judge me, there are two things you should know about why I did it. Shana Tremain is a good kid. She knows right from wrong and she’s never been in any serious trouble. But when her best friend, Carrie, comes to her for help, Shana agrees to break the law to save Carrie from a molester. She even feels good about it for a while. Then trouble starts. Someone in their group of friends is stealing from the others. As she searches for the truth, Shana uncovers evidence that raises a terrifying question: Has she made a horrible mistake? Faced with the reality of what she’s done, Shana finds herself trapped in a web of her own lies and deceit. Can she convince the right people that she’s telling the truth now? Either way it’s clear someone is going to pay a terrible price for her crime.

Short-listed for the 2003 Red Maple Award and Arthur Ellis Award for best Juvenile Book, commended for the 2003 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Our Choice Selection Shelby Belgarden isn’t exactly thrilled when people start thinking Greg is her boyfriend. After all, she’s more interested in the athletic Nick Jarvis. But one day Greg suddenly becomes more interesting to Shelby – though for all the wrong reasons: Shelby begins to suspect that Greg is responsible for the series of arsons that have occurred in her small New Brunswick town in recent weeks. After finding out that Greg and his father had moved to this town after their old home burnt down – with Greg’s mother inside – Shelby finds Greg’s gasoline-soaked mitten near the scene of the latest arson. Shelby launches her own investigation into the crimes. As she does, she becomes aware that whoever is responsible may have been a victim of sexual abuse.

When Shelby Belgarden’s peaceful hometown of Little River is shaken by a series of robberies, suspicion falls on Amber Chapman, a new girl in town who has alienated others with her standoffish attitude. Shelby’s own dislike of the newcomer is fed by jealousy as she begins to suspect a relationship growing between Amber and Greg Taylor.

But as evidence against Amber mounts, leading to her eventual arrest, new clues cause Shelby to question her own judgement. Shelby races against time to free her, and soon realizes that in order to do so, she must uncover a dark secret known only to the thief.

At last, Shelby Belgarden has put her crime-solving behind her and has returned to the life of an ordinary teenager. Now 16, she has taken her first job: working at a new local restaurant called The Steak Place. But when one of her co-workers — a waitress named Nadine — goes missing, Shelby suspects foul play. The police won’t believe her. Neither will Shelby’s boyfriend, Greg, who grows frustrated with her search for a criminal who may not exist.

Short-listed for the 2005 Snow Willow Award and for the 2006 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award Cole Fennety doesn’t know it, but he is about to have the strangest summer of his life. His little sister, Jessie, is driving him crazy, his mother is too wrapped up in the world of daytime soaps to intervene, and his best friend, Wayne, is out of control. Worst of all, his boss, Sam Kerrigan, is the meanest man in town. But beneath Sam’s crusty exterior lies a kind heart – as well as a terrible secret that forces Cole to face questions to which there are no easy answers.

With school over, Greg visiting relatives, and Betts on vacation with her family, it’s looking like it will be a quiet summer for Shelby Belgarden. Until, that is, she finds out that Betts and her family have returned home suddenly, and Betts’s mom faces criminal charges in the theft of a computer program from her workplace.

To save Mrs. Thompson’s job and reputation - and to keep her out of prison - Shelby infiltrates the company in order to dig up clues. But with no clues to be found, can Shelby find the answers that will keep Betts’s family together?

Commended for the 2007 Canadian Children’s Book Centre, short-listed for the 2008 Red Maple Award "You know how it is when you get a feeling that something big is going to happen? Well, it wasn’t like that for me. In fact, that Thursday started out like any other day." With these words, Sarah Gilmore begins the remarkable story of what happened when she and her mother, Maggie, suddenly found themselves recipients of an unusual inheritance. A home of their own sounds too good to be true to the Gilmores, who have been struggling to manage on Maggie’s income as a waitress - but the conditions that come with the house are strange indeed. Then Sarah receives a message that she should look for a mysterious bequest in an old chest and her imagination runs to thoughts of jewels and wealth. She is disappointed when the chest seems to yield nothing of value - until she learns the truth about her legacy.

An unexpected delivery from the florist points to a secret admirer for Shelby Belgarden, but when an ominous phone call and a disturbing email follow, the teenaged sleuth and her family realize that the dangerous obsession of a stalker lies behind them. While the messages become increasingly sinister, the police are unable to uncover the culprits identity, and Shelby finds her world has turned into a nightmare of fear and betrayal.

When an arrest is made, it seems that life can return to normal for the Belgarden family, but the stalker proves more cunning than anyone could have imagined. Just when it seems she is safe again, Shelby finds herself at the mercy of a twisted but brilliant mind. Time is running out, and with no one to help her, Shelby must outwit her captor before he can carry out his deadly plan.

Commended for the 2008 Best Books for Kids and Teens, short-listed for the 2008 Snow Willow Award and Ann Connor Brimer Award "No one pays much attention to you if you don’t have much to say, so there was no way I could have predicted what would happen when I stopped talking altogether." When his teacher announces that it’s time for the yearly class speeches, Griffin Maxwell starts to sweat. His past experience with the dreaded speech was humiliating, to say the least, and he just knows there’s no way he can go through that again. So Griffin’s best friend, Bryan, comes up with a solution – one that’s so simple it just has to work. But neither boy can begin to predict the bizarre chain of events that will be set in place when Griffin goes along with the idea. From squaring off with the school bully to reading a teacher’s private letters, Griffin Maxwell will have to face things he never imagined, and all without saying a word!

Commended for the 2009 Best Books for Kids & Teens For Skye Haverill and her family, it begins as an ordinary day. But in the annals of Canadian history, October 7, 1825, is the date of one of our greatest national disasters. The Haverill family has been turned upside down in the last year. Following the death of their mother, Skye and her brother, Tavish, have adjusted to live with a single parent. And when they’re asked to make another adjustment – when his father remarries and his new wife becomes pregnant – Skye finds that some changes are too much to handle. But family struggles quickly become irrelevant when the Haverills and their community are caught up in the Miramichi Fire, the largest land fire in North American history. As the family and the town struggle through the fire and the devastating aftermath, all must find a way to rebuild homes and relationships.