The Red Maple program is one part of 10 different reading programs, known as the Forest of Reading. Written by Canadian authors with their primary audience being Grade 7 and 8 students, Ontario schools are encouraged to purchase these titles, have their students read them and vote online in a province-wide poll. These votes, from intermediate students all across Ontario are totaled and for the book with the most votes, the author is awarded the Red Maple award at the Forest of Reading Festival, sharing the night with the other nominees and winners in the rest of the reading programs.
"Dexter is twelve years old and lives at The Pines Retirement Village with his grandmother. He’s been home-schooled by the residents since he was six – until the day the truant officer shows up and announces that Dex has to go to the local public…
"London feels stuck. His school friends think he’s this confident kid who likes video games and will kick your butt if you get on his bad side. His high-achieving parents think he’s a genius coder and are pushing him to pursue that as a future…
"It’s 1902 and twelve-year-old orphan Malcolm McKenzie’s world is falling apart.
His mentor, clockmaker Jack Alexander, was found dead inside a locked clock tower.
His best friend — and Jack’s son — Peter is dying of a mysterious disease.
His only…
"When her unconventional parents finally agree to settle down in one place, twelve-year-old Cayenne’s dreams come true—but the reality of fitting in is much harder than she imagined. Acclaimed author Jessica Vitalis crafts an unforgettable…
"Cameron and Lewis Larsen are identical twins living normal, suburban lives … until their mom and dad kill two uninvited guests at a neighborhood barbecue and then disappear. Following cryptic instructions their parents left behind, the twins make…
"So what if Harmony has to be the grown-up?
After months living in a foster home (again), Harmony convinces a judge that she can move back in with her mother. Her mom even finds an apartment that the social worker, Gloria, can’t find fault with.…
"Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle is no stranger to misfortune. Bullied at school and struggling with problems at home, he dreams of the day he can leave it all behind him. That’s when he receives an unexpected opportunity: an invitation to join the…
"A thrilling novel of self-discovery that is part adventure, part mystery, and part Celtic myth, set in Dublin in 1913.
Fifteen-year-old Finnegan Wilde steals to survive. Always on the run from gangs and police, Finn is also fleeing her own…
"Dom’s life revolves around cars and baseball until a chance connection to a high school audition hands him a major role in a psychological thriller. This would be exciting enough, except that real life begins to shadow the script in a very creepy…
"Ajay has lived his life dutifully following the rules set by his Tamil parents. Rules like, "straight A's only" (rule #3), "no such thing as a no-homework day" (rule #5), and "never watch scary movies" (rules #10). But moving to a new school gives…
