The Throne

by Beth Goobie

Overview

Meredith is determined to make her mark as she starts Grade 10—and claiming the "cool" seat in home room is her first step. But that decision brings her unwanted attention from the school's "kingpin of the underworld" and her new enemy is smart, determined and capable of holding a long-term grudge. Should she just back away? But how will she look at herself in the mirror if she does? With the help of her two best friends, Reb and Dean, she will have to find a way to stand up for herself and survive high school with her dignity intact.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781552443163
Publisher:	Red Deer Press
Publication date:	02/06/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	448 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Beth Goobie graduated from the University of Winnipeg and the Mennonite Brethren Bible College. She is an award-winning writer of young adult fiction and is best known for her quirky and dark stories. Her novel Before Wings won the Canadian Library Association's Young Adult Book Award in 2000, and was chosen by young readers for the Best Books list of the American Library Association.

Read an Excerpt

The Throne

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By Beth Goobie

Red Deer Press

Copyright © 2013 Beth Goobie
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780889954960

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“On most days Polkton Collegiate was a snake pit, and the first day of the year was no exception. As fifteen-year-old Meredith came through the east tech-wing entrance, the halls closed in with their familiar mayhem, catcalls and laughter ricocheting off the walls. Short and slight, she was immediately absorbed into the crowd; ducking to the right, she sidestepped the oncoming flow of students and headed past the first overhead security camera and on down the corridor. Ten meters in from the entrance was her homeform – the school’s only music classroom – and as she approached, she quickened her step. An expression of anticipation crossed her face; glancing to either side, she swallowed once and slipped through the open doorway.
The room was empty, not even Mr. Woolger, her homeform teacher, to be seen, and for a moment Meredith simply stood, a grin of relief on her face. Then, without hesitating, she strode past the shelves of numbered instrument cases and the tubas positioned upside-down on their stands, and climbed the risers that contained the student’s chairs. At the third and highest riser, she paused and scanned various nearby percussion instruments before turning her attention to the drum set. Briefly her grin broadened, and almost disbelievingly she touched a fingertip to one of the cymbals. Here it was – the moment she had been pondering for weeks – and now, with one glance around, she stepped behind the largest drum and parked her butt.
For a second, she felt disoriented. Having spent the previous year seated in a floor-level chair in the front row, the view from the third riser felt surreal – three descending rows of chairs and music stands and Mr. Woolger’s front-of-the-room conducting podium and desk. There was so much space, Meredith wanted to stretch out her arms and holler. The drum set was, simply put, the place to be in Homeform 75, and the fact that she had snagged it for her grade-ten year was sweet.”

Continues...

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Excerpted from The Throne by Beth Goobie Copyright © 2013 by Beth Goobie. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

Praise for Born Ugly by Beth Goobie:
“This taut thriller showcases the award-winning Canadian author's gift for creating memorable teen characters who confront tough issues alone—in this case, teen bullying, portrayed in gritty, claustrophobic detail by its victim… Goobie's third-person voice relentlessly puts readers directly in Shir's head, pulling no punches in creating a memorable, believable character. Working-class, alcoholic Shir is no swan in ugly-duckling disguise, but despite the rotten hand life's dealt her, she's got heart and courage and a stubborn refusal to give up that will keep readers rooting for her.” (Kirkus Reviews)

From the Publisher

11/01/2013
Gr 9–11—On the first day of 10th grade, Meredith arrives at school early and observes the empty band room, where her homeroom meets. She seizes the opportunity to sit behind the drums, the coolest, most coveted seat in the place. She's not the only one who wanted that seat, though, and her decision brings her in direct conflict with senior Seymour Molyneux. First he asks, then demands, that Meredith relinquish the Throne, and when she refuses, he organizes his wide underground network. The attacks on Meredith routinely take the form of chewing gum on her clothes, but they build to something bigger. Still, Meredith won't back down, and she relies on her friends-new and old-to help her stand up for herself. This is an engrossing, quickly paced book, considering that most of the plot centers on the homeroom drama. A subplot about Meredith's family history, as she learns the unsavory details of her parents' lives and deaths, helps to strengthen her resolve about the seating war. With the exception of the protagonist, characters are not deeply developed, but the book succeeds on the strength of its relatable plot. A few Canadian phrases may give American teens momentary pause, but they are easy enough to decode, and a few f-bombs may keep this novel out of middle schools, but otherwise it deserves a place in teen fiction collections.—Brandy Danner, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA

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