Union

by Sara Cassidy

Overview

Tuck navigates new love, past trauma and standing up for what's right in this novel in verse.

Grace has caught my eye
I stare and stare at this girl I’ve missed since we were five

Abuse at the hands of his mother's boyfriend has left fifteen-year-old Tuck broken and untrusting. But then he falls hard for his childhood friend Grace and starts to imagine a life where he is happy. At the fast-food restaurant where he works, Tuck is asked to explore starting up a union. His new sense of purpose, combined with his growing love for Grace, helps Tuck come to terms with his pain and find the strength to begin the healing process.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459834477
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/13/2022
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	1,108,758
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.31(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sara Cassidy is a writer and editor. She is the author of 17 children’s books including Genius Jolene, winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize, and Nevers, which was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Silver Birch Express Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, the Rocky Mountain Book Award and the Chocolate Lily Award. Sara also writes nonfiction and poetry for adults and works in communications for the BC Ministry of Health. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

A sweet love story…Recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Succinctly told, and packs an emotional punch, exploring the themes of losing and finding one's voice, overcoming trauma, and the healing power of love.

Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children’s Book News

Succinctly told, and packs an emotional punch, exploring the themes of losing and finding one's voice, overcoming trauma, and the healing power of love.

Canadian Children's Book News

2022-07-13
Ninth grader Tuck grapples with trauma from his past while crushing on Grace and trying to enroll co-workers in a union.

Tuck takes a job in a fast-food joint to get out of his house, where he feels shame and self-loathing. As he begins dating longtime classmate Grace, readers access glimpses into Tuck’s memories of sexual abuse from his mother’s old boyfriend. He feels unworthy of Grace’s love at first, putting off telling her his history. His background also seems to give him a sense of imposter syndrome, resulting in self-harm. When a woman named Trix approaches him at the drive-thru window and talks to him about unionizing, Tuck feels empowered and decides to recruit co-workers to fight for their rights. This brief verse novel packs a punch: The poems are concise yet robust and convey a change in tone from sobering and intense to hopeful. Trix is a mother figure of sorts, picking up on Tuck’s anxiety and helping him find counseling. Tuck’s subsequent evolution—both in his relationship with Grace and as a harbinger for advancement in work conditions—makes him a sympathetic, courageous character worthy of kudos. Other characters are primarily in the background, as the character-driven story centers Tuck. Cast members are minimally described and largely default to White.

Moving and accessible. (content warning) (Fiction. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews