Shane

Degrassi #12

by Susin Nielsen

Shane is a loner at Degrassi. At home he and his parents don't get along too well, especially since he started grade eight. Life gets better when Shane starts seeing Spike, and he becomes more popular at school. But the unthinkable happens--Spike gets pregnant. One little mistake, and it ruins his life. School is a drag, home is a drag, and Spike won't talk to him anymore. Then Shane goes away to camp for the summer and, surprisingly, it's great. But his new sense of independence before he knows it, he's in trouble--disaster strikes again. Based on the groundbreaking Degrassi Junior High television series, this book offers a sensitive and engaging look at the challenges of teenage life.

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Susin got her start feeding cast and crew on the popular television series, Degrassi Junior High. They hated her food, but they saw a spark in her writing. Nielsen went on to pen sixteen episodes of the hit TV show. Since then, Nielsen has written for over 20 Canadian TV series. Her first young adult novel, Word Nerd, was published in 2008 to critical acclaim. It won multiple Young Readers’ Choice Awards, as did her second novel, Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom. Her third novel, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, was published in August 2012. It went on to win the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year Award, and a number of Young Readers’ Choice Awards. Author Wally Lamb named it his top YA pick for 2012 in his “First Annual Wally Awards,” and recently Rolling Stone magazine put it at #27 in their list of “Top 40 Best YA Novels.”
Her books have been translated into multiple languages. Susin’s new novel, We Are All Made of Molecules, will be published in Canada, the US and the UK in Spring of 2015. She lives in Vancouver with her family and two naughty cats. She is delighted to have finally figure out how to "claim" her author profile on Goodreads!

Reviews

[Macy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars mostly because it's Degrassi and how emotional this book got me.

[Kaycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

After watching DJH I started reading these books and I've liked learning more about all of the characters in depth! This one has been my least favorite so far but it made me feel empathetic to his character more. I wish it didn't end so abruptly!