Returning from three years of sailing abroad, Blake Pendleton and his family find themselves in an Orwellian world where life has changed drastically. Under constant surveillance, Blake must carry his freephone at all times to ensure he’s always following the rules. Unfortunately, Blake isn’t sure what these rules are, but quickly learns they are used to control the population. Blake needs to muster all his strength to endure solitary confinement – punishment for breaking the rules. The text is explicit about the fact that racialized people and immigrants are disproportionately targeted under this system. With undercurrents of social injustices that reflect our current world, this Orca Soundings book is fast-paced, and readers will want to find out what happens to Blake when he joins his new friends, Ming and Gina, as one of the Dogs, an underground resistance group. But who can they trust to help them escape the New Order?

120 pp., 5 × 7.5"

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - BC Books for Schools (2021-2022)

No one has a clearer view of Atlantic Canada's literary endeavours over the past twenty years than Lesley Choyce. He is the founder of the literary journal Pottersfield Portfolio, and the publisher of Pottersfield Press. He has edited several fiction anthologies and has been the in-house editor of many books from Pottersfield Press including Making Waves, a collection of stories by emerging authors from Atlantic Canada. He is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from poetry and essays to autobiography, history and fiction for adults, young adults, and children. Among his recent books are the novels The Republic of Nothing, World Enough, and Cold Clear Morning, and the story collection Dance the Rocks Ashore. Choyce is the writer, host, and co-producer of the popular literary show television program, Off the Page with Lesley Choyce, which is broadcast across the country on Vision TV. He also teaches in the English department of Dalhousie University in Halifax and is leader of the rock band The Surf Poets.

Lesley Choyce's profile page

• Commended, BC Books for BC Schools

“A compelling read, one that rings just a little too true to the current political climate in North America. It is a novel that will make readers stop and think about what the future holds and how they can choose to affect it. Highly Recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“Shows readers the shocking nature of extreme changes that crept up on everyone else. A chilling glimpse of life under authoritarian rule for reluctant readers.”

Kirkus Reviews

“A solid hi-lo novel for students who would enjoy 1984 or The Hunger Games.”

School Library Journal (SLJ)