Counting Scars

by Melinda Di Lorenzo

Overview

When sixteen-year-old Adele Reimer is forced to spend two weeks at a youth reform camp, she has no idea it will lead to a complicated and dangerous love triangle.

With her mother in rehab and her estranged father unable to take immediate custody, Adele's only goal at the camp is to avoid any trouble. But then Adele meets mysterious Fergus and charming Andy and soon finds herself pulled into a dangerous situation that might end up costing her life. Can Adele both listen to her heart and trust her instincts?

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459833555
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Series:	Orca Soundings Series
Edition description:	High readability edition
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,091,595
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	HL400L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Melinda Di Lorenzo has been writing professionally for more than a decade and is the author of Counting Scars and Racing Hearts in the Orca Soundings line. In 2013 she won Harlequin's annual So You Think You Can Write contest, which came with a publishing contract and launched her successfully into the romance world. With a BA in English from Simon Fraser University and a passion for classic love stories that feature strong (albeit sometimes problematic) female leads battling social constraints, such as Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, Melinda infuses her books with flawed characters in real, relatable situations. Bullied as a teen, Melinda sought refuge in books. She now wants to bring that refuge to others, and she draws on her experience as the parent of three teens to craft stories that reflect modern struggles without turning those struggles into stereotypes. She also supports young writers and makes an annual creative writing scholarship donation to École Salish Secondary. Melinda lives in Surrey, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

Short and well-paced...The interesting and age-appropriate subject matter make the books in the series more accessible to a wider range of readers, and Counting Scars is no exception.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

02/01/2023

Gr 9 Up—Sixteen-year-old Adele arrives for a two-week stretch at Camp Happy, a detention facility for teens, intending to follow the rules. With her mom in rehab, she doesn't want her distant father to be disappointed in her and decline to supervise her probation after release. But she quickly finds herself caught between the attentions of two boys who live in the cabins at the other side of the camp. Dreamy, mysterious Fergus shows up at odd moments to help her, and maybe stalk her, while more talkative Andy warns her in stark terms that Fergus is bad news. After a secret bonfire is discovered by camp staff and Fergus arrives to whisk her away and avoid punishment, they grow closer, filling in some details about their backgrounds and sharing a toe-curling kiss. Later, Adele is attacked and finds herself a prisoner, along with Fergus, with Andy threatening to burn them both alive. Some coarse language and characters' gritty lives won't appeal to every reader. But the story is propulsive, with cliffhangers and burning resentments among secondary characters. The book is written at a second grade reading level. VERDICT Hand to reluctant high school readers looking for a good crime story.

School Library Journal

2022-06-22
A 16-year-old is drawn to a mysterious guy when she is packed off to a last-resort reform camp by her social worker.

Adele is a good kid who has struggled with little family support, and she just wants to get through the next two weeks at the inanely named Camp Happy after her mother suffers an overdose and goes into an in-patient rehab center. As soon as she arrives Adele encounters fellow camper Fergus, a magnetic loner, and is immediately warned away from him by Andy, who, despite being good-looking and friendly, makes Adele uneasy. Employing accessible vocabulary peppered with realistic teen dialogue and short, fast-paced, plot-driven chapters, the book quickly establishes a connection between Adele and Fergus, who after seeming to appear and disappear at random around camp, helps her find her way in the woods after she reluctantly agrees to attend an illicit bonfire. Adele’s attempts to stay on the straight and narrow due to her desperation to be seen in a good light by her long-absent father will make her sympathetic to readers, and romance fans will appreciate the spark between her and Fergus. As his backstory becomes more central to the story, a solid mystery unfolds. Characters all read as White.

An engaging, focused romantic thriller that will pull in reluctant readers. (Thriller. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews