Jeremy Stone

Jeremy Stone, the new young adult novel from acclaimed author Lesley Choyce, is told in free verse format. After moving from a residential school to a new school in a new community, Jeremy, a First Nations teenage boy is trying to find out where he fits in the world. He soon meets Caitlan, an intense girl who tells him about another boy – a boyfriend of hers – who has committed suicide. Jeremy isn’t sure whether he has much to offer Caitlan, given his own uncertainties, but he is solid and supportive towards his new friend.

A lot of the support comes from Old Man, the spirit of Jeremy’s dead grandfather, with whom he has frequent illuminating conversations. In fact, Jeremy has frequent contact with the spirit world – his grandfather, Jenson, the suicide, as well as a childhood friend of Jeremy’s, Jimmy Falcon. Each of these spirits help Jeremy find his way through a quagmire of bullying and racial taunts toward a more stable future.

Lesley Choyce’s words are spare, vivid, and very accessible for teenage readers. He is the author of many novels for young adult readers including Random, Book of Michael, Dumb Luck, The End of the World as We Know It, and Living Outside the Lines. He lives in Nova Scotia.