Books in Lorimer Side Streets series

Sixteen-year-old Zaine Wyatt's mother walked out of his life when he was twelve, and he was kicked out of his aunt's house. After living on the streets and getting badly beaten up, he is back at his aunt's, but is angry and uncertain that he has a permanent place to live. When his mother breaks another promise to take him back, he flees and trashes a storage shed, injuring the owner as he runs away. To try to get the charges dropped, Zaine agrees to participate in a restorative justice program. He gas to fix the damage, help out the owner and his disabled grandson, while avoiding being recruited to a gang.

Epic Fail tells the story of Kenzie, a 16-year-old half Native American girl, and her two best friends, who have grown up in a multiracial, mixed-income suburb. Two years after a party where Kenzie was raped, she is still dealing with the trauma. When photos of the incident appear on social media there are serious consequences for everyone involved. This book tells a tough but realistic story about teen relationships and sexual assault and how social media plays a role in magnifying its impact.

Sixteen-year-old Angelo moved to Toronto from the Philippines to join his mother, who has been living and working in Canada for most of his life. Adjusting to a new country isn't easy, but when Angelo's mother takes him to the Filipino Community Centre he meets Marcus who has shared the same experience. At school, Marcus introduces Angelo to Felix and Darius. The boys quickly show Angelo how no one respects poor Filipino immigrants and lure him into running petty thefts as a way of evening the score. But when the group is faced with consequences will Angelo have the courage to go against his friends and set things right?

I don’t see why I have to become this new person just because I like guys. Most of who I am has nothing to do with who I hump.Will's never been obvious about being gay. Not like Daniel, who takes the heat -- and the beatings -- at Spencer High. But then Will's best friend outs him on Facebook, and his small-town life starts to spin out of control. If he's not like everyone else, and he's not like Daniel, then who is he?[Fry reading level - 4.3

If there's one person Jacob is never going to be like, it's his alcoholic father. But Jacob is brought face-to-face with his own addictions when his father ends up in the hospital. Certain that he can easily overcome his drug and alcohol abuse, Jacob discovers just how powerful dependency can be. A terrible tragedy takes Jacob to the breaking point where he will have to decide, once and for all, whether or not he is going to go through life wasted.

Todd Lerner's never been much of a student, but he's got plenty of street smarts and he's a mean poker player. Todd's always had a thing for Claire, the most beautiful girl in grade eleven—but Claire likes nice things. If Todd wants to date her, he'll need cash and plenty of it. Soon, a weekly poker game turns into a costly and dangerous obsession, and Todd's luck begins to change. Inspired by true events, All In journeys into the high-stakes worlds of gambling, addiction, and fraud.

Olivia spends her nights drumming in a band, hanging out in clubs and drinking, and her days hungover at school. When her bandmate Lucas catches Olivia talking to her friend Raymond in the women's washroom, he beats up Raymond in a jealous rage. When Lucas tells Olivia that Raymond's criminal brother is looking for them for payback, they go on the run together. Lucas keeps Olivia drunk and off-balance, telling her he loves her and pressuring her to have sex with him. When Olivia finally discovers that the story about Raymond's brother is a lie, she realizes she has to get out of Lucas's obsessive trap.

Trent and Adam were best friends and rally racing buddies until a terrible accident, when Adam was at the wheel, puts Trent in the hospital. After a long separation, the teens try to pick up their friendship where it left off, but Adam's guilty feelings and Trent's odd behavior make it tough. Why is Trent hanging around Marcus, a guy he says he can't stand? And why isn't his Ritalin working anymore? When Adam discovers Trent is dealing with the dark side, it's a race to save his friend from himself. Racing Fear is an action-packed ride that takes a hard look at the selling of prescription drugs.

Christine and Danelle have been best friends forever, a relationship as seemingly infinite as the glow-in-the-dark stars they have affixed to their bedroom ceilings. Lately, though, the girls have been drifting apart, as Danelle's quirky moods turn into wild and reckless acts. At first Christine wonders if her friend is on drugs, but what kind of drugs make you climb a rooftop one moment and send you into the depths of despair the next? The truth behind Danelle's ups and downs is far more complex and dangerous than Christine ever could have anticipated. Ceiling Stars is a moving story about the strength and limits of friendship in the presence of mental illness.

Ever since Ariel's mom has been too sick to work they've been moving to progressively lower income neighborhoods. Then they seem to hit rock bottom―Vancouver's downtown east side, Canada's poorest postal code. Here Ariel gets on the wrong side of a gang of tough girls at school after receiving unwanted attention from their boyfriends. Now she's stuck with a reputation and a label she doesn't know how to deal with.

When he was fifteen, Kevin took a car for a joyride and got in an accident that seriously injured a pedestrian. Now known as "Strider" in juvie, he has spent more than two years incarcerated, learning the hard way how to survive on the inside. Strider keeps his head down and in exchange for protection from another inmate, Strider provides "loans" of money and helps him cheat on schoolwork. But when his parole officer suggests that he apply for early parole, Strider realizes it would be hard for him to survive on the outside. Is there anything waiting for him back home, or should he stay where he thinks he belongs?