A 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
Amelia Bloomer List’s 2019 Top Ten Recommended Feminist Books for Young Readers
A Governor General’s Literary Award Finalist
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize Semifinalist
A BC Book Prize Finalist

“A love letter to girls—bittersweet and full of hope.” —Ibi Zoboi, author of National Book Award Finalist American Street
“This is a stellar debut.” —Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of Little & Lion and Pointe
“A vibrant, essential story of healing, resilience, and finding one’s family.” —Stephanie Kuehn, author of William C. Morris Award winning Charm & Strange
“A raw, beautiful, unforgettable must-read.” —Tiffany D. Jackson, author of Allegedly
“Poetic.” —Angela Johnson, award-winning author of Heaven
“A powerful, poignant story about refusing to let the past dictate who you are or who you will become.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This is a well-written, thought-provoking book that tackles difficult topics…a stirring debut.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

Sixteen-year-old Indy struggles to conceal her pregnancy while searching for a place to belong in this stunning debut novel that’s perfect for fans of Amber Smith and Sara Zarr.

Indira Ferguson has done her best to live by her Grammy’s rules—study hard in school, be respectful, and never let a boy take advantage of her. But it hasn’t always been easy, especially living in her mother’s shadow.

When Indy is sent to stay in Nassau, trouble follows her and she must hide an unwanted pregnancy from her aunt, who would rather throw Indy out onto the street than see the truth. Completely broke with only a hand-me-down pregnancy book as a resource, Indy desperately looks for a safe space to call home.

After stumbling upon a yoga retreat, she wonders if she’s found that place. But Indy is about to discover that home is much bigger than just four walls and a roof—it’s about the people she chooses to share it with.

Janice Lynn Mather is a Bahamian writer with an MFA from the University of British Columbia. Her first novel, Learning to Breathe, was a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist, a BC Book Prize finalist, shortlisted for the 2019 CCBC Amy Mathers Teen Book Award, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, an Amelia Bloomer’s Top Ten Recommended Feminist Books for Young Readers pick, and a Junior Library Guild selection. Facing the Sun is her second novel for young adults. Janice Lynn lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family and a growing collection of dust bunnies.

Janice Lynn Mather's profile page

"Much like Ibi Zoboi’s American Street, this challenging read confronts injustice and celebrates strength of character and spirit."

Booklist

“This is a stellar debut.”

Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of LITTLE & LION and POINTE

"Mather skillfully balances emotionally wrenching scenes and surprisingly humorous ones; well-drawn supporting characters...enrich this capable debut."

Publishers Weekly

"There is a realness and great level of depth to Indira’s character, and Mather does a magnificent job of conveying a girl’s muted existence following sexual assault and trauma."

BCCB

“If you want to understand #MeToo for a sixteen-year old growing up on what many Americans know mostly as a tourist paradise, read Learning to Breathe. Mather is stunning as she shows us Indira's Bahamas, its landscapes, the search of a girl for herself on her island home. Indira will break your heart with her fierce voice and grit in the face of living in a family so damaged they all but abandon this beautiful girl of their own.”

Terry Farish, award-winning author of THE GOOD BRAIDER

"Through well-crafted dialogue, fresh characters, and solid pacing, the book's mature themes are handled carefully and with sensitivity. A powerful, poignant story about refusing to let the past dictate who you are or who you will become."

Kirkus Reviews

“A raw, beautiful, unforgettable must-read.”

Tiffany D. Jackson, author of ALLEGEDLY

*A Governor General’s Literary Award Finalist

“A love letter to girls—bittersweet and full of hope.”

Ibi Zoboi, author of National Book Award Finalist AMERICAN STREET

A 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection

*A Junior Library Guild Selection

“Poetic.”

Angela Johnson, award-winning author of HEAVEN

“A vibrant, essential story of healing, resilience, and finding one’s family.”

Stephanie Kuehn, author of William C. Morris Award winning CHARM & STRANGE

*Amelia Bloomer List’s 2019 Top Ten Recommended Feminist Books for Young Readers

"Emotionally charged, thought provoking and unforgettable."

Shelf Awareness

* "This is a well-written, thought-provoking book that tackles difficult topics such as unwanted pregnancy, familial relationships, and rape, with nuance... A stirring debut for all YA collections."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, STARRED REVIEW