My Time as Caz Hazard
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2004
- Category
- Suicide, Disabilities & Special Needs, Peer Pressure
- Recommended Age
- 12 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 8 to 12
- Recommended Reading age
- 12 to 18
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781551433196
- Publish Date
- Sep 2004
- List Price
- $9.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781554696765
- Publish Date
- Sep 2004
- List Price
- $7.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Caz thinks she has a pretty good reason when she punches her boyfriend in the face, but she gets expelled anyway.
Moving to a new school, she is told she is dyslexic and sent to special education classes. Caz tries to fit in and get by while suffering the taunts and abuse that others throw at the students in her class. Her friendship with Amanda leads her into new territory—shoplifting and skipping school. Coupled with her parents' impending separation, her life is spiraling out of control.
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! Available in Spanish as La otra vida de Caz.
About the author
Tanya Lloyd Kyi
grew up in Creston, B.C. She began her writing career as a high school poet, producing pages and pages of work that her mother loved and her best friend religiously archived (possibly for a future blackmailing scheme). The original edition of Canadian Girls Who Rocked the World was Tanya's first book for young readers. She has since published nine other titles, including Canadian Boys Who Rocked The World, which was short-listed for the Silver Birch Award by the Ontario Library Association. Tanya now lives in Vancouver, B.C.
Awards
- Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection
Excerpt: My Time as Caz Hazard (by (author) Tanya Lloyd Kyi)
Dodie Dunstan died last night," she said.
Strangely, my first thought was that Dodie had a last name. Other than Doorknob, that is. Was that how you talked about a dead person? You used her full name?
Ms. Samuels' voice caught, but she continued. "The police don't suspect foul play."
"That means what?" I asked, confused.
"She offed herself. Suicide," Jaz said, turning his intense stare in my direction for the first time all morning. He pursed his lips, considering. "She seems like the pill type to me. She wouldn't want to see blood.
Editorial Reviews
"Will definitely ring bells with the hi-lo crowd...[Kyi's] books seem to hit their mark and are popular."
WASHYARG
"Kyi paints a situation common to our culture: adolescents struggling to find their identity with imperfect adult examples. Readers will easily identify with the opposing forces Caz faces as she tries to make sense of her life. A compelling contemporary story."
School Library Journal
"Slim and easy to read, yet still convincing and deep, and offering a note of hopefulness...Highly recommended."
Hi-Rise
"This short novel features plenty of action and lively dialogue."
Canadian Book Review Annual
"Offer[s] some very realistic situations teens deal with every day and could be used to jump-start more than a few critical discussions. Highly recommended."
CM Magazine
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