The Undercover Book List

Governor
General’s Award Finalist Colleen Nelson’s tale of identity, unlikely friends,
and a secret book club, now available in a new paperback format.

Between her father’s posting overseas and her
best friend Sienna’s move to the other side of the country, seventh grade is
looking lonely for Jane MacDonald. But Sienna has left her with one last trick:
a hidden message in a library book—the perfect plot to start a secret club and
find Jane a new book-loving friend.

Tyson Flamand has problems of his own. Since the
fourth grade he’s had a reputation as a bad kid, and there’s no point fighting
it when teachers always think the worst. So when he finds an anonymous note in
the library looking for a nerdy new friend, he knows he’s the last person in
the world it could be meant for. But something makes him answer it anyway, and
Tyson finds himself pulled into a secret book club where being hidden may be
the first step to being truly seen.

With the insight of a veteran middle-school
teacher, Colleen Nelson, author of the award-winning Harvey Comes Home and
Sadia, weaves together two stories of identity, expectation, and the
courage to challenge both. As their paths move ever closer, Jane and Tyson both
discover their own self-reliance and their ability to overcome obstacles that
seemed insurmountable. 

“Told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of
seventh graders Jane and Tyson, this story unfolds with clever aplomb… [and] a
robustly diverse supporting cast…A well-plotted, well-written story that will
engage readers and encourage nonreaders.”—Kirkus
Reviews