When Kevin Major's Hold Fast was published three years ago, it was rightly hailed as a milestone in Canadian children's book publishing. Major captured in stark, vivid, detail the violent, troubled life of a Newfoundland teenager. (p. 29)

We approached [Major's second novel. Far From Shore] with some trepidation, knowing that second novels can often be disappointing. However, we were not disappointed. Far From Shore is in many ways similar to Hold Fast. Set in Newfoundland, it is the story of a troubled teenager. Chris Slade is failing in high school, he is drinking too much beer and smoking too much pot. And he finds his girlfriend in the backseat of someone else's car. At home, things are not good; Chris' father, unemployed and often drunk, decides to leave for Alberta to find work; his mother, not completely happy in her marriage, becomes emotionally involved with her employer; his...