When Daniel enters a convenience store on a secret mission, he doesn't expect to run into anyone he knows. That would ruin everything.

And when Rosie enters the same store to see what her father wants, she's hoping to make a quick getaway with her waiting boyfriend. All Daniel and Rosie want is to get in and out without any trouble. Neither expects what happens next. A masked man enters the store. "This is a stickup," he announces. He has a gun and isn't afraid to use it. When he's ready to leave, he decides to take Rosie hostage. And then things get complicated…

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!

Norah McClintock est l’auteure de plus de 40 livres, dont ceux des collections Chloe & Levesque, Mike & Riel et Robyn Hunter Mysteries, tous publiés chez Scholastic Canada. Les livres de Norah ont été traduits dans une douzaine de langues. Elle a remporté le prix Arthur Ellis dans la catégorie du meilleur roman policier jeunesse et beaucoup d’autres récompenses. Native de Montréal, Norah a obtenu un baccalauréat en histoire de l’Université McGill. Une mer de chagrin est son premier roman historique. «Il est temps d’utiliser toutes ces connaissances en histoire», a-t-elle dit. Norah vit maintenant à Toronto.

Norah McClintock is the author of Tell and Snitch, both Orca Soundings novels. Norah lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Norah McClintock's profile page

• Commended, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Quick Picks
• Commended, Resource Links, The Year's Best Books

"There is suspense to keep reluctant readers interested...[A] nice surprise is the lack of foul language, even though an armed crime is taking place. Of course, secrets are revealed, and Leon's tale is particularly tragic."

School Library Journal

"The short chapters are appropriately tense and suspenseful, and the novel does provide some unexpected twists."

The Horn Book Guide

"McClintock is a master of mystery and crime…Readers will be drawn into the lives of the characters and gripped with the electric plot and unexpected twists…Masked is exceptional in its ability to capture a dramatic and tragically life-changing story for so many characters in little more than 100 pages. Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine

"Each new perspective adds an insightful layer to the story leading to an unexpected plot twist…The characters are all interesting and believable…Would be good as a class novel as it has a range of characters with problems that everyone can relate to."

Resource Links

"As with all the Orca Soundings books, this novel succeeds on many levels. The pace is breakneck...taking numerous twists and turns...and ending in a satisfying denouement...A little mystery, a strange kind of romance, and a non-stop thriller. What more could reluctant readers want? Buy this for your older reluctant readers. They will not be able to put it down."

Tri State YA Book Review Committee

"Tight plotting, swift pacing, and tension that intensifies with each page turn mark this entry in the always reliable Orca Soundings series for reluctant readers…With scarcely an extraneous word, McClintock keeps the suspense at a roiling simmer, doling out pieces of crucial information that twist the crime drama into a doomed love tangle, capped by an arresting and satisfying conclusion."

Booklist

"Teens will like the cover and the action."

Puget Sound Council for Reviewing Children's Media