In this debut novel, a high school girl faces the pain, shame, and uncertainty that come with sexual abuse. With the passing of her mother, Kate Franklin's life unravels at the seams as she loses the only emotional mooring in her family. Her dad shuts down completely, and her brother enlists in the army. Things start looking better when her dad is hired to coach at Beacon Prep, home of one of the best basketball teams in the state. In a blog of prose and poetry, Kate chronicles her new world--dating a basketball player, being caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, and discovering the perks the inner circle enjoys. Then Kate's fragile life shatters once again when one of her boyfriend's teammates assaults her at a party. Although she knows she should speak out, her dad's vehemently against it and so, like a canary sent into a mine to test toxicity levels and protect miners, Kate alone breathes the poisonous secrets to protect her dad and the team. The once welcoming community has betrayed Kate, her family is disintegrating, and she's on her own to grapple with whether to stay quiet or speak out and expose a town's hero and destroy her father's career.
Rachele Alpine is a high school English teacher and blogs at www.freckle-head.blogspot.com. She lives in Mentor, Ohio.
"This is a captivating tale that addresses a lot of contemporary issues in a sensitive and thought-provoking way." —Nicki J. Markus, author, Day-Walker and Time Keepers
"A searing and tender portrait of the complexities of high school friendships, dating and privilege. Canary is a testament to the power of the hard-won truths." —Daisy Whitney, author, The Mockingbirds and When You Were Here
"Rachele Alpine's Canary sings the truth about what happens when we put our high school heroes on a pedestal and give them the power to act like villains." —Erin Jade Lange, author, Butter
"The subtle way Rachele Alpine addresses love, loss, popularity, and friendship makes this book a realistic and arresting read. For anyone who ever struggled with frenemies and fitting in, Canary is an important addition to contemporary YA discussions." —Jennifer Brown, author, Hate List
