Trail of Secrets

Is Jennifer the only one not keeping a secret? In the fourth and final installment in the Jennifer Bannon mystery series, Jennifer begins grade eleven at Springhills High, and her life is far from settled. Jennifer's mother has moved to L.A. with her new husband and is determined to have Jennifer's younger sister Leslie join them. Adding to the upheaval, Jennifer's boyfriend Pete moves to McGill to study pre-med and Jennifer fears their relationship will not survive the separation. She also worries about her best friend Ambie, who has been secretly e-mailing the biological father she has never met. Meanwhile, foster child Roxie Firestone shows up in Springhills to live with a family that soon has a crisis of its own, and a mysterious boy named Evan starts hanging around Jennifer as rumors fly that his family is hiding from the law. Trail of Secrets deals with themes of belonging, friendship and loss. While Jennifer struggles to find her place in a family separated by divorce and with friendships marked by change and issues of belonging, she learns to rely on herself and to make the best of an imperfect world. Through it all, Jennifer's dry sense of humor and sense of loyalty make her a strong character and the kind of friend that most teens would want for a best friend.

Brenda Chapman grew up in northern Ontario. She has a BA in English and a Bachelor of Education. She began her career teaching reading and language arts to children and teenagers, which she did for nearly fifteen years before entering the federal government to work as a writer/editor. She is currently working as a senior communications advisor in Ottawa. Running Scared (9781894917148) was her first young adult novel featuring protagonist Jennifer Bannon. She has since gone on to pen three more. Hiding in Hawk's Creek (9781894917247) was shortlisted for the 2007 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children.