Names They Gave Us, The

Lucy is finishing grade 11 and has her summer working at a church camp all planned, but her world falls apart as her mother’s cancer returns, her boyfriend breaks up with her, and the camp she ends up volunteering at is for troubled kids. For the first time, Lucy encounters people who don’t share her religious beliefs and have suffered hardships, and as she experiences a loss of faith, she learns to accept differences, live more fully, and still find a place for religion in her life. This coming-of-age story for grades 8-12 introduces issues of family, loss, faith, accepting difference, and friendship, and is suitable as an independent or literature circle novel. Some social considerations noted.