Youth Book Club
The Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) Book Club is an Ontario based initiative opened to high schools across Ontario, made possible through the leadership and commitment of teachers and librarians who champion literacy and gender-based violence prevention in their schools. We are incredibly grateful to the educators who make this program possible.
Through the NFF Youth Book Club, participating schools receive free books, and teachers or librarians facilitate the book club within their school communities. The book club is designed to support meaningful, age-appropriate conversations about gender-based violence prevention and related social issues, using literature as a starting point for critical reflection and dialogue.
Some topics that have been explored through book selections and discussions have included:
- Family and intimate partner violence
- Healthy relationships and consent
- Eating disorders and body image
- Colonialism and systemic violence
- Racism and discrimination
- Queer and transphobia
- Gendered expectations and norms
As part of the NFF Youth Book Club, students from across Ontario are brought together virtually via Zoom to engage directly with book authors. These interactive sessions include author readings, followed by a Q&A session with students, which creates a unique opportunity for young people to connect with the stories, ask questions, and engage in thoughtful discussions alongside their peers from other school communities.
The NFF Youth Book Club centres use voices, educator, leadership, and violence prevention-focussed learning, supporting schools to foster safer, more inclusive spaces through shared reading, dialogue, and connection.
To get involved reach out to us at nff@uwo.ca.
Upcoming & Previous NFF Youth Book Clubs:
2026
The Dark Cove Theatre Society
By: Sierra Marilyn Riley
Summary: Violet Costantino knows she is already on thin ice this school year: her scholarship has taken a significant hit due to her panic attack during her final performance in acting class last semester—which simultaneously shattered her dreams of becoming a leading lady. This year, she is determined to keep her head down and just get through unscathed. But the school seems to have other plans for Violet: to her extreme foreboding, she is cast as one of the leads in the annual Halloween play. What’s worse, the beautiful, infuriatingly talented Frankie Lin and Violet’s ex-crush, Hunter Kinsey, are both cast as her love interests. Despite her initial reluctance, Violet is drawn in by the glamor of the Dark Cove Theatre Society, and she cautiously starts believing that maybe she is cut out for this after all. But lurking in the shadows of Violet’s fragile self-confidence is the rumor of the Society curse, which is said to cause one cast member to drop out before opening night every year, mysteriously and without reason.
2025
She Holds Up the Stars
By: Sandra Laronde
Summary: A young Indigenous girl, Misko, reluctantly moves from the city to the rez with her grandmother, hoping to uncover the truth about her mother’s mysterious disappearance. Through her bond with a wild horse named Mishtadim and a budding friendship with Thomas, Misko begins to find her sense of belonging, courage, and connection to her heritage. She Holds Up the Stars is a poignant tale of family, reconciliation, and self-discovery.
2024
Accountable, The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed
Summary: When a high school student started a private Instagram account that used racist and sexist memes to make his friends laugh, he thought of it as “edgy” humor. Over time, the edge got sharper. Then a few other kids found out about the account. Pretty soon, everyone knew.
Ultimately no one in the small city of Albany, California, was safe from the repercussions of the accounts’ discovery. Not the girls targeted by the posts. Not the boy who created the account. Not the group of kids that followed it. Not the adults – educators and parents – whose attempts to fix things too often made them worse.
In the end, no one was laughing. And everyone was left asking: Where does accountability begin and end for online speech that harms? And what does accountability even mean?
2023
Worthy of Love
By: Andre Fenton
Summary: Adrian Carter is a young mixed-race teen struggling with poor self-image, but he's through with being bullied for his weight. Adrian decides to shed the pounds, no matter what it takes. When he meets and falls for Mel Woods, a confident and sensible girl with a passion for fitness, his motivation to change leads him to take dangerous measures. When Mel confronts Adrian about his methods of weight loss he is left trying to find a balance between the number on the scale and wondering if he'll ever be worthy of love
