Prince of Pot

Prince of Pot

Written by: Kyi, Tanya Lloyd
ages 13 and up / grades 9 and up

Legalizing weed doesn’t mean that living on a secret, family-run grow-op is easy, especially when your new girlfriend turns out to be the daughter of a cop.

Isaac loves art class, drives an old pickup, argues with his father and hangs out with his best buddy, Hazel. But his life is anything but normal. His parents operate an illegal marijuana grow-op, Hazel is a bear that guards the property, and his family’s livelihood is a deep secret.

It’s no time to fall in love with the daughter of a cop.

Isaac’s girlfriend Sam is unpredictable, ambitious and needy. And as his final year of high school comes to an end, she makes him consider a new kind of life pursuing his interest in art, even if that means leaving behind his beloved home in the Rockies and severing all ties with his family.

For a while he hopes he can have it all, until a disastrous graduation night, when Sam’s desperate grab for her father’s attention suddenly puts his entire family at risk.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Legalizing weed doesn’t mean that living on a secret, family-run grow-op is easy, especially when your new girlfriend turns out to be the daughter of a cop.

Isaac loves art class, drives an old pickup, argues with his father and hangs out with his best buddy, Hazel. But his life is anything but normal. His parents operate an illegal marijuana grow-op, Hazel is a bear that guards the property, and his family’s livelihood is a deep secret.

It’s no time to fall in love with the daughter of a cop.

Isaac’s girlfriend Sam is unpredictable, ambitious and needy. And as his final year of high school comes to an end, she makes him consider a new kind of life pursuing his interest in art, even if that means leaving behind his beloved home in the Rockies and severing all ties with his family.

For a while he hopes he can have it all, until a disastrous graduation night, when Sam’s desperate grab for her father’s attention suddenly puts his entire family at risk.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Published By Groundwood Books Ltd — Sep 1, 2017
Specifications 216 pages | 5.5 in x 8.25 in
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Excerpt
Teacher's Guide
Written By

TANYA LLOYD KYI is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including Eyes and Spies and Anywhere but Here. She spent several childhood years in Crawford Bay near Isaac’s imaginary home, and while she didn’t live on a grow-op, there were plenty of habituated bears around. She has yet to forgive the one that wrecked her swing set. Tanya now lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children.

Written By

TANYA LLOYD KYI is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including Eyes and Spies and Anywhere but Here. She spent several childhood years in Crawford Bay near Isaac’s imaginary home, and while she didn’t live on a grow-op, there were plenty of habituated bears around. She has yet to forgive the one that wrecked her swing set. Tanya now lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children.

Audience ages 13 and up / grades 9 and up
Reading Levels Lexile HL670L
Common Core CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6

“This truly immersive story … perfectly captures the classic warring emotions of late adolescence.” —Booklist

“An engaging story set in an atypical locale that will universally appeal to teens.” —School Library Journal

“The story is absorbing and full of ethical issues for a teen discussion.(...)Prince of Pot's fast pace and narrative fluency, combined with an interesting setting and relationships, make for a successful tale.” —Canadian Review of Materials