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 |
| Keywords | teenage relationships; coming of age; high school; marijuana; painting; self expression; creativity; art therapy; making decisions; finding your place; family and family issues; courage; honesty; responsibility; commitment; empathy; first person narration; metaphors; simile; imagery; figurative language; predicting; connecting; Common Core Aligned; grade 9; grade 10; grade 11; grade 12; English Language Arts; teen mystery and thriller; YA romance; Rocky Mountains; Canada; Pacific northwest; |
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Supporting Resources
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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.” —CM: Canadian Review of Materials