Heather Smith Books in Order

Moving to a new city and school does little to ease Kit’s troubles with her alcoholic father and withdrawn mother. Meeting Elliot helps her look beyond her own unhappiness as she navigates family pressures and growing up in Newfoundland.

Fourteen-year-old Bun leaves her hoarder mother’s isolated home after being told to go. In St. John’s, a street musician takes her into a household of troubled outsiders, where friendship opens a wider world and offers a different kind of family.

Angus experiences sparkling objects as sounds as well as sights, until classmates mock the beaded necklace he wears to school. A kind gesture from a friend helps him recover confidence in this picture book about acceptance and celebrating differences.

Eleven-year-old Jett spends a summer with Grandma Jo after a disastrous year following his father’s imprisonment. Told in free verse, his story traces the bad decisions and betrayal he keeps secret as he struggles toward forgiveness and a fresh start.

Lou’s Saturday visits with Grandad and Pops change after a fall leaves Pops using a wheelchair and reluctant to leave his room. Drawing on shared inventions and patient encouragement, Lou works with Grandad to help Pops rediscover enjoyment and connection.

After an online photo attracts cruel mockery, Poppy hides behind a chicken costume at her restaurant job. New friendships, including an unlikely bond with six-year-old Miracle, challenge her bleak outlook, while a betrayal tests her emerging understanding of other people.

A devastating wave takes loved ones from Makio and Mr. Hirota’s Japanese village. Mr. Hirota builds a garden phone booth with an unconnected telephone, giving grieving neighbors a place to speak to those they have lost and begin to heal.

Twelve-year-old Barry Squires dreams of joining St. John’s Full Tilt Dancers, a troupe that promises an outlet for his ambition and energy. His pursuit unfolds among eccentric neighbors and a loving family coping with its own struggles.

After months of neglect, Tig and her brother move in with their uncle and his partner. Tig resists her new home and takes up competitive cheese racing, struggling to trust a family that might offer lasting safety.