Key Selling Points Timely topic: Abortion rightsFor fans of Unpregnant and Unbecoming, or readers curious about the Canadian side of the fight for access to abortion and the historical background. Suitable for YA readers, ages 15+No direct comps: While there are a number of YA novels about accidental pregnancies and teens seeking abortion, there are none that accurately represent the history of abortion in Canada.Author is an award-winning writer for young readers and retired teacher-librarian. Includes an afterword and historical note about the fight for the right to abortions in Canada and Dr. Henry Morgentaler (1913-2013)Creates an opportunity to discuss reproductive rights, bodily autonomy, right to medical care, public policy and laws, as well as the many interconnected issues involved, such as sexual assault, date rape, and differing beliefs (pro-choice/anti-abortion). Marketing Summary Media outreach for print features, excerpts, review coverage, broadcast and television interviews to national, regional, and subject-specific outlets Pre-publication submissions to Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Foreword Reviews, Booklist, Quill & Quire, Globe & Mail, CBC Books, etc.Social media campaigns, influencer outreach, book trailer, and online-only features and contentAward submission to Canadian Children's Book Centre awards, Forest of Reading, awards for Jewish-identifying authors, and Canadian young readers choice awards.Publicity and promotion in conjunction with author's speaking engagementsBook launch at McNally Robinson in WinnipegSelect print and online advertisingPromotion to school, library, historical, and literary organizationsPartnerships and outreach to women's groups, reproductive health groups, teenagers, youth groupsSamples for industry-only access on Catalist, Bookmanager, and EdelweissPartner with bookstores for displays and co-op.Free teaching guide will be available for download on the publisher's websiteElectronic ARCsDigital collateral availableExcerpts available

Thirteen-year-old Dale Melnyk finds himself stuck in an iron lung, desperately fighting for breath — and wishing he could die. It is the worst outbreak of polio in the history of Winnipeg, and Dale is one of the many young victims being treated in the early 1950s. Second Chances follows Dale's slow and often agonizing struggle to regain his life, first of all to breathe on his own and then to regain the use of his limbs. Will he ever be able to play hockey again, he wonders? Dale comes to realize that he is doing better than a number of the other patients including Charlene, a young Métis girl confined to a wheelchair but always trying to help their fellow patients. When Dale discovers his younger brother Brent is also in the polio ward because their father rejected the school program vaccine, a confrontation with his father becomes inevitable. Brent is not getting better and will be dealing with paralysis indefinitely.When Dale finally emerges from his recovery he must reassess what is most important in life — a life that has been changed forever.