Buffie, Margaret

Out of Focus

In this novel by Margaret Buffie, 16-year-old Bernice Dodd feels lucky. Her mother's inheriting Black Spruce Lodge means no more roach-infested apartments or bullies in the hallways. No more avoiding the landlord or sneaking away in the middle of the night because the rent is overdue. But some things will probably never change. Bernie will still have to take care of her younger siblings. Her mother will keep disappearing on drinking binges and find yet another creep of a boyfriend. And Bernie's anger toward her mother will continue to grow. Could Black Spruce Lodge be the family's last chance to get their lives in focus? Will Bernie find some perspective -- on her emotions, on Jack, the boy next door, and on Tony, the goodlooking novelist across the lake? One thing is very clear, though: rage doesn't let go without a fight.

Dark Garden, The

In this Gothic novel by award-winner Margaret Buffie, 16-year-old Thea is suffering from traumatic amnesia. As she returns home and begins to rediscover who she is, the empty places of her mind fill up with shadowy memories. When she begins to hear voices from the past, she must find out what these ghosts want with her. By facing the ghosts, Thea comes to terms with her life. Her search will have young adult readers eagerly turning the pages to the very end.

Who Is Frances Rain?

In this 20th-anniverary edition of the novel by Margaret Buffie, it's going to be a long, hot summer for 15-year-old Lizzie. Normally a vacation at her grandmother's northern Manitoba cottage is the highlight of the year, but this summer the whole family is going along, including her new stepfather whom she detests. To escape the family's bickering, Lizzie explores a nearby island, where she finds the remains of an old cabin and uncovers a pair of spectacles. When she tries on the old glasses she is surprised to find herself watching a woman and girl from the past. Lizzie is determined to find out who these ghosts are, and why they are appearing to her. Enlisting the help of her grandmother's teenage neighbor, Alex, she puts together clues about the ghosts' identities and in doing so, finds a way to help her estranged family reunite. It's a compelling story, carrying young readers from the present to the past and back again.

The Watcher (The Watcher's Quest)

In this first book of the Watcher's Quest trilogy, 15-year-old Emma has long suspected that something is not quite as it should be in her life. With her long, pale face and white hair, she looks nothing like her parents or frail younger sister. She acts nothing like them, either. While her parents happily pursue their daily routine, Emma senses danger. She knows she must watch over the family day and night -- but why, she doesn't know. Things spin out of control when Emma takes a summer job caring for an eccentric elderly neighbor and is drawn into playing a strange board game. She's suddenly plagued by surreal, frightening dreams that begin to invade her waking hours. Emma is soon hurtled from her quiet farm life into strange worlds of intrigue and terror. As she becomes a participant in a bizarre game of life and death, the mystery surrounding her is solved ... and her future decided.

The warnings

The Haunting of Frances Rain (Point)

My Mother's Ghost

Someone Else's Ghost

Seeker (Watcher's Quest Trilogy)

Here is the second volume of Margaret Buffie's Watcher's Quest trilogy. Emma's Earth mother, Leto, is dying. Longing to be reunited with her human daughter, Ailla, who was stolen at birth, she has lost her will to live. Emma has pledged to find the missing child and restore order to her adopted family's life. But the quest becomes a dangerous race when Emma realizes she isn't the only one searching for Ailla.

Angels Turn Their Backs

Fifteen-year-old Addy panics and runs back to her room, her heart pounding. She can't do it. She can't go to school. Addy is afraid of taking even one step out of the house. And it's worse than that. She can't hear people when they're right in front of her, yet she hears voices that no one else can. Addy feels as if she's falling apart. Where can she turn? Her parents have just split up and her one real friend is a thousand miles away. Addy wishes she were back at her old school, but she knows there's no going back. The trouble is, she can't move forward. She can't even leave her room. Margaret Buffie's Angels Turn Their Backs is a compelling, supernatural thriller about a girl whose life is suddenly turned upside down by agoraphobia.