Pajama Press

“MacLean, the award-winning author of The Nine Lives of Travis Keating, The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy and Home Truths, has a serious track record for developing wonderfully drawn, multi-layered teen characters and this book is no exception. This is the Bedford author’s first book done in free verse, however, which seems to help give it an extra layer of emotional resonance.

…MacLean tackles many issues — bullying, family relationships, death, insecurity, animal cruelty, first romance, toxic relationships — in convincing fashion in this wonderful new novel, as finely crafted as the intricate boxes that Nix takes pride in making in his dad’s woodworking shop in their little Newfoundland village.”—Pam Sword

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…Gunnery nicely captures the way families really are, the sweet, mundane and strained interactions of everyday life.

A longtime N.S. junior and senior high school teacher, Gunnery deftly handles the interactions among Emily, her schoolmates and teachers and her best friend Jenn, as well as giving credibility to Emily as the narrator.

Emily for Real is a satisfying read for teens who will root for Emily as she faces the challenges of friendship and families and growing up.

–Pam Sword, The Chronicle Herald

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