My Books

“In the tradition of greats like Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary, VanSickle totally gets the Middle School/Junior high vibe of friends, relationships and the confusions surrounding love. ” Indigo Kids Blog 

 

Summer Days, Starry Nights

Fourteen year old Reenie Starr loves her family’s summer resort, Sandy Shores, more than anything else on earth. The resort falls on hard times the summer of 1962, so the Starrs decide to hire a young dancer from the city to come up and run an entertainment program. When 17 year old Gwendolyn Cates arrives, Reenie is starstruck by her glamorous looks and exciting lifestyle. But Gwendolyn is not exactly who she seems to be, and her arrival sets off a series of events that will change Reenie’s life forever.

Coming in June 2013!

Pre-order at Indigo, Amazon or your local bookstore. Add to Goodreads here.

Words That Start With B

Brilliant. Best-ever. That’s how grade seven was supposed to be, but so far things aren’t turning out as well as Clarissa Louise Delaney had planned. It’s hard enough being the unexceptional daughter of a bona-fide beauty queen, but lately her best friend Benji can’t seem to stick up for himself, Michael Greenblat keeps giving her strange gifts, and Mattie Cohen, world class good-two-shoes,seems to think they are friends. Things can’t possibly get any worse, or can they? In this year of surprises, you’ll laugh as Clarissa tackles boys, bullies, and the one b word she can’t bring herself to say.

What People Are Saying about WORDS THAT START WITH B…

“Clarissa’s courage in standing up for what is right, even when it is not popular (even when it is dangerous), make her an admirable intermediate hero in a book that should elicit rich avenues for discussion in class.” Professionally Speaking: The Magazine of the Ontario College of Teachers

“Vikki VanSickle’s debut Middle Grade novel is a feel-good story. It might surprise you to learn then, that two of the most central “B Words” in the novel are Breast Cancer and bullying. But VanSickle manages these heavy issues with a delicate hand, making her novel into a heart-warming and incredibly true-to-life story of one girl’s unexpected grade seven year. You’ll be charmed.” Shelf Elf

“With a good dose of humour and some realistic vulnerability, Clarissa is a likeable and believable protagonist. Even better, the book is a well-crafted and enjoyable first effort from a writer who is obviously tuned in to the minds and emotions of young teens.” Quill and Quire

* Shortlisted for the 2011 CBA Libris Awards’ Children’s Book of the Year

* A Best Books for Kids and Teens selection, 2011

* Recommended List, IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 2011

Available for purchase here,  here, or at your local bookstore.

Also available in eformat at Kobo and Google

Available in FRENCH, as c comme catastrophe:

Click here to order.

Love is a Four-Letter Word

Love: little word, big consequences. Clarissa has never given much thought to the word herself; she has other things to worry about, like her mother’s illness and how to get through grade eight now that her best friend Benji has been adopted by a bunch of musical theatre nerds. When Mattie becomes distracted by a crush and her mother starts spending too much time with her handsome personal trainer, Clarissa wonders when she stopped being enough for all the people in her life. Enter Michael, who seems to be interested in more than just friendship. But is that what Clarissa wants? In this laugh-out-loud follow-up to Words That Start With B, Clarissa discovers that while the word may be simple, love rarely is. September, 2011.

What People are Saying About LOVE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD…

“Highly recommended reading. Funny, heart-warming and contemporary. Loved it. If you enjoyed Shug by Jenny Han, or enjoyed the Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry, or have enjoyed the work of Susin Nielsen, I think you will love this.” Fabbity Fab Book Reviews

“VanSickle’s writing gives her young characters, especially Clarissa, the clear and honest voices of youth, hopeful but laden with anxiety.” CanLit for Little Canadians

“After finishing both of Vikki Vansickle’s Clarissa Delaney books I’m truly enchanted by the small town vibe she’s created, the characters and am sorry to leave them behind.” Wild About Words

*An Indigo Kids Blog Best Book of 2011

* A Best Books for Kids and Teens selection ,2012

Order here and here or at your local independent bookstore.

Also available in eformat at Kobo and Google

Days That End in Y

One summer. That’s all the time it takes to set your world spinning, or so Clarissa learns. Feeling abandoned by Mattie (camp), Benji (drama school), and even Michael (baseball), Clarissa feels even more alone when her mother accepts Doug’s proposal of marriage. This announcement gets Clarissa thinking about her father, and her search for answers leads to her stumbling upon information about the secret teenage life of her mother, and more importantly, about Bill, her absentee father.

Things get complicated when she spots a man who looks a lot like Bill. Will Clarissa be able to move beyond the past and take part in Annie’s vision of the future? Happily ever after has never seemed so impossible.

What People are Saying About DAYS THAT END IN  Y…

“Without taking easy turns, or accepting simple, happily-ever-after solutions, Clarissa muddles, fights, and breaks her way through some life-altering times in her life; growing up a little bit in the process and becoming a lot wiser. The last few pages of Days That End in Y are especially so touching and all-around fantastic, highlighting just how awesome of a young woman Clarissa has become. I adore Clarissa’s story and VanSickle’s writing.”Fabbity Fab Book Reviews

“Vikki VanSickle has been called the new Judy Blume, and I think it’s well-deserved. Her characters are memorable … her pacing skilled, and her prose beautiful. I had trouble deciding whether to devour this novel or savour it as the last I’ll see of Clarissa Delaney.”  Rachelle Delaney

“Vikki VanSickle’s Clarissa and Benji are the perfect escorts for middle-grade readers to navigate those transition years… In Days That End in Y, as in the first two books, Clarissa and Benji make mistakes with each other and with others, including their families…There is angst, questioning, confusion, misunderstanding, arrogance and the optimism of youth… a series that will be greatly missed but one of which we can be proud as readers of wonderful young CanLit.” CanLit for Little Canadians

“Clarissa is delightfully raw, honest, strong, imperfect and just so very real…The relationship between Clarissa and her mom is marvelous…[I] enjoyed the fact that nothing was tied up sweetly or unrealistically.” Misbehavin’ Librarian 

Order here, here or at your local bookstore!

See the winner in the DAYS THAT END IN Y book trailer contest here!