• Age: 11 to 13
• Grade: 6 to 8
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Jax meets Liv, the new girl at school who shares his love of music, but that’s not all they have in common …

Jax has big plans for grade eight: seeing if his maybe-girlfriend, Samantha, will become his actual girlfriend, and being first trumpet in the school band.

Enter Liv, the new girl Jax meets at band auditions. Liv’s a star on the trumpet too. In fact, she might be better than Jax.

When Jax and Liv start rehearsing together, they go from duet partners to fast friends. Soon, they learn that they share something more than a love of music — something that will change their whole world and make them rethink what it means to be “family.”

Eric Walters is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling novels for children and young adults. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Silver Birch, Blue Heron, Red Maple, Snow Willow, Ruth Schwartz, and Tiny Torgi, and have received honours from the Canadian Library Association Book Awards and UNESCO's international award for Literature in Service of Tolerance.

Eric lives in Mississauga with his wife, Anita, and three children, Christina, Nicholas, and Julia. When not writing or touring across the country speaking to school groups, Eric spends time playing or watching soccer and basketball, or playing the saxophone.

To find out more about Eric and his novels, or to arrange for him to speak at your school, visit his website at www.ericwalters.net.

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Eric Walters' profile page

“The story of The Club could be happening anywhere in the world. The circumstances are not uncommon, and with access to DNA and ancestral records, it's becoming more frequent that genetic relatives are being linked. But Eric Walters makes this less about the process and more about the outcomes and what they mean for these kids. Their worlds have changed and in a good way.”

Helen Kubiw, <i>CanLit for Little Canadians</i>

“A strong, accessible, and relevant story about modern families.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Eric Walters provides readers with insights into empathy and family relationships in The Club.”

Myra Junyk, <i>CM: Canadian Review of Materials</i>