When life knocks you flat on your back, and you know you've had enough, try telling that to a dog demanding his walk. Jay Walker is a fake. He acts full when starved and happy when sad. How else is a guy who has a deadbeat for a mother and a sister battling cancer supposed to feel? And isn't walking a pet just a chore? Too bad the dog doesn't know that. The dog lives in the now, embraces life to the fullest and gives his whole heart when offering love. Off Leash is unique because it showcases issues of poverty that transcend countries, age and color. Alternatively told between the POV of both...

Lindsay looks and acts like the perfect fifteen year-old, but she's hiding a dirty little secret that no amount of fashionista coverings can make better. Telling her mother her step-father is molesting her is not an option. Trying to kill herself again haunts her more than the scars on her wrists, and pretending to be perfect at school might very well drive her over the edge. Megan knows all about lying. It's been part of her life ever since she realized the only way to escape her poverty-stricken neighborhood was to work hard, keep her mouth shut and wear a mask no one can penetrate. All...

The hard knocks of life keep piling up for Eje. Born into a country on the brink of civil war, he knows the real meaning of survival. After a decade living in Canada, things aren't getting any easier but if he can keep his head down for his last year of high school he thinks there might be an out for him from his poverty-stricken neighborhood. Too bad fate likes to throw fastballs at Eje and he's forced into an afterschool paddling program. The Aquatic club is filled with white kids, who like to run for fun and paddle for performance. Eje has talent but liking paddling doesn't mean much when...