Project Description

THE UNLIKELY HERO OF ROOM 13B

Published in USA by Random House
Published in Canada by Doubleday Canada

When Adam meets Robyn at a support group for kids coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he is drawn to her almost before he can take a breath. He’s determined to protect and defend her–to play Batman to her Robyn–whatever the cost. But when you’re fourteen and the everyday problems of dealing with divorced parents and step-siblings are supplemented by the challenges of OCD, it’s hard to imagine yourself falling in love. How can you have a “normal” relationship when your life is so fraught with problems? And that’s not even to mention the small matter of those threatening letters Adam’s mother has started to receive…

Teresa Toten sets some tough and topical issues against the backdrop of a traditional whodunit in this engaging new novel that readers will find hard to put down.

READ AN EXCERPT
DOWNLOAD DISCUSSION GUIDES
READ A Q&A WITH TERESA
Walrus Magazine Online – Interview

Interview with Teresa following her Governor General Award for Unlikely Hero.
Read the complete interview ›

Available worldwide and at:
CHAPTERS INDIGO CANADA | AMAZON CANADA | AMAZON USA

AWARDS

  • Winner, Governor General’s Award, Children’s Literature 2013
  • Winner, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award 2014
  • Winner, Canadian Librarian’s Association Honour Book Award 2014
  • Winner, CBC Bookie Award YA Category 2014
  • Finalist, Libris Awards, Young Readers Book of the Year
  • Finalist, OLA White Pine Award
  • Finalist Willow Award
  • Finalist, The Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Awards
  • Quill& Quire Best of 2013
  • Ontario Librarian’s Association Best Bets 2013
  • Winnipeg Public Library Best of the Best 2013
  • Canadian Children’s Book Centre Starred Best Books of 2014

Toten spins an equally compelling — and occasionally humorous — story about the difficulties ALL adolescents face in getting to know themselves and how they fit in society…

— Montreal Gazette

I must draw attention to this title, a recent Canadian award-winning title.
It is a gorgeously written contemporary novel…

— fabbityfabbookreviews.com

There are no missteps here… Excellent novels like this are surefire ways to change the attitude of the young towards mental illness. This deft, thoughtful and hilariously funny novel will remain in the mind for a long, long time…

— Canadian Materials

There is something so special about this novel, I can’t even put into words. It’s the type of story you can’t stop reading. It’s the kind of story that breaks your heart and makes you smile at the same time. I truly believe that every student should be forced to read this book. We’re all unlikely superheroes…

— My Pen My Voice

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13b is a lovely little gem of a book that embraces imbalance and all the horror and wonder that it can spawn. The ending, while painful, carries with it a great deal of hope for Adam’s future. It promises a long road to improvement instead of wrapping everything up in a nice pretty bow, and that degree of restraint affords Toten’s novel a certain amount of quiet authenticity.

— Backlisted

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13b is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story of life, loss, love, brokenness, and the purest form of bravery: giving in and asking for help.

— Quill & Quire, Starred Review