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Standing on Neptune

by Valerie Sherrard

Subject
Novels in Verse
Age
9-12 years
Format
Trade Paperback
Pages
160
Publisher
Dcb
Size
13.9 cm × 20.4 cm
ISBN
9781770866874

Am I pregnant?

This question shatters the peace of seventeen-year-old Brooke Palinder’s life one Monday morning when she realizes her period is late. Although shaken, she’s determined to hide her feelings and go about her daily routine as though nothing is wrong.

Brooke’s boyfriend Ryan handles the news poorly, and she can’t bring herself to confide in anyone else, not even her best friend.

In an effort to distract herself, Brooke throws herself into a school project about Neptune, which leads her to some startling discoveries and a surprising sense of connection to the distant planet.

But by Saturday, she knows she must face the answer to the question that began her week.

Standing on Neptune is a novel in verse from the celebrated author of Counting Back from Nine, The Glory Wind, and Birdspell.

About the author

Valerie SherrardAuthor

Valerie Sherrard is an award-winning author of picture books and young adult novels. Her novel The Glory Wind won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction and the Ann Conner Brimer Award. Sherrard’s first novel in verse, Counting Back from Nine was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award. Her works have been chosen as Red Maple and White Pine Award Honour Books, and she has been nominated for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award and Snow Willow Award. Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, she now lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick.

Data provided by BiblioShare.

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What reviewers said

“5/5 stars. Highly Recommended”
Dave Jenkinson
“Sherrard enables readers to see how differently the two teens see their relationship and this situation that they may be in. She beautifully, succinctly captures Brooke's sense of loneliness and isolation, her uncertainty and fear, and both her desire to know and her dread of knowing. … This is an insightful, thought-provoking and perceptive novel, a brief but impactful exploration of the complexities of the human heart.”
Lisa Doucet
“A tender, intense story capturing the vast scope of a young adult’s interior universe.”
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© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.