''Looking for X'' is a children's novel written for ages 9–12 by

Deborah Ellis Deborah Ellis (born August 7, 1960) is a Canadian fiction writer and activist. Her themes are often concerned with the sufferings of persecuted children in the Third World. Early life Born in Cochrane Ontario, Ellis and her family moved several ...

. This book is about an eleven-year-old girl named Khyber that lives in a poorer area,

Regent Park Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario built in the late 1940s as a public housing project managed by Toronto Community Housing. It sits on what used to be a significant part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood and ...

, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. She lives there with her mother and her twin brothers who are both autistic. One day Khyber shows up at school and is accused of breaking the windows of her teacher's classroom. When she is expelled she sets off in the middle of the night to find her friend X, a homeless woman who lives in the park across the street from her house. She is the only one that can clear Khyber's name. She spends all night wandering the streets in search of X and has the adventure of a lifetime.

Awards

Governor General's Literary Awards The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual List of awards presented by the governor general of Canada, awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. Th ...

Winner 2000 Children's Literature (Text) Canada * Runner-up in the Groundwood Twentieth Anniversary First Novel for Children Contest

References

1999 Canadian novels Canadian children's novels Novels set in Toronto 1999 children's books Governor General's Award–winning children's books Children's books set in Toronto {{Canada-novel-stub