CanLit for LittleCanadians

Author Alice Kuipers: Guest Post

2012-03-12T11:49:00.000-04:00

With the recent release of 40 Things I Want To Tell You (HarperCollins Canada, 2012), reviewed here on 02/23/2012, author Alice Kuipers has kindly agreed to share some of her writing tips with her readers.

Welcome

* Alice Kuipers *

I’m really glad to be visiting you during my blog tour – thanks for the terrific, mind-blowing review. I loved reading it (it actually made me cry)!

I thought today I’d post a little bit on a writing tip that inspires me. Just as Bird, the main character in 40 Things I Want To Tell You, loves to give tips and advice, I figured I’d do the same thing!

I have read several writers who’ve said they don’t believe in writer's block. I used to wonder what they meant by that, how could they not believe in it, surely being stuck was part of the writing process. Now I think this tip is one of the most useful writing tips ever. Writer's block is something that real writers don’t have time for. For writers, sitting at their desk and writing is their job and they get on with it. If a story doesn’t seem like it’s working, or a character isn’t doing whatever they’re supposed to do, then a writer can just get up and walk away. They can write something else for a while, or read a book. But they can’t let themselves believe in writer’s block because it’s a waste of precious writing time.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t get confused by what I’m trying to do on the page, and it doesn’t mean it isn’t hard. It’s really hard. Every day, writing is awkward and stressful and confusing and difficult. But if it wasn’t difficult, then I wouldn’t love doing it.

Someone much cleverer than me said, "You earn the good days.” I wish I could remember who, because they are right. By writing through the tough times and through the days when it makes no sense, a writer earns those blessed days when the words flow and the story seems, even for an hour, utterly perfect.

Come and visit me at www.alicekuipers.com for writing tips, advice or just to say hello!

***

If you missed Alice Kuipers TwitterChat about writing on

March 7, 2012, be sure to check out the Savvy Reader to read her answers to readers' questions.

In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up

2012-03-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

by Monica Kulling

Illustrated by David Parkins

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-239-4

32 pp.

Ages 5-9

2011

Margaret (Mattie) Knight was one of those amazing women who never let her gender stand in her way, though others tried. As a young girl in mid-1800's New Hampshire, Mattie enjoyed building purposeful items from wood, using the tools inherited from her father who'd died when she was 3. She built kites and sleds, but when she began to work in a cotton mill (still as a young girl), she put her inventing skills to greater use. While captivated by the looms and other large machinery involved in spinning and weaving, Mattie recognized inherent dangers therein and designed a device that prevented moving shuttles from blasting off when threads broke.

Mattie was only 12 when she invented this stop-motion device, preventing her from registering a patent for it, but she consoled herself with the injuries her device prevented. Never marrying, Mattie continued to dream up machines when she wasn't working. In 1868, when she worked at a paper-bag factory, Mattie was inspired to design a machine that would cut, fold and paste a paper bag with a flat bottom. It was only because of her perseverance, toiling for years on her machine and then taking a patent thief to court, that Mattie was able to establish herself as the ingenious woman inventor she was.

Biographies can be dry reading for children, as can most non-fiction, if the authors and publishers forget to focus on those features of text that make the reading compelling. Tundra's Great Ideas Series, with three volumes all penned by Monica Kulling, tell biographies as stories, emphasizing the milestones of visionaries' ideas, rather than the minutiae of their timelines. Enhanced with detailed and appealing illustrations by David Parkins, The Beano contributor and émigré from the United Kingdom, In the Bag! seems less non-fiction and more picture book, favourably widening its readership.

With In the Bag!, Monica Kulling demonstrates a knack she has for crafting reader-friendly biographies for children. Her earlier books in the Great Ideas Series of illustrated biographies, It's a Snap! George Eastman's First Photograph (Tundra, 2009) and All Aboard! Elijah McCoy's Steam Engine (Tundra, 2010), have been nominated for the OLA's Silver Birch Express Award (2011 and 2012, respectively), with In the Bag! currently nominated for a Shining Willow Award. I suspect that the release of Going Up! Elisha Otis' Trip To The Top (Tundra, fall 2012) will similarly find an eager audience of young readers who appreciate the colourful tales of innovation, all the more intriguing for their factual nature.

CBC Bookie Awards

2012-03-09T18:41:00.001-05:00

In 2011, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) introduced the CBC Bookie Awards as an opportunity for readers to choose their favourite Canadian reads published the previous year. Based on the selections of the well-read CBC personnel from CBC Books, Canada Reads, Writers & Company, The Next Chapter, as well as recommendations from the public, five titles in each of ten categories are nominated. Readers can then cast their votes (only once per category per day).

This year's CBC Bookies Awards nominees were announced yesterday and voting must take place online before 11:59 p.m. ET of Saturday, March 31. The winners will be announced at a CBC Twitter Chat (#CanLit) on Thursday, April 5.

This year's ten categories, which include two international ones, are:

Literary Fiction
Non-Fiction
Poetry
Thriller, Mystery or Crime
Science Fiction, Fantasy or Speculative Fiction
Young Adult
Graphic Novel or Comic Book
Short Story Collection
International Fiction
International Non-Fiction

The one category relevant to CanLit for LittleCanadians is the Young Adult category. The finalists for this category are:

Blink and Caution

by Tim Wynne-Jones
Candlewick Press

The Gathering

by Kelley Armstrong
Doubleday Canada

No Ordinary Day

by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books

This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins Canada

Tilt

by Alan Cumyn
Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press

Use this CBC Bookies link to cast your vote(s) for your favourites in the Young Adult category, but only until the end of March 31, 2012. (The ballot below is as it appears on the CBC Bookies website)

Retrieved from the CBC Bookies website on March 9, 2012.

Let CBC and others know what YACanLit are your favourites from 2011.

BC Book Prizes

2012-03-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

The BC Book Prizes are annual literary awards selected by the West Coast Prize Society for writers and illustrators who are British Columbia or Yukon residents (or have lived there for three of the last five years). Established in 1985, the BC Book Prizes take submissions until the end of January deadline, announcing their shortlists in the award-ravaged month of March. The award-winning books and authors/illustrators are announced at a Book Prize Soirée in May in Vancouver. The logo of the BC Book Prizes and the book seals for short-listed and winning titles was created from BC artist, Roy Henry Vickers's work, Eagle Full Circle (1982).

Here are the seven categories for the BC Book Prizes:

Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize
Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize
Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize
Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize
Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award

An additional award, the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, which recognizes BC writers who have contributed to the development of literary excellence there, is also presented at the Book Prizes Gala.

The finalists (i.e., short-listed titles) for the 2012 BC Book Prizes were announced yesterday for all seven literary awards. Below CanLit for LittleCanadians has noted those titles for the two awards dedicated to books for young readers.

Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize

Awarded to the author of novels, including chapter books, aimed at juveniles and young adults, as well as non-fiction books for children (including biography) which have not been highly illustrated.
(from http://www.bcbookprizes.ca/about)

The 2012 finalists are:

BloodRed Road
by Moira Young
Doubleday Canada

I’ll Be Watching
by Pamela Porter
Groundwood Books

Nowhere Else on Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest
by Caitlyn Vernon
Orca Book Publishers

The Runaway
by Glen Huser
Tradewind Books

What is Real
by Karen Rivers
Orca Book Publishers

Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize

Awarded to the author and illustrator of picture books, picture story books, and illustrated non-fiction books

(from http://www.bcbookprizes.ca/about)

The 2012 finalists are:

Dalen & Gole: Scandal in Port Angus
by Mike Deas
Orca Book Publishers

Grandpa’s Girls
by Nicola I. Campbell
Illustrated by Kim LaFave
Groundwood Books

Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been?
by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by Rae Maté
Simply Read Books

Shake Awakes
by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Marc Mongeau
Tradewind Books

When I Was Small
by Sara O'Leary
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Simply Read Books

We look forward to the announcement of the winning titles, authors and illustrators on May 12, 2012.

Cross Katie Kross

2012-03-07T17:17:00.001-05:00

by Donna Morrissey
Illustrated by Bridgette Morrissey
Penguin Canada
978-0-670-06479-3
32 pp.
Ages 4+
2012

Katie Kross is the mean woman that every child on any street knows to avoid. She's always cross and unhappy. Often what makes someone mean is a mystery, except for Katie Kross. She doesn't "like most anything" except Love Valley: a wondrous place from her dreams with soft grass, sweet air, and kindly animals, and where Katie is very happy.

As with most of us, Katie Kross is determined to recapture that happiness by finding Love Valley. But the road to Love Valley is not clear. Katie walks for days and days, only to find herself at the crossroads where a rabbit points her along the "obvious" road. But, after a long trek, she reaches a dead end. Cross and achy, Katie attempts to sleep but is kept awake by an irritatingly loud brook. Jumpins! Nothing seems to be going right for Katie.

Back to the crossroads, Katie returns and chooses a different road, as advised by a preening fox. Unfortunately, her travels end without finding Love Valley again. Finally, Katie travels the only crossroad remaining and ventures into dark woods with lovely fountains of sweet pink juice from which Katie drinks and drinks and drinks. Katie does find Love Valley but the reader will need to enjoy Cross Katie Kross to find its location.

Donna Morrissey, author of award-winning adult fiction including Downhill Chance (Penguin Canada, 2002) and Sylvanus Now (Penguin Canada, 2005), joins her daughter, artist Bridgette Morrissey, in their first picture book collaboration. Children will recognize quite quickly what makes Katie Kross so mean and that her reaction to disappointment feeds her exasperation. But it's the great teachable moment that Cross Katie Kross offers, about being "at the crossroads" and the strife most of us perceive when at this point, that will stoke important discussions.

Bridgette Morrissey's whimsical illustrations add the magic to Katie's home and her travels in search of Love Valley. I needed to know how Bridgette Morrissey (see her website) creates the softness and touchability (I know it's not a word but tactile sensation sounds insensate) to the trees, animals, cakes - everything. An email query to Bridgette Morrissey revealed her technique:

Everyone thinks the illustrations are colored pencil but they are indeed acrylic on paper. I tend to paint very thin so the grain of the paper shows through, giving it that slightly textured look.

(Morrissey, Bridgette. "Re: type of illustration." Email message, March 7, 2012.)

Children may not pick up on the "grass is always greener" allegory but they will pick up on the incongruity of Katie Kross' meanness and the softness of the illustrations and recognize that things are not always as we see them.

***

Below, Donna Morrissey and Bridgette Morrissey discuss their collaboration at a Cross Katie Kross book signing event at The Inside Story bookshop in Greenwood, Nova Scotia. The video was created by Edward Wedler.

Uploaded by Club8104 on Feb 28, 2012 on YouTube.

Marina Cohen: Author Interview

2012-03-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

Marina Cohen, author of Chasing the White Witch, Mind Gap and Ghost Ride, all published by Dundurn Press, graciously agreed to answer a few questions for CanLitforLittleCanadians about her writing.

***

HK: Your newest book, Chasing the White Witch (Dundurn, 2011) has the main character, Claire, looking for solutions to her problems in a book of magic. What first gave you the idea for this plot?

MC: As a kid I always wished I had magical powers. As an adult I came to realize it's a really good thing I didn't! When I was young I was somewhat impulsive and, well, I had a bit of a temper. Add magic to that mix and I'm certain there would have been an awful lot of toads hopping around! The funny thing is, I did own a little book of magic spells. Believe it or not, they were giving them away at a gas station with the purchase of a full tank of gas!

HK: I think that there are so many great characters in the book, like Claire, Jordan, Hollis and Paula-Jean, that I'd love to read a follow-up book for a chance to see a different side to them. Do you foresee writing another book based on the characters in Chasing the White Witch?

MC: Although I wrote this particular book to be a stand-alone novel with no intent to create a series -- I could not help but play with these characters in my mind. A new plot may very well revolve around Claire desperately seeking funds to purchase a grade eight grad dress (one her parents refuse to buy!). Claire delves back into her little book and casts a good luck charm on herself. Needless to say, spells cast for personal profit go awry! Now all I need is a time-management spell for myself so I can write it!

HK: Your other books, Ghost Ride (Dundurn, 2009) and Mind Gap (Dundurn, 2011) also focus on the theme of making choices and dealing with the consequences. But Chasing the White Witch is very different from them in that it is so rich in humour. Was it easier or harder for you to write a book based in humour?

MC: First off, I'm thrilled you think this novel is humourous. I spent night after night at my kitchen table laughing myself silly as I wrote. My husband turned to me more than once and said, "Marina, no one will find this remotely funny." To which I'd respond, "Probably. But I'm having the best time writing it!" On a serious note, I think good humour is extremely difficult to write. I also believe great humourous novels can be undervalued. They are often dismissed as fluff when they have as much to offer a reader as a serious issue book or a fantasy or mystery etc.

HK: Do you have another book in the works or set for publication in 2012 or 2013?

MC: I don't have a book set for publication at this point. Though I currently have a manuscript on submission--a very creepy middle-grade. With a little bit of luck, it will find a home soon!

HK: Would you rather produce one book of extraordinary importance that becomes a classic but one to which all your writing is forever compared, or would you prefer to author many different books for different audiences and which could not be compared to each other?

MC: This is a fabulous question--one I've been mulling over for several days now. I'd love to create a work so rich in language and character, so exquisite in plot and theme that it would one day be deemed a classic. But honestly, I'm not sure I have that book in me. But also, if I could write such a novel, it would come with hefty a cost. To be forever compared to that one great novel (or series!) is extremely difficult for a writer. I, for one, am very excited to read J.K. Rowling's new novel. I intend not to compare it to Harry Potter -- though sadly, I'm sure many will.

***

Many thanks to Marina Cohen for granting us this interview and share her writing with us.

***

For more about author Marina Cohen and her books, check out her blog and website for more information including book trailers and contact links.

Torn Apart: The Internment Diary of Mary Kobayashi, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1941

2012-03-04T18:39:00.001-05:00

by Susan Aihoshi
Scholastic Canada
978-0-439-94660-5
209 pp.
Ages 8-13
2012

In Torn Apart: The Internment Diary of Mary Kobayashi, Mary turns twelve and looks forward to the simple pleasures of playing tennis with her friends, Sachiko, Maggie and Ellen; going to Girl Guides and Guide camp; attending baseball games with her family; and earning some money for a new bike by berry-picking in Surrey. Although there is a war going on overseas, her life is filled with the simple joys of childhood and the caring of her large family: Mama and Papa; Geechan (her grandfather); older brothers Tad and Mike; older sisters Kay and Emma; and annoying little brother, Harry. But soon, small changes impose on her reality.

At school, where they now do "war work" (e.g., sewing, knitting, map-reading, first aid), Mary endures occasional racial slurs, while the older members of her family acquiesce to carrying their registration cards with them. The veiled prejudice aimed at Japanese-Canadians becomes more public after the December 7 bombing of the American military base at Pearl Harbor and Canada's declaration of war on Japan the following day. Regardless of their citizenship, beliefs, desire to join Canada's military, or reputations, the Japanese-Canadians watch as their Japanese-language newspapers are shut down, their fishing boats seized by the navy, and secure jobs lost. While the older members of her family experience firsthand the discrimination of Canada's government and society, Mary notes what is happening but continues to enjoy a life rich in friendships and family.

However, the consequences of Japan's activities overseas, including seizing Hong Kong and later Singapore, bring a new round of governmental actions aimed at fraying the freedoms of Canada's Japanese, like requiring them to surrender their cars, radios and cameras; follow a dawn-to-dusk curfew; move to "relocation centres"; and concede to being rounded like Mary's Geechan and sent to work camps in the Rockies and elsewhere. With Geechan's leaving, the fabric of Mary's family begins to rip, and slowly they become separated: Mike gets orders to work on a road crew; Tad volunteers for work in northern Ontario; the RCMP take Papa; and Emma, Kay and Mary are sent to the ghost town of New Denver, while Mama remains in Vancouver with a hospitalized Harry.

While reading this newest addition to Scholastic Canada's Dear Canada series, I agonized over the cumulative losses endured by Mary and her family. But, after finishing my reading, I know that Susan Aihoshi was correct in emphasizing the Torn Apart nature of the Japanese-Canadian story. Like a strong furoshiki, able to heft great loads, the Kobayashi's are strong because of their connections, as a family, to each other and to their communities, Japanese and Canadian. But, the challenges of fear and ignorance strive to weaken the fabric, ripping it unceremoniously with Geechan's departure, and more so with each separation.

Susan Aihoshi appropriately uses Mary's voice to express the experience of the Japanese-Canadians during the latter half of World War II. Mary is neither as naive and oblivious as young Harry, who wants to play war and the board game "Yellow Peril", nor succumbing to the life-altering demands of an ignorant government. But, she witnesses the perplexing about-turn of an ill-informed society and she tries to keep her reality intact. Luckily, small kindnesses and thoughtful support slowly weave the frayed threads of that furoshiki together again. Though never the same as the original, the mending offers some hope for re-creating the family tapestry, perhaps with new threads of different hues and composition.

N.B. Susan Aihoshi includes a wealth of historical notes and graphics to enhance and reference Mary's fictional tale.

Twitter Chat with Author Alice Kuipers

2012-03-03T16:37:00.000-05:00

Join us for a

CHAT

with

ALICE KUIPERS

author of

• 40 Things I Need To Tell You •

• The Worst Thing She Ever Did •

• Life on the Refrigerator Door •

• Lost for Words •

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

2 - 3 p.m.

(Eastern Standard Time)

Chat with @AliceKuipers using the following hashtag

Alice Kuipers will be answering questions about writing, her books, being an author, etc.

Look for more input from Alice Kuipers the following week
when she begins her 40 Things I Want To Tell You blog tour,
including a guest post here on March 12, 2012

The Willow Awards: 2012 Nominated Titles

2012-03-02T11:06:00.002-05:00

The 2012 nominees for the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice (SYRCA) awards, the Willow Awards, have been announced.

After reading a minimum number of titles, young readers will be invited to vote for their favourite on February 28, 2013. Award winning titles will be announced in April, 2013 at a gala hosted at a Saskatchewan school.

The three Willow Awards i.e., Shining Willow, Diamond Willow and Snow Willow are detailed below, along with this year's nominated titles.

The Shining Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for youngest readers, those in Kindergarten to Grade 3.

The 2012 Shining Willow nominees are:

• Ella May and the Wishing Stone
by Cary Fagan, Illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Tundra Books
2011

• I Know Here
by Laurel Croza, Illustrated by Matt James
Groundwood Books
2010

• In the Bag!: Margaret Knight Wraps It Up
By Monica Kulling, Illustrated by David Parkins
Tundra Books
2011

• Little Chief and Mighty Gopher: The Pemmican Frenzy
By Victor Lethbridge, Illustrated by Ben Crane
Tatanka Productions
2010

• Loon
By Susan Vande Griek, Illustrated by Karen Reczuch
Groundwood Books
2011

• Picture a Tree!
By Barbara Reid
Scholastic Canada
2011

• Small Saul
By Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
2011

•The Busy Beaver
By Nicholas Oldland
Kids Can Press
2011

• The Flute
By Rachna Gilmore, Illustrated by Pulak Biswas
Tradewind Books
2011

• Tooter's Stinky Wish
By Brian Cretney, Illustrated by Peggy Collins
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
2011

The Diamond Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers of Grades 4 to 6.

The 2012 Diamond Willow nominees are:

• Better Than Weird

By Anna Kerz
Orca Book Publishers
2011

• Full Steam to Canada
By Anne Patton
Coteau Books
2011

• Ghosts of Government House
By Judith Silverthorne
Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing
2011

• Ghosts of the Titanic
By Julie Lawson
Scholastic Canada
2011

• Missing
By Becky Citra
Orca Book Publishers
2011

• No Small Victory
By Connie Brummel Crook
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
2010

• Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World
By Susan Hughes
Owlkids
2011

• Power Play
By Liam O’Donnell, Illustrated by Mike Deas
Orca Book Publishers
2011

• Somebody's Girl
By Maggie de Vries
Ocra Book Publishers
2011

• Spy, Spy Again: True Tales of Failed Espionage
By Tina Holdcroft
Annick Press
2011

The Snow Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers in Grades 7 to 9.

The 2012 Snow Willow nominees are:

• Accomplice
By Valerie Sherrard
Dundurn Press

2011

• Ashes, Ashes
By Jo Treggiari
Scholastic Press

2011

• Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret
By Vicki Grant
HarperTrophy Canada

2011

• Dust City
By Robert Paul Weston
Puffin Canada

2010

• The Gathering
By Kelley Armstrong
Doubleday Canada

2011

• Held
By Edeet Ravel
Annick Press

2011

• Shot at Dawn: World War I, Alan McBride, France 1917
By John Wilson
Scholastic Canada

2011

• This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein

By Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins

2011

• Tori By Design

By Colleen Nelson
Great Plains Fiction

2011

• Undergrounders

By David Skuy
Scholastic Canada

2011

Congratulations to all nominated authors, illustrators and publishers!

Making Bombs for Hitler: Book Launch

2012-03-01T16:54:00.001-05:00

BOOK LAUNCH

for Marsha Skrypuch's

MAKING BOMBS FOR HITLER

the story of Lida, a young Ukrainian girl
who is taken by the Nazis in 1943 and forced into slave labour as an Ostarbeiter

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

7:30-9:30 p.m.

At the UNF Toronto Community Centre

145 Evans Avenue

Etobicoke, Ontario

Marsha Skrypuch

will present a brief talk about her book and then take questions from the audience. Books will be available for sale and autograph.

This event is sponsored by The World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations and the Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada, Toronto Branch

Canadian Library Association announces Book Awards Shortlists

2012-03-01T14:20:00.000-05:00

As a former chair and member of the CLA's Book of the Year for Children Award selection committee, the coming of March is always exciting, as the shortlists for all three of the CLA's book awards are announced. This morning, the Canadian Library Association press releases published the shortlists for each of its annual book awards. (I've added images of the book covers here to help readers recognize the titles when book-browsing. I always find it's nice to know what you're looking for in case it's been misshelved.)

This award recognizes an illustrator of a noteworthy Canadian book, published in 2011, that
appeals to children up to the age of 12 years.

Along a Long Road
illustrated by Frank Viva
HarperCollins

Cinnamon Baby
illustrated by Janice Nadeau
Kids Can Press

A Few Blocks
illustrated by Cybèle Young
Groundwood Books

The Legend of the Fog
illustrated by Danny Christopher
Inhabit Media

Migrant
illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Groundwood Books

My Name is Elizabeth!
illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Kids Can Press

Picture a Tree
illustrated by Barbara Reid
North Winds Press, Scholastic Canada

Qalupalik
illustrated by Joy Ang
Inhabit Media

Slimon the Slug
illustrated by Bonnie Bews
Yellow Toadstool Press

Small Saul
illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press

This notable award recognizes a Canadian author of an outstanding book published in Canada in 2011, which appeals to children up to and including age 12.

When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew

by Jan Andrews

Groundwood Books

No Ordinary Day

by Deborah Ellis

Groundwood Books

That Boy Red

by Rachna Gilmore

HarperCollins Canada

Howl

by Karen Hood‐Caddy

Dundurn Press

Dragon Seer’s Gift

by Janet McNaughton

HarperCollins Canada

From Then to Now: A Short History of the World

by Christopher Moore

Tundra Books

The Tiffin

by Mahtab Narsimhan

Dancing Cat Books

Dragon Turn

by Shane Peacock

Tundra Books

The Whole Truth

by Kit Pearson

HarperCollins Canada

Empire of Ruins

by Arthur Slade

HarperCollins Canada

This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction (novel, collection of short stories or graphic novel), published in 2011,

that appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18.

The Gathering
by Kelley Armstrong
Random House

All Good Children
by Catherine Austen
Orca Books

Fanatics
by William Bell
Random House

The Woefield Poultry Collective
by Susan Juby
HarperCollins

Once Every Never
by Lesley Livingston
Penguin Canada

My Beating Teenage Heart
by C.C. Kelly Martin
Random House

The Town that Drowned
by Riel Nason
Goose Lane

This Dark Endeavour
by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins

Karma
by Cathy Ostlere
Penguin Canada

Held
by Edeet Ravel
Annick Press

Congratulations to all nominated authors, illustrators and publishers.

Starling: Coming soon

2012-02-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

Lesley Livingston, author of Once Every Never (Puffin Canada, 2011) which I reviewed here on December 12, 2011, is heralding a new fantasy YA series with this debut book, Starling, published by HarperCollins. According to Lesley Livingston's blog, the author is "thrilled to death and beyond" (Sunday, February 26, 2012) with this newly-revealed cover for Starling.

According to the blurb on the author's blog, the story starts with a young woman, Mason Starling, who rescues an unconscious young man named Fennrys Wolf. Except for his name, Fennrys has no memory, even of his role in opening the barrier between our mortal world and the Beyond Realms. But this breach allows access to a center of dark energy, located in New York City's East River. The consequent power struggle between underworld cartels of Norse, Greek and Egyptian gods and other entities places Mason Starling in danger and wondering who she can trust and who wants her dead.

If she is true to her skills, Lesley Livingston will have written another great tome in which mythology is interwoven with fantasy, romance and hopefully her signature humour.

Look for Starling in August, 2012.

National Film Board: From Paper to Film

2012-02-28T00:03:00.003-05:00

With the recent Academy Awards ceremonies, I'd like to recognize the numerous contributions of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) to promoting Canadian literature. As the NFB has been nominated for more Oscars than any production company or organization outside of Hollywood and has provided work experience for every Foreign Language film director nominated this year, its reputation for exceptional documentaries, animations and such is well established.

But did you know that there are numerous short and full-length films available for viewingon the National Film Board of Canada website? As a blogger of Canadian literature for young people (as well as a teacher-librarian), I love the short films of popular Canadian children's books that offer a different perspective on the stories. (If you're a teacher, using text and film versions of a story is a great way to teach a variety of writing and reading skills. Just look for resources about teaching with movies.)

Explore for yourself the variety of films available for viewing at the National Film Board of Canada website, including these particular favourites of mine:

The Girl Who Hated Books

by Manjusha Pawagi
Illustrated by Leanne Franson
Second Story Press, 1998

Director: Jo Meuris

Producer: Tamara Lynch
2006

Lights for Gita

by Rachna Gilmore
Illustrated by Alice Priestley
Second Story Press, 1994

Director: Michel Vo

Producer: Tamara Lynch
2001

"Mind Me Good Now!"

by Lynette Comissiong
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Annick Press, 1997

Directors: Chris Cormier and Derek Cummings

Producer: Michael Scott
2005

Oma's Quilt

by Paulette Bourgeois
Illustrated by Izabela Bzymek
Kids Can Press, 2001

Director: IzabelaBzymek

Producer: Svend-ErikEriksen
2007

Christopher, Please Clean Up Your Room!

by Itah Sadu
Illustrated by Roy Condy
Scholastic Canada, 1993

Director: VincentGauthier

Producer: Tamara Lynch

2001

The Sweater

(The Hockey Sweater)
by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Tundra, 1984

Director: Sheldon Cohen

Producers: Marrin Canell and David Verrall
1980

I Want a Dog

by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Tundra, 1994

Director: Sheldon Cohen

Producer: Marcy Page

2002

The Chinese Violin

by Madeleine Thien
Illustrated by Joe Chang
Walrus Books, 2001

Director: Joe Chang

Producer: GeorgeJohnson
2002

Snow Cat

(The Snow Cat)
by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Tundra, 1992

Director: Sheldon Cohen

Producers: Sheldon Cohen, Kenneth Hirsch, Marcy Page

1998

Ghosts of the Pacific

2012-02-27T13:03:00.001-05:00

by Philip Roy

Ronsdale Press

978-1-55380-130-6

251 pp.

Ages 11-14

2011

Though the term "ghost" suggests frightening disembodied souls, it can also refer to a faint trace, a remote possibility, a false image, or even be a synonym for our spirit. As such, the title of Philip Roy's newest book in his Submarine Outlaw Series, Ghosts of the Pacific, could evoke horror or things left behind or future possibilities. Fortunately, Philip Roy has not chosen to emphasize one over another, but instead embraces a more comprehensive definition, resulting in another fabulously rich tale of adventure.

Since fourteen, Alfred has been exploring the world using a twenty-foot, diesel-electric submarine built by junkyard genius and friend, Ziegfried. Accompanied by his crew of Hollie, his dog, and Seaweed, a seagull, Alfred has travelled from his home in Newfoundland around the Maritimes (Submarine Outlaw, Ronsdale Press, 2008), across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean (Journey to Atlantis, Ronsdale Press, 2009), and down the St. Lawrence River (River Odyssey, Ronsdale Press, 2010). Now 16, Alfred is ready for his postponed trip to the Pacific Ocean, choosing to travel northward through the Arctic and head for Saipan, part of the Mariana Islands.

Travel to Baffin Island seems easy enough, until a hunk of ice with dark pebbles turns out to be a polar bear that chases a kayaking Alfred back to the sub. This first "ghost" hails the onslaught of dangerous "growlers" (calved ice that has broken off icebergs and floats just below the surface) that are virtually imperceptible until they hit the sub, repeatedly. Inattention in this unforgiving landscape puts Alfred and his crew into deathly peril several times (even if he does get some great photo ops). However, it also provides him with the chance to meet Nanuq, an elder in Igloolik, who sadly talks of the sea dying and its inevitable destruction of all.

Death begins to haunt the story even more. Travelling blindly beneath impassable ice, searching for occasional small breaks to allow for a battery recharge, and getting stuck for days in shifting ice brings out Alfred's fear but also his resilience and resolve. His extraordinary character continues to help him endure the anguish of typhoons, the violet death of animals, the blight of garbage and the suffering of others. Still, he enjoys the company of new friends, including a young girl named Cinnamon, learning more about the world, and consciously making a difference whenever he can.

Alfred has undertaken this journey to explore unbelievable places and their tragedies, from Franklin's expedition in search of the Northwest Passage ("...the Arctic was guarding them in an icy grave"; pg. 64), to Amelia Earhart's 1937 disappearance, to the graveyard of warships in the Bikini Atoll, and ultimately to the island of Saipan where Japanese civilians and officers chose suicide rather than surrender to the Allied forces in 1944. But along his journey, his interest in the past brings him face-to-face with the tragedies of the present: fishing trawlers whose illegal practices kill countless dolphins, sharks and turtles; acres of plastic garbage, twenty to thirty feet deep, trapping and killing all life, while slowly decomposing and killing even more; and the irradiated land and waters of the Bikini Atoll, testing grounds for atomic and hydrogen bombs during World War II. Luckily, Philip Roy capably brings Alfred to see choices in his future that will allow him to continue exploration while addressing his new preoccupations.

Like a great adventure, Ghosts of the Pacific does not allow the reader the opportunity to be distracted or bored. Even seemingly mundane tasks such as exercising or finding shelter become significant experiences which the reader must follow until settled. The plot is relentless, always enriched with unexpected subplots, steeped in a multifaceted landscape of cold and warmth, hardness and softness. Though Cinnamon who is still a vague character may take on a more important role, those of Ziegfried, Sheba, Hollie and Seaweed provide the depth to carry Alfred on further journeys. Fortunately, I hear Philip Roy is already working on a fifth book in the series.

The video below captures Philip Roy talking about his Submarine Outlaw Series, including the submarine.

Uploaded by Overmarsh on February 12, 2010 to YouTube.com

The Willow Awards: Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice

2012-02-24T12:11:00.001-05:00

On February 28, 2012, young readers in Saskatchewan will be voting for their favourite books as part of the 2011 Willow Awards reading program.

Established in 2001, the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice (SYRCA) awards, the Willow Awards, encourage reading by nominating a variety of Canadian titles in three categories. Young readers can participate in the reading programs through their schools and public libraries, selecting their favourite from one list. The Willow Awards are truly conferred according the choices of Saskatchewan's young readers.

This year's lists of nominated titles were announced last year. Since then, young readers have enjoyed reading exceptional Canadian books, anticipating their voting day next week.

The three Willow Awards i.e., Shining Willow, Diamond Willow and Snow Willow are detailed below, along with the 2011 nominated titles.

The Shining Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for youngest readers, those in Kindergarten to Grade 3.

The 2011 Shining Willow nominees are:

• Clever Rachel
by Debby Waldman, illustrated by Cindy Revell
Orca Books
2009

• Fred and Pete at the Beach
by Cynthia Nugent
Orca Books
2009

• Giraffe and Bird
by Rebecca Bender
Dancing Cat Books
2010

• The Imaginary Garden
by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Irene Luxbacher
Kids Can Press
2009

• In Front of My House
by Marianne Dubuc
Kids Can Press
2010

• The King’s Taster
by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
HarperCollins
2009

• The Little Hummingbird
by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
Greystone Books/D & M Publishers
2010

• Timmerman Was Here
by Colleen Sydor, illustrated by Nicolas Debon
Tundra Books
2009

• Viola Desmond Won’t be Budged
by Jody Nyasha Warner, illustrated by Richard Rudnicki
Groundwood Books
2010

• Willow’s Whispers
by Lana Button, illustrated by Tania Howells
Kids Can Press
2010

The Diamond Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers of Grades 4 to 6.

The 2011 Diamond Willow nominees are:

• After All, You're Callie Boone

by Winnie Mack
Scholastic Canada
2010

• Animals That Changed The World
by Keltie Thomas
Annick Press
2010

• Fatty Legs
by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes
Annick Press
2010

• The Gargoyle In My Yard
by Philippa Dowding
Dundurn
2009

• The Midnight Curse
by L. M. Falcone
Kids Can Press
2010

• The Odds Get Even
by Natale Ghent
HarperCollins
2009

• Ortega
by Maureen Fergus
Kids Can Press
2010

• Stolen Child
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Scholastic Canada
2010

• Tumbleweed Skies
by Valerie Sherrard
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
2009

• Walking Backward
by Catherine Austen
Orca Books

2010

The Snow Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers in Grades 7 to 9.

The 2011 Snow Willow nominees are:

• Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom
by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books
2010

• Free As A Bird
by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Dundurn
2010

• A Hare In The Elephant's Trunk
by Jan L. Coates
Red Deer Press
2010

• Haunted
by Barbara Haworth-Attard
HarperCollins
2009

• Home Truths
by Jill MacLean
Dancing Cat Books
2010

• No Safe Place
by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
2010

• Puppet

by Eva Wiseman
Tundra Books
2009

• Shapeshifter
by Holly Bennett
Orca Books
2010

• Thunder Over Kandahar
by Sharon E. McKay
Annick Press
2010

• The Worst Thing She Ever Did
by Alice Kuipers
HarperTrophy Canada
2010

The nominated titles for the 2012 Willow Awards have been posted here on the March 2, 2012.

40 Things I Want To Tell You

2012-02-23T13:37:00.000-05:00

by Alice Kuipers

HarperTrophy Canada

978-1-44340-587-4

283 pp.

Ages 13+

2012

When I read a book that touches me, really touches me, I always finish it, close the cover, lay my hand over it, and just sit. Sometimes I just re-immerse myself in the story, sometimes I weep, sometimes I wonder how the characters managed, sometimes I ponder the title and the cover. With 40 Things I Want To Tell You by Alice Kuipers, I did it all.

Amy, a.k.a. Bird to her family and best friends, is the queen of lists and the princess of planning. She knows that she and her good friend, now boyfriend, Griffin, will have sex for the first time on her seventeenth birthday. She knows what she needs to do and how hard to work to get to Oxford when she finishes school. Bird is so in control that she sets herself up as "Miss Take-Control-of-Your-Life" on a website offering advice to teens.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of stuff she needs to tell others but she doesn't. She doesn't tell her best friend, Cleo, about the website until it's been up for months. She doesn't tell Griffin that she is anxious about their first time, and then when she can't "do it" the night of her birthday, she doesn't tell him why. She doesn't tell anyone that she's attracted to a new boy at school, Pete Loewen, not even him when he approaches her. Cleo asks Pete out and he declines, and still Bird tells her nothing about her encounters with Pete which now include mind-blowing kisses.

Of course, Bird isn't the only one who needs to share things. Since the death of Griffin's dad several years ago, his mom's mental health has been rocky and getting worse. Offers of help are declined and her condition minimized when he speaks to Bird. Then, there's Bird's mom who denies anything is wrong, though her mood is off and her organizational expertise (passed down to Bird) is showing weakness. But, when Bird's dad, an entrepreneur currently focusing on solar bricks, goes to the bank, unbeknownst to this wife, to get a mortgage on the house, which Bird's grandmother left her mom, Bird just can't face the fighting. Bird just runs away from it, going to the park where she often sits. A chance meeting with Pete leads Amy (as he calls her) to pitch her self-control and have sex with him.

So, although she continues to offer free advice online, even listing "Top Tips" (e.g., Top Tip 18: When you make a decision, say it out loud; pg. 156), Bird has even more that she should be telling: to Griffin, to Cleo, to Pete, to her parents, and even to herself. Self-denial is a big issue for Bird. And, in her not-telling, all their interconnected lives are shattered and transformed. She would have been wise to heed her own advice, as her own Top Tips continue to jibe accurately with the circumstances of her own life.

I wish I could reveal the moving conclusion to Alice Kuipers' story of Bird, but I fear that I will spoil it for the reader. Suffice it to say that Bird's reactions and resignations and decisions are poignant, heartbreaking and honest, as well as justifiable to her, whether you agree with them or not. Alice Kuipers' skill at weaving an emotionally engaging story with remarkable characters, likeable or not, like those in our own lives, will disarm you effortlessly until you realize you have been invariably touched forever.

Here are 5 things I want to tell you:

1. If you're a teen, female or male, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

2. If you're a parent of a teen, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

3. If you are a teacher or counsellor, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

4. If you appreciate great literature, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

5. Read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

Saskatchewan Book Awards

2012-02-22T15:29:00.001-05:00

On February 16, 2012, the shortlists for the annual Saskatchewan Book Awards were announced at the University of Regina.

Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada that has a provincially-focused book award program i.e., one representing Saskatchewan's writing and publishing contributions. With an impressive community of over 300 authors and 75 book publishers, Saskatchewan has much to celebrate and promote.

Established in 1993 by the joint efforts of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, the Saskatchewan Publishers Group and the Saskatchewan Library Association, the Awards have grown from four to fourteen, although the specific awards vary year to year.

This year, the Saskatchewan Book Awards announced its short lists in thirteen award categories:

Scholarly Writing Award
First People’s Writing Award
Saskatoon Book Award
Regina Book Award
Award for Poetry
First Book Award
Children’s Literature Award
Fiction Award
Non-fiction Award
Book of the Year Award
First People’s Publishing Award
Publishing in Education Award
Award for Publishing

Congratulations to all nominees. As we are CanLit for LittleCanadians, we'd like to honour those nominated for the Children's Literature Award:

Adele Dueck, Racing Home (Coteau)
Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story About Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn)
Anne Patton, Full Steam to Canada: A Barr Colony Adventure (Coteau)
Judith Silverthorne, The Secret of the Stone Circle (Coteau)
Alison Uitti, First Days: Night Movies (Hear My Heart Books)

I'd also like to recognize those children's and YA titles that have been nominated for other Saskatchewan Book Awards.

For the Saskatoon Book Award:

Beverly Brenna, Waiting for No One (Red Deer Press)

For the Regina Book Award:

Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn Press)

For the Fiction Book Award:

Arthur Slade, Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III (HarperCollins Canada)

For the Publishing in Education Award:

Penny Draper, Ice Storm: Disaster Strikes #6 (Coteau)

The Saskatchewan Book Awards will be presented on April 28, 2012 at a gala ceremony in Regina.

Freedom to Read Week

2012-02-21T12:58:00.000-05:00

February 26 to March 3, 2012

"Freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free country by world standards, books and magazines are banned at the border. Schools and libraries are regularly asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves. Free expression on the Internet is under attack. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read."

From Censorship in Canada at
http://freedomtoread.ca/censorship_in_canada/index.asp

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council to raise awareness of issues involving intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

From Vernon, B.C. to Coaldale, Alberta, and Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, to Innisfil, Toronto, Ottawa and Peterborough, all the way to Cornerbrook, Newfoundland Labrador, libraries and other organizations are organizing events to celebrate our freedom to read. A wide variety of contests, displays, films, readings, concerts, workshops, read-a-thons, and benefits are planned throughout Canada. Check the Freedom to Read Week 2012 web site for a full listing of events.

A personal note:
Many readers are able to choose their reading unhampered by the will of others. When the readers are young, it's not unusual for parents to help direct their children's choices of reading materials. Similarly, teacher-librarians (if you're fortunate enough to have one in the school) or public librarians are experienced in offering readers' advisory and can offer assistance. But just as there is a wide range of readers, both in interest, capabilities and experiences, the richness of literature available to children and young adults is far-reaching (contrary to the "there's nothing to read" refrain). What a child chooses to read or a parent of a child allows to be read is personal, as is their reaction to any text. We all choose what we want to read, are willing to read, or refuse to read. That's freedom to read. But, censorship is the expectation that we have the right to choose what others may read.

As reviewers, we must be diligent to avoid focusing on those attributes which may be deemed objectionable by some and to instead focus on the literary quality of the book: the plot, the characters, the writer's craft, vocabulary richness, themes. To overwhelm a review with red flags of inappropriateness is both arrogant and unprofessional. Of course, I pick and choose what I review, based on what books are available, on my reading preferences and on my personal reactions to the theme or the author's writing or whatever. After all, I can't review every book so I choose those I look forward to reading.

But, anyone who decides that a particular book should not be included in a school or public library, or used by a teacher for a novel study, or honoured with a nomination on a selection list (such as for the Forest of Reading) is practising censorship. And don't for a second believe that they are protecting anyone with their book challenges.

Decide for yourself what you will read. Don't decide for all readers. Not your job. Nor mine.

Chasing the White Witch

2012-02-20T13:35:00.002-05:00

by Marina Cohen

Dundurn

978-1-55488-964-8

157 pp.

Ages 8-12

2011

The old adage "Be careful what you wish for" should have been the title of the book that twelve-and-a-half-year-old Claire picks up at the grocery story. But it isn't. While Claire deals with her first pimple (extraordinarily perched at the end of her nose), enduring the relentless taunts of her fifteen-year-old brother, Jordan ("But I can't see you behind the mountain in front of your nose. Oh wait a minute - that is your nose!"; pg. 10) and then noticing her enemy, the beautiful and perfect Hollis Van Horn, is in the grocery store too, the little book that flutters to her feet is titled Remedies, Rituals and Incantations. It must have been a sign - right? Claire thinks so.

Her first order of business is to get rid of that nasty pimple, and fortuitously there is an acne remedy in the little green book penned by the White Witch. When the concoction (which includes yogurt, oatmeal, Limburger cheese and garlic) with the prescribed chant doesn't work, Claire reads the introduction (which she had ignored earlier) that states that the spellcaster must be pure of mind and spirit. After cleansing herself by being helpful, meditating and taking a hot bath, the pimple is gone, and Claire is encouraged to co-opt her best friend, Paula-Jean, into performing an avenging spell on Jordan. The spell works but Paula-Jean's uneasiness with the magic makes her aloof and ready to yield to Hollis' offer of friendship. In reaction, impulsive Claire puts a hex on Hollis. The unforeseen consequences of that act send Claire to team up with seriously-ill Hollis in order to locate the White Witch and learn how to make things right.

Marina Cohen's earlier books (Ghost Ride, Dundurn, 2009; Mind Gap, Dundurn, 2011), both well received by readers, examine the serious consequences of choices made by young men. In Chasing the White Witch, the theme is similar but I enjoyed the light-hearted manner in which Marina Cohen addresses it. While the consequences of casting spells could be dire, the reader is fairly sure that the outcome of this story will not be tragic; after all, first you have to suspend disbelief to even accept that this magic works. And Cohen's choice of materials (Limburger cheese?) and the farcical nature of the chanting suggest a story based in "make-believe" rather than reality.

But, it is the humour in the story that is most enchanting (pun intended), from Jordan and Claire's relationship (e.g., "Jordan could bungee-jump over cactuses using spaghetti as far as I was concerned."; pg. 16) to the publisher's name (Mixed Pickle Press) to Claire's imagination (e.g., "I had imagined the green crusty blotches and hobbit-feet and all.."; pg. 85) and her father's endless stream of aphorisms (If you kick a stone, you'll hurt your foot; pg. 29; Where you are going is more important than how fast you get there; pg. 69) and her reactions to them (e.g., "Please, Dad, I don't have time to do something as trivial as think"; pg. 70). As convinced as Claire is about her power to cast spells, her take on the circumstances is so authentic but impetuous that the reader is engaged in following her through to the end.

Though a short read at only 157 pages, which is often insufficient to develop any character well and fully, Chasing the White Witch introduces us to several distinct characters, namely Claire, Jordan, Paula-Jean and Hollis, who could easily return in a sequel. By not tying up Chasing the White Witch's ending in a nice bow, Marina Cohen has created an opportunity to take these characters in a totally different direction and still delight the reader.

Timber Wolf

2012-02-16T22:30:00.001-05:00

by Caroline Pignat
Red Deer Press
978-0-88995-459-5
206 pp.
Ages 11-14
2011

Waking in the snow, numbed by pain and cold, the young narrator of Timber Wolf comes to the violent realization that he knows neither his name, what has happened nor where he's from.

"Homeless. Nameless. Hopeless. Yet, try as I might, nothing comes to mind but the fat flakes drifting down from the endless winter black." (pg. 3)

Although his recollections return slowly and intermittently, it is the first, that of his father, Da, teaching him to carve wood with a knife, that has him hopeful of family searching for him. While he awaits his rescue, he does his best to find shelter and food. Two key events occur which set the stage for the young man's journey back to himself. First, he has a frightening but companionable encounter with a wolf who continues to help him throughout his ordeal. Second, when the young man retrieves a snared rabbit, which he shares with the wolf, he meets a young Anishnaabeg, Mahingan, who saves his life.

Under the care and guidance of Mahingan's Grandfather Wawatie, the young man regains his health and strength, and learns some of the Anishnaabeg ways. But, Mahingan's relentless anger compels him to abandon the young man when they come across a logging camp shanty. The memories unleashed by the shanty bring the young man closer to his story but they also reveal that he is responsible for harming others. As he continues to search for his life, he encounters his companion wolf, a bear and a frightening trapper with his own memory issues.

While the narrator will not determine his own name until page 171, his identity has been introduced in the first two books by Caroline Pignat: Greener Grass (Red Deer Press, 2008) and Wild Geese (Red Deer Press, 2010). In Greener Grass, the 2009 winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Text, we are introduced to Kit Byrne's family (Mam, Da, brother Jack, little sister Annie) who have endured the hardships of farming in 1800's Ireland. With the famine and subsequent starvation and evictions, Kit and most of her family, as well as her friend Mick, escape to Canada, hopeful of a better life. This background information is not necessary to appreciate the story of Timber Wolf, which capably works as a stand-alone text, but the connections revealed in the books are important. Readers who have not enjoyed Greener Grass and Wild Geese are encouraged to partake in these fine reads, even after reading Timber Wolf.

In Timber Wolf, Caroline Pignat's emphasis on the characters within an accurate, historical context draws the readers in, effectively bringing fear, despair, and hope to the foreground. The challenges of survival without solid memories that could provide a foundation for endurance and success are overwhelming and powerfully told in Caroline Pignat's rich writing. Her imagery ("They pull his full form up onto the log where he flops like a load of wet laundry"; pg. 77) and perspicacity (Grandfather Wawatie's assertion that "even the tiniest hole left too long will eventually destroy the whole boat"; pg. 192) provide the beauty for this adventure story. Although Caroline Pignat, in the interview notes at the conclusion of the book, does not confirm whether there will be additional books related to the Byrnes, I will look forward to another book to enlighten me historically and emotionally, as all three of these books have.

Forest of Reading: Most Passionate Fan

2012-02-14T21:11:00.001-05:00

CONTEST

Do you participate in the annual reading programs of the

Ontario Library Association?

Are you 18 or younger and love the Forest ofReading?

Could you effectively and enthusiastically

share your love of the Forest of Reading?

The Ontario Library Association is looking for

the Forest of Reading's biggest fan

Just tell us why you love the Forest of Reading

in an essay (max. 500 words)

or in a video (max. 5 min; uploaded to YouTube.com)

for a chance to win

VIPTickets to the Festival of Trees^{* **}

including backstage access and the chance to meet the authors

for your school or library (max. 20 tickets)

Email your entry (with link, if a video) to

Communications Co-ordinator Carla Wintersgill at cwintersgill@accessola.com

Deadline for entry is April 1, 2012

*VIP tickets only includes the price of the tickets, not travel or accommodation to the Festival
**If the winner is unable to attend the Festival due to distance, a set of the 2013 books from that reading program may be taken in lieu of the tickets

By submitting an entry, you authorize the Ontario Library Association to edit, alter, copy, publish or distribute your video or essay for purposes of publicizing the OLA’s programs or for any other lawful purposes. The prize of VIP Festival tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded for cash or credit.

Emily For Real

2012-02-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

by Sylvia Gunnery
Pajama Press
978-0-9869495-8-6
196 pp.
Ages 12+
Available April, 2012

Secretscan be kept hidden, or they can be shared thoughtfully or they can slip outunceremoniously. Regardless, depending on who is keeping the secret andthe focus of that secret, the impacts can be catastrophic, enlightening orinconsequential. Emily For Real involvesmany such secrets, crossing three generations.

Seventeen-year-oldEmily Sinclair attempts to keep her boyfriend Brian's breakup with her a secretjust until after her family has dealt with the funeral of her grandfather, KarlSinclair. But, Cynthia Maxwell, an older and mysterious visitor to thefuneral reception, gets Emily curious about her Granddad, particularly as hewas not a warm, affectionate man. In fact, Emily's mom, Winnie, clearlydid not respect her father-in-law, although his twin children, Emily's dad,Gerry, and her Aunt Emma, have irresolute sentiments about him. Althoughdementia prevents Meredith, the caring woman who Granddad married within a yearof his first wife's death, from offering clarification, additional probing byEmily and others brings new information about the accidental death of Gerry'sand Em's mother.

WithGranddad's secret revealed only after his death, the family is left to findtheir own ways to deal with it: ignore it, pursue it, embrace it, accept it. Whether by cowardice, shame or self-righteousness, he left the family with morequestions than answers.

Meanwhile,Emily continues to berate herself about Brian, hardly sharing with anyone,especially Leo Mac, a new student with whom Emily is asked to work. Hisabsence from a group presentation as well as a chance Halloween encounter hasher asking questions of Leo who freely but angrily reveals his hiddentruths. Still reluctant to share all her secrets, except with thedisinterested Meredith, Emily capably determines the nature of Leo'scomplicated situation and offers him friendly support, sadly something that shecannot accept. However, when a final secret, both more personal andunnerving, is carelessly revealed, Emily's innermost feelings ask for a voice.

Asthe narrator who shares her responses to a stream of stupefying revelations,Emily becomes a real girl, not a cardboard cut-out of a teen. In dealingwith a death, a funeral and her family dynamics, her inertia is quite evident,few things rousing her attention or interest. Her brain may keep takingher back to thoughts of Brian and the others' secrets, but she finds solace invisiting Meredith and in her own diversionary interest in Leo. Leo'sgruff and protective manner intrigues Emily while providing the reader with asympathetic character for whom we can cheer.

Although Emily's dadand aunt play significant roles in her dramas, I could not fully empathize withthem, finding their reactions generally incredible or vague. I was mostresponsive to Emily's mom whose sarcasm, indignation and resolve are more inkeeping with the circumstances of her family life. She may not be totallylikeable (few people are) but she is more real than her husband orsister-in-law who probably should be more emotional and reactive, given thecircumstances. Luckily, Emily is real enough to deal with these issues inher own way; after all, she is Emily For Real.

The Taming

2012-02-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

by Eric Walters and Teresa Toten
Doubleday Canada
978-0-385-67658-8
229 pp.
Ages 13-17
2012

If all the world's a stage, then high school provides the acting classes for life. Few teens have the confidence or wherewithal to be themselves; most take on roles they believe will make them popular or celebrated or conspicuous. Not Katie. She's happy being relatively invisible, enjoying the company of her two friends: brilliant, rich and nonconformist Lisa, and emo-boy, goth-looking Travis. But everything changes when Katie gets the lead role in her drama class' production of The Taming of the Shrew. Not only does Katie enjoy the acting, but guys are starting to notice an attractive spark in her when on-stage. In fact, a dashing new student, Evan, whose familiarity with the play earns him the role of Petruchio, sees something captivating in Katie, asking her out.

The Taming's chapters alternate between Katie's voice and that of Evan, sharing different perspectives of their relationship. Living in subsidized housing with a single mother whose goal it is to capture a man, Katie has enjoyed anonymity, only sharing herself with Lisa and Travis. But now, enjoying Evan's avid attention and her first dating experience, Katie has difficulties balancing her former life and friends with Evan's wishes. It is evident, from Evan's entries, that he left his last school under negative circumstances, that he abhors his father, a jet-setting businessman, and that he carefully calculates every move involving Katie. How their two lives intertwine is neither unexpected nor universal.

In a twisted contemporary version of The Taming of the Shrew, Katie is neither a shrew nor in need of being tamed. However, Evan's knowledge of relationships is highly influenced by his parents' and his father's words and actions, whether he consciously chooses to follow them or not. As such, although he seems to truly care for Katie, Evan's actions are focused on manipulating her to think and act according to his wishes, ultimately forcing her to make dangerous choices that threaten her sense of self.

Those readers who choose to read this book solely for its romance will not see the subtext that exists for most relationships. Eric Walters and Teresa Toten meld their writing to bring the personal nature of any liaison with the challenges of understanding and relating to others. Juxtaposing Shakespeare's tale of a strong woman subjugated by a suitor with Katie and Evan's contemporary dating situation, Eric Walters and Teresa Toten demonstrate that relationships through the ages may differ in context but the bases are essentially the same. Relationships can be grounded in respect, trust and caring, or in false impressions, abuse and inequality. The hope is that those who find themselves in superficial romances with private abuses find the strength and support to choose different roles as Katie is fortunate to do.

Darkest Light: coming soon to our blog

2012-02-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

Today, Penguin Canada uploaded the book trailer for Darkest Light, the sequel to Hiromo Goto's Half World (Puffin, 2009). When Half World was released, it won acclaim from all sectors, winning the Carl Brandon Parallax Award (for speculative fiction) and the 2010 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic (Young Adult category), and was nominated for the White Pine award, the Young Adult Library Services Association (of the ALA) Best Fiction for Young Adults, the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the international IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. (Whew!)

Half World, written by Hiromo Goto and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, is a dark tale of loss and courage (suggestive to me of a contemporaryversion of Danté’s Divine Comedy) thatbridges different worlds of the flesh and the spirit. Protagonist Melanie Tamaki's is devastated by her mother's death. As expected, her mother leaves the Realm of the Flesh (our world) to enter Half World (a world of suffering and atonement) until she is welcomed into the Realm of the Spirit. But the balance of the three worlds has been destroyed and Melanie, a cumbersome girl, must endure the horrors of Half World to re-establish harmony between worlds.

In Darkest Light (Razorbill, 2012), many years have passed and Melanie's younger brother, Gee, who was not raised with his sister, enters Half World in search of his past. Until I have my copy to review, that's about all I can tell you, so I'll let the book trailer entice you instead.

Uploaded by PenguinCanada to youtube on Feb 8, 2012

SEVEN: Orca's upcoming series

2012-02-07T16:38:00.001-05:00

Today's release of the following book trailer launches the hype for Orca's upcoming series, Seven. Watch the trailer to discover why the books of Seven will be much anticipated.

Uploaded by OrcaBookPublishers on Feb 7, 2012

As obvious as it may seem, the number seven is the key to the whole series. In his will, adventurer and grandfather David McLean leaves seven letters for his seven teen-aged grandsons: D.J., Steve, Spencer, Bunny (a.k.a. Bernard), Rennie, Jim (a.k.a. Webb) and Adam. In the letters, each boy is asked to undertake a specific task that will lead him on an adventure to Iceland, Spain, France, Tanzania or somewhere in Canada. Each book will tell the adventure of one grandson.

The series will be authored by seven of Canada's exceptional writers for young people. As of today, the Seven website lists the following titles and authors as the books in the series:

Between Heaven and Earth by Eric Walters;
Lost Cause by John Wilson;
Jump Cut by Ted Staunton;
Ink Me by Richard Scrimger;
Close to the Heel by Norah McClintock;
Devil's Pass by Sigmund Brouwer;
The Last Message by Shane Peacock.

Retrieved from www.seventheseries.com

Seven, unlike any other series, will have all seven books released on the same day: October 10, 2012. Judging by the quality of these authors' writing, this is definitely a date to mark on your calendar. I anticipate much thrilling action, vibrant settings and convincing characters, with each author bringing their own strengths to the books. Readers can undoubtedly look forward to Richard Scrimger's sense of humour, Norah McClintock's sense of mystery, John Wilson's take on history, Shane Peacock's dark plotting, Eric Walters' character-building challenges, Ted Staunton's musicality, and Sigmund Brouwer's problem-solving strategies to enrich the tales. Definitely a series for all readers.

Details about the books (plus a countdown widget) are available at the Seven website.

Charlie's Key

2012-02-07T10:29:00.000-05:00

by Rob Mills
Orca Books
978-1-55469-872-1
254 pp.
Ages 12+
2011

The cover art of Charlie's Key may suggest a dark and eerie, spine-tingling story but the suspense here is much more common and sadly relates to Plato's question: "Who will watch the watchmen?"

Charlie Sykes, 13, and his father, Michael, leave Fort McMurray, Alberta, for Newfoundland shortly after his father gets a troubling phone call. A car accident with a moose (very common in Newfoundland) leaves Charlie an orphan but not before his father slips him an unfamiliar key.

Under the watchful eyes of the police, who seem to react to the Sykes name, Charlie is shunted from the hospital to "The Hollow", a juvenile facility, until a foster placement becomes available for him. At the school, an older, nasty kid, nicknamed Flarehead, targets Charlie, physically abusing him whenever Frankie Walsh, another teen, isn't around to stand up for Charlie. Frankie, a tough guy, takes an interest in Charlie upon learning his last name, and helps protect him in exchange for completing a reading proficiency test that Frankie repeatedly fails but needs to pass in order to be released from The Hollow. Another significant contact Charlie makes here is with Clare Dalton, a teen at the adjacent girls' rehab facility, who does some on-line research about the Sykes family. Charlie learns of his uncle Nick, his father's brother, who has recently been released from prison where he'd been incarcerated for murder. His victim had been Brother Sullivan, one of the monks in charge of Cliffside, the orphanage at whichNick and Michael stayed after their parents' deaths in a fire. A second murder in prison added more time to Nick's sentence.

When Frankie is released the same day that Charlie is to attend the memorial service for his father, he helps Charlie get away from the police (Sergeant Grimes, a.k.a. Tubby) and Child Services people (including his advocate, Dez) but not before Charlie meets his uncle. Even when Frankie and his preppie friend, Gerald, take Charlie to a party at Clare's house (Clare, now out of rehab though still using Oxy (i.e., oxycodone), is a friend of Gerald's), Nick finds him and threatens him to get the key. But, it is only with several more encounters between Nick and Charlie, as well as other key characters, that the full story is revealed.

Rob Mills' writing seamlessly brings together the pathos of Charlie's situation with the coarseness of Frankie's and Nick's circumstances. Their worlds, choked by alcoholism, intense anger and/or societal limitations may be difficult to comprehend for some, especially with the crude language used (particularly in references to women or to the abuse), but their realities are just that. However, although Charlie's reality moves from one of naiveté and relative safety to one interconnected with Frankie and Nick, he is able to adjust well, applying his past to new experiences to help him make appropriate and ultimately self-sustaining decisions. Beyond Rob Mills' strong characterizations is the suspenseful plot of Charlie's Key, which spends little time focusing on the mystery of the key itself but rather on the balance and merger of the past and the present. The cliff hangers, beyond those of its setting, repeatedly lead the reader to anticipate but instead surprise, just the way a great thriller should.

Small Saul

2012-02-06T13:19:00.002-05:00

by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
978-1-55453-503-3
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2011

Any child participating in the Ontario Library Association's Blue Spruce reading program this year will know Small Saul as a nominated title. But I would bet that most readers will recognize Small Saul as someone they know, perhaps their own child or even themselves. Small Saul is a character with a big heart, a formidable work ethic and a unique creativity but he just doesn't seem to fit in.

Bespeckled and bantam-sized, Small Saul's life-long goal has to live at sea but his limitations force him to look towards being a pirate rather than a member of the navy. After achieving his Pirate Diploma ("You ARRR a Pirate"), Small Saul is taken on by the last pirate ship around, The Rusty Squid. As hard as he tries, Small Saul is an oddity amongst the tough, treasure-driven pirates. But, when the captain unceremoniously pushes Small Saul overboard, the pirates soon recognize the treasure they had overlooked in the small pirate.

Readers will quickly get the message that it is important to be true to yourself and show perseverance. When he couldn't get into the navy, Small Saul substituted piracy to still meet his dream of a life at sea. When Saul wanted to show the others that he cared about the ship, he tidied and redecorated. And, when he had kitchen duty, he didn't just serve bland gruel - he served pineapple upside down cake.

Ashley Spires, the creator of Binky the Space Cat (Kids Can Press, 2009), winner of the 2011 Silver Birch Express Award, has created a dear character with whom all readers can identify (albeit one in pirate garb). Her ink and watercolour artwork are bright and straightforward (important for the littlest ones) but still include elements that will have children searching for quirky details like the recurring rat, the hang-in-there poster and the colourful bandages. Arrr, so ye be wantin' t' read this here book. "Tis th' best.

For parents, teachers and librarians:
Kids Can Press, publisher of Small Saul and the Binky Adventure series, provides a great downloadable document of Storytime Activities for Small Saul available at their website, as they do for Binky the Space Cat and other books in their catalogues.

USBBY 2012 Outstanding International Books for Young People

2012-02-05T16:21:00.001-05:00

United States Board on Books for Young People
Building Bridges Through Children´s and Young Adult Books

On January 20, 2012, the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) announced its annual list of Outstanding International Books. The U.S. division of IBBY selects books for children originating or first published outside of the U.S. As such, Canadian books would be eligible for inclusion on this honour list.

This list, also announced at the American Library Association conference, is published in School Library Journal and in a bookmark format. The bookmark displayed below is available for download from the USBBY website.

Canadian titles have been selected in red. The ten titles indicated below were published by Annick, Groundwood or Kids Can Press.

Constance Vidor and Ragina Shearer prepared a Google Map displaying all honour books on this list, as a useful tool for teaching.

Created on January 24, 2012 by Constance Vidor and Ragina Shearer

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse

2012-02-04T14:30:00.000-05:00

by Kevin Sylvester

Simon & Schuster Books for Young People

978-1-44244-408-9

291 pp.

Ages 8-14

2012

It's not easy to empathize with Neil Flambé, teen chef and Vancouver restaurateur: he's precocious, arrogant and haughty. How he ever got his cousin, Larry, to partner with him in the restaurant business or young perfumier Isabella Tortellini to become enamoured with him is beyond comprehension. But, when his culinary skills and his extraordinary sense of smell (he is called The Nose, after all) seem to fail him, especially when hosting a group of food critics who send back their food or get food poisoning, those around him begin to worry. After the setbacks Kevin Sylvester documented in Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders (Key Porter, 2010) and Neil Flambé and the Aztec Abduction (Key Porter, 2011), Neil has had to refurbish Chez Flambé with new appliances, cutlery, furniture, heating/cooling, etc. He should be in culinary nirvana, amazing everyone with his gifts, but now, on his fifteenth birthday, he's apprehensive and confused. Something is very wrong.

Of course, the reader is privy to a series of historical episodes, starting in the 1200's, in which an ancestral Flambé chef (seems they were always great chefs) is prohibited from cooking but continues to create dishes using unlikely ingredients (e.g., seagull, tree bark, narwhal) and recording the recipes in a notebook of parchment. History shows that, through time, many Flambés have been cursed.

Of course, the Nose knows no curse. All he knows is that his glorious dishes now taste worse than sawdust and the restaurant's re-opening is doomed to fail. Then Neil's life seems to flip out of the proverbial frying pan and into the fire: the safe with his recipes is stolen; a new restaurant, Carrion, is slated to open across the street; Greta Carbo from the Health Department shuts the restaurant down; and computer wiz and rival, Stanley Picón, with computer Deep Blue Cheese (DBC) challenges Neil to a cooking duel. Luckily, Neil does have allies: Larry, Isabella, her bodyguard Jones, his mentor AngelJícama, food critic Jean-Claude Chili, and police inspector Sean Nakamura. With some clever sleuthing, innovative gastronomy, a little travel and even some charity, Neil and his associates discover a plot cooked up to flambé his reputation and his restaurant.

Kevin Sylvester has created a winning character in Neil Flambé. (Speaking of winning, did you know Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders won the 2011 Silver Birch Fiction Award and Neil Flambé and the Aztec Abduction is nominated for the 2012 Silver Birch Fiction Award?) Of course, Neil is not necessary likable (his arrogance tends to rule his personality) but he is growing up and learning to get along better with people (hence his proliferating entourage). All Kevin Sylvester's characters are quirky and rich with life, even those who only appear in a single caper. There are no two-dimensional stereotypical players in these plots. In fact, the plots which may seem directional (i.e., problem to solution) are quite rich, teeming with red herrings and subplots and sub-subplots, perfect for a younger reading audience. What will always endear the Neil Flambé Capers to readers, as it does here, is the nutty humour of the narrator and the characters. It is often so subtle, just a play on words (e.g., "..humming now, a little ditty DBC liked to call 'Happiness Is a Warm Bun - an Ode to John Lemon.'"; pg. 63), that I wondered if all readers "get" it. But, if you check out some of the book trailers made by enthusiastic young readers of the Neil Flambé Capers and attend a Festival of Trees™ celebration with thousands of cheering readers, you'll know that they "get" it and they love it. We all do.

Ninja Cowboy Bear

2012-01-31T11:03:00.002-05:00

Still doing rock-paper-scissors? Need a bit more kinesthetic activity? Want to support Canadian authors and illustrators? Then, have I got a series for you.

Two young men, David Bruins and Hilary Leung, have come together to produce Ninja Cowboy Bear, a series of books based on the unlikely friendship of these three characters. Ninja, Cowboy and Bear love spending time together - swinging, cycling, baking, kite-flying - regardless of their very strong differences. The stories revolve around the three friends and how they work through their differences in personalities and abilities in order to stay friends.

Illustrator Hilary Leung's charming characters are recognizable even to very young children, who will enjoy the detailed but unencumbered drawings of their activities. Teachers and parents will love the lessons about accepting differences but the kids will love the playful interactions of the friends and learning how to play the new version of an old decision-making strategy.

To date, three books in the series have been published:

The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear
by David Bruins and illustrated by Hilary Leung
Kids Can Press, 2009
978-1-55453-486-9

Ninja Cowboy Bear Presents The Way of the Ninja
by David Bruins and illustrated by Hilary Leung
Kids Can Press, 2010
978-1-55453-615-3

Ninja Cowboy Bear Presents The Call of the Cowboy
by David Bruins and illustrated by Hilary Leung
Kids Can Press, 2011
978-1554537488

Of course, one of the best things about the series is the game Ninja Cowboy Bear.

To play the game:

1. Use Hilary Leung's illustration here to learn the 3 moves of the characters. Ninja looks ready to attack, one leg bent and raised. Cowboy pulls two guns out, ready for a shoot-out. Bear holds both arms up to look big and scary.

2. Stand with your back to your partner and decide which character's pose you will use.

3. When ready, take 3 steps away from each other, counting to three. Turn around on "3".

4. See who wins.

(Both of the above game diagrams are provided as downloads at the Ninja Cowboy Bear website of David Bruins and Hilary Leung.)

I would recommend checking out their amazing Ninja Cowboy Bear website for information about the books and the game, as well as accessing colouring sheets, crafts, T-shirts, and contact for the author and illustrator.

I'm looking forward to the inevitable fourth book in the series. Roar of the Bear? Hibernating with Bear? Your guess is probably better than mine.

Switch

2012-01-30T17:07:00.000-05:00

by Tish Cohen

HarperTrophy Canada

978-1-55468-801-2

251 pp.

Ages 12-15

2011

Although the title and the front cover are fairly explicit about the book's general plot, specific elements and Tish Cohen's skill at effectively providing her teen characters with convincing voices take Switch from just another Freaky Friday (Mary Rodgers, 1972) wannabe to an unnerving tale corroborating the "be-careful-what-you-wish-for" truism.

The two teen girls involved in the Switch are Andrea Birch and Joules Adams who attend the same high school in Orange County, California. Except for a passing acquaintance with each other, the girls' lives don't really cross until the day Andrea is forced by Joules to help rescue her when she's been fooling around with a boy other than her boyfriend, Will. The simple physical switch of changing shirts and seats in Andrea's mother's new car gets Andrea into a lot of trouble, including from her mom whose focus is the foster kids who are staying with them. Currently, between 14-year-old Brayden (who is always annoying her), two twelve-year-old girls (who always take stuff from her room), a set of adorable infant twins, and another young girl, Michaela, whose parents were critically injured in a hit-and-run, Andrea is feeling neglected. As such, Joules' unbelievable life as a rock star's daughter is especially alluring to Andrea. When overwhelmed by her Mom's perceived lack of interest and high expectations coupled with her long-time crush on Will, Andrea offhandedly wishes (while wearing a pair of funky dishwashing gloves from an African psychic) that she had Joules' life and, ta-da, she does.

Andrea as Joules isn't keen on Joules' wardrobe and body, but learns pretty quickly how cool it is to have Will as a boyfriend (even if he had been planning to break-up) and that rocker Nigel Adams adores his daughter, sometimes making poor choices to win her love. Joules as Andrea, on the other hand, spends much of her time chagrined by the innumerable chores expected of her, furious with Andrea for getting closer to Will, and making choices to discredit real Andrea. Several subplots, including one regarding Michaela's parents' hit-and-run, continue to fuel Andrea's determination to return to her old self, while saving her own reputation, enjoying Will's affections, and enlightening Joules about Nigel.

As the narrator, Andrea shares the girls' experiences as she perceives them, reacting and responding as a responsible young woman looking towards her future might. She even berates herself for being too selfish not to see her parents as those who help make things right for children. However, I felt that Andrea didn't give herself enough credit, often focusing on how exceptional her mom, Lise, is, without recognizing her own caring, compassion and sense of responsibility. But, I don't think Andrea realizes that abuse can take many forms, not just those in evidence in the homes from which some foster children come. In reading Switch, I was cognizant of the emotional abuse that Andrea suffers from her mother's emphasis on the needs of her foster children above those of Andrea. She uses guilt regularly to ensure Andrea's compliance: with sharing her room, with persevering taunts, with accepting her mother's inattention. Andrea would have every right to shout, "It isn't fair." I wonder how well Lise would have fared if the switch had been between mother and daughter. I suspect that she'd be far less successful as Andrea than Andrea would be as her mom, and perhaps she'd be a little more sympathetic to the heavy responsibilities and lack of teen life faced by her daughter. (Hey, wait. Isn't that the switch in Freaky Friday or even in Vice Versa (Anstey, 1882), its precursor?)

Still, Tish Cohen capably gets into the heads of two very different young women with very different lives whose needs are not very different at all. Any switch would certainly be a worthwhile opportunity for most of us, especially with a person we admire. There's a reason there are so many sayings, about walking a mile in my shoes, the grass being greener on the other side and not reading a book by its cover, that suggest how ignorant we are about the lives of others. Luckily (or not), Andrea and Joules had a remarkable learning opportunity and both were able to benefit from it. Guess Andrea should have listened to her mom when she was told, "Your life looks pretty good from where I'm standing" (pg. 25). Do I sense a sequel?

First Descent

2012-01-26T16:53:00.001-05:00

by Pam Withers
Tundra Books
978-1-77049-257-8
262 pp.
Ages 12+
2011

In kayaking, making a First Descent refers to being the first to successfully get down a wild river. It would be a milestone for any kayaker, but for seventeen-year-old Rex Scruggs it also means completing the first descent on Colombia's Furioso River, which his Gramps did not complete sixty years earlier. Studying his Gramps' journal from that expedition, Rex learns much about the river and the people, but also of his grandfather's prejudicial views, especially to the indigenous Colombians, the indígenas. It's hard to imagine how important this first descent would be to Rex, considering how crotchety and miserable his grandfather is, especially since Rex and his mom moved from Montana to Alberta prior to his grandmother's death. It's even harder to believe that Gramps agrees to provide the remaining funds needed for Rex's expedition. But, with the proviso that Rex be accompanied by two experienced expeditionists (Henrique and Tiago) and that he attempt to make contact with the Calambás family (who had helped his Gramps), Rex is on his way.

A parallel story of Myriam Calambás, a seventeen-year-old indígena, illustrates the hardships of her Colombian community brutalized both by the paramilitary soldiers who were established to fight the guerillas and the guerillas who have turned from supporting the poor to besieging their communities. Although the Colombian army has gained the advantage over both corrupt forces in much of the country, they have no control over the more remote areas of the indígenas peoples such as where Myriam's family lives on the Furioso River. Just as Myriam's grandmother, Abuela, had encountered Rex's Gramps sixty years earlier, Myriam and Rex will have their paths cross, bringing confusion, compassion and ultimately enlightenment to both their lives and the lives they touch.

Few young adult novels could be identified as adventures nowadays but First Descent is certainly one. Rex's kayaking expedition is the obvious adventure, one he undertakes to prove something to himself as well as to his irascible grandfather. Pam Withers' experience with extreme sports (see her website for her bio and book list) serves the reader well, evocatively depicting Rex's need for the adrenalin rush, mixed with his confidence, sometimes arrogance, but tempered with expertise. I checked out some unrelated videos showing kayakers on first descents in Colombia which were harrowing and impossible to imagine surviving; capably, Pam Withers' text takes the reader along for just such a ride.

However, Myriam and members of her community also experience adventures but on a daily basis, whether it be getting to market to sell their wares or going to the river to wash clothes. Each activity is a hazardous undertaking, as they anticipate encounters with deranged soldiers, land mines, and even chemicals broadcast from planes to kill the coca plant but also harming the people and their food sources. Any such affront could precipitate injury or murder, theft or devastation, kidnapping or recruitment, or a complete massacre. Pam Withers' acknowledgements recognize the vulnerability of indigenous people throughout the world and her commitment to contributing a portion of earnings from this book to organizations that work for these groups. Just as Rex ultimately recognizes the incongruity of undertaking a first descent expedition while the indigenous people of the area fight for survival, I was comforted to know that my purchase and enjoyment of this book may provide some assistance for the indígenas or similar groups, courtesy of Pam Withers.

2012 Notable Children's Books

2012-01-25T12:22:00.002-05:00

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division within the American Library Association announced its 2012 Notable Children's Books on January 22, 2012 at the ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Dallas. For the committee, the term "notable" is used to refer to a book that is...

...worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways.

Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb on January 25, 2012

The final (but uncorrected) list, posted at the ALSC website, is lengthy and the reader can peruse it at his/her leisure. However, I would like to note those Canadian books that made the list, bolding the Canadian author or illustrator or publisher. Congratulations to all of you for creating outstanding literature for our children.

Notables for Younger Children
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen Published by Candlewick Press

Notables for Middle Readers

Migrant by Maxine Trottier and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault Published by Groundwood Books

No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis Published by Groundwood Books

Notables for Older Readers

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks Published by Farrar Straus Giroux (from Groundwood Books)

Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni and illustrated by Moyna Chitrakar Published by Groundwood Books

Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent Published by Tundra Books

Girls with Grit series

2012-01-24T11:15:00.002-05:00

Groundwood Books (of House of Anansi) has always published amazingly strong literature for young people and are now marketing some of those titles under the distinction of Girls with Grit.

The books in this series are exemplary stories depicting the courage and tenacity of girls and young women who endure and even overcome challenges that include poverty, homelessness, abuse, war, leprosy and conflicts of all manner. Whether used in the classroom to teach character education (these young women have lots of character) or as poignant, thought-provoking reads about others' lives, the Girls with Grit books should be read and read with thoughtfulness.

Corroborating their excellence, the authors and books in the series include finalists and winners of the Governor General's Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, the Canada Council Children's Literature Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and many more.

Based on books listed at the House of Anansi site and the video embedded below, the following books (listed here alphabetically by author's last name) are tagged as Girls with Grit:

Girl from Mars by Tamara Bach and translated by Shelley Tanaka

Between Sisters by Adwoa Badoe

True Confessions of a Heartless Girl by Martha Brooks

Two Moons in August by Martha Brooks

The Shepherd's Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter

Broken Memory by Elisabeth Combres

earthgirl by Jennifer Cowan

Mary Ann Alice by Brian Doyle

Looking for X by Deborah Ellis

No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis

No Safe Place by Deborah Ellis

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis

Mud City by Deborah Ellis

Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen by Glen Huser

Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan

Home is Beyond the Mountains by Celia Barker Lottridge

The Crazy Man by Pamela Porter

I'll Be Watching by Pamela Porter

The Saver by Edeet Ravel

Snow Apples by Mary Razzell

Wheels for Walking by Sandra Richmond

Skim by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

What Gloria Wants by Sarah Withrow

(Any errors in exclusion from and inclusion in the list are completely my own, and will be amended as needed. HK)

I have to tell you that the reason I chose to post about the Girls with Grit series now was because yesterday I happened to come across a wonderful video of teens offering their takes on several books in the series. I recalled my own emotional responses to several of the books and realized that, although published years earlier, these books should be read and revisited regularly, just to remind us of our own humanity. Enjoy the books and the video, courtesy of Groundwood Books and House of Anansi.

Uploaded to YouTube by HouseOfAnansi on Oct 20, 2011

American Library Association 2012 Awards

2012-01-23T15:43:00.000-05:00

Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) honours books for young people with several long-established awards: the Newberry Medal, the Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Awards. But these distinctions are only three of the awards presented annually at the ALA's midwinter meeting. Although the American Library Association is based in the U.S., it occasionally selects titles by Canadian authors and illustrators, hence its inclusion here.

Paul Yee for his book Money Boy (Groundwood Books, 2011) which was selected as one of four Honor Books for the Stonewall Book Award -Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award

and

Jon Klassen, the Canadian-born author/illustrator of I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick Press, 2011) whose book was selected as one of three Honor Books for the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

FYI:
The full roster of ALA awards include:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature
Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults
Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences
Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video
Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature
Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States
Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States
Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
Pura Belpré (Author) Award honoring a Latino writer whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children
Stonewall Book Award -Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book
William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults, ages 12 – 18

ALA Press Release January 23, 2012

Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret

2012-01-21T17:52:00.002-05:00

by Vicki Grant
HarperTrophy Canada
978-1-55468-182-2
324 pp.
Ages 12-16
2011

Everyone has secrets. Sometimes we know they're secrets and try to keep them hidden, in closets and in diaries. Sometimes we don't even know we have secrets, because they're in our repressed memories or not fully realized yet. Betsy Wickwire, seventeen, has had a betrayal kept secret from her and, upon its revelation, she hides herself away in her Halifax home. But, to really hide herself away, she needs money. Everything comes together one day when: 1) she learns of the need for cleaning ladies, who are paid relatively well; 2) she goes to an obscure cafe to avoid people she knows; and 3) meets a former classmate, Meghan, now called Dolores, a green-haired, audacious girl who loves the idea of setting up a cleaning business. With indifference, Becky goes along with headstrong Dolores' enterprise, Lapins de Poussière (Dust Bunnies) Cleaning Service, and finds herself getting more out of the job than just the money.

While still tormented daily by the loss of her boyfriend and best friend and trying to work out how to deal with it, Becky is discovering a new life for herself, with Dolores and Murdoch, a client's son who Becky met in an intimate bathroom tussle. She also discovers that the prevalence of secrets amongst their clients (e.g., the need for anti-depressants, hidden alcohol, marital affairs, trashy reading, etc.) make it easier for her to clean their homes. But the realization that everyone has secrets, even Dolores, ultimately helps Betsy to understand herself, which makes her capable of being a better friend.

Vicki Grant has always successfully merged humour while looking at human behaviour. In Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret, the focus is on how secrets make us human but can impede understanding. From Lapins de Poussière's pink, fluffy branding, to Dolores' clever repartée with Betsy, Murdoch and their elderly client, Frank, to the shopping trips to Giant Tiger and Value Village, Grant makes Betsy's new circumstances seem fuller, almost larger than life or, at least, larger than her former life as a popular girl. The old Betsy, though perhaps considered better dressed, more popular and in with the in-crowd, was an insubstantial version of her true self, and it was fulfilling to share in the transformation with her.

If you're interested in enjoying more of Vicki Grant's wit and well-plotted stories, my recommendations would include these titles:

The Puppet Wrangler (Orca, 2004)
Quid Pro Quo (Orca, 2005) Winner of Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Crime Novel
Pigboy (Orca, 2006)
Not Suitable for Family Viewing (HarperTrophy Canada, 2009) Winner of the 2011 Red Maple Fiction Award

Wellington's Rainy Day

2012-01-19T15:39:00.002-05:00

by Carolyn Beck and Brooke Kerrigan

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-55469-284-2

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

2011

Wellington is a hound who enjoys a good life with Master Horace. And even though Master Horace seems to be having an exceptionally deep and long nap today, Wellington is clever enough to arrange for his needs to be met. His bowl may be empty but he knows where there's always a deep porcelain bowl filled with water. As for his food, Wellington can smell a delicious meatloaf on the table. Though a short hound, he finds creative ways to reach this food, and to eat "every last gorgeous, every last worgeous, every last squorgeous bit." He even cleans up, though more to hide the evidence than for housekeeping purposes.

But, Honey, the marmalade cat (with a mouse as a sidekick), has been watching Wellington and, like any younger sibling, would delight in Wellington's downfall. But, as every child who has every tattled knows, "telling" doesn't always work out the way one anticipates.

Carolyn Beck must love animals and dogs especially, with three of her five picture books based on canine critters: The Waiting Dog (Kids Can Press, 2003), Dog Breath (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2011) and now Wellington's Rainy Day (Orca, 2011). The rhyme and rhythm of Carolyn Beck's text support the sweeping nature of Wellington's day, enhancing the mundane (e.g., trash in a garbage can) to extraordinary (e.g., "The garbage was a poem"). Brooke Kerrigan's pencil and watercolour drawings are light but evocative of the important aspects of Wellington's life with Master Horace and Honey. Although Master Horace's face is never evident, the important parts, like his legs (for walking) and finger (for pointing) and voice (for snores and calling), are definite. The details in Kerrigan's illustrations add charm and whimsy, and children will delight in looking for small details including the little mouse.

After reading Wellington's Rainy Day, it would seem that Sir Winston Churchill was correct when he declared that, "Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us." And for that reason, the book's ending seems a justifiable and fair one. (By the way, the end of Churchill's quotation, "Pigs treat us as equals", offered his explanation for liking animals of the porcine variety.)

Family Literacy Day: January 27, 2012

2012-01-18T14:51:00.002-05:00

ABC Family Literacy Day

Family Literacy Day was established in Canada in 1999 to promote the importance of reading and literacy for all family members. ABC Canada initiated this national day of celebration with the production of a made-for-TV movie, "Penny's Odyssey", a story about a young girl who hides her illiteracy from her family.

Now renamed, ABC Life Literacy Canada, this non-profit organization promotes literacy through a variety of programs and activities including Family Literacy Day and Good Reads^®
where great Canadian authors (for adults and youth) publish short books for adults to help improve their learning skills. A quick glance shows works by celebrated Canadian authors Deborah Ellis, Maureen Jennings and Frances Itani.

^{This year's Family Literacy Day will be celebrated in a wide variety of venues and ways, including:}

^{Journey to Learning Passport: a downloadable passport filled with activities to complete;}
^{Mississauga St. Michael's Majors vs. Peterborough Petes OHL hockey: discounted tickets for the game, include pre- and during game activities with prizes;}
^{Colouring and Writing Contests;}
^{Free downloads of bookmarks, puzzles, and activities; and}
^{Hundreds of local events in libraries, schools, and other venues displayed on a Celebrations across Canada map}

Join in the celebration of reading and writing on Family Literacy Day!

Created at wordle.net

I AM CANADA series

2012-01-17T17:22:00.001-05:00

Scholastic Canada introduced the series I AM CANADA in 2010 for readers of ages 9-12. The following compelling invitation (from www.scholastic.ca/iamcanada/videos) suggests why young readers have chosen to follow this series:

The following titles have been published in the series:

Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II,
Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942
by Hugh Brewster
978-0-545-98594-9
2010

Blood and Iron: Building the Railway,
Lee Heen-gwong, British Columbia, 1882
by Paul Yee
978-0-545-98593-2
2010

Shot at Dawn: World War I,
Allan McBride, France, 1917
by John Wilson
978-0-545-98595-6
2011

Deadly Voyage: RMS Titanic,
Jamie Laidlaw, April 14, 1912
by Hugh Brewster
978-1-4431-0465-4
2011

Behind Enemy Lines: World War II,
Sam Frederiksen, Nazi-Occupied Europe, 1944
by Carol Matas
978-0-545-99066-0
Feb, 2012

Additional information about the series, including relevant videos, discussion guides and activities can be found at the I AM CANADA website

N.B. I plan to review Deadly Voyage: RMS Titanic (Hugh Brewster, 2011) and the Dear Canada book, That Fatal Night: The Titanic Diary of Dorothy Wilton (Sarah Ellis, 2011) in April, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Behind Enemy Lines : World War II, Sam Frederiksen, Nazi-Occupied Europe, 1944

2012-01-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

by Carol Matas
Scholastic Canada
978-0-545-99066-0
196 pp.
Ages 9-12
2012

Scholastic Canada's new historical fiction series for boys, I am Canada, is a brilliant twin to their Dear Canada series, whose female protagonist and diary entry emphases are often tiresome for boys interested in historical fiction. Behind Enemy Lines: World War II is the fifth book in this series, due out in February.

Sam Frederiksen is an eighteen-year-old Canadian airman/gunner when his plane is shot down over Nazi-occupied France in 1944. He and the injured navigator, Bill, are rescued by a French boy of the French Resistance who takes them to safety. Sam joins other Allies, including James Thompson, a Brit, and Ben Webber, an American, at a local Resistance fighter's farm to help sabotage the infrastructure the Nazis use (e.g., railroads, etc.). When the farmer's daughter's fiancé is arrested, she betrays her parents and the Allies, hoping to secure his release. Luckily, the farmer anticipates the Germans' strategy and moves the Allied airmen to safety, though his own farm is burned to the ground.

Sam often thinks about his Danish family back in Winnipeg, believing in the generosity of people such as his father, the doctor, and finds it hard to believe the rumours of Hitler's assault on the Jewish people and the treachery of others in supporting their actions. Sam is safely taken to Paris, where he meets up with Max, a Jewish member of his downed air crew, but they are betrayed and handed over to the Germans, along with other French Resistance fighters and Allies. Sam begins to really see the true circumstances of the occupation, especially after they are sent to Buchenwald, the concentration camp. There Sam is witness to the emaciated prisoners in their blue and white striped pyjamas, and the cruel SS officers with dogs, and the vile smells coming from ever-burning chimneys, but Sam still holds some hope that they will be treated as POWs according to the Geneva Convention, just as POWs in Canada were being treated.

Sam's naiveté is not borne of ignorance but rather hope and honour. He is relentless in adhering to the protocol that he only share his name, rank and service number, and in following the directions of the Allied officers they choose to lead them. When the prisoners in his cattle car are taken off and marched away at gunpoint, after an escape attempt, they are sure of their execution, but still do not cower or show shame, as they recognized the honour in following their orders to escape from the enemy. By availing himself of the help of so many strangers and of the information they share with him, Sam gains both in wisdom and heart, during a time when many were abandoning both.

Surprisingly, there is a factual basis for this story, and Carol Matas, always a thorough researcher of history, provides extensive notes about it. (An NFB documentary from 1994, titled The Lucky Ones: Allied Airmen and Buchenwald by Michael Allder also tells the story.) Matas provides additional notes related to the role of Canadians in WWII air operations, the work of the French Resistance fighters and the Holocaust, as well as images, of airmen and concentration camp prisoners.

Unraveling Isobel

2012-01-16T15:26:00.004-05:00

by Eileen Cook

Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

978-1-4424-1327-6

290 pp.

Ages 14-18

2012

No seventeen-year-old likes being yanked away from her friends at the beginning of her graduating year. That's pretty tough on Isobel, but she also has to deal with her mother's new husband, Richard (who Isobel insists on calling Dick) and her new gorgeous stepbrother, Nathaniel, who is still getting over the deaths of his mother and younger sister less than a year ago and seems less than welcoming. Plus, she has to move to an "estate" on a small island where the community's predominant gossip is related to her new family and home. Isobel definitely finds it hard to keep herself together and even hold her tongue sometimes. But, with her birth father having given up his career to become an artist (her own passion, though stifled by her mom) and suffering from schizophrenia (which is known to have a genetic component), Isobel starts worrying that the unraveling means she's going crazy.

She'd like to turn to someone, so she tries calling her best friend, Anita, but she seems pretty busy with new friends. Her mother is too gaga over her wealthy, new husband to do anything except chastise Isobel for not appreciating their new life. Although her step-brother, Nathaniel is just a little too attractive for comfort. At school, though, Isobel is taken under the wing of popular alpha-girl, Nicole, and her entourage of cheerleaders, and starts to feel like she's settling in a bit (even if Nicole insists she join the cheer leading squad). Of course, there are the drawings that Isobel doesn't recall sketching, and the recurring visions of a young girl, and things in her room being rearranged.

Given time, Isobel probably would have worked things out for herself, but with Dick and her mom insisting that she see a therapist, and Nicole's gossip and machinations making life just a bit more difficult, and Nathaniel starting to share his feelings with her while continuing to be so good-looking, everything just works against her. Luckily her humour and nerve help Isobel unravel appropriately while keeping her whole. Her snarky comebacks to the comments of others continued to keep me laughing and cheering for her, pleased with her strength of character. When Nathaniel questions how she could possibly see with her heavy, dark make-up (crap, he calls it), she fires back with, "How do you see with your head shoved so far up your ass?" (pg. 14). She doesn't hold back, not even with the profanities.

Isobel's fear, that she is losing her mind and is not "normal", is indicative of the stigma that her mother, and too often society, attach to issues of mental health. She even acknowledges that it would have been easier to tell others that her dad had leprosy or was a terrorist than that he was mentally ill. But, even though frightened, Isobel continues to evaluate her mental health quite rationally, for example, recognizing that she didn't really have crazy thoughts because, "I didn't think I was Napoleon, or that my bagel was an alien," (pg. 48), relieving her tension, as well as that of the reader who could feel witness to a breakdown. She regularly assesses the unnerving criticisms from her mother and Dick ("I love how when you have a opinion different from your parent's it's an 'attitude'"; pg.95) or to creepy sounds ("...was a wind chime, some type of sea glass and shell thing. Fantastic. I had been attempting to communicate with a home accessory"; pg. 47).

Although I thought Nathaniel came around a little too quickly, especially while still dealing with his grief and his father's prompt remarriage, I relaxed when Isobel found an ally in him and one who appreciated things about her that she did not recognize herself. Any way, when you have to solve a mystery, it's always nice to have a sidekick, especially one with whom you could fall in love. (Remember: they're only step-siblings, as Isobel constantly reminds everyone. No reason to chastise them. It's legal.)

The Arthur Ellis Awards

2012-01-15T14:46:00.002-05:00

For readers of crime, mystery, espionage and all manner of criminal doings, both fictional and factual, the Arthur Ellis Awards for Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing are the awards to check out for the newest and the best. (A bit of trivia: The awards are named for the pseudonym of the Official Executioner for the Dominion of Canada from 1913-1935, which explains the appearance of the award as seen to the right.) Awarded annually by the Crime Writers of Canada since 1984, the Arthur Ellis Awards include the following categories:

For Published Works:

Best Crime Novel *
Best First Crime Novel *
Best Crime Book in French
Best Crime Nonfiction
Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book
Best Crime Short Story

For Unpublished Work:

The Unhanged Arthur Award for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel *

*Awards for which prizes are provided

This year's shortlist of works from 2011 will be announced in April 2012, and the awards presented at the Arthur Ellis Awards Banquet in Toronto on Thursday, May 31, 2012.

So, if you're looking for a great mystery or thriller, until the 2012 short list is announced, the books nominated for the 2011 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book will provide you with a strong selection.

Short List:

Borderline by Allan Stratton (HarperCollins Canada, 2010)

Pluto's Ghost by Sheree Fitch (Doubleday Canada, 2010)

Victim Rights by Norah McClintock (Red Deer Press, 2010)

The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz (HarperCollins Canada, 2010)

The Worst Thing She Ever Did by Alice Kuipers (HarperCollins Canada, 2010)

Winner:

The Worst Thing She Ever Did
by Alice Kuipers
HarperCollins Canada, 2010

While the title suggests a mystery to which the reader is not privy, sixteen-year-old Sophie knows what she did and what it has cost. After her sister's death, Sophie is instructed by a therapist to share herself, particularly her grief, in a journal.

For more information about the awards, go to the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Awards

Brief Interview with...me!

2012-01-14T17:14:00.000-05:00

Please may I brag?

I was recently interviewed by Kay Weisman, a moderator (with Ellen Fu) for the blog of the Canadian Library Association's network, Canadian Libraries Are Serving Children (CLASC). CLASC is an online hub where children's services librarians and staff may connect and share resources and ideas relating to books, programs, and all things related to children's literature.

Kay and I had been fellow committee members for the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award (BOYCA) for several years, finally meeting at the CLA conference in Edmonton in 2010. (You have no idea how often librarians and teacher-librarians never meet, communicating so much online.) That was the year that Nancy Hartry's book Watching Jimmy (Tundra, 2009) won the Book of the Year for Children's Award.

Nancy Hartry (right) and myself at the 2010 CLA Books Awards Reception in Edmonton.

If you haven't had a chance to read this book, please do so, to see why it won BOYCA and was a finalist for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People (2010), the 2010 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and the Golden Oak Award (2010).

And, if you're at all curious why I do this blog, check out the CLASC Interview.

Festival of Trees™ ticket sales

2012-01-11T21:53:00.001-05:00

DON'T MISS OUT on Canada's largest literary event for young people!

With the Ontario Library Association'sForest of Reading®

programs currently running in Ontario schools, many students are already anticipating the culminating event,
Festival of Trees™

TORONTO

The Festival of Trees™ which will be held over two days in May at Toronto's Harbourfront will host over 8000 young readers. This wonderful opportunity celebrates our children's love of reading with numerous workshops with authors and illustrators; music performances; buskers; activity tents for crafts, etc.; games for prizes; educational displays; book purchases at S & B's festival tent; author signings; and, of course, the announcement of the winners.

The two days' awards are separated, as follows:

May 15, 2012 : Blue Spruce, Red Maple and White Pine

May16, 2012: Silver Birch
As events are often sold out, early purchase of tickets is recommended.

For Registered Forest Members:

Tickets go on sale Friday, January 13, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. at Harbourfront Box Office or by phone at 416.973.4000 (press 1 )

For the Public:

Tickets will go on sale in February.

The Festival which was originally only held in Toronto will present inaugural events in Ottawa and Thunder Bay this year.

OTTAWA

Ottawa's first Festival of Trees will be held on May 17, 2012 at Carleton University

One thousand tickets for the Silver Birch and Red Maple ceremonies are available for $10 directly from the Ontario Library Association

THUNDER BAY

Similarly, Thunder Bay's first Festival of Trees will take place on May 18, 2012 at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition. One thousand tickets, available on a first-come-first-serve basis, are available directly from the Ontario Library Association

Further details about the Festival of Trees can be found at the OLA Festival web site

Chance to Dance for You

2012-01-11T19:05:00.000-05:00

by Gail Sidonie Sobat

Great Plains Teen Fiction

978-1-926531-11-3

172 pp.

Ages 14+

2011

Although Ian Trudeau has only outed himself to his family and best friend, Tilley, his dance skills, specifically ballet, make him a target of homophobic slurs, vandalism and violence in his very suburban high school. Unfortunately, one of the worst offenders is Jess Campeau, a football and hockey athlete, who Ian has a crush on. Fortunately, Jess seems to have issues with his own sexuality, compelling him to take Ian aside on two different occasions and kiss him, while still denouncing being gay.

When Ian agrees to keep Jess' secret in return for Jess discontinuing his insults of gays and girls, he also promises to be his friend and sounding board if Jess feels he needs to talk. That courageous offer opens a door for Jess, allowing him to get closer to Ian, while still determined to keep their relationship completely hidden. After a romantic evening during which Jess asks Ian to dance for him, Jess discretely attends a dress rehearsal for a spring show of Ian's. But, Jess' military dad finds a copy of the programme, furious at its implications (i.e., Jess isn't a real man) and beats up his son, who finds refuge for the night with Ian and his mom. Surprisingly, the next day begins Jess' avoidance of Ian and his public dating of a girl, Brittany, to temper his dad's anger and drunken violence.

Hurt, angry and lonely, Ian looks for ways to reconnect with Jess. And, although Ian is gently persuaded to recognize that he is very fortunate to have unconditional support to be himself, not everyone feels able or willing to fight for their rights to be different. But, this lesson is a painful one for him to learn and then accept.

While many may emphasize the gay relationship in Chance to Dance for You, I see it as a love story wrapped in prejudice. Jess learns from his father and his jock peers that he shouldn't be attracted to Ian, but he is, hence his conflict. Ian knows the battles he faces daily, even with undeniable caring and support, but he is convinced that love can conquer all. Gail Sidonie Sobat's storyline, so authentic in its voice and details, emphasizes the boys' attempts to resolve these conflicts while staying true to themselves and remaining unbroken, if possible. First loves always have a way of taking a little bit away from you while almost always helping you gain something: maturity, strength, humility, insight, friendship, or wisdom.

Read the book jacket endorsements by Brian Francis (author of Fruit, ECW Press, 2004) and Glen Huser (author of Stitches, Groundwood, 2003), Canadian authors of books in which male protagonists must deal with their differences, for their succinct and touching expressions about Chance to Dance for You. Then, read this very real and bittersweet story that juxtaposes love with prejudice, courage with fear, and sensitivity with harshness, all to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a man.

Just to add a little lightness, I found a video of a group enacting the flash mob performance from Chance to Dance for You. This YouTube video (uploaded by 6627geoff on Jun 9, 2011) was recorded at the book release at Greenwoods' Bookshoppe in Edmonton.

Uploaded by 6627geoff on Jun 9, 2011

Ultraviolet

2012-01-09T19:19:00.003-05:00

by R. J. Anderson

Carolrhoda Lab

978-0-7613-7408-4

303 pp.

Ages 14+

2011

R. J. Anderson, author of Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter (HarperCollins Canada, 2009) and Wayfarer (HarperCollins Canada, 2010), continues her foray into speculative fiction, but this time immersed in the issue of youth mental health, a reality that could read like fiction.

Waking up in a hospital, Alison Jeffries learns quickly that she has been admitted to a psychiatric department after a psychotic episode that had her harming herself and assaulting a police officer. Upon her transfer to Pine Hills, a youth facility, she realizes that another Gr. 10 student from her school, Tori Beaugrand, disappeared on the same day of Alison's crisis, and that many believe that Alison had something to do with the girl's disappearance. Of course, it also might be because Alison claimed that she'd made Tori disintegrate.

Because of her interactions with Constable Deckard (who returns several times to question her memory of the day's events), her therapy sessions with Dr. Minta (who seems to see every action of Alison's in terms of psychoses), visits from her family (or lack thereof), and a visit from her best friend, Melissa, Alison spends much of her weeks in Pine Hills recalling that day's events, particularly her memory of seeing Tori vanish before her eyes. She believes that she might have always been "crazy", recollecting her mother's reaction to her sharing the colours and shapes and smells she associates with random items and feelings.

While she learns to interact with her Pine Hills' peers, who deal with anorexia, bipolar disorder, depression, paranoia, etc., her most significant relationship is established with the young Dr. Sebastian Faraday, a neuropsychologist from South Africa, whose unique violet eyes and startling beauty assure and calm her. Faraday identifies Alison as a synesthete, one of only 4% of the population whose senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) are interconnected. Convinced that Alison is not crazy and that she is not responsible for Tori's disappearance, Faraday becomes a strong emotional support for Alison, causing some awkwardness for flirtatious patient, Kirk, whose anger and jealousy are brought to the surface, resulting in a destructive fire, the removal of Faraday from Pine Hills, and permission for Alison to visit home.

But, that is hardly the end of the story. A whole new set of circumstances bring Alison's relationship with Faraday and the "madness" of her experiences with Tori into play, demonstrating the speculative nature of Ultraviolet. Telling you any more than that would destroy the systematic "aha" moments that bring this story to its unpredictable resolution. Fortunately, the story has not concluded, since a sequel, tentatively titled Quicksilver, is slated for publication in 2013.

R. J. Anderson seems to whip up amazing plots that are rich in their interconnectedness and their complexity, here taking mental health issues and wrapping them in fantastical elements, playing down the fear and anxiety of mental illness while revealing much about it. Her characters can be enigmas, not unlike most of us, who change their minds and alter their behaviour, sometimes without apparent rationale. But, they ultimately reveal themselves as complex beings and begin to see and be seen beyond first impressions. Creating empathetic characters in speculative fiction is a skill that R. J. Anderson has demonstrated repeatedly, recognizing that the richness of her characters can carry any bizarre plot she may be imaginative enough to create.

Uploaded by LernerPublishing on Mar 30, 2011

The publisher, Carolrhoda Lab, is an imprint of Lerner Publishing, who has posted this very brief trailer for Ultraviolet.

Spoiler alert: If you'd like to see a Fan trailer for "Ultraviolet"that focuses on Alison and Faraday, check out this link BUT it does include a spoiler not revealed in this review.

Blood Red Road wins Costa Children's Book Award

2012-01-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Moira Young and her book Blood Red Road (Doubleday Canada, 2011) reviewed here on December 27, 2011 which has been awarded the 2011 Costa Children's Book Award. Although a native Canadian, Young currently lives in the United Kingdom, making her eligible for the Costa Awards for popular books by writers based in the UK and Ireland.

The Costa Awards, which have been bestowed for 40 years, cover 5 categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book, with the winner of each receiving £5,000. The winners of the five 2011 awards were announced January 4, 2011, Announcement

Now, the winners of the 5 different awards are pitted against one another for the Costa Book of the Year with the winner receiving an additional £30,000. This award will be selected and announced on January 24, 2012.

By the way, you may want to check out the different covers for Blood Red Road as available in Canada and the UK. Personally, the subtle colours and dusty appearance with Saba walking off the coverare my preference. Must be the understated Canadian nature at play.

Doubleday Canada, 2011

Marion Lloyd Books, 2011

All Good Children

2012-01-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

by Catherine Austen

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-55469-824-0

300 pp.

Ages 14+

2011

Here's a way to start out 2012: read about a future that is so terrifyingly probable that you wonder how we're ever going to stop it from happening. Catherine Austen's All Good Children may be science fiction but it certainly alludes to the direction we may be heading. How many readers have heard a teacher, librarian, parent or any adult who works with young people declare repeatedly about young troublemakers taking all of their time and efforts? If you have, then All Good Children could be our future, sadly.

Max Connors and his best friend, Dallas Richmond, would both consider themselves fifteen-year-old troublemakers and smile at that label. In their gated community of New Middleton, owned by Chemrose International, they pull a lot of pranks, don't hold back their opinions of others, live for their RIGs (Realtime Integrated Gateways) and religiously follow Freakshow, an "entertaining" reality show in which deformed adults (as a result of chemical contamination) compete against each other. The boys and their families are actually very fortunate: first, by living in a region devoid of environmental disasters such the drowning of New York City or desiccation of Phoenix; second, by living in homes in New Middleton, rather than the tents or shanties of the forests outside the gates; and, third, by attending academic schools because of their genetic status (Dallas is an ultimate, and Max a best-of-three) and not being the throwaway kids of the trade schools.

In fact, Max's little sister, Ally, a six-year-old, has been very fortunate having missed the first week of school when the family (Mom, Max and herself) attended a funeral in Atlanta. Upon their return, Ally notes that all the Grade 1 and 2 students are acting kind of slow and fuzzy, emoting very little, repeatedly using phrases about being lucky to be in school and that all their teachers deserve respect. Consequently Ally is cited as not fitting in at her academic school and transferred to a trade school. With a bit of investigating at the middle school, Max, his brilliant but quirky neighbour, Xavier, and Dallas learn of a new motivational leadership program called NEST (New Education Support Treatment) being delivered to all students, youngest first, via vaccination. Max's mother, a nurse at a geriatric facility where patients are subjected to a similar treatment, is determined not to allow her children to be vaccinated and initiates plans to evade the mandatory program.

While the plot keeps the reader on edge, anticipating exposure of Max and Dallas' deception and the family's plan for evasion, the moral dilemma of identifying children as "good" or not and consequent programs to improve their status was far more compelling to me. Skillfully, Catherine Austen ensures that Max is seen as a smart aleck kid who has moments of brilliance and compassion, helping the readers clarify their own perspectives on this new world and its way of doing things. Does Max need to be turned into a "good" child or is he already such a child, just an individual? Who is able to judge a child's "goodness": a parent/guardian, a principal, a teacher, the child? Think about the number of mothers of criminals who will claim that their children have good hearts or would never have done anything like that. Really? Should I trust their assessment or look to the evidence? Having seen enough students similar to Max in my classes, I would never classify him as a "good child" but I would surely support his right to be an individual.

Moreover, while mass vaccination of a population is not unusual (e.g., against polio and small pox), their use to ensure compliance and the lack of opportunity to decline treatment is more akin to forced psychiatric drugging than "motivational leadership". A rose by any other name? Be the child or the parent/guardian and the perspectives may be very different, whether it is called nesting or psychiatric treatment. Dallas' father certainly has a different perspective than his son and Max's mom.

As in her first book, Walking Backward (Orca, 2009), which was shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association's 2010 Book of the Year for Children Award, in which a family comes to terms with the mother's death, Catherine Austen poignantly reveals the psychological workings of a family under duress with parent and children all searching for clarity and understanding and always hope. Charmingly, hope is offered in a country called Canada.

New #kidsCanlit for 2012

2012-01-01T12:19:00.001-05:00

Fearful that you might miss out on the release of the last Hunchback Assignments or the final The Boy Sherlock Holmes Case? Do you know when Marsha Skrypuch's Making Bombs for Hitler will be available? Check my calendar below for some of the more prominent #kidsCanlit I'm tracking that are scheduled for release in 2012. Titles in blue indicate those reviewed previously. (n.b. Titles listed here include only those currently listed for release. Updates will be announced regularly.)

Little Jane Silver

2011-12-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

by Adira Rotstein
Dundurn
978-1554888788
268 pp.
Ages 9-14
2011

The yarns that Long John Silver the Second and Adira Rotstein weave are the rich tales told before roaring fires on winter's nights, when the seas are too cold for pirating and the coffers too empty for shopping. They're stories of heroes and villains, kindness and treachery, gentle rocking and violent swordfighting. Luckily for readers, Rotstein's stories are meant solely to entertain and will not result in the inadequate education that Little Jane Silver may endure courtesy of her father's tongue.

Of course, Little Jane Silver is in rapture of her father's story-telling, just as she adores her parents, Captains Long John Silver the Second and Bonnie Mary Bright, as they do their only child. Little Jane (how she despises that inescapable moniker) hungrily absorbs the details of their pirate lives in hopeful preparation for her anticipated entry into the family business. During the cold, rainy season, Little Jane lives at her family's inn, the Spyglass, at Smuggler's Bay. But during the warms months, she joins them and their crew on the Pieces of Eight, pirating, smuggling and hiding loot on the cursed Nameless Isle (actually only her parents are able to hide the loot without harm).

At age twelve, however, Little Jane realizes that she isn't regarded as a pirate to be respected or feared and she begins her training by making observations in her journal, How to be a Good Pirate, as advised by the ship's cook, Ishiro. Unfortunately, Jane's observation skills earn her the directed wrath of the boatswain, Ned Ronk, whose intimidation and mutinous attitude will ultimately separate Little Jane from her parents and put their lives and happy family in danger.

Adira Rotstein balances the language and jargon of pirates with the subtle humour that affords the text the lightness to scoot the story into a high-seas adventure. When Little Jane's fencing tutor is described as "upper crust" (pg. 69), the young girl suggests that it would be more fun to be the fruit filling. Even a misunderstanding about her father by nasty Charity and Felicity ("cannibal" for "cannonball"), when Little Jane tells them that "a cursed cannonball chewed off his foot" (pg. 246), results in Little Jane declaring, "how could I be the daughter of a cannonball? Ain't anyone ever told you babies don't come from cannons? Artillery's got nothing to do with it"(pg 246). Yet the depth of feelings demonstrated by Little Jane and her parents for each other is very clear, ultimately leading Long John Silver the Second to declare that they would survive so that he might tell Little Jane his true story and Little Jane promising to find her parents. Sadly, the reader will need to wait until the next book in this series, Little Jane Silver and the Nameless Isle, comes out in September, 2012 to learn the fates of Little Jane, Long John Silver the Second and Bonnie Mary Bright, as masterminded by the friend-turned-foe, Fetz.

Blood Red Road

2011-12-27T23:36:00.001-05:00

by Moira Young

Doubleday Canada

978-0-385-67183-5

459 pp.

Ages 14+

2011

Moira Young's debut novel, Blood Red Road, begins as a dust storm: sudden, painful, devastating and gritty. In their post-Wreckers world at Silverlake, eighteen-year-old Saba and her family endure the lack of rain and resources, looking to the stars for guidance and the landfill for materials. After a violent dust storm, accompanied by lightning, which turns everything red, life just shifts from bad to worse. Men on horseback murder her Pa and abduct her twin, Lugh. Leaving her shanty existence for the first time, Saba pursues her brother's trail, accompanied by her pet crow Nero and her nine-year-old sister, Emmi. Learning more about her parents' early lives and their stay in Hopetown, Saba heads for the brutal town where the violent Tonton, who took Lugh, control the people and slaves with the use of a drug, chaal. Unfortunately, it's Saba's anger and tenacity that make her attractive to Rooster Pinch and Miz Pinch, who press her into the brutality of cage-fighting (as the "Angel of Death") by threatening Emmi. Sadly, only if they escape Hopetown do Saba and Emmi have any chance of finding Lugh.

Their isolation at Silverlake has not prepared Saba for the multitude of characters that she encounters in her quest for Lugh, making it difficult for her to assess accurately their true natures, sometimes not until it is too late. Her most difficult relationships seem to be with Emmi and with Jack, a young male cage-fighter. Saba continues to vacillate between trust and resentment, often overlooking the insights of others or almost squandering opportunities for assistance. As strong as she is physically and emotionally, Saba's misunderstanding and naiveté weaken her, threatening to jeopardize her self-imposed mission.

The grittiness of the story is matched by the text, told from Saba's perspective and in her words, just as she speaks them. She trusts the red hot in her stummick that tells of her raging anger and she knows about talkin an fightin but not about books or history or the technology of the Wreckers such as their bolt shooters or long lookers. The text can be disconcerting to read, with its lack of quotation marks for dialogue and its perfunctory spelling, but it emphasizes the reinvention of a society to its most fundamental - survival. Literacy and progress have been eschewed as the values of a Wreckers' society whose failure is evident in their abandoned settlements littering the landscape.

Justifiably, Blood Red Road has been compared to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy with its theme of survival in a dystopian world led by a despot and his cohorts who rule over the suffering masses. Luckily, another commonality lies in the book's inclusion in a trilogy. To my great relief, Blood Red Road is just Book 1 in the Dustlands trilogy so readers (particularly those reading it in the White Pine reading program) can look forward to a sequel in 2012. My own heavy heart at the end of my reading of Blood Red Road has been assuaged, knowing that soon enough I will learn more about Jack's pre-Saba life, the mystery of DeMalo and the nature of Saba, Lugh and Emmi's new life at the Big Water.

Falling for Henry

2011-12-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

by Beverley Brenna
Red Deer Press
978-0-88995-442-7
281 pp.
Ages 12+
2011

Discontented Kate Allen hardly seems a substantial enough character (except for her full figure) to carry her from the 21st century back to 1507 to connect with young Prince Henry, Duke of York, future king. But, a bizarre incident in a tunnel slips Kate back in time to become Katherine of Aragon, widow of Henry's elder brother and soon-to-be first wife of Henry VIII himself.

Amazing circumstances for a young girl, unhappily living with her older sister in London, following the accidental death of their father in New York. With a mother who disappeared when she was quite young and a grandmother in Brighton, Kate moves to England where her sister, Willow, is attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. During a school field trip to Greenwich, claustrophobic Kate enters a tunnel and strangely witnesses a hunting party led by a red-haired young man who kills a buck; a young girl on a gray mare hiding from the others; and a wolf cub and a snarling adult. Although she's convinced she is imaging things, Kate warns the teacher of the presence of wolves, setting herself up for more humiliation from her peers who claim there have been no wolves in Britain for centuries.

Back in the real world, Kate is surprised by the attentions of an older schoolmate, Hal, who takes her out, kisses her, and makes her feel special. But, while taking out the garbage, Kate sees Hal kissing another girl, petite and blond. This chain of events, including Kate wearing a stunning blue dress (an unused costume from Willow's current play, Henry VIII) that Willow planned to alter for her, seems too contrived for this reader, especially as Kate, desperate to get out of sight, boards a bus and ends up back in Greenwich at the tunnel where she first slipped back in time.

Regardless, Kate enters the world of Katherine of Aragon, daughter of the King of Spain, love interest of Prince Henry, charge of Doña Elvira, and confidante of William Fitzroy, the Prince's companion, who is tending to an injured wolf cub, though wolves have been outlawed. While she has some inherent knowledge of Katherine's life, Kate lacks many memories, stumbling her way through her days of being courted by Henry, while keeping her contemporary insights at bay. However, the erratic nature of Kate's memories as Katherine (e.g., she cannot remember gifting the astrolabe but knows she practised equestrian arts as a child) as well as Henry's acceptance of her use of words such as technology (pg. 226) continued to throw off my temporal train of thought, often leaving me unsure of what Kate knows and how she would react.

Luckily, Beverley Brenna undertook an exhaustive research regarding Henry VIII, wolves in Britain, an illness called the "sweating sickness" and all manner of Tudor customs, providing young readers with an authentic perspective on British history, made all the more intriguing by focusing on Henry VIII's life as a charming young prince rather than his disreputable nature as a husband. Although the parallels between Kate's and Katherine's lives seem somewhat fabricated (e.g., suitors Hal-Henry, mothers Isobel-Isabella, dogs Patch-Patch, friend William-Will), the lesson Kate learns, that "No matter how long it takes...the best any of us can wish for...is to fill our place" (pg. 265), cannot so easily be manipulated and is one she will need to work out for herself.

Making Bombs for Hitler

2011-12-20T09:31:00.000-05:00

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-0730-3

186 pp.

Ages 8-12

2012

The title of Marsha Skrypuch's newest book may blindside you, even knock you senseless about reading it, but it would be a shame for anyone not to read this compassionate historical fiction about a little known tragedy of World War II. As always, Skrypuch demonstrates that she is to be trusted and respected for her ability to transform even horrific history into gentle but honest and enlightening stories.

With Russian Communist rule in Ukraine and Stalin determined to destroy the country to keep it from the Germans coupled with the Nazis heading for Moscow by invading Ukraine, Ukrainians were in an unfortunate position, territorially and psychologically, during World War II. Sadly, this senseless situation leads to the murder of eight-year-old Lida Ferezuk's father by the Russians and her mother by the Nazis. Separated from her younger sister, Larissa, Lida is taken with numerous Ukrainian children to Germany to be Ostarbeiter (eastern workers) for the Nazis.

Housed in barracked camps, provided with no clothes or shoes, and essentially starved on watery broth once a day, Lida and other children are slave workers for the Nazis, kept only as long as they are useful. After showing her skills with needle and thread, Lida is assigned to the Nazi laundry. But, after being gifted a cast-off shirt by the laundress, Officer Schmidt decides Lida has been too privileged and assigns her with five others girls to construct bombs in a compound away from the camp.

With repeated defeats at the front, many Nazis retreat and, without supervision, the girls begin to sabotage the bombs to ensure they are ineffective. But, relentless bombing by the Allies destroys the camp, allowing many to escape. Unfortunately, a number of them, including Lida, are captured and taken to a German town where their enslavement is reimposed under a man manufacturing ammunition. Locked in a basement, they endure inhumane conditions, worsened when they are abandoned by the departing Germans feeling the threat of the Allied forces.

The inevitable arrival of Allied soldiers and their discovery of Lida and others brings the reader small pleasure, as the deaths of many and the images of the starved with legs turning to sticks and teeth loosening cannot be erased or ameliorated. Even with their rescue and care by compassionate soldiers and nurses, the Ukrainian children are in jeopardy from the Soviets who view them as Nazis, deserving of punishment. If they do survive the machinations of the Soviets to retrieve and punish them, many will spend years in displaced persons camps, waiting, hoping to be reunited with family.

This heart-breaking story, as told from Lida's young eyes and heart, offers an opportunity for our young readers to get a different perspective of World War II beyond the battles expounded upon in history books or Remembrance Day activities at school or the tragedy of the Jewish people. It provides an opportunity to see war from a Ukrainian child's perspective, hopefully sparking discussions with grandparents or research to understand more fully the plight of so many during war. [n.b. I may begin my own research with A History of Ukraine by Paul R. Magocsi (University of Toronto Press, 1996)]

Being of Ukrainian heritage, recalling vague discussions about Ukrainians dealing with the enemy they knew and the enemy they didn't, I recognize that choices were more akin to gambles, made with the single goal of survival. As Lida acknowledges, even with the difficulty in believing that people could be so cruel, they saw hope even when there was none, just as Lida tries to see beauty anywhere, just as her mother deemed it was possible.

The Time Time Stopped

2011-12-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

by Don Gillmor

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-0231-1

151 pp.

Ages 8-11

2011

Tristan Burberry has come to the conclusion that time is responsible for all his current miseries. His family has moved and he's at a new school and not even at the beginning of the year when everyone is new. He desperately wants to visit the zoo and his parents are always at work, having no time for him. His twelve-year-old sister, Bella, lives for spending time at the mall. And when he gets on the bus, there is only one seat available - the one beside Lump, the class bully, who threatens Tristan with "getting it" if he doesn't help him change the clocks so the teachers will let the students out early. In a burst of frustration, Tristan pronounces his hatred of time and his wish for it to end immediately. Coincidentally, the Time Keeper is walking by and, hearing Tristan, decides to quit his job, tired of all the complaints.

If it weren't for the tongue-in-cheek humour, I might have wondered if Antoine de Saint-Exupéry had written a sequel to The Little Prince (1943) substituting the concept of time in his search for that which is essential. Tristan and Bella, in search of the Time Keeper, visit a variety of locales, including the zoo, the mall and a small town, meeting a menagerie of characters, including the Time Bandits and the Thief of Time. So, as Tristan and his sister look to bring the Time Keeper back from retirement, the Thief of Time with his Time Bandits is looking to possess his machine and go into business selling time.

Gillmor's ever-present wit reminds us of our powerful relationship with time: needing to make time for ourselves; watching time fly; having too much time on our hands; not having enough hours in the day; feeling time sneaking up on us; having no time for friends and family; knowing that time continues to march on; and always wishing for more time, particularly for those circumstances we enjoy. But, through the puns and slapstick, it is evident that, although there may be a machine to make time, making time requires experience, patience and judgement. The book's poignant message in these times of overworked parents, over-scheduled children and a nebulous future makes it an exceptional nominee for this year's Silver Birch Express Award.

CanLit for LittleCanadians

Author Alice Kuipers: Guest Post

In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up

CBC Bookie Awards

BC Book Prizes

Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize

Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize

Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize

Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize

Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize

Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize

Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award

An additional award, the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, which recognizes BC writers who have contributed to the development of literary excellence there, is also presented at the Book Prizes Gala.

The finalists (i.e., short-listed titles) for the 2012 BC Book Prizes were announced yesterday for all seven literary awards. Below CanLit for LittleCanadians has noted those titles for the two awards dedicated to books for young readers.

Cross Katie Kross

Marina Cohen: Author Interview

Torn Apart: The Internment Diary of Mary Kobayashi, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1941

Twitter Chat with Author Alice Kuipers

The Willow Awards: 2012 Nominated Titles

Making Bombs for Hitler: Book Launch

Canadian Library Association announces Book Awards Shortlists

Starling: Coming soon

National Film Board: From Paper to Film

Ghosts of the Pacific

The Willow Awards: Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice

40 Things I Want To Tell You

Saskatchewan Book Awards

Freedom to Read Week

Chasing the White Witch

Timber Wolf

Forest of Reading: Most Passionate Fan

Emily For Real

The Taming

Darkest Light: coming soon to our blog

SEVEN: Orca's upcoming series

Charlie's Key

Small Saul

USBBY 2012 Outstanding International Books for Young People

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse

Ninja Cowboy Bear

Switch

First Descent

2012 Notable Children's Books

Girls with Grit series

American Library Association 2012 Awards

Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret

Wellington's Rainy Day

Family Literacy Day: January 27, 2012

I AM CANADA series

Behind Enemy Lines : World War II, Sam Frederiksen, Nazi-Occupied Europe, 1944

Unraveling Isobel

The Arthur Ellis Awards

Brief Interview with...me!

Festival of Trees™ ticket sales

Chance to Dance for You

Ultraviolet

Blood Red Road wins Costa Children's Book Award

All Good Children

New #kidsCanlit for 2012

Little Jane Silver

Blood Red Road

Falling for Henry

Making Bombs for Hitler

The Time Time Stopped