The Lost Scroll of the Physician (Secrets of the Sands, Book 1)

Written by Alisha Sevigny

Dundurn

978-1-45974-429-5

272 pp.

Ages 8-13

January 2020

He looks up at me, expression bleak. "There is nothing you can do, Sesha. This is an ailment you cannot treat."

     "I will treat it," I say firmly. "And I swear by the gods I will find that scroll and see you cured." (pg. 129)

 

Thirteen-year-old Sesha  and her younger brother Ky have been fending for themselves for a month since the fire that killed their parents. Because Sesha had seen guards with the pharaoh's crest running from the burning house, Sesha believes Pharaoh had had their father Ay, Great Physician and Chief Scribe, killed, perhaps because of his last project. Though she doesn't know much about the scroll he'd been transcribing, she remembers hearing that it was by the Great Imhotep and might have great implications for the world but also save Ky's life.

When they are returned to the palace, Ky is delighted to be reunited with his friend Prince Tutan, Pharaoh's young son, but Sesha is wary of all, including Pharaoh; Wujat, their father's friend and Grand Vizier and former High Priest; the new physician Ahmes; Queen Anatmoset; the priest Nebifu; and Scribe Sebau. In her determination to find the scroll, she requests permission to study the medical arts with other scribes at the temple where her father's chambers had been. Pharaoh agrees on the assurance that she will search for the missing scroll which he claims to be an invaluable treatise for military surgery.

With the help of Pharaoh's daughter Merat and a scribe trainee, Paser, and some other unlikely allies, Sesha searches for the scroll so that she may help Ky, who has seizures because of an excess of fluid in his skull, but also disprove the rumour that her father was a heretic who believed only in practical medicine and not the magic of their gods, and learn who was responsible for their parents' deaths. But with those who have already harmed her parents determined to stop her efforts, Sesha must rely on her instincts and learned skills to persist in her quest if she is to save the only family she has left.

Set in Ancient Egypt, a unique culture rife with intrigue and peculiarities–the mummification Sesha witnesses as part of her studies is especially distinctive–The Lost Scroll of the Physician is at its heart a spellbinding mystery. Central to the story, of course, the plot to locate the missing scroll which could be anywhere or already discovered and perhaps destroyed. And with so many characters at the palace, at the temple and in the countryside, Alisha Sevigny has created a story that is embedded with treasonous villains, colourful happenings–from snake charming to a hippo hunt and the Festival of the Inundation–and a setting rich in history and ethos. Ancient Egypt becomes part of the story, not just the setting, giving readers even more story as they follow Sesha and her allies into the mastaba in which her parents are interred, or into the embalming room, or through the market where Ky steals food. The Lost Scroll of the Physician will delight middle grade readers with its history, its setting and, most of all, its gripping adventure and mystery which, though resolved, offers more to come.

With the release of The Desert Prince, Book 2 in the Secrets of the Sands series, slated for this September, we don't have long to wait until we get to accompany Sesha and her new friends on a new mission away from Thebes and undoubtedly into more danger and in conflict with new adversaries. 

Switchback: Guest review

This review was written by teacher Elizabeth Cook.

Written by Danika Stone 

Swoon Reads

978-1250221650

320 pp.

Ages 12-18
2019

Warning: Do not start this book right before bedtime as you will be compelled to read until the very end...which for me was three in the morning!

Danika Stone’s Switchback is a story of two best friends in Grade 10 who are required to go on an overnight camping trip in the Rocky Mountains to earn their gym class credit.  Vale (Valeria) and Ash (Ashton) couldn’t be more different.  Vale loves learning about new topics and going on hikes with her family.  She stands up for what is right against the school bullies, Mike and Brodie, which made her an easy target and a social outcast. On the other hand, Ash is loved by everyone for his self-deprecating humour and corny jokes (“Hey, Vale.  You know how trees get onto the internet?  They log on!”) but he would never choose to be outside, preferring to spend all day inside playing D&D or video games.

The group's two-day climb up the mountain begins with a small hike followed by a lunch break during which Vale sees Mike and Brodie littering the national park with their lunch wrappers.  Worried for the safety of the animals, she convinces Ash to help her pick up the garbage, which unfortunately results in them being left behind by their group.  Hoping to reach the designated camping spot at Twin Lakes, the pair continue on the path, until the cloud cover causes them to lose their way. As the dark night sky looms and the rains begin, Vale and Ash decide to set up a shelter to keep warm and hopefully avoid the forecast snow. 

The two teens face numerous challenges in the wilderness while trying to find a way back to civilization. Their biggest concerns are staying healthy and safe. First, they have limited food and water, as their meals disappeared with the rest of the school group. Other than a couple of sticks of gum, a handful of GORP (granola, oats, raisins, peanuts), the pair must fend for themselves. They also have to fight off hypothermia–their clothes get wet when the snow comes–and tend to their hiking injuries with only the small first aid kit that Vale had packed. Moreover, the two have to worry about the many animals they encounter along the way. When it is dark on the side of a mountain, every snap of a branch sends a new wave of panic through them as they pray for a harmless deer rather than a larger predator looking for a snack.

This YA novel is a definite page turner!  I started this novel hoping I would enjoy it for a couple of days, but I loved it too much to stop. I had to know what would happen next and read through the night until I was done.  Switchback is a real nail biter and it definitely kept my heart beating fast during many scenes. The story of these two friends trying to survive in the wilderness is a story of bravery, perseverance, and true friendship!

~ Reviewer Elizabeth Cook is a teacher in the Halton District School Board. She is an avid reader and fan of Canadian literature. 

Deadly Curious

Written by Cindy Anstey

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250252272

304 pp.

Ages 13-18

June 2020

Investigating required a fair amount of questioning, thinking, and rethinking–mental exercises that she found invigorating. But there was a noble purpose to her questions now: solving a crime. What could be more rewarding than assuaging the pain brought on by the premature ending of a life? Yes, Sophia nodded to herself, she had found the perfect way to spend her days. (pg. 99)

Eighteen-year-old Sophia Thompson, first introduced in Cindy Anstey's The Hummingbird Dagger, has decided that, now that her prospects for marriage have dissipated because of family troubles, she will pursue a career as an investigator. Reading "Investigating Murder and Mayhem: A Runner's Journey" with aspirations of becoming the first woman to be appointed to London's police force known as the Bow Street Runners, Sophia responds to a summons from her cousin Daphne Waverley who fears the ineptitude of the local constable looking into the murder of her older brother, Andrew, a year earlier. But a request has also been made for Bow Street to assist the haberdasher-cum-constable Marley so new trainee Mr. Jeremy Fraser, 20, is sent with a driver/assistant Hal Stacks to the town of West Ravenwood.

But with a recent change of law that prohibited hunting on common lands, many locals see Mr. Fraser as an authority figure and are reluctant to assist him in his inquiries. Fortunately, Sophia, who is seen as being a harmless woman, places herself in a position to help the attractive Mr. Fraser. With her irritable Uncle Edward having recovered a knife in the woods, the scene of the crime, Aunt Hazel spending an inordinate amount of time with the Reverend's daughter, Charlotte Dewey, who makes herself quite at home at Allerton Park, and a series of mishaps threatening both Daphne and Sophia, the young woman feels compelled to work with Jeremy to share information and pursue her own inquiries, with her lady's maid Betty in tow. 

In a twisted story, intricate with subplots of poaching, jealousy, murders old and new, and romances suitable and not, Deadly Curious keeps the reader enthralled, never knowing whether a knife merchant or a local constable or even an herbalist might have a role in the multiple murders that take place around West Ravenwood. Though I may have guessed the involvement of one character–my years of reading Agatha Christie and other cozies has given me practice in predicting outcomes–Cindy Anstey has created a multitude of sophisticated characters who all seem to be viable suspects. From a footman and housekeeper to the local surgeon and even Daphne's other brother William, all are complex and multi-dimensional and present as potential threats. Moreover they all react realistically and uniquely and the reader will feel as if they've been dropped into a Jane Austen mystery with charming characters and reprehensible ones, from the landed gentry to merchants and those in service. And the plot will carry them all from the unknown of a whodunit to a satisfying resolution and even a happy ending and new beginnings.

• • • • • • •

Though several of the characters in Deadly Curious were introduced in Cindy Anstey's The Hummingbird Dagger (2019), readers can be assured that Deadly Curious is a solid standalone historical YA mystery.  Still I encourage all readers to also read The Hummingbird Dagger for an equally compelling Regency mystery with a hint of romance.

The Hummingbird Dagger

Written by Cindy Anstey

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250174895

352 pp.

Ages 13-18

2019

The year is 1833 and a young woman is injured in a carriage accident caused by 14-year-olds Walter Ellerby and friend Henry Thompson. Though the men in the carriage are reluctant to accept any help for the young woman, Walter's brother, Lord James Ellerby, 20, demands she be taken to their home and a doctor called. The carriage and its driver and patrons continue on their journey.

But the young woman has no memory about who she is, except for haunting nightmares of a dark room and a dagger with the hilt of a hummingbird.  She asks to be called Beth, the only name she can recall, and becomes a companion to eighteen-year-old Caroline Ellerby. As they attempt to discover who she is, James, Caroline and Beth discover greater mysteries, including that the carriage she'd been on was not the regular carriage between London and Exeter as had been expected and the trunk they'd been given as hers was actually filled with men's clothes. Then someone tries to break into the house, Caroline and Beth are accosted on the road and a man is found dead. As they try to determine who Beth is, a myriad of characters, from the Reverend Cranley's wife, to Henry's mother, sister Sophia and visiting uncle, Gilbert Renfrew, become part of the story, along with those who make claims to be related to her. It soon becomes a game of whom to believe and who should not be trusted, as the mystery of Beth’s identity is tied with the danger that someone means to harm her. But, with Beth's memories seeping back ever so slowly, the question is whether the young people will discover her story before the nightmares related to that hummingbird dagger become her reality.

Blended with a budding romance or two, some shenanigans by Walter and Henry that actually unearth more clues, red herrings peppering the narrative, and several sting operations that are either fruitless or go awry, The Hummingbird Dagger is a historical mystery at its finest. For some readers, the historical time will be the hook, as it’s set in Regency Britain, a time when a folly is a structure, when a law against privateering is being discussed in the House of Lords, and young ladies require chaperones. But it’s the mystery that compelled me to read on. Cindy Anstey layers suspicion with hope and the nefarious with the respectable and creates a story of such depth that the villains are not easily identified and their motivations shrouded. She carries that dangerous riddle of Beth's identity flawlessly, never playing up the amnesia as crutch for the story, always drawing the reader along with each revelation. It's like putting a puzzle together with James, Caroline, Beth and Walter all finding pieces and hoping they'll fall together. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. Still Cindy Anstey resolves Beth's story with a happy enough ending that does not feel contrived or predictable.

For a thrilling historical mystery, with the distinct atmosphere of Regency England and a touch of romance, Cindy Anstey's The Hummingbird Dagger delivers.

• • • • •

Next I review Deadly Curious, a legacy sequel of The Hummingbird Dagger but also a strong standalone mystery that focuses on Sophia Thompson as one of the protagonists. Look for it next here on CanLit for LittleCanadians.

Footsteps in Bay de Verde: A mysterious tale

Written by Charis Cotter

Illustrated by Jenny Dwyer

Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides

978-1-927917282

44 pp.

All ages

May 2020

From the extraordinary teller of ghost stories, Charis Cotter, comes another haunting tale of old Newfoundland from a time when listening to adults talk was entertainment for children and mysterious tales weren't from the imagination alone.

From Footsteps in Bay de Verde: A mysterious tale by Charis Cotter, illus. by Jenny Dwyer

An hour past their bedtime, children John, Bridie and Theresa–8, 6 and 4 respectively–sit squished on a daybed with others, trying to stay invisible to the adults who visited, sharing news of the fishing, the union, and the weather. They also speak of the health of Mother's cousin, Jim Keye, ever known as Poor Keye, who'd gone to hospital in St. John's. Poor Keye who was already afflicted with cataracts and a bad leg that gave him a recognizable "step–shuffle–thump" footstep was a favourite of Birdie's for his jokes and candy in his pockets.

From Footsteps in Bay de Verde: A mysterious tale by Charis Cotter, illus. by Jenny Dwyer

Just as Mr. Fleming begins his story about Billy Cotter going stark raving made one night, "screaming bloody and foaming around the mouth," the front door crashes open with a bang and they all hear the familiar shambling footsteps coming down the hall. As they wait for the returned Poor Keye, Mr. Fleming continues his story. They all hear the footsteps but no one comes in. Bridie's mother even takes the lamp and goes to check on him, sure that he'd lost his way because of his cataracts.

There was a moment of silence that seemed to fill the whole house. Bridie could feel her heart thumping under her sweater. The wind was picking up now, rattling the windows furiously.
     Suddenly there was a loud crash from the back kitchen, and the sound of breaking glass.

When their mother returns without Jim and sees her children still up at quarter past nine, she shuffles them off to bed, leaving a candle for the three children who huddle in their bed in darkness of their room.

From Footsteps in Bay de Verde: A mysterious tale by Charis Cotter, illus. by Jenny Dwyer

But it's in the brightness of the next morning that brings the scariest of news when a telegram arrives from St. John's that confirms that last night's visit was not limited to those seen in the kitchen.

Charis Cotter is a ghost storyteller. From her award-winning The Swallow to her The Ferryland Visitor, Charis Cotter, who lives by the sea in Western Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, paints wildly spooky stories from the mundane. It’s the wind and the rain and a road or a picture. It's friends gathering to chat and a soul far away and right at hand. She tells it as it was, placing the reader in a house pounded by a wind, chilled and dark by weather and something else. From little Theresa whimpering to Mr. Brady spitting out his chewing tobacco to the wind trying to get in, Footsteps in Bay de Verde recreates a story told to Charis Cotter by Brian Walsh, a Newfoundland storyteller himself, of a story his mother experienced in the 1920s and makes us believe what the characters saw and heard.

"It could've been the wind."
"Well, if it was, it's the first time I've ever heard the wind make footsteps."

This is Newfoundlander Jenny Dwyer's first picture book and she gives powerful imagery to Charis Cotter's words. That wind, the cold, the dark and the haunting atmosphere of Bridie's family home on that night is delivered with a starkness and an authority. Through her limited palette of cool blues, greys and black, with just the mere touch of red–in a ribbon, on a candy, a stamp on a telegram–Jenny Dwyer upholds the eeriness of the night and the revelation of the next morning. Even on this hot summer day as I review this story, I feel that chill and the mysteriousness of something experienced but unexplained.

For another haunting picture book, set in old Newfoundland, Footsteps in Bay de Verde makes the real just a little bit dark and a whole lot mysterious.

Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night

Written and illustrated by Graham Annable

First Second

978-1-250-21130-9

128 pp.

Ages 6-10

April 2020

Peter and Ernesto, the two sloths from Graham Annable's first two books, A Tale of Two Sloths and The Lost Sloths, return to bring us another wonderfully heart-warming tale of friendship from deep in the tropical jungle.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

Peter, the more cautious of the two sloths, is trying out his new wind sock, made from fabric their sloth tree mate Bernard had found. Sadly there is no wind but Ernesto, always up for an adventure, wants to go check out a dragon that the motmots assure him has been seen at the spooky old temple by the river.  Not surprising that when the sloths discover Bernard is missing, Ernesto is convinced their friend has gone to see the dragon because, of course, that's what Ernesto wants to do.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

Even though the cautious Peter isn't convinced, he and the other three sloths (Stu, Rodrigo and Lola) follow Ernesto, meeting a swooping bat who warns them to be careful in the Dark Glades on the way to the temple. Though an owl, who thinks the sloths are very large mice, causes some consternation for the five sloths, a meeting with a polka-dot tree frog becomes a magical experience when he and his friends light the way for the sloths through the blackness of the Dark Glades.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

But getting through the Dark Glades is but one step in their search for Bernardo and/or the dragon at the temple, and it takes a turn when Peter falls from a broken zip line.  As Ernesto and the three sloths find their way to the temple and make the acquaintance of a different kind of dragon, Peter is meeting a river otter who is rebuilding a boat.  When everyone finally comes together, with new friends made, new alliances forged, and songs sung to ease their journeys, Peter and Ernesto and friends discover Bernard had found shelter and comfort far closer to home than anticipated.

Because the text is very light and much of the story is carried by the illustrations, Sloths in the Night is a great reading bridge between early reader and middle grade. Regardless of the austerity of his words, animator and cartoonist Graham Annable approaches the big issue of fears–of the darkness, of the unknown and even the known–with sensitivity, acknowledging that fears are very personal and cannot be disregarded just because another finds them unbelievable. As different as Peter and Ernesto are, they recognize the strengths and weaknesses in each other, appreciating attributes they themselves do not possess and accepting these differences as strengths. Even more endearing is the empathy they show to others, whether it be a homesick dragon or an otter with wanderlust, as well as to each other.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

Graham Annable has created another modest story in Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night. It's modest in its messaging and matrix of story i.e. words and art. But it's also bold and assured in addressing the nature of fear and the power of friends to help. Like the polka-dot tree frog, Sloths in the Night illuminates the way through.

• • • • •

 

Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths (2018)

Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths (2019)

Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night (2020)

• • • • •

36 Must Read Canadian YA Books

Social media is liberally peppered with book lists and best-of lists but too often the ones that make the biggest splashes are those that come from the United States–they do have a far greater population.  CanLit for LittleCanadians is all about books by Canadian creators so let me throw my blog into that ring and share with you my list of 36 Must Read Canadian YA Books.

There's a little bit of everything: historical fiction, high fantasy, romance, non-fiction, high school, lots of relationships, graphic novel, paranormal, thriller, LGBTQ+, tragedy, humour, diverse characters, family, coming of age, mental health, dystopia, novels in verse, and so much more. (I initially intended to add tags for each book but I didn't want to skew what any reader might get out of the books so I chose not to include them here.)

I know that I've missed many, many fine books for teens here and I am sorry. I could make a top 100 list easily but it would be prohibitively long if I wanted to add images of the book covers–which I always do–but hopefully this short list will get readers of YA started thinking about the wealth of books written by Canadians and then seek out other great Canadian YA books. 

40 things I Want to Tell You
Written by Alice Kuipers
HarperTrophy Canada
978-1-44340-587-4
283 pp.
Ages 13+
2012
Reviewed here

The Agony of Bun O'Keefe
Written by Heather T. Smith
Penguin Teen Canada
978-0-143198659
224 pp.
Ages 13-17
2017

Blink & Caution
Written by Tim Wynne-Jones
Candlewick Press
978-0-7636-3983-9
342 pp.
Ages 14+
2011
Reviewed here

Chanda's Secrets
Written by Allan Stratton
Annick Press
978-1550378351
200 pp.
Ages 14+
2004

Cheeseburger Subversive
Written by Richard Scarsbrook
Thistledown Press
978-1894345545
204 pp.
Ages 13+
2006

Dance of the Banished
Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Pajama Press
978-1- 927485-65-1
288 pp.
Ages 12+
2014
Reviewed here

The Droughtlanders
Written by Carrie Mac
Puffin Canada
978-0143056669
347 pp.
Ages 12-16
2006

Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined
Written by Danielle Younge-Ullman
Razorbill
978-0-425-28759-0
368 pp.
Ages 13-17
2017
Reviewed here

Exit, Pursued by a Bear
Written by E. K. Johnston
Dutton Books for Young Readers
978-1-101994580
256 pp.
Ages 12-18
2016
Reviewed here

Falling Kingdoms
Written by Morgan Rhodes
Razorbill
978-1-59514-584-0
412 pp.
Ages 12+
2012
Reviewed here

The Fashion Committee
Written by Susan Juby
Penguin Teen
978-0670067602
320 pp.
Ages 12+
2017

The First Stone
Written by Don Aker
HarperTrophy Canada
978-0-00639-286-6
289 pp.
Ages 14+
2003
Reviewed here

The Gathering
Written by Kelley Armstrong
Doubleday Canada
978-0-385-66851-4
359 pp.
Ages 12+
2011
Reviewed here

A Girl Like That
Written by Tanaz Bhathena
Farrar Straus Giroux
978-0-374-30544-4
369 pp.
Ages 13-18
2018
Reviewed here

The Gospel Truth
Written by Caroline Pignat
Red Deer Press
978-0-88995-493-9
328 pp.
Ages 12+
2014
Reviewed here

Half Brother
Written by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins Canada
978-1-55468-812-8
304 pp.
Ages 12+
2010

In the Key of Nira Ghani
Written by Natasha Deen
Running Press Kids
978-0-762465477
304 pp.
Ages 12+
2019

Jeremy Stone
Written by Lesley Choyce
Red Deer Press
978-0-88995-504-2
184 pp.
Ages 14-18
2013
Reviewed here

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali
Written by Sabina Khan
Scholastic
978-1-338-22701-7
336 pp.
Ages 14+
2019
Reviewed here

Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids
Written by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
 978-1-55498-120-5
256 pp.
Ages 12+
2013
Reviewed here

The Marrow Thieves
Written by Cherie Dimaline
DCB (Cormorant)
978-1-77086-486-3
231 pp.
Ages 14+
2017
Reviewed here

Moon at Nine
Written by Deborah Ellis
Pajama Press
978-1927485576
224 pp.
Ages 14+
2014
Reviewed here

My Book of Life by Angel
Written by Martine Leavitt
Groundwood Books
978-1-55498-117-5
246 pp.
Ages 14+
2012
Reviewed here

Optimists Die First

Written by Susin Nielsen

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-782-5

240 pp.

Ages 12+

2017

Reviewed here

The Rule of Three
Written by Eric Walters
Razorbill
978-0-670-06705-3
405 pp.
Ages 12-18
2014
Reviewed here

Sadia
Written by Colleen Nelson
Dundurn
978-1-45974-029-7
240 pp.
Ages 12+
2018
Reviewed here

Sadie
Written by Courtney Summers
Wednesday Books
978-1-250-10571-4
308 pp.
Ages 14+
2018
Reviewed here

The Scorpion Rules (Prisoners of Peace)
Written by Erin Bow
Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
978-1-48144-271-8
384 pp.
Ages 14+
2015

Skim
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Books
978-0888997531
144 pp.
Ages 14+
2002

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
Written by Shyam Selvadurai
Tundra Books
978-0-88776-735-4
274 pp.
Ages 16+
2005

This Place: 150 Years Retold
Written by Katherena Vermette, Sonny Assu, Jen Storm, David A. Robertson, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Richard Van Camp, Brandon Mitchell, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Chelsea Vowel
Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, Kyle Charles, Natasha Donovan, GMB Chomichuk, Ryan Howe, Jen Storm, Tara Audibert, Andrew Lodwick
Colour by Donovan Yaciuk, Scott A. Ford, Natasha Donovan, GMB Chomichuk, Andrew Lodwick
HighWater Press
978-1-555379-758-6
274 pp.
Ages 13+
2019
Reviewed here

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Written by Teresa Toten
Doubleday Canada
978-0-385678346
255 pp.
Ages 14+
2013
Reviewed here

We Contain Multitudes
Written by Sarah Henstra
Penguin Teen
978-0-735264212
384 pp.
Ages 14+
2019
Reviewed here

What We Hide
Written by Marthe Jocelyn
Tundra Books
978-1-77049-642-2
275 pp.
Ages 14+
2014
Reviewed here

When Everything Feels Like the Movies
Written by Raziel Reid
Arsenal Pulp Press
978-1-55152-574-7
160 pp.
Ages 14+
2014

Wondrous Strange
Written by Lesley Livingston
HarperCollins
978-1-55468-273-7
327 pp.
Ages 12+
2008
Reviewed here