Julie and the Mango Tree

Written by Sadé Smith

Illustrated by Sayada Ramdial

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250-80634-5

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

August 2023

 

Fresh fruits off the tree are a favourite all around the world. In August, many children in Canada will be craving peaches and cherries, while other parts of the world may be awaiting a crop of jackfruit or pineapples. Depending on the time of year and the location, there will be much anticipation for the first of favourite fruits to become available. For Julie in Jamaica, the time for her beloved mangoes can't come soon enough.

From Julie and the Mango Tree, written by Sadé Smith, illus. by Sayada Ramdial

Julie loved the way mangoes smelled and the way they looked and, of course, the way they tasted. But waiting for the mangoes to drop from the giant tree in her front yard was agony. Occasionally her father would climb up on a ladder to retrieve ripe ones from the top before they fell but, on one hot day when he was gone to town, Julie would have to wait for the tree to give up just one to her. But waiting was hard. When no mangoes were forthcoming, she tried to barter with the tree, plums for mangoes. Then she wrote a song pleading with the tree to give up a mango to her. Finally, she hugged the tree, all to no avail.

From Julie and the Mango Tree, written by Sadé Smith, illus. by Sayada Ramdial

But, when a rainstorm comes the next day, Julie finds the ground littered with her delicious mangoes. Finally, Julie could indulge in her mangoes, until she realizes she has a new problem.

From Julie and the Mango Tree, written by Sadé Smith, illus. by Sayada Ramdial

Though most of Julie and the Mango Tree is Julie waiting and hoping and anticipating the joy of biting into those juicy mangoes, Sadé Smith ensures that the child's experience with the fruit is paramount. For children, waiting can be so hard, whether it's for a birthday, a special treat, or the year's mango harvest. Julie's longing is honest but, like many, she will do whatever she can to dispel the delay, strategizing with good will, particularly for the tree. Not surprising that when she finds herself sated with mangoes, she looks outward to others and considers how she might share their fruity wealth. Author Sadé Smith, herself of Jamaican descent–her debut picture book Granny's Kitchen is also set in Jamaica–shows a child who is passionate about her mangoes but never selfish about the pleasure she derives from them.

 

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, now of the United States, illustrator Sayada Ramdial gives us a Jamaica of colours, warmth, life, and, of course, mangoes. It's as if everything, from the mangoes and the leaves in the trees, to Julie and her neighbours, are touched with the sun and given a vivacity of place. I'll bet even Julie's mangoes are far tastier than any we've ever imagined.

The joy of picking fruit from a tree is a rare one for many but, in Julie and the Mango Tree, Sadé Smith lets us experience what Julie does and allows us to imagine what wishes fulfilled with a bounty of sunshine and sweetness could be like.

Annie's Cat is Sad

Written by Heather Smith

Illustrated by Karen Obuhanych

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250-80684-0

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

June 2022

 

When Annie comes home from school and her cat Delilah does not rush to see her or even want to hang out with her, Annie is convinced that Delilah is sad. But what to do when your cat is sad?

From Annie's Cat is Sad by Heather Smith, illus. by Karen Obuhanych

Though Annie is delighted to see Delilah, having missed her while at school, she needs to seek out her cat. But Delilah seems to want to be alone, hiding beneath the sofa. Annie understands and tries to do whatever she can to draw Delilah out and make her happy.

From Annie's Cat is Sad by Heather Smith, illus. by Karen Obuhanych

She warms some milk, tops it with whipping cream, makes a joke–it's a cattuccino–and offers a hug. Then Annie turns on the TV and invites Delilah to join her in some yoga, making up her own colourful poses.

From Annie's Cat is Sad by Heather Smith, illus. by Karen Obuhanych

But as she tries to engage Delilah, it's obvious that it's Annie who has had a bad day, and it may be Delilah who will help the orange-haired child deal with her sadness when the other strategies don't work.

No one likes to see someone they care for in distress, whether from fear or sadness or trauma. While a young reader will undoubtedly understand a beloved pet who is not acting like itself and be concerned, they will also empathize with coming home from a bad day at school and looking to their furry friend for solace. As a parent and a kind person, Heather Smith understands this and makes sure that children will accept that bad days happen and there are different ways to cope. Sometimes those strategies work and sometimes they don't. But the best thing to do is try to find what works for you. It may just be a cuddle with a cat who understands better than you that sadness has taken hold. 

It's a very light touch that Heather Smith has taken with Annie's Cat is Sad. She can do angsty and heavy (The Agony of Bun O'Keefe and Chicken Girl are but two young adult examples) but Heather Smith excels at the subtle, allowing young people to take from the text the meaning that they need to read. (Her award-winning The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden is another prime example.) That's especially poignant when her readers need to read between the lines and with cues from Hawaii's Karen Obuhanych's illustrations. Take the understated line, "I just want you to know. It's okay to cry." with an illustration of a tear dropping from Annie's eye as a large-eyed Delilah watches. We as readers may be watching Delilah for most of the story, wondering what it would take to make her less sad, and charmed by Karen Obuhanych's grey tabby with the pink nose and green eyes. But, Annie with her voluminous ginger hair is really the star and young readers will want to go back over the story is find the clues that it was really Annie who was dealing with the bad day.

Whether feline or human, child or adult, we have bad days. And, as Annie ostensibly strives to help Delilah through hers, she provides examples for all to distract themselves from their temporary troubles, and assure them that support can be found, especially when you share your burdens.

The Red Palace

Written by June Hur

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250-80055-8

336 pp.

Ages 13-18

January 2022

Revenge begets revenge; the anger is unquenchable. We become the monsters we are trying to punish. Justice, however, brings closure, and that is what I want. It can only be achieved by remaining sober-minded and rational. (pg. 173)

It is 1758, and eighteen-year-old Baek-hyeon is a nurse (uniyeo) at Changdeok Palace, a position for which she has worked tirelessly in her efforts to gain the attention of her biological father, Lord Shin, and appreciation of her mother, one of his oft-neglected concubines. But the palace is a place of spies, secrets, and worse, and Hyeon learns first-hand to keep her counsel when she and her friend Nurse Jieun and a royal physician are called to the Crown Prince's chambers to participate in a charade of caring for Prince Jangheon who is AWOL. But then the nurses are alerted to a massacre at the Hyeminseo, the public medical office where Hyeon had studied to become a nurse. Two student nurses, Head Nurse Heejin and Court Lady Ahnbi, who served Madam Mun, the King's concubine, have all been violently murdered and Hyeon's mentor, Nurse Jeongsu, is Commander Song's prime suspect.

 

Hyeon vows to prove Nurse Jeongsu's innocence, even as Commander Song endeavours to torture a confession from her. It seems someone else thinks the same, peppering the capital with handbills declaring the Crown Prince to be a murderer. Undertaking her own investigation, speaking with several nurses including Nurse Inyeong who'd reported the murders, with Royal Physician Khun who'd been seen arguing with Court Lady Ahnbi, and with Sulbi, a damo working for the police bureau, Hyeon forms an unlikely alliance with the young Police Inspector Seo whom she believes at first is only Eojin, a police servant. Together, the two young people work to uncover lies and truths, protect the innocent, thwart injustice and develop a relationship deemed socially improbable.

The Joseon dynasty which ruled Korea from the 1300s to the 1800s is not a familiar one for this reviewer or many readers. But June Hur skillfully takes us to this era and its society of classes ranging from royalty and the nobility to the cheonmin (vulgar commoners). It is a time when men kept concubines, sons were revered over daughters, and Confucian ideals were followed. From the clothing which marks the roles and status of many, like the nurse uniform of pale blue silk jacket and dark blue skirt and white apron with garima headpiece,  and meals of gukbap and sullungang, to naming protocols, June Hur makes us believe in this reality, with these people and these histories. Her "Author's Note" reveals the true history which she incorporated into her story but her characters and the mystery to be solved are all her own, intricate and vivid. As with her earlier books, The Silence of Bones (2020) and The Forest of Stolen Girls (2021), June Hur tells a story but readers do more than just absorb it. They become invested in it. Even as I learned of a different culture, I wanted justice for the honourable Hyeon, for the victims of violence, and for women who were limited by their birth. I wanted resolution. And, with tenderness, compassion and honesty to time and place, June Hur eloquently gives readers that.

The Forest of Stolen Girls

Written by June Hur

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250-22958-8

384 pp.

Ages 13-18

April 2021

 

Driven to find the connection between the Forest Incident, in which his two daughters were found near where a young woman was killed, and the disappearance of 13 girls since then, Detective Min Jewoo pursued an investigation onto the island of Jeju in early 1400s Joseon (Korea). But the detective goes missing, and now his daughter Min Hwani, 18, returns to the island of her birth to find her father and perhaps reconnect with her younger sister, Min Maewol, now 15, who was left on the island to apprentice with Shaman Nokyung five years ago. Still, how can Hwani investigate on an island rife with superstition, with villagers petrified of losing their daughters to an unknown menace in the Gotjawal Forest or being selected as tribute women for Ming China, and stay safe herself while trying to work with her angry sister, resentful of her abandonment and mistreatment by her family? Having learned much from her detective father, Hwani becomes the investigator, probing the disappearance of the missing young women, and the Forest Incident, as well as his disappearance. Who she can trust or doesn't differs greatly from that of Maewol but the two sisters find a way to come together and delve into the mystery of the missing and the suspicious man in the white mask.

I do not want to reveal too much about The Forest of Stolen Girls as it is a mystery at its foundation, albeit a historical one in a unique time period. Just as she did in her debut novel The Silence of Bones (2020), June Hur enthrals with her setting as well as her story. With both her books set in the time of the Joseon Dynasty and by also scattering in words unfamiliar to most (e.g., jukjangdo, shin-byung, jeomjip, hanji), June Hur has created a new character of place of which readers will want to learn more. I was constantly looking up more about this historical period, and devoured June Hur's historical note appended to her story, trying to understand the people, their ways of life, their relationship with geographical neighbours (including becoming a vassal state) and the practice of offering tribute women. But within that amazing context, June Hur has woven a story of mystery, of family lost and found. There are countless characters who may or may not know something valuable and some who present facades of compassion and justice while evil lurks in the forest and the villages of Jeju. Who is responsible for taking the girls is but one mystery that needs to be solved, as is the location of Detective Min, and who can be trusted is unknown. Because people are often weakened by their fears and their ineptitude, evil can show its horrific face any time. But evil can be subtle or it can be the stuff of nightmares. Making things right, though, that's what Hwani and others learn is the key.

Doing what is right, it is so utterly terrifying. And yet so freeing. (pg. 307)

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.

Rogue Princess

Written by B. R. Myers

Swoon Reads (An imprint of Feiwel and Friends)

978-1-256-30343-1

294 pp.

Ages 13-18

January 2020

There is no greater power than the power of choice. (pg. 175)

Delia is a princess who lives on the planet Astor. With turning 18, she must now choose a prince to marry. In fact, princes from the neighbouring planets of the Four Quadrants are gathering at the palace, ready to win her hand, including Prince Felix, a military man from Trellium, Armano from Delta Kur, Oskar from the Kalasta Belt, and the lovely Prince Quinton. Though Delia knows the importance of her ancestry and the traditions of Astor, as handed down from Arianna, the first queen of Astor, she aspires to more before she weds. This leads her to reprogram her android seamstress Marta so that she might escape, changing into the uniform of the Queen's Guard and hijacking a patrol ship.

But Delia is not alone. Unbeknownst to her, Aidan, a kitchen chore boy at the palace, has just stolen a dagger he found in a prince's room and is making his escape too. Aidan too has aspirations, helping himself to small trinkets so he might earn the money to leave behind the Dark District of Astor where he lives with his cruel stepfather and stepbrothers, Drake and Morgan.

This is Delia and Aidan's introduction to each other and one that will change their lives. He eventually learns that she is Princess Delia but, because he never tells her the truth, she believes he is a prince's bodyguard and then her secret bodyguard. Ultimately she returns to the palace and he to his home to slave to his family but they are thrown together time and time again, each trying to help the other and growing closer in their affections and admiration. But neither is as they appear. She is not the pretty princess who wishes to don beautiful gowns and live away from her people in her glorious palace. He is not just a simple servant. Together the rogue princess and the mysterious boy find their way to something extraordinary for themselves and the planet Astor.

B. R. Myers' new young adult novel of speculative fiction is dense with subplots, with nasty, odd and charming characters–I loved Delia's sister, Shania–

A double stranded necklace of colorful shells hung to his waist...He strode away, the shells clicking softly.
"I like a man who is also a wind chime," Shania remarked smartly. (pg. 13)

and with fantastic settings that my measly review cannot accommodate everything. I'd love to mention the pirates, the six-handed man, the sandworms and the plot to overthrow the Queen but there just isn't the space. But I can tell you that B. R. Myers has written a dashing version of Cinderella in which the princess doesn't need to be saved, that the bad guys are sometimes the good guys, and love can flourish under the oddest of circumstances. And she does it with humour and attention to detail that immerses the reader in circumstances rife with absurdity and tragedy.

"...but I'm hoping you can join me in dessert later."
"Join you in dessert?" Delia had an image of sitting in a large bowl of cream and berries with Prince Felix staring at her from the opposite side of the rim. (pg. 131)

The blurb on the back cover of Rogue Princess accurately describes the novel as a "gender-swapped sci-fi YA retelling of 'Cinderella'" but it's so much more. It's a romantic read in which the girl and boy save each other and a planet and their people by choosing to make paths for themselves while still honouring those who created them.

The Silence of Bones

Written by June Hur

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250229557

336 pp.

Ages 13+

April 2020

The eyes that stare out from the cover of The Silence of Bones are haunted. They are the eyes of sixteen-year-old Seol, a girl indentured to the Capital Police Bureau, who has lost her parents, wants to find her brother or his grave, and is far too curious about those she serves and the investigations in which she must assist. In 1800s Korea, time of the Joseon dynasty, Seol knows her place and, like all servants, knows to "Be cautious. Cross no one. Obey always." (pg. 14)

As a police damo, Seol goes where she is needed to help with female criminals and victims whom the male police are forbidden from touching, according to Confucian tradition. When Lady O, daughter of Cabinet Minister O of Southerner faction, is stabbed and her nose cut off, Seol finds herself talking to her maid, Soyi, and learning about a man and a letter that took the young woman to her death. When Inspector Han discovers Seol eavesdropping and trying to learn more about the murder, he informally mentors her about motives for murder, how to tell if someone is lying, etc. After she saves the inspector's life from a tiger and the two share stories of their families, Seol becomes devoted to Inspector Han. So when evidence is revealed that a man in the blue robe of the inspector was seen near the scene of the crime, Seol tries to help. But the mystery is complicated and Seol begins to wonder if the man she has grown to respect is guilty after all.

Sometimes my reviews cannot do justice to the complexity of the story and such is the case for the extraordinary historical mystery of The Silence of Bones. June Hur has woven countless characters, each with their own motivations revolving around class structure, religion, and family, into an intricate story in which the honourable may not be and the lowly may be of the highest integrity, and vice versa. Amidst the class hierarchy, largely based on birth, in which there are aristocrats, palchŏn (low class), and even baekjeongs (outcasts), June Hur's characters are real but flawed, looking for family and acknowledgement for their efforts, humble and otherwise. But among those characters is evil and...

"...evil comes from the unfulfilled need for significance." (pg. 192)

This is June Hur's debut novel and it is an accomplishment of plot and writing, taking readers into the Korean dynastic kingdom of Joseon at the turn of the 19th c., a time of Confucian traditions, prohibition of Western teachings, and the persecution of Catholics. From behind the covers of the book, you will cheer for those who looked beyond their station, ignoring censure–"This is what happens when a foolish girl thinks she can be someone of consequence. She creates chaos, utter chaos." (pg. 131)–and search for truths, to honour the dead and the living, while you suspect character after character of murder and misdeeds, never guessing where June Hur will take her story. The Silence of Bones has given us a new voice in YA CanLit for which I'll be listening from now on.

Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes

Written by Eva Chen

Illustrated by Derek Desierto

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250-29726-6

32 pp.

Ages 4-6

November 2018

Marilyn Monroe always said "Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world." In Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, Juno is given the opportunity to step into the shoes of those conquering women and experience the worlds of those who achieved much in the arts, sciences and society.

From Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes by Eva Chen, illus. by Derek Desierto

Preparing for school, Juno cannot find her favourite shoes. Delving into her closet to look for her seemingly boring white sneakers that are "her favorite running-hopping-skipping-muddy-puddly-jumping shoes", Juno and her pup are transported by a milky way into a ginormous closet of hundreds of shoes–"... a cornucopia of shoes! A feast of fashion!"–under glass cloches à la Saks Fifth Avenue.

From Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes by Eva Chen, illus. by Derek Desierto

She becomes Cleopatra when she tries on the Egyptian sandals; Frida Kahlo in the colourful lace-up boots; Cinderella in the glass slippers; Serena Williams in her tennis sneakers; an astronaut in Sally Ride's boots; a ballerina in Misty Copeland's slippers; and more. There are athletes, scientists, and celebrities of TV, art and music. Juno tries them all, putting herself in their shoes and their lives. When she finally discovers her own shoes, she finds a way to put a little magic in them, courtesy of her experiences with those of some great women.

From Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes by Eva Chen, illus. by Derek Desierto

American Eva Chen brings her fashionista background to inspire children to take a journey through the footwear worn by famous people, past and present, but for me it's Vancouver illustrator Derek Desierto who brings the sparkle to the story with his artwork. Derek Desierto, who is the designer of Derek Cardigan eyewear, brings a mixture of contemporary with retro design to his illustrations, delivering the fun with the footwear (and the clothing and settings) and colour bold enough to bowl over little Juno. The distinction of the women's shoes, summarized in an appendix titled "Juno's Guide to Groundbreaking Women (and their Shoes)," is like a visit to a shoe museum, introducing young readers to important women in history and inspiring them to be great in their own shoes.

Wicked Sweet

by Mar'ce Merrell

Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan imprint)

978-0-312-60749-4

330 pp.

Ages 14-18

2012

It would be fun to pun my way through this review for Wicked Sweet but I don't want to give the impression that the story is too saccharine.  Really.  There is much sweetness in it, courtesy of several characters, some amazing baking, and a plot that wraps up very nicely, but I would never consider it saccharine, sugary sweet or diabetic overload.  Wicked Sweet is an irresistible story of one summer and two friends, Jillian and Chantal, who are finding their way through the minefield that first boyfriends can be, while trying to keep their friendship and self-esteems intact.

It's the summer before their final high school year and the summer starts like any other:  at the lake, planning for their summer project.  Two very dedicated students, Jillian and Chantal know their priorities: friendship and grades.  But behind the friendship is the support each needs to deal with the difficulties in their lives:  Chantal, who suffers from anxiety attacks, has a stringent mother who aims for perfection, while Jillian endures the whims of her self-centered mother who spends more time with boyfriends than she does with her other six children (the Hat Trick, the Double Minor and baby Ollie), always leaving their care to Jillian. 

This summer, though, Jillian is showing an interest in boys, specifically the very hot, wealthy and together Parker, who has just broken up with his long-time girlfriend, Annelise.  And, if Parker brings his best friend, Will, then the four of them can hang out together, even think about doing their summer project with the boys.  Unfortunately, Chantal overhears Will and Parker talking about their "man challenge" which Will wins because he forces a kiss on Chantal (we won't mention that she vomits during the kiss).  Determined to get revenge, Chantal plans on humiliating Will using her new found baking skills, courtesy of Nigella Lawson's cooking channel, to suggest a secret admirer is leaving him very tasty treats and love notes, thus raising his expectations (easily, because of his arrogance) before she takes him down a notch or two.  Chantal even gets Annelise to play a part in this ruse.

Meanwhile, the summer project of a hockey camp for little kids at the lake has Jillian and Parker keeping very busy, but not busy enough to keep Parker from falling hard for her and Jillian from questioning the unrealistic demands her mother places on her and wondering how she can save herself.

Even following her recipe for revenge, Chantal's plot gets amended several times because she: 1) is spotted delivering the cakes; 2) has to hide her baking from her mother; 3) notices Parker is a good guy; 4) anonymously garners more and more attention for the Cake Princess; 5) recognizes who she does have a crush on; and 6) recognizes that everyone's roles are changing.  Although I was having difficulties keeping track of the plan and rationale for each change, I suspect it has more to do with my advanced age, far from the teens in Wicked Sweet.  Spontaneous changes in plans, whether well thought out or not, are not unusual in the lives of teens.  Except the old Chantal who liked schedules and order and pre-planning, the teens amended their plans as needed, usually just dealing with the repercussions of their choices as they manifest themselves.

Jillian is quite right when she claims that, "Who you are is all about what you want to believe." (pg. 302) Jillian, Chantal, Parker and Will are learning about themselves independent of their families who have thus far determined what kind of people they will be: a surrogate care-giver, the perfect daughter, the successful businessman, or a second-rate guy jealous of those who have more than he has.  While Mar'ce Merrell's plot in Wicked Sweet is delicious (sorry, it was irresistible), flavoured (oops, another pun!) with subplots, like Chantal's baking that becomes a sensory experience, it's her characters that had me craving more of Wicked Sweet.  By giving each chapter the different voices of the characters, Mar'ce Merrell allows the reader to get inside of Jillian's head as she tries to manage her mother and not embarrass herself and eventually recognize that she is worthy of more than she has been given, just as Parker begins to recognize that he does have a life plan and it's not being the successful, golfing business man, like his father and brothers, with a socialite wife.  Without knowing the nature of Parker's family, Jillian provides him with the opportunity to explore his own pursuits, vocational and romantic.

Don't let the cover fool you into thinking that Wicked Sweet is a piece of fluff, as it is not. (Sometimes cakes and pretty colours are erroneously taken as suggestive of a book of lesser quality.)  Wicked Sweet is a heartfelt and substantial look at growing up and deciding who you want to be when you don't even know who you are.

And, if you're still not convinced you need to read Wicked Sweet (how could you not be?), envision "light yellow vanilla love sweetened by delicate pink air kisses" and "white meringue frosting decorated with thin-piped daisy petals" and "chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream spotted with chocolate circles." Yum.

Piggy Bunny

by Rachel Vail

Illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan Imprint)

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

978-0-312-64988-3

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

2012

Liam is a well-loved piglet in a family of pigs who all know exactly what they are: pigs.  But, Liam aspires to be the Easter Bunny.  He practises hopping, eating salad and delivering Easter eggs, and he seems to be improving.

But, as much as his siblings and parents tell him that he's perfect and has all the attributes of a great pig, Liam can't see himself as anything but a springtime hare.  Luckily, his grandparents have the imagination and internet skills to help him manifest the Easter Bunny within.

Canadian illustrator Jeremy Tankard's characters are so distinct that, even when they are the basis for a picture book by an American author, Rachel Vail, and published in the U.S. (thankfully distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books), they define the book.

Children will recognize Piggy Bunny as a a close relation to the assorted animals in Grumpy Bird (Scholastic, 2007) and Boo Hoo Bird (Scholastic, 2009), such as Raccoon, Bird, and Beaver  displayed above.  Piggy Bunny comes from a patent line of strongly outlined creatures, heavily inked to delineate their simple forms, just as with Liam and the cat below.

The story is straightforward, the illustrations seemingly effortless, and the bold colours alluring in their use in the pages' designs.  The coupling of text that champions individuality with artwork that is itself unique will help little ones accept the concept of being oneself and enjoying the esteem that comes with it.

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On the CanLit for LittleCanadians Book Trailers, I've posted MacmillanChildrens upload to YouTube of Jeremy Tankard illustrating Piggy Bunny.  Check it out here.