Sara and the Search For Normal: Guest review

This review was written by teacher Elizabeth Cook.

Written by Wesley King

Simon & Schuster/ Paula Wiseman Books

978-1-534421134

272 pp.

Ages 8-12

June 2020

Is it bad to admit that I pick books based on their covers and titles?  Well, sometimes I do. I loved Wesley King’s Laura Monster Crusher, but didn’t even notice that he was the author when I saw the title Sara and the Search For Normal.  The title just drew me in. After all, what is normal?  I know that, while on a European trip with my parents, we were deemed "that crazy family" when we continued to sit on a patio enjoying our schnitzel in a downpour. Even though I had deemed our lives to be pretty normal, others, including friends, recognized our eccentricities. When I spotted Sara and the Search for Normal, I couldn’t wait to see how Sara’s search for "normal" would go.

Seventh-grader Sara hates the labels of the four disorders which have been tacked on her: bipolar disorder, general anxiety disorder, mild schizophrenia, and depression. But she really only wants one title and that's normal. Her school days are spent in an isolated classroom with her one-on-one teacher Mrs. Hugger, and she only speaks to a handful of people including her parents, teacher, and therapist. It's not surprising that she studies other students for normalcy on the rare occasions she is allowed to go to the cafeteria with Mrs. Hugger. Then Sara keeps a secret list of what "normal" kids do so that it might help her on her own journey to normal.

Though she is hesitant, Sara begins to attend group therapy for kids her age with similar issues. There she meets the very different Erin, who speaks a mile a minute, and loves ice cream and Ryan Gosling movies. Erin has trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder) and dubs Sara her new bestie within seconds of meeting her. These two mismatched friends navigate therapy, adolescence, and friendship together all while trying to manage their own family problems.

I really enjoyed living the novel through Sara’s perspective. It can be hard for neurotypical people to fully understand the struggles of those with various mental disorders. While most readers might not be able to fully empathize with all that Sara goes through on a daily basis with her many diagnoses, everyone will be able to feel her emotions. There's her first crush, the ups and downs in friendships, trying to fit in at school, and dealing with family members, and Wesley King does a fabulous job of balancing Sara’s search for "normal" with the joys and anguish that come with being a teenager.

Upon finishing the novel, I read the "Author Notes" at the back of the book and realized this book is a companion novel to Wesley King’s popular book OCDaniel (2016).  If you have read that multi-award-winning book, you will have already been introduced to Sara.  Because her character was so well-received by the readers who wanted to know more about her, Wesley King has given us Sara and the Search for Normal.  Regardless, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone novel and enjoyed without knowing the story of OCDaniel, though if you're like me and have not read OCDaniel, it's sure to be on your To Be Read list too.  As such, I look forward to reading the beginnings of Sara’s story in OCDaniel.


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

Yael and the Party of the Year

Written by Tamsin Lane

Simon & Schuster Canada

978-1-5011-7613-5

160 pp.

Ages 8-12

2018

Yael Lewis is twelve and the party of the year is her upcoming bat mitzvah. That is, if it isn't railroaded by her mother, her anxiety over her Torah reading and public speaking, and a couple of boys that are turning her head. But that seems the norm for an almost-thirteen-year-old girl, right?

As much as I'd like to tell you more about the plot, I really can't. That's because there is no single plot line in Yael and the Party of the Year. Yael and the Party of the Year, and a second title, Tara Takes the Stage, released last year by Tamsin Lane, are part of a new series called Yes No Maybe So. I can tell you that Yael is preparing for her bat mitzvah, that she is expected to read a portion of the Torah and that there will be a party at which she is expected to give a speech. Those elements are cemented in the story as is the venue for her party, the Maize amusement park, and her friends, Tara, Gemma and Paloma, and three boys, Eli, Cam and Gabriel. After that, it's up to the reader to make decisions for Yael. Will she go to Eli's house to rehearse her reading or to the amusement park for a tour with her parents? Does she encourage Cam to attend synagogue with her family or not or does she feign illness not to go at all? Does she focus on her girl friends or give into her crushes? Who will get that special first dance?

I thought it might be impossible to review a book whose plot is determined by the choices of the reader. But a Yes No Maybe So book is less a choose-your-own-story than seeing that sometimes choices lead to only a few outcomes. Tamsin Lane, the pen name of a Canadian writer whose books I've previously reviewed on CanLit for LittleCanadians, recognizes how little things can become very big things for young people, especially when they are convinced that every decision could make or break their futures. Expecting that any decision could mean the difference between a complete and total disaster, as was Eli's bar mitzvah, and the party of the year is a heavy load for a young person upon whom great hopes are placed. Fortunately, young readers who undertake a reading of this interactive book will recognize soon enough that the outcomes may be different but they aren't always better or worse and that there's sure to be a few laughs along the way. From the epic tantrums of Yael's two-year-old sister Rivka to getting lost in a corn maze, Yael and the Party of the Year makes lightness out of seemingly critical choices. Fortunately Tamsin Lane makes sure that Yael gets a great party in the end, whether she gets kissed or not, or wears the T-shirt her mother chose or her own design, or whether her first dance is a slow one with a boy she likes or the chicken dance.

The Log Driver's Waltz

Words by Wade Hemsworth

Illustrated by Jennifer Phelan

Simon & Schuster Canada

978-1-5011-6195-1

40 pp.

All ages

September 2018

Whether you know the song "The Log Driver's Waltz" from the National Film Board short (John Weldon, 1979) or the version by the group Mountain City Four (with vocals by Kate and Anna McGarrigle) that accompanied the Canada Vignettes animated film, The Log Driver's Waltz is a piece of Canadiana which all will recognize. Written by folk singer-songwriter Wade Hemsworth of the agile log drivers he observed while he worked as a surveyor in remote areas of Canada, The Log Driver's Waltz is an iconic folk song of work and play and love in a northern landscape of trees and water.

Wade Hemsworth's lyrics may take readers and music listeners to a time when log driving, the work of moving cut trees from the forest to the mills downstream via river, was common and economically critical, but The Log Drive's Waltz is really a song about dancing, as a girl dreams to dancing with a lively and sure-footed log driver.

When the drive's nearly over
I like to go down
And watch all the lads
as they work on the river
I know that come evening
they'll be in the town
And we all like to waltz with a log driver. 

From The Log Driver's Waltz by Wade Hemsworth, illus. by Jennifer Phelan

Reading The Log Driver's Waltz has me singing aloud a song that should be sung at campfires and school concerts to celebrate a Canada of our past. But it's Toronto artist Jennifer Phelan's updated artwork that brings the song and its story to the present, without making it a contemporary tale, which it is not. Log driving is very rare anywhere in the world now but Jennifer Phelan's illustrations seem almost timeless. Though the log driver's appearance could be from the 1920s or the 2010s–a bearded fellow in a plaid shirt and toque–the dress of others reflects a variety of times.  There are the long dresses of the 1900s or the flapper girl dresses and the spats of the 1920s and even top hats. In fact, our T-shirt-wearing girl puts on a simple frock and pumps that could be from anytime between 1920 and 2018.

While she makes The Log Driver's Waltz about the log driver and a girl who yearns to dance with him above all others, Jennifer Phelan also makes the story a detailed homage to the task of the log drivers. She creates movement, integral to the work and the dancing, with line and shape that reflects the original animation of the film with astounding success. It's an organic take on the log driver's story.

From The Log Driver's Waltz by Wade Hemsworth, illus. by Jennifer Phelan

Moreover she honours those folk who brought history to life through music and art. In one image, the girl prepping for the dance is seen wearing a McGarrigle Sisters'1979 concert tour T-shirt. The flyer distributed to all announces the Weldon Waltz, recognizing the director of the NFB film. Even the endpapers show a darkened theatre with a small lit screen. And a stone statue outside the dance hall where the Weldon Waltz is held depicts the songwriter himself, Wade Hemsworth. Moreover, this is a Canadian story, though log driving was done throughout the world. Here we see pine trees reflective of Group of Seven styles, beavers, moose and the folk art traditions of our country.

The Log Driver's Waltz is a celebration of music and art, retelling a story from the past and giving it new life in the present. And we're delighted to be reminded of those who go "birling down and down white water..." and renew the earworm experience of that vintage song.

Sam & Eva

Written and illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

978-1-4814-1628-3

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

October 2017

Young artists Sam and Eva may create in different media–she uses paint, he uses chalk–but it's all about the art.  That is until Sam's velociraptor goes after Eva's marmot.  Then it's "game on" between the two creative children as their artistic creations battle it out for wall space and story dominance.

From Sam & Eva

by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

The story starts with Sam busily creating when Eva offers to collaborate with him, though she mistakenly calls his velociraptor a pony.  Oops.  Needless to say, Sam is not impressed and declines her offer and erases her contribution. But then she paints her own creature, a marmot, which he identifies as a cat and allows his hungry velociraptor to attack.  

From Sam & Eva

by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

But, with a duelling paintbrush, Eva creates a friend for her marmot which comes to its defence.  Not to be outdone, Sam adds an ominous companion of his own.  Then as each changes their artwork and adds new components to outdo the other, the artwork gets away from them both.  It is only with a little cooperation and teamwork that Sam and Eva can escape the mayhem and start a new artistic course.

From Sam & Eva

by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Oh, Sam and Eva, you little darlings! They're friends but they want to be independent and creative and, like play can do, it gets a little out of hand.  I'm sure there's an adult somewhere who would love to declare, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt!" Or a velociraptor goes after a little marmot.  And, even though the text is subtle and the dialogue effective in drawing the two together and apart, Sam & Eva is so well illustrated that it could work as a wordless picture book. 

I first reviewed a book illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi five years ago (I'm Bored, written by Michael Ian Black, Simon & Schuster, 2012) and was charmed by her creations.  She was able to create a potato with attitude!  Though I would never consider the children to have attitude, Sam and Eva are emotive in their play: happy, pleased, proud, startled, distressed, angry and frustrated.  And Debbie Ridpath Ohi conveys that with just the slightest of lines and shape.  Even the flowers have facial expressions. It's wondrous!

From Sam & Eva

by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

(Book jacket)

Be sure to pay attention to details in Debbie Ridpath Ohi's illustrations.  Look for the chuckling monsters and the monster with scissors or the one grabbing Eva's hat.  Even the endpapers tell a story. The front endpaper is a blank wall awaiting work by chalk while the back endpaper is a kaleidoscope of colour from both paint and chalk.  

We know that art brings joy and that happiness is multilayered when it comes from children learning through play and cooperation and from the artistry of Debbie Ridpath Ohi.  Enjoy and learn.

Sam & Eva sticker from Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Sam & Eva: Book launch (Toronto, ON)

Author/illustrator

  Debbie Ridpath Ohi

is launching her second picture book!

Sam & Eva

Written and illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

978-1-48141-628-3

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

October, 2017

launches

on 

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

from 6-8 p.m.

at

A Different Booklist

777-779 Bathurst Street

Toronto, ON

There will be 

• refreshments

• a reading 

• a fun art demo

• doodle keepsake giveaways,

• book sales 

and 

• book signing. 

Get a sneak peek at Sam & Eva from this video uploaded by Debbie Ridpath Ohi just days ago.

Uploaded by Debbie Ohi to YouTube on September 30, 3017.

From Simon & Schuster

Harold and the Purple Crayon meets Tom and Jerry in this sweet and funny picture book about a boy and girl who must balance their creativity and figure out how to cooperate after their drawings come to life. 

When Sam starts drawing a super cool velociraptor, Eva decides to join in. But Sam isn’t too happy about the collaboration. Soon Eva and Sam are locked in an epic creative clash, bringing to life everything from superhero marmots to exploding confetti. But when their masterpieces turn to mayhem will Sam stay stubbornly solo or will he realize that sometimes the best work comes from teamwork?

A Little Taste of Poison

Written by R. J. Anderson

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

978-1-481437714

352 pp.

Ages 10+

September 2016

Move over Harry Potter (well, J. K. Rowling has sort of taken care of that now) because there's a new magic in town and Isaveth Breck, a Moshite girl from a commoner's family, is its champion.  If you've read Book 1 in this new middle-grade series by R. J. Anderson (and you should have!), A Pocket Full of Murder (Atheneum, 2015), you already know about this young girl whose father, a stonemason, was arrested for the murder by Common Magic, not by Sagery the magic of the nobles, of the head of Tarreton College, Governor Orien.  Only with the help of a street-boy named Quiz, who turns out to be the ruling Sagelord's youngest son, Esmond Lilord, and her own proficiency in Common Magic, does Isaveth discover the true culprits and gets her father freed.  Ah, it should be the end of the story, but it's only the beginning of a twisted conspiracy with Esmond's older brother, Eryx Lording, at its center.

Though her family continues to face the challenges of being practising Moshites, considered lawless and radical by much of society, and of Papa finding limited work and of the family struggling with finances, Isaveth has benefitted from her friendship with Esmond.  He introduced her to the charming president of Glow-Mor Light and Fire Company, J. J. Wregget, who purchased her magic-resistant paper and has offered her a scholarship to attend the excusive Tarreton College for nobility and the wealthy, which offers general and magical (i.e., Sagery) education.

It would appear that things are on the upswing for Isaveth and her family, but her attendance at Tarreton brings new incidents of discrimination and bullying against the thirteen-year-old girl.  Though Esmond, who is a year ahead of her, continues to communicate secretly with Isaveth in the hopes of a kiss (!) and of exposing the evil deeds of his cunning brother, the two try to keep their relationship a secret.  But Isaveth does make the acquaintance of the friendly and supportive, though still secretive, Eulalie Fairpont, daughter of the new Deputy Justice.

While Esmond searches for evidence of Eryx’s guilt, amidst party planning for his sister Civilla’s coming-of-age ball (depicted on the cover of A Little Taste of Poison), concern grows for the health of his bombastic father, Lord Arvis, the Sagelord.  But, the masked ball, to which Esmond arranges for Isaveth to attend, brings more mysterious circumstances, including a murder worthy of an Agatha Christie story.

A Little Taste of Poison, and its predecessor A Pocket Full of Murder, are no ordinary mysteries however.  R. J. Anderson creates a time and place of magic like no other.  The worlds in which these mysteries take place are complex and otherworldly, filled with spell-tablets and magic cookery, political and educational institutions ruled by sagelords, masters and mistresses, imperials for money, contraptions like crystal-sets, and a society of Arcans, Uniting folk and Moshites.   And all of it adds to the richness of the story, the characters and the messages against discrimination and greed and for equality, determination, and courage.  That’s an astounding accomplishment for a fantasy novel for middle-grade readers.  But, just as Dr. Seuss penned cheerful rhyming children’s books disguised as parables, R. J. Anderson writes extraordinary fantasies steeped in magic that have much to teach us about society.

“…just because you don’t have money doesn’t mean you’ve got no worth” (pg. 153)

By inviting us into Tarreton and environs, and a time of both a familiar past and unfamiliar age,  R. J. Anderson easily entertains, teaches and pleases the reader with her words and story.

Come and hear R. J. Anderson read, and perhaps get a book or two signed, at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival this September 18, 2016. Details here at CanLit for LittleCanadians.

Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend: Book launch (Ottawa and Toronto)

Join 

award-winning author of

Tilt (Groundwood Books, 2011)
All Night (Grass Roots Press, 2013)
The Secret Life of Owen Skye (Groundwood, 2002)
After Sylvia (Groundwood, 2004)
Dear Sylvia (Groundwood, 2008)

Alan Cumyn

and

publisher

Simon & Schuster Canada

for the launch of his newest YA novel

Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend

by Alan Cumyn

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

978-1481439800

416 pp.

Ages 14+

March 2016

on

March 22, 2016

7 p.m.
Georgetown Sports Pub
1159 Bank St.
Ottawa

and

March 30, 2016

6 p.m.

Dora Keogh Irish Pub

141 Danforth Avenue

Toronto

The book is described on the Simon & Schuster website as follows :

Prepare to be blown away—or rather, carried away on huge muscular wings—by this blissfully outlandish, bracingly-smart, tour de force about a teen who has to come to terms with relinquishing control for the first time as she falls for the hot new…pterodactyl…at school. After all, everybody wants him! 

Shiels is very pleased with her perfectly controlled life (controlling others while she’s at it). She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and she even has a loving boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for? 

But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him—something primal—that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around. Even Shiels, the seemingly perfect self-confident girl that she is, can’t keep her mind off of him, despite her doting boyfriend and despite the fact that Pyke immediately starts dating Jocelyn, the school’s fastest runner who Shiels has always discounted as a nobody. 

Pyke, hugely popular in a school whose motto is to embrace differences, is asked to join a band, and when his band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his preternatural shrieking music sends everyone into a literal frenzy. No one can remember what happened the next day, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done something with her boyfriend that she shouldn’t have. Who’s in control now?

(Retrieved from http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Hot-Pterodactyl-Boyfriend/Alan-Cumyn/9781481439800 on March 9, 2016.) 

Tell me that doesn't sounding enticing.  I dare you.

Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet

Written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

978-1-48141-0-380

320 pp.

Ages 8-12

January, 2015

Boy chef Neil Flambé, now 15, can't seem to keep himself out of trouble, not even when he tries.   He tries to ignore a jar of old honey with its mysterious note in it that was part of a case excavated at a demolition in London and now the basis for a meal extraordinaire he is preparing for Lord Lane of Liverpool.  But an unexpected shortage requires the ostracized jar to be opened, and the note– with a poem, some numbers and a drawing of a key–is taken by Lane, a Shakespearean aficionado and thespian supporter, but not before Neil's cousin and partner, Larry,  snaps some photos of it.  

As luck (?) would have it, Lord Lane disappears and Her Majesty "requires" that Neil and his Nose–he can sniff out anything–promptly travel to London to smell out the mystery and, of course, find Lane and the "jewel" alluded to in the note.  Neil may have the Nose but it's Larry with his limitless knowledge of Shakespeare's work–I know, go figure–and his sweet affection for the ladies who enables Neil to search out the right sources and decipher the multi-layered clues.

The two are soon partnered with Rose Patil, the uber-brilliant chemist and acquaintance of Neil's sweetie, perfumier Isabella Tortellini. The thorny Rose, who is working at recreating the actual scents that Shakespeare's wife may have worn, agrees to help them decipher the note, suggesting their investigation begin with Will Kemp, a comedic actor whose friendship with Shakespeare had mysteriously sour.  Following clues about Drake's voyage, the Globe Theater, a clock and more, Neil, Larry and Rose, and eventually Isabella and her bodyguard Jones, begin an action-packed foray into history, Shakespeare's work and Elizabethan cooking, while being pursued by the unsavoury Crayfish brothers, all in the hopes of discovering the "jewel" and finding Lord Lane, hopefully alive.

Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet is a full serving of epicurean delights, that infuses a mystery with history, action with education–do your homework, Neil!–and fromage with farce.  And the punning and word play is wonderfully inventive and flavourful! 

"So since food and Shakespeare are the themes of the day right now, I wondered what Shakespeare would call his plays if he were also a chef!" (pg. 212)

...

"Measuring Spoon for Measuring Spoon!"

"The Taming of the Stew!"

"Romeo and Omelet!"

"Twelfth Bite!"

"A Midsummer's Light Cream!"

"The Merchant of Venison!" (pg. 213)

The solution to the mystery is never, never evident, unless you are a scholar of food, Shakespeare and word play, and perhaps not even then.  It takes an assortment of characters, some sweeter than others, to separate the clues, then blend them together into something that is both recognizable, palatable and delicious. Kevin Sylvester does this easily in Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet, perhaps his most bountiful Neil Flambé Caper to date.  

  *  *  *  *  *  

Yes, I loved Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet but I must share with you a brief Twitter conversation I had with author Kevin Sylvester about the end of the book.  I hope that, if my review doesn't get this book into your hands or into your school, this might.

You'll need to read this book to see what I mean, and then we'll all have to wait for Book 6 for a more revealing answer.

Book Event: Cracking the Case with Kevin Sylvester (Toronto)

Join author and illustrator 

Kevin Sylvester

in celebrating the release of his newest and 

fifth book in his award-winning Neil Flambé series, 

Neil Flambé and the Bard’s Banquet

by Kevin Sylvester

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

978-1-48141-0-380

320 pp.

Ages 8-12

January, 2015

for a murder-mystery writing workshop

 (set in the kitchen of Wanda’s Pie-in-the-Sky Bakery)

and 

a guided walk & scavenger hunt in Kensington Market

for writers aged 8-12 

starting at the 

Lillian H. Smith Library 

on 

Saturday March 28, 2015 

from 1 - 3 p.m.

Space is limited.

Tickets (a steal at $5) are available at Eventbrite here

__________________________________________

______________________

The Launch Party 

is open to the public

and will begin at 3 p.m.

including a reading and autographing of 

Neil Flambé and the Bard's Banquet

Full details here

Weeds Find a Way: Book Launch (Calgary)

What a perfect beginning to gardening season and spring!

Illustrator

Carolyn Fisher

invites youngCanLit readers to celebrate
the recent release of her non-fiction picture book

Weeds Find a Way

by Cindy Jenson-Elliott

Illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster
 978-1442412606
40 pp.
Ages 4-8
Released February, 2014

Join her

on

Saturday, April 26, 2014

at 

2:00 p.m. 

Monkeyshines

Calgary, Alberta

Listen to the story, then make some weedy art!

Everyone welcome!

Uploaded from http://www.carolynfisher.com/videos/

Witchlanders

by Lena Coakley

Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster

978-1-4424-2005-2

400 pp.

Ages 12+

2011

The border between the Witchlands, the home of the Witchlanders, and the Bitterlands, the home of the Baen, seems inconsequential compared to the hostility between the two peoples.  While the fair-haired people who honour the Goddess and the twin prophets Aata and Aayse pay tithes to the witches of the coven, the Baens (reviled as "blackhairs") honour Ka and revere the black magicians, all male.  And now, regardless of the treaty between the Witchlanders and the Baen, a war is brewing.

In the Witchlands, Mabis, mother of Ryder and his younger sisters Skyla and Pima, is known for throwing the bones and using maiden's woe to assist her with visions.  Though she speaks of an assassin coming from across the border (but tells the coven that a monster would come out of the ground and swallow whole farms), Mabis cannot summon the witches to action.   In fact, when human-like monsters made of dirt destroy their farm, and the witches blame Mabis, Ryder is determined to cross the border and find the Baen who has started the troubles. 

Meanwhile, in the Bitterlands, another young man, Falpian, has been sent away by his father instead of preparing for battle with the other men.  Though he is told to continue his mourning for his twin brother Farien and prepare himself for a mission detailed in a scroll, Falpian suspects it has more to do with Father's disappointment in his inability to work magic with song.  Surprisingly, Falpian locates an ancient stone from which he is able to sing, ostensibly harmonizing with his echo, and make magic.

When Falpian discovers an unconscious Ryder, the two young men attempt to resolve the discrepancy between what they each know of the other's people and their affinity to each other.  This discrepancy continues to spur Falpian and Ryder through assassination attempts, deceptions, attacks by the dirt monsters, capture, rescue and confusion, learning that all is not what it seems or has been portrayed.

Lena Coakley has created a phantasmagorical world of people rife with prejudices and bitterness borne of history and manipulation.  Although magic is created with harmonizing song, their land growing hicca and maiden's woe, and their societies based on unique features, the characters are sadly familiar to our own.  And, even though Falpian finally relents that "There are no sides" (pg. 377), the nature of the conflict in Witchlanders unravels and regenerates both in familiar and unexpected ways.  Though Lena Coakley has not confirmed a sequel to Witchlanders, its final scene serves to achieve a gratifying conclusion while setting up the premise upon which a promising sequel can build.

A great book trailer for Witchlanders uploaded by Lena Coakley to YouTube on July 12, 2011 can be seen on CanLit for LittleCanadians Book Trailers here.

Neil Flambé and the Tokyo Treasure

Written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

Simon & Schuster

978-1-4424-4288-7

352 pp.

Ages 8-12

October, 2012

In Kevin Sylvester's fourth installment in his Neil Flambé Capers, Neil Flambé has gone manga, courtesy of his cousin, partner and sous-chef, Larry, who has been collaborating online with illustrator Hiro Takoyaki. Their comic, The Chef, starring our young gourmet prodigy, has even been offered a book deal.  So Larry is off to Tokyo and leaves Gary, the shabby bike courier, as his replacement.

As unconventional and careless as Gary may be, his Aboriginal heritage helps bring the restaurant, Chez Flambé, a new reputation as the place to go for seafood cuisine, and Neil almost prefers Gary to Larry's antics.  But when news comes that Larry and Hiro have been killed in a storm at sea, Neil is devastated.  That is, until he notes an almost inconspicuous change in the online comic which Neil takes as a message that Larry is alive.  So Neil arranges to participate in a series of kitchen duels in Japan so he'd have an excuse to search for Larry.  Unfortunately, the kitchen duels in which Neil agrees to participate are organized by Matsumoro Nori, a heartless mega-billionaire who makes his money illegally, even peddling in endangered species. 

In Tokyo, Neil competes against Nori's enslaved chef, Kong, while risk-taking judges play Russian roulette with their own lives.  Between rounds of haiku deciphering, ingredient searching and death-defying cooking, Neil works with his friends detective Nakamura, Isabella Tortellini and her chaperone/bodyguard Jones to locate Larry.  Ultimately, the group must discretely unravel the puzzle of an ancient scroll, evade ninjas, and manoeuvre a submarine, all within the sensual experience that is Japan.  The spices, the scents, the landscape, the people, the landscape - all enrich the adventure and mystery in Neil Flambé and the Tokyo Treasure.

If possible, Neil Flambé and the Tokyo Treasure may be Kevin Sylvester's best yet.  And, considering the fact that the first three Neil Flambé books (Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders, Key Porter, 2010; Neil Flambé and the Aztec Abduction, Key Porter, 2011; Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse, Simon & Schuster, 2012) have all been nominated for Silver Birch Fiction awards, the first volume winning the award in 2011, that's astoundingly high praise.  Neil is growing into himself (that sounds rather painful, doesn't it?), becoming less arrogant and more compassionate, and Larry has become more sure of himself and even more prolific in his punny ways (earning this volume a place in my upcoming WordPlay book list).  And with the addition of quirky Gary and unethical gourmand Nori, Neil Flambé and the Tokyo Treasure is a bountiful buffet where dessert is the main course.

I'm Bored

Written by Michael Ian Black

Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

978-1-4424-1403-7

40 pp.

Ages 3-8

2012

Without Canadian illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi to bring American comic Michael Black's text to life, I'm Bored would be so lifeless.  Really.  The illustrations take the simple text, of a little girl complaining about being bored and then trying to prove to a potato that kids aren't boring, from the stark to the sublime.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi's drawings may be created from few pen strokes but what expression in those strokes!  With a mere six details (two eyes, two brows, one nose, and one mouth), the illustrator can take the young child in I'm Bored from despondency to frustration, surprise, delight, determination, exaltation and indignation, all in the cause of convincing the equally-expressionistic spud that kids are amazing.  The little brown tuber may have few lines, "Boring" being repeated 19 times, but he does pay attention, almost hopeful that the girl may prove worthy of his company.

And her imaginative play of being a famous ballerina, or a lion tamer, princess, pirate and monster, just to name a few roles, takes her bold and colourful self into imagined settings of rock concerts, rolling oceans, science labs, outer space, and mountain tops.  If that brown (and isn't that a boring colour?) potato can't see the wonder of a kid who can marvel at the antics she can put her body through in creative play, then he deserves to be bored.

Luckily, just as the 2011 Blue Spruce Award winner, My Think-A-Ma-Jink by Dave Whamond (Owlkids, 2009), reminds us that a child's imagination can take him or her anywhere, anytime, to do anything, with anyone, I'm Bored lets a little girl recollect that the cure for boredom is all within.  What does a spud know anyways?


If this book isn't enough, Debbie Ohi offers activities and print-ready templates of cards, posters, book plates, etc. based on the "I'm Bored" theme at http://debbieohi.com/  There are even a few snarky ones courtesy of the little potato.

I'm Bored: Book Launch

Join 

illustrator 

Debbie Ridpath Ohi 

on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 

from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

at  TYPE Books

883 Queen St. West

(between Bathurst and Ossington)

Toronto

for the launch of her first picture book

I'm Bored

Written by Michael Ian Black

Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

978-1442414037

40 pp.

For release September 4, 2012
 

This simple but highly relevant picture book focuses on a bored little girl who must change her way of thinking and demonstrate, to a potato, that children are not boring but amazing. 

More about Debbie Ridpath Ohi, a children's book illustrator and writer who lives in  Toronto, can be read at her website http://debbieohi.com

n.b. I'm Bored will be released on September 4th but the official launch will take place on September 18th.

Neil Flambé Camp Day: July 4, 5, 10, 12

Here's a different kind of camp for this summer!

Cartooning

Story-telling

Cooking (and eating, too)

with

Kevin Sylvester

author and illustrator of 

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse

Neil Flambé and the Aztec Abduction

Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders

Game Day: Meet the People Who Make it Happen

Sports Hall of Weird

Gold Medal for Weird 
Splinters

on 
Wednesday, July 4

Thursday, July 5

Tuesday, July 10

Thursday, July 12, 2012 

from 9:00 to 4:00 pm

at  Blue Heron Books

62 Brock Street West

Uxbridge, Ontario

 (northeast of Toronto)

Details and registration through The Blue Heron Books 

Do it soon to avoid disappointment!

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse: Book Launch

The first of the Neil Flambé Capers

 won the 2011 Silver Birch Fiction award.

The second is nominated for 

a 2012 Silver Birch Fiction award

 and just won the District School Board 

of Niagara's own Silver Birch award.

Want to check out the newest, just released Neil Flambé Caper?

Join 

author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester 

on Saturday, May 12, 2012 

from 10:00 to 12:00 pm

at the Northern District Library

40 Orchard View Blvd. 

(one block north of Yonge and Eglinton)

Toronto

for the launch of  

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse

Kevin Sylvester will talk with young readers and sign copies of his new book.

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Learn How to Draw Neil Flambé

While waiting for your chance to see Kevin Sylvester, check out this wonderful video that teaches you how to draw Neil Flambé.

 

Uploaded by  SimonSchusterCanada on March 19, 2012 

to YouTube

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Still MORE Neil Flambé!

Kevin Sylvester and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, 

have a great promotion called 

Take Neil Flambé into the wild!

 

Print out your own Flat Neil Flambé, 

cut him out, take him somewhere and photograph him.  

Then send your photo to audrey@simonandschuster.ca 

to add your photo to Neil's photo album!

See where others have taken Neil Flambé into the Wild already. Kevin Sylvester even took Neil to China on a recent trip.