Princess Puffybottom...and Darryl

Written by Susin Nielsen

Illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller

Tundra Books

978-1-101-91925-5

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

February 2019 

Oh, she is truly royalty! Princess Puffybottom rules over her household, getting her subjects to cater to her needs and whims. In return, she might allow them to pet her and play with her. Then Darryl arrives and everything changes.

From Princess Puffybottom...and Darryl by Susin Nielsen, illus. by Olivia Chin Mueller

When her humans bring home the eager puppy, Princess Puffybottom sees only a horrible, disgusting animal but she is convinced that she just needs to wait for him to be banished. When her subjects leave with Darryl and are gone a long time, she is certain that they have taken him to a faraway kingdom and she is ready to celebrate.

From Princess Puffybottom...and Darryl by Susin Nielsen, illus. by Olivia Chin Mueller

But then the two return with Darryl sporting an Elizabethan collar. Princess Puffybottom has no choice but to work towards getting Darryl ejected. But her efforts are futile and, at a party, Princess Puffybottom realizes that she is no longer adored as she once was. Only Darryl recognizes her sadness and gives her the attention she desires. Finally the cat appreciates his regard and efforts as valuable. It's a good thing because there's a new addition coming and it's sure to be another surprise for Princess Puffybottom.

From Princess Puffybottom...and Darryl by Susin Nielsen, illus. by Olivia Chin Mueller

Most readers will recognize Susin Nielsen's name from her authorship of middle-grade and young adult novels like Word Nerd (Tundra, 2008), We Are All Made of Molecules (Tundra, 2015) and Optimists Die First (Tundra, 2017). She tells important stories about real kids but writes them with humour to lighten the angst. With Princess Puffybottom...and Darryl, Susan Nielsen brings that same humour but in a story with an animal perspective though the circumstances could be human. No one likes to be neglected or usurped by another, whether it be a sibling, a friend, a competitor or another pet. But, for a cat, this is especially heinous since many of them look down on everyone. (Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, in justification for his fondness for pigs, that dogs look up at humans, cats look down on us, and pigs would look you straight in the eye.) Having to share her humans with a lowly canine may not be acceptable to Princess Puffybottom but at least she is able to recognize that she doesn't have to compete with Darryl; instead, she can let him worship her.  Darryl gets a friend, Princess Puffybottom gets a devotee, and the household is copacetic once again.

Compliments of  Olivia Chin Mueller's digital illustrations, Princess Puffybottom and Darryl are adorable rivals for their peoples' affections. They are soft and cuddly though Princess Puffybottom's air of superiority gives her an aloof appearance whereas frisky Darryl is completely unfettered in his liveliness. Together they become the furry symbol of acceptance and companionship, even if Princess Puffybottom still believes she rules all.

From Princess Puffybottom...and Darryl by Susin Nielsen, illus. by Olivia Chin Mueller

Optimists Die First

Written by Susin Nielsen

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-782-5

240 pp.

Ages 12+

February 2017

Reviewed from audiobook

Read by Julia Whelan

Listening Library

B01N6PZ3Q3

4 hr 58 min

Apparently optimists do die first.  By ten years.  Pessimists, it seems, are more realistic because they see eventualities the oblivious optimists ignore.  No wonder Petula De Wilde, 16, is obsessed with all the circumstances that can take and have taken peoples’ lives before expected.  Her obsession about all things dangerous has her keeping a scrapbook of news stories of deaths from falling debris at construction sites, a faulty roller coaster or elevator, and even deadly paper cuts, leaving her fearful of everything from double-dipping eaters, public washrooms, biological warfare, and airplanes.  This since the death of her baby sister Maxine two years earlier, a death for which Petula blames herself.  Now she can’t keep herself safe enough.

In lieu of counselling, Petula attends YART, Youth Art Therapy, along with recently out-of-the-closet Alonzo, alcoholic Koula, angry, grief-stricken Ivan and new guy Jacob Cohen, the guy with the bionic arm.  Under the instruction of therapist Betty, the group undertakes a series of juvenile projects.  But, after Petula and the aspiring film director Jacob prepare a cat adaptation of Wuthering Heights (to rave reviews, except from their English teacher), the group convinces Betty to let them organize their own projects, more relevant to their needs and issues.

Amidst their YART sessions, Petula’s phobic life style, overwhelming guilt, regrets over falling out with former BFF and crafting buddy Rachel, and a disintegrating family, Petula and Jacob fall in love.  But Jacob only reveals a few scenes from his life, and apparently a lot of it is fiction, jeopardizing his relationship with Petula and the other members of YART.  Whether they can find a way to heal their own guilts and allow another into their worlds is only up to Susin Nielsen, director of fine stories and creator of characters more real than those we encounter every day.

If you’re familiar with Susin Nielsen’s earlier works (Word Nerd; Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom; The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen; and We Are All Made of Molecules)–and if you’re not, go out right now, rush, get them and read them–you’ll know the power of her writing to blend stories of families in transition with heavy issues like death, divorce and homophobia, while still leaving room for humour and romantic love.  Optimists Die First is a package of inspiritment (even from the tragedies) that serves to entertain because of Susin Nielsen’s diverse characters, human and cat, subplots of secrets and shames, and reassurance of a close that’s more a beginning than an end.

“But that’s life, I guess. We know we can’t do a rewrite.  We can’t undo what’s been done, or control what’s coming next.   

All we can do is hope for the best.”

Just stick to the bright side (away from falling construction debris) and you’ll be just fine.  I’m positive.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Author Susin Nielsen speaks about Optimists Die First in a brief video on YouTube and is accompanied by her cat who is not named Moominmamma, Anne of Green Gables, Ferdinand, Stuart Little, Stanley, Alice or Pippi.

Susin Nielsen talks all things 'Optimists Die First' avec cat

Uploaded by Maximum Pop! Books on March 13, 2017 to YouTube.

Optimists Die First: Book launch (Victoria, BC)

There's a reason to celebrate!

Award-winning author

Susin Nielsen

Word Nerd (Tundra, 2008)

Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom (Tundra, 2010)

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (Tundra, 2012)

We Are All Made of Molecules (Tundra, 2015)

has a new book coming out

Optimists Die First

by Susin Nielsen

Tundra Books

9781770497825

240 pp. 

Ages 12+

February 2017

will launch

Sunday, February 12, 2017

2 p.m.

at

Greater Victoria Public Library

Central Branch

735 Broughton Street

Victoria, BC

Here's a little bit about the book from the publisher Penguin Random House  Canada:

Petula's funny, and a crafting genius, but no social star at high school, and it doesn't help that she's isolated herself after her adored toddler sister died. Petula feels responsible for this death, though her parents say it was a tragic accident. No one's fault. Now, Petula sees danger everywhere: every activity and every bite of food could kill you. Then a new boy, Jacob, joins Petula's group in the school's lame art therapy program; he has a prosthetic arm and darkness behind his sunny surface. Petula and Jacob become friends, then, something more. But a secret behind why he's in the group could derail them.

A heartbreaking yet humorous first YA from award-winning author Susin Nielsen, Optimists Die First continues Susin's tradition of creating memorable characters and genre-bending narratives.

Retrieved from http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/240466/optimists-die-first#9781770497825 

on February 8, 2017.

There will be books for sale (courtesy of Munro's Books), 

a reading,

 Q & A, and   

book signing.

Susan Juby and Susin Nielsen: Book Launches

Two authors

two new books

The Truth Commission reviewed here

We Are All Made of Molecules reviewed here

many book launch events

CALGARY 

Monday, May 11, 2015

7:00 p.m.

Indigo CrossIron 

BRAMPTON

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

7 :00 p.m.

Chapters Brampton

TORONTO (North York)

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

7:00 p.m.

Toronto Public Library, North York Central Branch 

OTTAWA

Thursday, May 14, 2015

6:30 p.m.

Ottawa Public Library, Carlingwood Branch

VANCOUVER (Kitsilano)

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

7:00 p.m. 

Kidsbooks in Kitsilano

We are All Made of Molecules

by Susin Nielsen

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-781-8

246 pp.

Ages 12+

For release May, 2015

Blending families can be difficult but even more so when each family has a young teen burdened by the issues related to why their original family no longer exists.  We Are All Made of Molecules is told in the alternate voices of two young teens, Ashley and Stewart, whose families are joined together when Stewart’s dad, Leonard Inkster, and Ashley’s mom, Caroline Anderson, decide to move in together.  Stewart’s wonderful mother, Janice, has died of ovarian cancer, and Ashley’s father, Phil, has realized that he is gay and now lives in the laneway house behind the very house Stewart’s dad, Ashley’s mom, and Ashley and Stewart, and Stewart’s cat Schrödinger, will now cohabit.  Yep. Awkward.

Even though Stewart could continue at Little Genius Academy, he chooses to attend Ashley’s high school, claiming “It’s time for me to work on my ungifted parts.” (pg. 31) In fact, he makes a list of things he will do at his new school like getting more involved, smiling more, making jokes, and not getting discouraged.   And with a new “sister” like Ashley who melds her drama queen with mean girl to perfection, Stewart has to work pretty hard.  But the serendipitous attraction between Ashley and a jock hottie and bully named Jared puts Stewart in the awkward position of liaison, one that gives him some respite from attacks on two fronts but also breeds some doubts.

Ashley’s emphasis on the Social Ladder and everyone’s placement on it,

People like Stewart don’t even count. They don’t even have a foot on the ladder. They can’t even touch the ladder.  They are forbidden from going anywhere near the ladder. (pg. 74)

is re-assessed courtesy of Stewart and his quality self.  Susin Nielsen dedicates her book “To Oskar–Boy, did Dad and I hit the Jackpot” and I think Stewart’s family did the same.  He’s a quality human being: incredibly gifted, kind-hearted, compassionate and loyal.  He could rip into Ashley any number of times for her selfishness and cruelty–and her misuse of common phrases are to dye for! (my deliberate faux pas)–but holds back, though he still thinks,

She doesn’t have to changes houses, and bedrooms, and neighbourhoods! And sure, her parents are divorced, but at least they are still ALIVE! (pg. 24)  

Still Stewart shares with Ashley the knowledge that they are all made of molecules, explaining his quirky but tear-jerking way of harnessing any remaining molecules of his mother’s soul. By contrasting these two teens, one with quirky wisdom ringed with love and the other who sees differences as hierarchy and can’t see the difference between “joie de beaver” (pg. 122) and joie de vivre, Susin Nielsen has once again created a story that slices into your heart with tenderness and splinters your side with humour.

Look for We Are All Made of Molecules on award lists everywhere soon. 

Governor General Literary Awards 2012 Winners announced

Yesterday, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the winners of the prestigious Governor General Literary Awards for 2012  including those in the two (English) Children's categories.

Congratulations to all the award winners and nominees for being recognized for their contributions to enriching our collection of phenomenal youngCanLit.

This year's winners in the two (English) Children's categories are: 

For Children’s Text:

Susin Nielsen
for  
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
 

 

Tundra Books
978-1-77049-372-8
243 pp.
Ages 11-14
2012 

Reviewed here on CanLit for LittleCanadians just days ago!

For Children’s Illustration:

Isabelle Arsenault
for

Virginia Wolf

 Text by Kyo Maclear

Kids Can Press
978-1-55453-649-8
32 pp.
Ages 5-10
2012

Reviewed here on CanLit for LittleCanadians on March 13, 2012. 

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen

by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books
978-1-77049-372-8
243 pp.
Ages 11-14
2012

If you're looking for another book of irreverent humour similar to Susin Nielsen's Word Nerd (Tundra, 2008) or Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom (Tundra, 2010), the reader may be somewhat disappointed with The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen.  While Susin Nielsen's characteristic humour is still there, especially in her characterizations of Henry's Reach for the Top team mates and details about the Global Wrestling Federation's fighters, it takes a backseat to overwhelming despair.

The story begins seven and a half months after "it" happened.  "It" revolves around our protagonist's older brother, Jesse, 15, and the bullying he tragically endured.  The family has moved from Vancouver Island after Dad lost his business, Mom lost her job, and they could not remain.  Mom has been staying with her parents in Ontario, seeing a psychiatrist, while Henry and his father have moved into an apartment in Vancouver. Henry, thirteen, is gaining weight, uses a robot voice when stressed, and reluctantly visits Cecil, his psychologist.  Dad just tries to make ends meet by working.  Luckily, the family's shared interest in the Global Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night Smash-Up provides some connection for the distressed family.

At his new school, the only kid who befriends Henry is geeky Farley Wong, who drags trivia-knowledgeable Henry to join the school Reach for the Top team.  Except for Alberta, the funky but rude girl with whom Henry is smitten, the team consists of geeky kids who probably are all victims of some bullying.  In fact, Henry is sadly reminded of his brother's experiences and continues to suffer guilt and shame when he sees Farley being victimized regularly at school by Troy Vasic. 

While feeling like his family is falling apart,

"I'm the only one who's trying to fight for this family.  And I'm beginning to think we may not be worth the fight" (pg. 181)

Henry is also trying to resolve the nature of his friendship with Alberta, his dad's relationship with their neighbour Karen, the blame he feels from his mother, and his reluctance to reflect on his possible role in his brother's tragedy.  Ultimately it is through his interactions with the new people in his life that Henry finds the means and strength to deal with the issues of his past.

Susin Nielsen always addresses important issues in her books, though they are often flavoured with much comedy.  In Word Nerd, Ambrose deals with his mother's overprotectiveness, isolation and bullying.  In Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, Violet endures the repercussions of her parents' divorce: her mother's repeated disasters with loser boyfriends and her dad's excessive attention for his new family. But there is little humour in The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen.  And maybe it's best that, while the story is infused with the quirkiness of Henry and the other teens, the emphasis should be on the overwhelming anguish experienced by those left behind after unnatural death.  Nothing could or should remedy that agony except time, acceptance, and maybe forgiveness of oneself and others. Susin Nielsen shares the complicated nature of grief and grieving while helping the reader see the far-reaching and unpredictable consequences of bullying.

Willow Award 2011/2012 Winners announced!

The winners of the Willow Awards, Saskatchewan's young readers' choice awards, were announced last night at the SaskEnergy Willow Awards Gala 2012 in Moose Jaw.  The titles nominated for these three awards were announced last spring (2011), and readers in Kindergarten to Grade 9 read and then voted on the titles in their award category. 

Congratulations to the  

winners of the three Willow Awards!

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

The King’s Taster

by Kenneth Oppel, 

Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

HarperCollins

2009

The king's cook is having a hard time getting the young king to eat his fare.  In an exhaustive series of trips, the cook and the king's taster look for new dishes to serve the king.  But, it isn't until the king's taster reveals a secret that the youthful king is compelled to enjoy his meals.

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

The Midnight Curse

by L. M. Falcone

Kids Can Press

2010

--> When their great-great-uncle Jonathan dies, eleven-year-old fraternal twins, Charlie and Lacey Darcy, and their mom are summoned to England hopeful for an inheritance.  But, it is a curse that transfers from Uncle Jonathan to Charlie, already a nervous worrier, which condemns him to a life sleeping in water from midnight to daybreak, or suffer death.

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

Dear George Clooney, 

Please Marry My Mom

by Susin Nielsen

Tundra Books

2010

Also, winner of the 2012 Rocky Mountain Book Award Gold Medal, Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom tells the story of Violet's struggle to look for an appropriate match for her mom after Violet's TV-director dad leaves Vancouver and reshapes his life into that of a rich LA big-shot with a beautiful actress-wife and perfect twin daughters.  With Dad blissfully unaware of the impact his choices have had on others, and her younger sister bed-wetting again, and her mom dating loser after loser, Violet decides to take matters into her own hands, compelling her to make some abominable and hilarious decisions.

Just an aside:

If I err in my labelling of the awards, please let me know so that I may amend my posts.  I'm sure others have been confused as well.  For example, the 2011 Willow Award Winners were announced at the SaskEnergy Willow Awards Gala 2012.  The nominated titles for the 2011 Willow Awards were announced in 2011, read in 2011 and 2012, voted on in 2012, and awarded in 2012.  But they are the 2011 Willow Awards.  Just to add to the confusion, the 2012 Willow Award nominees were announced while young readers were voting for their 2011 Willow Awards.  Just a thought: why not announce the nominees just before the reading programs begin?  As I said, just a thought.)

Rocky Mountain Book Award 2012 Winner Announced!

For the past month, readers in Grades 4-7 have voted for their favourite book from twenty fiction and non-fiction nominees and the results tallied and announced yesterday. 

The Winner of the 2012 Rocky Mountain Book Award Gold Medal is...

Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom 

by Susin Nielsen 

Tundra Books

978-0-88776-977-1

229 pp.

Ages 10-14

2010 

--> After Violet's TV-director dad leaves Vancouver and reshapes his life into that of a rich LA bigshot with a beautiful actress-wife and perfect twin daughters, he doesn't see the wreckage he has left behind: Violet's younger sister begins bed-wetting; Violet's mother, a stylist, starts dating loser after loser; and Violet is seething with such anger that it compels her to make abominable and hilarious decisions, including looking to match her mom up with George Clooney, the actor.

First two runners-up are:

Burn  

by Alma Fullerton

Dancing Cat Books/Cormorant

978-1-897151-95-2

255 pp.

Ages 10-13

2010

Tower of Treasure: Three Thieves 

by Scott Chantler

Kids Can Press

978-1-55453-414-2

978-1-55453-415-9

112 pp.

Ages 9-12

2010 

Congratulations to the winners and all nominated titles.

Festival of Trees: Ottawa

Are you reading the Forest® in the Ottawa area?

 Then DON'T MISS OUT 

on Canada's largest literary event for young people 
and its first celebration in Ottawa

  
Festival of Trees™

May 17, 2012

Carleton University

  •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

If you've been reading books in the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading®'s 

Silver Birch or Red Maple programs

for the chance to vote for your favourite books, 

then you'll want to attend 

the first ever Ottawa Festival of Trees

Over half the tickets ($10 each) for this event have been sold already, so don't delay.   

Contact the Ontario Library Association here for tickets. 

For more information, please visit http://www.accessola.com/festivaloftrees