Sophie Shares the Stars

Written by Heather Smith

Illustrated by Catherine Petit

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-4015-7

32 pp.

Ages 3–5

September 2025 

 

Sophie has lived with her Michael since she was three years old. (She is eight now.) It's obvious that she adores her adopted father and he her. In fact, he's given her the universe both as a ceiling display and as a deeply felt sentiment.

My Michael says, "You are the whole universe."

I think that means he can't live without me. (pg. 3) 

From Sophie Shares the Stars, written by Heather Smith, illustrated by Catherine Petit

The life they have together is filled with love. They spend time talking, playing, and going to beach, and, when she messes up, he helps do better. But when her father, affectionately called My Michael, becomes ill, things change. It doesn't change between them but around them. Sophie tries to help him as he helped her when she had been ill. But Michael's illness is not a flu or a cold or a broken leg or anything with a visible nature. He has one of the myriads of invisible illnesses that most people do not see. Not surprising that their neighbour, Mr. Donaldson, declares that he saw Michael the day before and he didn't look sick. The child never knows what to say—and she shouldn't have to explain for her father—and always changes the subject.

From Sophie Shares the Stars, written by Heather Smith, illustrated by Catherine Petit

But the one thing Sophie can do is share her universe with him. By removing some of the glow-in-the-dark stars from her ceiling and creating the Big Dipper on the wall behind her Michael's bed, she shares the stars with him. Her Michael has good days and bad, but she's always there to hope he'll feel better, to make sure he knows he's loved, and to see him as the Michael is.

From Sophie Shares the Stars, written by Heather Smith, illustrated by Catherine Petit

Sophie Shares the Stars is a touching story about a familial relationship, but it tackles more by including adoption and an invisible illness. In her "Author's Note," Heather Smith speaks to her personal connection with the story, but, even without that knowledge, I know that she would have treated the topics with sensitivity and understanding, never with judgement. Anyone with an invisible illness, particularly those which are chronic or a mental illness, can attest to the frustration and isolation that comes with dealing with the illness and with others. If those others cannot see a cast, an open wound, or bandages, many will not understand the complex symptoms with which the ill person is suffering. I appreciate that Heather Smith never reveals Sophie's Michael's illness, but it really is irrelevant to the story. It is invisible and that's all that needs to be said. Because the story is about Sophie and her relationship with her Michael, and how they became a family, and grow stronger each day as a family, regardless of the challenge of his illness.

 

Montreal illustrator Catherine Petit uses pencil and digital tools to create the upbeat artwork that is all about the relationship between father and daughter. This child is well loved, bursts with energy and wonder, and shares her goodness with her father, knowing that he would choose her again. His open arms, and his dedication to bringing her joy and safety, are visible in every illustration, even when he's not feeling his best. And her devotion to him is palpable. She may be his universe, but Catherine Petit lets us see her smile, her eyes, and her concerned hugs and soothing caresses that he is hers.

 

I know this picture book is aimed at young children, and those who have been fostered or adopted will appreciate how a new family can be created when a birth family is not available to care for a child. But Sophie Shares the Stars will also be a reminder to all readers that there are those who live with invisible illnesses who many appear unimpaired—"appear" is the operative word—but whose lives and those who love them are significantly impacted, even when symptoms wax and wane. Thankfully for both Sophie and her Michael, they are there for the other to make life not just bearable but bright.

Sky of Bombs, Sky of Stars: A Vietnamese War Ophan Finds Home

Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-094-9

224 pp.

Ages 8-12

April 2020

For young readers who have not had the privilege of reading Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's award-winning non-fiction books about Son Thi Anh Tuyet, a child rescued from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War and who finds a new life in Canada, Sky of Bombs, Sky of Stars offers an omnibus of the two earlier stories.  

In her first book, Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War (2011), Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch tells the story of Tuyet, an eight-year orphan in today's Ho Chi Minh City who knows only bombs, soldiers, caring for babies at the orphanage and two visits from a woman and a boy. Convinced she would never be adopted because of a damaged foot and because she did not understand English, she never sees the opportunity presented to her when she is taken with numerous babies onto a plane to head away from the danger and to a new life with the Morris family in Brantford, Ontario.

In the sequel, One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way (2012), Tuyet has become a part of a family with a mom and dad, two sisters and a little brother. She no longer believes she has only been welcomed to tend to the children and, though she is still haunted by nightmares, she has learned to play and be a child again. But she has new fears when she learns that she will be undergoing surgery to resolve her foot and ankle impaired by polio. With her minimal English and her family unable to speak Vietnamese, Tuyet's world continues to be a challenge. Still, with the love and patience of her new family and other special people, she forges ahead, taking new steps forward.

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch consistently tells stories about young people challenged during historical times and how they rise above the adversity to make lives for themselves. Tuyet's is such a story. She was a little girl alone, feeling her life limited to work and caring for others, never expecting much for herself. But with an airlift out of Saigon and the love of a compassionate family, Tuyet builds something new and begins to see herself as the incredible person she has always been, beyond what service she provides. Fortunately, by putting both Tuyet's stories together in an omnibus, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and Pajama Press will help young readers get the whole story, saving them from a search for sequels or determining which book came first.  Sky of Bombs, Sky of Stars truly gives young readers the more complete story of a Vietnamese war orphan's journey from hardships and horror to hope and home.

••••••••••••••••
The two original books

Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War (2011)
One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way (2012)
were reviewed on CanLit for LittleCanadians originally
on April 9, 2012 and September 9, 2012 respectively.

The Muskox and the Caribou

Written by Nadia Mike

Illustrated by Tamara Campeau

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-163-8

36 pp.

Ages 5-7

February 2018

While The Muskox and the Caribou is obviously a story rooted in the Arctic where both species co-exist, children everywhere will appreciate the story of Baby Muskox and Baby Caribou and Mother Caribou who loved them both.

The story begins with the birth of Baby Caribou who is born to a loving Mother Caribou and learns to walk and gallop with the herd. One day, Mother Caribou spots Baby Muskox wandering helplessly alone and lost and leads him along with her own offspring back to the herd. Baby Muskox knows he is different. He has long and dark shaggy hair and his legs are short and stocky, very different from the caribou. Sadly, Baby Caribou and his friends don't seem to like Baby Muskox very much and tease him about his differences.  It is only with Mother Caribou that Baby Muskox feels love and comfort.

From The Muskox and the Caribou by Nadia Mike, illus. by Tamara Campeau

Months pass and the young animals grow. Even when the young are prodded by Mother Caribou to go out and explore independently, Baby Muskox returns to the safety and love of his adopted mother. Finally, when fully grown, Mother Caribou takes Baby Muskox on a long walk to see animals such as himself. For the first time, the muskox understands why he never fit in and, though he is sad to learn he isn't a caribou at all, he is excited to get to know others who are just like him.

But most of all, he was grateful for Mother Caribou because she had always shown him love. (pg. 26)

From The Muskox and the Caribou by Nadia Mike, illus. by Tamara Campeau

All children will feel different from others at one point or another.  It may be the way they look or what they can do or can't do or the way they feel.  Some may not feel like they belong in the family to which they were born or with whom they live.  But if The Muskox and the Caribou teaches anything it is that love can make things tolerable and allow growth. Baby Muskox may never have realized he was a muskox but he knew he wasn't like the caribou and that caused him much sadness. Only Mother Caribou made things right. Unfortunately Baby Caribou who'd always known that he belonged could have been a better sibling to Baby Muskox but he did not see the impact of his actions on the young muskox.

Nadia Mike's humble story of a baby muskox taken in by a mother caribou and loved and sheltered along with her own young provides may teachable moments about love and differences and empathy.  Children who live in the Arctic will more likely recognize the two animals and how different they are, but all children will accept that the muskox and the caribou could be any individuals who are different and can still coexist. With love, all is possible.

Northern Quebec illustrator Tamara Campeau provides a natural landscape for The Muskox and the Caribou, emphasizing the rugged terrain and tundra vegetation as the backdrop for the story.  While the animals as babies are softened and simplified, they are true and realistic, and Tamara Campeau makes The Muskox and the Caribou as much a teaching book about the Arctic as she does enhancing Nadia Mike's story with art.

Though all children will delight in a story about baby animals, The Muskox and the Caribou should be read to send a message that we all belong somewhere and, until that somewhere is found, love can help brook time and place.

How Nivi Got Her Names

Written by Laura Deal

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-137-9

32 pp.

Ages 5-7

April 2017

Naming children after their parents or grandparents in not unusual but the Inuit show great depth of respect and appreciation for their ancestry in the naming of their children, particularly those involved in the Inuit custom adoption, a profoundly generous sharing of children with those who do not have their own.

Adorable Nivi whose full name is Niviaq Kauki Baabi Irmela Jamesie is playing with her toys when she realizes that they each only have one name whereas she has lots.  How Nivi Got Her Names is the story of Mom explaining to her daughter, who came to them through the Inuit custom adoption, the origins of all her names.

From How Nivi Got Her Names 

by Laura Deal 

illus. by Charlene Chua

Niviaq means “little girl” and is the name her adopted parents gave her. Kauki was the grandmother of Nivi’s birth mother, and giving her that name allowed them to honour her and connect Nivi to her biological family.  Baabi was a special family friend who appeared in a dream and naming Nivi after him allowed his spirit and character to live on through her, as well as connecting the child to his family.  Mom explains that Nivi is named Irmela after her own grandmother Irma who was strong, resourceful and creative. Finally, the name Jamesie was to honour Nivi’s mother’s grandfather, a man with a generous heart and a loving spirit.

I wept with emotion for the words Nivi’s mother tells the child:

"We all love you, dear Nivi, for all that you are.  For the names that you have, for the character and traits we see in you, and the people we are reminded of when we are with you.” (pg. 22) 

From How Nivi Got Her Names 

by Laura Deal 

illus. by Charlene Chua

How Nivi Got Her Names may appear on the surface to be a parent explaining something to a child but it is more about providing context for the bonds and connections with those who are living and those who have passed. Giving a child a name for registration and for ease of communication is the norm but the Inuit tradition of naming is a means of “welcoming back a family member, a loved one, or a respected community member” (pg. 29)  and provide community for a child.  Nivi is Laura Deal’s own daughter, adopted through Inuit custom adoption and, though the author provides a glossary and extensive notes on Inuit kinship and naming customs, as well as bios on the individuals honoured in Nivi’s names, the gratitude and love with which the author infuses her story is very personal.  Even Charlene Chua’s art which is cheerful and playful, like Nivi and her daily routines, still pays respect to the practices described within, undoubtedly illustrating the individuals honoured in Nivi’s names with accuracy and dignity.

How Nivi Got Her Names may be an informative picture book about the Inuit tradition of naming and custom adoption but it is an intimate depiction of an admirable practice, one that provides an inheritance more valuable than anything normally pursued in western worlds.  How fortunate for young Niviaq Kauki Baabi Irmela Jamesie.

From How Nivi Got Her Names 

by Laura Deal 

illus. by Charlene Chua

Honouring differences in families' lives: Cultural competence with diverse youngCanLit

Today's post is the sixth in seven posts related to my recent presentation at the  Ontario Library Association's Superconference in Toronto.  The presentation, titled Becoming Culturally Competent with Diverse YoungCanLit, included booklists of youngCanLit to help individuals, schools and other institutions become culturally competent.

Today's post focuses on...

250 Hours
by Colleen Nelson
Coteau Books
152 pp.
Ages 12+
2015
Métis, small town, discrimination, arson, independence
Review here

Asha’s Mums
by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse
Illus. by Dawn Lee
Women’s Literary Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-9
1990
Same-sex parents

The Biggest Poutine in the World
by Andrée Poulin
Annick Press
160 pp.
Ages 8-12
2016
Abandonment, community, dysfunctional family
Review here

Dear Baobab
by Cheryl Foggo
Illus. by Qin Leng
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-8
2011
Home, Africa, Canada, grief
Review here

Elliot
by Julie Pearson
Illus. by Manon Gauthier
Trans. by Erin Woods
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2016
Foster parents, dysfunctional family, adoption
Review here

A Family is a Family is a Family
by Sara O’Leary
Illus. by Qin Leng
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2016
Diversity, family, parents
Review here

The Finding Place
by Julie Hartley
Red Deer Press
244 pp.
Ages 10-14
2015
International adoption, China, orphanages, self-acceptance
Review here

Fostergirls
by Liane Shaw
Second Story Press
256 pp.
Ages 13-16
2011
Foster children, group homes, learning disability
Review here

Four Seasons of Patrick
by Susan Hughes
Red Deer Press
80 pp.
Ages 7-10
2013
Blended families
Review here

Jakeman
by Deborah Ellis
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
201 pp.
Ages 10-13
2007
Prison, convicted parents, bus trips

Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids
by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
256 pp.
Ages 12+
2013
Indigenous communities, heritage, residential schools, ostracism, abuse
Review here

Missing Nimâmâ 
by Melanie Florence
Illus. by François Thisdale
Clockwise Press
32 pp.
Ages 8+
2015
Missing indigenous women,  Aboriginal Peoples
Review here

My Beautiful Birds
by Suzanne Del Rizzo
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2017
Syria, refugees, refugee camp, pigeons

My Book of Life By Angel
by Martine Leavitt
Groundwood Books
246 pp.
Ages 14+
2012
Sex trade workers, missing women, drugs
Review here

One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Pajama Press
128 pp.
Ages 8-12
2012
Vietnam War, airlifts, adoption, immigration, non-fiction
Review here

Outside In
by Sarah Ellis
Groundwood Books
208 pp.
Ages 10-13
2014
Home, homelessness, dysfunctional family
Review here

Pandas on the Eastside
by Gabrielle Prendergast
Orca Book Publishers
192 pp.
Ages 9-12
2016
Vancouver, East Van, poverty, community
Review here

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey
by Margriet Ruurs
Illus. by Nizar Ali Badr
Orca Book Publishers
28 pp.
All ages
2016
Refugees, Syria, dual-language, Arabic, immigration
Review here

We Are All Made of Molecules
by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books
246 pp.
Ages 12+
2015
Blended families, gay parents, grief
Review here

Downloadable booklist available here

A Family is a Family is a Family

Written by Sara O'Leary

Illustrated by Qin Leng

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-794-8

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

September 2016

Following prescribed curricula from across the country, teachers will be encouraging their students to share details about their families and what makes them special, just like the students in Sara O'Leary's book in which a teacher asks her young charges what makes their families unique.  And though I suspect most children will see a version of their family somewhere in the multitude of families in A Family is a Family is a Family, it's Sara O'Leary's poetic inclusivity that takes the concept of family from an insular group to a worldwide love-in.

When the teacher first asks her students about their families, it is evident that one little child, who drops his eraser so that he can go last, is reluctant, knowing that "My family is not like everyone else's." (pg. 3) He's right, of course, because all families are unique.  From the little girl whose parents are heavily into PDAs, "It's kind of gross" (pg. 4) to the one whose parents "just keep coming home with more" (pg. 6) –I counted fifteen children!–

From A Family is a Family is a Family 

by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Qin Leng

to the children who are part of blended families, or have same-sex or divorced parents. But it's the last little child who finally recognizes that their foster family is still a family after recalling Foster Mom's affectionate answer to a rude query about which of the children were "her real children."

"Oh, I don't have any imaginary children," Mom said.  "All my children are real." (pg. 28)

Though I know, and children do too, that not all families are perfect or happy or supportive, Sara O'Leary's book celebrates families in all their forms–big, small, alike, different, blended, separated, adopting, fostering–as worthy of note, eclectic as they may be.  Her narration is a universal one of acceptance and appreciation for families of all kinds.  The sweetness of her message is matched page by page with Qin Leng's illustrations of children and parents of assorted colours and shapes, economic backgrounds and interests. The lightness of Qin Leng's lines and the whimsy of her colour and shape help portray a diversity of families that are as fluid as they are depicted.  After all, families can and do change over time, even if a new baby isn't the result of mom ordering him online, as one little girl suspects.  A Family is a Family is a Family is a book in which every child will find themselves, I hope, as Sara O'Leary and Qin Leng have diligently tried to include everyone in an assortment of situations that honour families at their best.

From A Family is a Family is a Family

by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Qin Leng

Elliot

by Julie Pearson

Illustrated by Manon Gauthier

Translated by Erin Woods

Pajama Press

978-1-927485-85-9

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

For release March 2016

As soon as I read Elliot, I knew it was something very, very special.  And then I learned that Elliot was a translation (capably handled by Pajama Press' Managing Editor Erin Woods) of a 2014 French-language picture book from Les 400 coups that had already won Le Prix du livre jeunesse des Bibliothèques de Montréal for 2015.  Its subtlety and poignancy ensures its sure status as a winner in English as well!

Elliot is a young rabbit with lots of spirit.  But when he cries, or yells, or misbehaves, like all children are want to do at some point, his parents do not understand his needs.  They seek help as caring parents might and a social worker named Thomas comes and takes Elliot to live with another family “until his parents learned how to take better care of him.”

Everything is different with this new family but best of all they understand when Elliot is hungry, upset or needs attention.  And things are better when Elliot’s parents come to visit, so much so that eventually they are ready to take Elliot home again.  But, when things don’t change at home, Elliot is sent to another family.  Though he gets to visit with his parents, Elliot is told by Thomas that his “parents could never take care of him, because they did not know how.”

But Thomas helps find Elliot a “a forever, forever family”,  one that does more than just understand him, because they love him.

Elliot is a heartfelt story about finding one’s true family, the one that will love and care for you forever. It might be a foster family, it may be the family you’re born into, or it might be the one that ultimately adopts you, as Elliot is fortunate to find.  But Julie Pearson embues the story of Elliot with an underlying sadness, for Elliot who is being a child and for his parents who try to do the best they can for him but can't quite manage it.  And Manon Gauthier’s subtle collages of muted colours, save for Elliot’s red striped shirt, express that sadness and the grayness of tenuous family so movingly.  I defy anyone to read Elliot and not cry for the emotional hardships Elliot braves and cheer for the rosy blush of happiness (with a splash of red text) that comes when Elliot becomes part of a new family.

There are very few picture books that I want to clutch a little tighter and hold onto in my heart a little longer.  Elliot is one that has touched me so.

From Elliot (pg. 27) by Julie Pearson

The Death of Us

Written by Alice Kuipers

HarperTrophy Canada

978-1-44342-410-3

216 pp.

Ages 13+

2014

Be prepared for heartbreak. 

Before you’ve finished two full pages, a girl will be showing Kurt and his friends a social media image of Ivy’s car being pulled out from the river below the broken rail of the bridge.  And he knows that Callie would have been in that car.

Rewind two weeks, and Ivy Foulds and her alcoholic mom are returning after 3 years away to live next door to Callie Carraway and her family again, now that Mom has reunited with former boyfriend, Kevin.  But there’s something suspicious about the way that they left and about some secret between Callie and Ivy that cools their reunion.  However, with Callie’s best friends away for the summer and her preachy and inattentive mom distracted with new baby Cosmo, Callie is drawn to reconnect with Ivy who is determined to give "shiny-penny Callie in the bank account of my life" (pg. 5) a great summer.  But when Ivy is introduced to Kurt Hartnett, the school zine editor, on whom Callie is secretly crushing, she decides that, "He's so going to help me get over everything." (pg. 35)

So that great summer is off to an odd start and there are so many obstacles to it: Ivy’s flirtatious ways, secrets being held back and lies being told.  Sadly the book’s opening foreshadows a friendship that will be the death of them somehow.

Alternating between the voices of Ivy and Callie in the weeks prior to the accident and Kurt at the time of the accident, The Death of Us  examines the friendship between the two girls, both from the past and in the current summer, as they navigate their family issues and own explorations with love.  Their story told from the pen of Alice Kuipers is never predictable.  Not. Ever.

The girls are complex, juggling what they know, what they need and whom they trust, within each’s precarious family dynamics.  Most of all, Callie and Ivy are trying to figure out who they are and put forward those personas.  But try as they might, they still don't have a handle on the people they are growing into.  Ivy likes to rely on self-help podcasts ("the best way to grow as a person is to step outside your comfort zone"; pg. 122) to navigate this learning while Callie tends to look externally to others, including books, to direct her ideas about self.  But Callie and Ivy are the products of their families–as is Kurt, in a different way–and they are so affected by their mothers, that I weep for mother-daughter relationships that can be so disheartening, even destructive.  But I cheer for those like Kurt and his friend Xander and Callie’s Granny who provide real and unconditional support and affection, even if only discreetly.

Even without the twists and turns of highly-plotted stories, there’s no way the reader will see the ending coming, just as author Alice Kuipers did in her book 40 Things I Want to Tell You  from HarperTrophy Canada, 2012.  You see, there is no need for Alice Kuipers to embellish truths and reality when the drama of real life is so captivating and she can write it so well.  The Death of Us will take you into that reality and walk you along that cliff edge, back and forth, wondering when the jump or the fall is coming, because you know it will. That's life.  And it will be The Death of Us, one way or another, predictably or not.

Clover's Luck: Magical Animal Adoption Agency, Book 1

by Kallie George

Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger

HarperCollins

978-1-44341-980-2

144 pp.

Ages 7-10

For release February 2015 

Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy


Though Clover believes wholeheartedly in luck, she feels that all hers is bad. For example, her best friend Emma gets a last-minute opening at summer-long pony camp, but not Clover. Then, while Clover plays with her new pet canary Penny, a baseball breaks the window, allowing the bird to escape. Clover gives chase ending up in The Woods (“where wee beasties play”), where she spots a notice asking for volunteers at an animal adoption agency. Unlucky or not, Clover is hopeful that this could be her opportunity to spend time with animals and do something worthwhile too.



Though reluctant, Mr. Jams at the M.A.A.A. (Magical Animal Adoption Agency) accepts Clover’s offer to volunteer, introducing her to the animals currently up for adoption, including Esmeralda, a cursed toad; five fairy horses; two fire salamanders; a baby dragon; and half a dozen unicorns. When Mr. Jams leaves Clover in charge for several days, Clover realizes that her bad luck is nothing compared to that of these special animals who’d already been abandoned or mistreated. It would be up to her to care for Esmeralda, Snort, Moondrop and the others, and ensure that only good-hearted people are allowed to adopt them.



While the title of this new series may be suggestive of a vacuous series devised to ride to commercial success on fantasy animals, Kallie George has proven once again that she has a stronger mandate. Like her picture books, Spark and Flare (Simply Read Books) and early reader The Melancholic Mermaid (Simply Read Books), Clover’s Luck promotes a positive message about self-acceptance and compassion wrapped in a charming story with an odd assortment of magical creatures. With Books 2 and 3 already slated for later in 2015 and 2016 respectively, readers will have plenty of time to embrace their inner magic and look forward to enchantment of the literary and imaginary kind.



(A version of this review was originally written for and published in Quill & Quire, as noted in the citation below.)



Kubiw, H. (2015, March). [Review of the book Magical Animal Adoption Agency: Clover's Luck, by Kallie George]. Quill & Quire, 81 (2): 35.

Best Friends Through Eternity

by Sylvia McNicoll

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-710-8 

192 pp.

Ages 12+

For release February 10, 2015

Most of us dream of the opportunity for a do-over after we've messed up something big.  The regret and/or guilt can be overwhelming.  But what if a do-over was possible but you'd have to be careful not to make matters worse.  Would you do it?  What if you thought you had nothing to lose because you were already dead?

Fourteen-year-old Paige Barta is willing to take that chance after she is killed by a train walking home from school, believing she should have been trying to help her best friend Jasmine (Jazz).  Jazz had been off with her new boyfriend, Cameron, unaware that Cameron's ex, the vicious Vanessa, was plotting an attack. Angrily taking off when she should have been waiting for Jazz,  Paige finds herself laying in a hospital bed, unconscious and dying.  But meeting up on an after-life beach with a childhood friend, Kim, who'd been adopted from China as was Paige, gives the teen the chance for a retake of the past week.

So now Paige has to rethink everything she has said and done, knowing this is her chance to make things right, without letting on that she's going to die or that she knows about the future attack on Jazz.  However, Paige is also rethinking her attitudes about her adoption, about her parents, about Kim's death of which she'd been unaware, about the friendly Max Liu, and even about her food choices.  Being given the chance to make different choices, however, doesn't mean those choices are necessarily better, and Paige learns that sometimes, no matter what, you can't control everything.

Though life-and-death do-overs (is there an actual term for this?) have been popularized in movies and in TV shows, it's a tough one to do well in text, especially for young people for whom the idea of death is often completely unimaginable.  Sylvia McNicoll has shown that she has a knack for writing great teen voices and a strong record for bringing the issue of death into the realm of youth, having made it a focus in books such as crush.candy.corpse (Lorimer, 2012), Dying to Go Viral (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2013) and Revenge on the Fly (Pajama Press, 2014). But the focus is not on the morbid but the life lead and the choices made for purposeful lives. Although Paige is shocked to learn she is dying and that Kim has died and that others may die as a result of her actions, her focus remains on choices made with compassion rather than anger and bitterness.  It's a lesson we could all learn.  Too bad Paige–and probably everyone who has ever lived–doesn't learn this lesson until it's too late.  Fortunately, in Best Friends Through Eternity, Sylvia McNicoll gives Paige another chance to show us how it's done.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If you get the chance, check out the book launch for Best Friends Through Eternity, this weekend in Burlington, Ontario. Sylvia McNicoll puts on a great book launch!

Finding Ruby Starling

by Karen Rivers

Alfred A. Levine Books/Scholastic

978-0-545-53479-6

304 pp.

Ages 10-14

August, 2014

Reviewed from advance reading copy

Karen River’s latest book for young readers is a successful take on a Parent Trap-type plot, albeit with the benefits of modern technology and perhaps a friendly spirit. 

While goofing around online with a face-matching app called FaceTrace, 12-year-old Ruth Quayle, adopted daughter of a heart surgeon and a scientist, discovers a British look-alike in trendier clothes named Ruby Starling. Through a series of Tumblr posts, emails with her best, talking to her parents, and contacting Ruby, Ruth determines that she and the other girl are identical twins who somehow became separated.

“I feel like half of me has just been peeled away, like a decal being pulled off its back sticky bit, making me just the waxy papery rubbish left behind.” (pg. 11)

Unconvinced about Ruth’s theory, Ruby reaches out to her friends for advice, though she knows that only her mother – a busy artist distracted by her work – and her deceased grandmother could tell her the truth.  Finding the need to talk to grandmother, Ruby writes letters (obviously never sent) to air her thoughts.  When a painting by Ruby’s mother of her as a baby with a shadow baby in the background falls off the wall, Ruby becomes convinced that her Nan has sent her a message from beyond the grave indicating that Ruby and Ruth are indeed twins.

By using only emails, letters, and Tumblr posts for Ruth and Ruby to communicate their secrets, concerns and questions, Karen Rivers’ ensures that the girls’ youthful voices are always maintained.  And, though the twins have bigger issues with which to deal, including fear, abandonment and grief, Karen Rivers embeds those issues seamlessly within natural interactions with family and friends, adding quirky teachings from a Buddhist calendar, occasional ghostly messages and some boyfriend-girlfriend drama to help keep the heavy issues from detracting from the story’s feelgood nature.

Karen Rivers’ story of long-lost twins could have easily followed a typical, comedic path. But by showing how the lives of Ruth and Ruby are enriched by the discovery of each other, the author has created a more complex narrative that explores themes of family and friendship.

(A version of this review was originally written for and published in Quill & Quire, as noted in the citation below.)

Kubiw, H. (2014, October). [Review of the book Finding Ruby Starling, by Karen Rivers]. Quill & Quire, 80 (8): 38.