Slug Days

Written by Sara Leach

Illustrated by Rebecca Bender

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-022-2

120 pp.

Ages 7-10

October 2017

Slug Days is told in the first-person narrative of a young girl on the Autism Spectrum Disorder. Lauren, who is probably seven or eight years of age, gives her commentary on several days at school and home, recounting both her slug days when she feels slow and slimy and people get angry with her and her occasional but glorious butterfly days, when she earns stickers in her school agenda and goes for ice cream with her mom.  Sadly, there is much that breaks Lauren’s routines and confuses her sensibilities resulting in those icky slug days: her bus driver is away, someone is sitting in her bus seat, her shoelace bows don’t match, she misses reading time, or her classmates don’t want to play with her.

From Slug Days 

by Sara Leach 

illus. by Rebecca Bender

Even though her teachers know the behaviours typical of ASD and how best to help her, Lauren doesn’t always interpret their actions as helpful, challenging them and even being convinced that they make her have slug days.  When a new girl from Sweden joins the class, Lauren comes to understand that she has the capacity to make butterfly days for herself and someone else.

From Slug Days 

by Sara Leach 

illus. by Rebecca Bender

Sara Leach makes Lauren’s voice young and blatant, focusing on what is important to the child and often ignoring what others deem priorities.  Who the girl is, is undisguised.  She needs her routines and obsesses about things that others might ignore.  She finds security in sticky messes and speaks her mind in an effort to be honest not disrespectful or challenging.  It's usually how others respond to her that gives her the most grief.  Often times she is misunderstood or challenged or ridiculed for her differences and, though she can overlook much, as a strategy to coping, she is as affected by others as most of us are, sadly leading to those slug days.

The voice is the most compelling element of Sara Leach's Slug Days, as it should be.  Here is Lauren's story, up close and personal.  Whether readers can empathize is not on Sara Leach but on the readers themselves because the author makes it clear and it is an arresting text spoken true by a child on the spectrum. Regardless, it’s evident that Lauren's life is full and complex and often wholly unpredictable.  But, with an arsenal of strategies, she will hopefully have fewer slug days and expand her days, as well as those around her, to those of butterflies.



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



Kubiw, H. (2017, October). [Review of the book Slug Days by Sara Leach]. Quill & Quire, 83 (8): 26.

Shooter

by Caroline Pignat

Razorbill Canada

978-0-143187578

320 pp.

Ages 12+

May 2016

Reviewed from advance reader’s copy

A whole lot can happen in one hour.  Ask those who tell Shooter’s story: Alice, Isabelle, Hogan, Noah, and Xander.  From the initial school lockdown at St. Francis Xavier High School which brings the five students barricaded together in a boys’ washroom to its dramatic, life-altering climax as the clock reads down to 00:00:00, Shooter is an unforgettable, heart-stopping story of heroes, written, read and made.

"This is real life. Not everything has a story."
Alice smiles. "But every person does."
I guess she’s right.  We all have one–even if it’s one we’d rather forget. (pg. 86)

There’s Hogan King, a hulking senior notorious for what he did to his older brother and who feels he is deservingly beyond redemption.  There’s Alice, another senior, who is an incredible writer–accepted to UBC’s prestigious Creative Writing Program–who prefers her position of invisibility which allows her to read life and care for her older autistic brother Noah. Uber-popular, egocentric and high-achieving Student Council President and go-to person for everything St. F-X, Isabelle Parks has her own issues, revealed in text messages with BFF Bri who is locked down in the office. And finally, there is the socially awkward Xander Watt, shooter of film images, who writes about himself as,

I think too much sometimes,
blurt the wrong things often, and
feel confused, always.” (pg. 48)

How these seeemingly incongruent characters come together, and together they do come, in a complex plot of action, angst, and deliverance makes Shooter the extraordinary story that it is.  And story-telling, or rather writing, is a key foundation for Shooter.  With several of the students classmates in Writer’s Craft, it’s not surprising that elements of writing–plot, hero’s journey, characters’ fatal flaws, resolution–become part of the story. (Caroline Pignat is herself a high-school teacher of Writer’s Craft.  Lucky students.)

I can’t possibly reveal the itricacies of the story and the role of each character in its resolution.  But suffice it to say, Caroline Pignat’s brilliant writing immerses the reader in the terror of a school in genuine lockdown and the anxiety of relating to those whose differences make you uncomfortable.  Beyond the drama, and there is much, Shooter is a story of empowerment, taken and accepted and relinquished, and a formidable tale told by one of Canada’s greatest writers.

West Meadows Detectives: The Case of the Snack Snatcher

by Liam O'Donnell
Illustrated by Aurélie Grand
Owlkids Books
978-1-77147-069-8
128 pp.
Ages 7-10
October, 2015

It's evident from page one that Myron is a little different from most third graders.  With a new baby in the household (OK, Sofia is 8-months-old but that's pretty new still) and the move to a new neighbourhood and a new school, West Meadows Elementary, Myron is apprehensive.  Unlike his Gr. 8 sister Alicia who makes friends fast and embraces newness, Myron acknowledges that he does not like new.  However, he does like solving mysteries and his analytical mind and natural super powers are going to come in very handy.

No one can ever smell things I do.  Just like they never hear the things I hear.  Mom says I have superpowered senses.  I can hear what radio station the neighbour three yards over is listening to on a sunny day.  I can tell when Sofia needs her diaper changed even if she's in the other room.  As far as superpowers go, I would rather have X-ray vision. (pg. 24)

Within minutes of entering Room 15, a special class Myron will attend mornings with Mr. Harpel, Myron is drawn to a crisis in the school kitchen where Mrs. Peterson, the chef, discovers a huge mess and the theft of the school's morning snack.  Myron's strong sense of smell leads him to a licorice-snacking girl named Hajrah hiding in the closet.  Hajrah, one of Mr. Harpel's four students, instantly insinuates herself into Myron's "investigation" and declares them to be the West Meadows Detective Agency.

Myron suspects a number of students in the thefts, including Hajrah, another Room 15 classmate Glitch who was known for thefts the previous year, and Smasher McGintley, the cousin of a bully from Myron's old school. But can Myron sift through the evidence before Mr. V, the custodian, starts cleaning up each mess?  And is there any relationship between the storm that took down a massive tree and damaged the school?  The solution may have been obvious to this reader but I suspect that early readers will enjoy solving the mystery alongside Myron.

Liam O’Donnell has become a mystery-writing aficionado starting with his Max Finder mysteries in Owl Magazine.  While he has capably relayed that prowess into his Graphic Guide Adventures and Tech Tales, these series are better suited for the middle-grade reader.  West Meadow Detectives is perfect for a slightly younger audience, hence Myron’s Grade 3 status, and these younger readers will appreciate both the writing, the thinking and the humour found within this first book in the series.  Moreover, they will appreciate the diversity of characters, both in their ethnicity, their strengths, their quirks and their experiences, ensuring that every reader will find themselves relating to the story easily.

I suspect that younger readers will also appreciate the black-and-white illustrations provided by Aurélie Grand and the quirky footprint page dividers that break up the text while still providing readers with an authentic novel of greater length in which to immerse themselves.  The font is large, the story is brisk and the graphics help  bring readers into solving the mystery alongside Myron.  Liam O’Donnell, a teacher as well as a writer, has penned The Case of the Snack Snatcher at a perfect level for young readers and has gotten all the elements right for engaging and entertaining them through text.

Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna

by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Clockwise Press

978-0-993935107

217 pp.

Ages 13+

March 15, 2015

When the Best Buddies Program, a world-wide organization that aims to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities integrate successfully into their communities, comes to his high school, fifteen-year-old Harrison Henry is instructed by his mother and encouraged by his older brother Joel to attend.  A high-functioning autistic, Harrison has OCD tendencies and a relentless focus on bones and diseases, making him the target of ignorant classmates.  But his partnering with Anna Leonard, a high-achieving senior who hopes to beef up her resumé for university (and med school) as well as become better acquainted with the Best Buddies chapter president and new student Justin, presents Harrison with a plethora of new opportunities, some welcome.

Fragile Bones is a lot about learning to deal, with others, with one's family, with one's own needs and wants.  Anna is a considerate young woman who is astute about interacting with Harrison, though even she has much to learn.  Harrison, who needs many reminders about appropriate responses and actions, is doing his fair share of learning, though he doesn't always interpret new information correctly, occasionally too literally. (Harrison's thoughts about kissing and a Halloween dance are especially ardent and very funny.) Anna and Harrison may be very different, as are Justin and Alan and other minor characters in Fragile Bones, but Lorna Schultz Nicholson ensures that they are all normal, just unique, and acceptance of these differences is the norm.

Lorna Schultz Nicholson's Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna is an auspicious premiere for Clockwise Press and its One-2-One series, and I wouldn't expect anything less from Christie Harkin and Solange Messier.  I think they're well on their way to meeting their mandate "to publish high-quality young adult and children’s books featuring themes of diversity and global awareness" (Clockwise Press, March 16, 2015) Congratulations to Clockwise Press and Lorna Schultz Nicholson on Fragile Bones' positive contribution to youngCanLit and its furthering the building of supportive communities. Well done.

Fragile Bones: Book Launch (Toronto)

Join new publisher

 Clockwise Press

and

author

Lorna Schultz Nicholson

for the launch of her new upcoming young adult novel
and Clockwise Press' first book

Fragile Bones: 
Harrison & Anna

by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Clockwise Press

978-0-993935107

217 pp.

Ages 13+

Released March, 2015

on

    Thursday, April 2, 2015
World Autism Awareness Day

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

at 
    Geneva Centre for Autism 

112 Merton Street

Toronto, Ontario

M4S 2Z8

Lorna will be there 
to read a short excerpt, 
answer questions, and 
sign copies. 
RSVP here

World Autism Awareness Day, April 2: Book List

 

(updated June 2017)

According to Autism Society Canada, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects the way the brain processes information, resulting in developmental disability.  Communication, social interactions and behaviours are affected to different degrees in individuals with ASD.

To encourage education and awareness of ASDs, April 2nd has been designated as World Autism Awareness Day. To support that mandate, I'd like to present this short list of youngCanLit book titles that includes fiction with characters that display ASDs or that aim to educate readers about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Share this reading with others and help extend those who have a better understanding of this neurological disorder.

PICTURE BOOKS

Dinosaur Diego: The World's Smartest Dude: Asperger's Syndrome (Autism)
by Jill Bobula and Katherine Bobula
Illustrated by Rob Hall
Wildberry Productions
36 pp.
Ages 5-9
2008
Diego may know everything about dinosaurs but his daily life isn't as clear cut as he tells readers about his Asperger's.



FICTION


Burn
by Alma Fullerton
Dancing Cats Books/Cormorant
255 pp.
Ages 10-13
2010
After her mom takes off, Casey must deal with her autistic sister Ginny, taunts from friends and bullies, and her mom's partner's despair and despondency.  

Don't Tell, Don't Tell, Don't Tell
by Liane Shaw
Second Story Press
272 pp.
Ages 12-16
2016
Teen Frederick is taken outside his comfort zone of routines when he helps a friend.
Reviewed here

The Encyclopedia of Me
by Karen Rivers
Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Canada
251 pp.
Ages 10-13
2012
In the encyclopedia of her life that she writes while grounded, Tink deals with all events and issues, including living with her autistic older brother Seb.

Everyday Hero
by Kathleen Cherry
Orca Book Publishers
168 pp.
Ages 8-11
2016
Thirteen-year-old Alice may be initially helped by goth-inspired Megan but it's Alice who ends up being the hero to her new friend.
Reviewed here

Fragile Bones: Harrison and Anna  
by Lorna Schultz Nicholson 
Clockwise, Press 
217 pp.
Ages 13+ 
2015
Hugh-functioning autistic teen Harrison teams up with Anna in the Best Buddies program at their high school.
Reviewed here

Gemini Summer 
by Iain Lawrence 
Delacorte Press / Random House Canada
261 pp.
Ages 10-13
2006
It's 1965 and the summer of the Apollo Gemini mission. In Canada, the tragic death of Beau River, the younger brother of the protagonist Danny, is initially blamed on Dopey, a boy who ostensibly has a developmental disorder such as ASD.


Looking for X
by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
132 pp.
Ages 11-13
1999
Eleven-year-old Khyber who lives with her mom and autistic twin brothers in Toronto's Regent Park befriends a homeless woman, X.

Seeing Red
by Ann Louise MacDonald
Kids Can Press
220 pp.
Ages 9-13
2009
Frankie, who has disturbing dreams with unclear messages, volunteers at a therapeutic horse ranch where he works with a young autistic boy.

Shimmerdogs
by Dianne Linden
Thistledown Press
134 pp.
Ages 9-13
2008
When his mother joins a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, Mike becomes fixated on death, finding solace with unusual companions both real and otherwise. 

Shooter 
by Caroline Pignat 
Razorbill
320 pp.
Ages 12+
2016
Five teens barricaded in a school washroom during lockdown include a girl and her older autistic brother.
Reviewed here

The Space Between
by Don Aker
HarperCollins Canada
245 pp.
Ages 14+
2007
Eighteen-year-old Jace deals with middle-child syndrome, between his wildly successful older brother Stephan, now dead, and Lucas, his younger brother whose autism garners him much needed special attention.

Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food (And other life lessons)
by Jodi Carmichael 
Illus. by Sarah Ackerley
Little Pickle Press/Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
152 pp.
Ages 7-10
2013
Gr. 3 student Connor shares life lessons from a single day at school in which his ASD helps define his routines, likes and dislikes and interactions with others.



Waiting For No One
by Beverley Brenna 
Red Deer Press
187 pp.
Ages 13+
2010
Taylor (from Wild Orchid, 2005) is becoming more independent after her summer of change. She is taking a university course, working at a bookstore and learning how to keep herself out of the "red zone" where she speaks and acts inappropriately.

Wild Orchid
by Beverley Brenna
Red Deer Press
156 pp.
Ages 12+
2005
Eighteen-year-old Taylor, who has Asperger's, graduates from high school and pursues her goals to get a job, make a couple of friends and find a boyfriend.

You Can't Take Micky!
by Sonia Craddock
Scholastic Canada
137 pp.
Ages 9-11
1986
Siblings Claire (13) and Adam (11) run away with their four-year-old autistic cousin Micky when they fear he will be placed in an institution.