Speechless

by Jennifer Mook-Sang

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-4267-0

159 pp.

Ages 8-13

September 2015

Jennifer Mook-Sang must have a great sense of humour.  From her characters’ names (Joseph Alton Miles, J.A.M., aka Jelly, and Parker Brown, P.B.–get it? P.B. and Jelly) to the speeches Jelly gives (I won’t give those away!) and Jelly’s clever jabs using art and words to target the self-righteous and downright mean Victoria, Jennifer Mook-Sang finds the means to make speech-writing and bullying into situations that can be handled with humour and aplomb.

Sixth-grader Jelly and all others students in Grades 3 to 6 at Sherwood Forest Public School must participate in speeches but, for the first time, Jelly is eager to compete.  The prize is a tablet computer, something the boy whose TV, computer and video game usage is strictly controlled to virtual non-existence by his parents covets.  But, student council president, resident brainer and high-achieving Victoria won’t even consider someone else winning it, though Jelly is determined “to kick Victoria’s speech’s butt.” (pg. 7)

Sadly, it looks like the stars or karma or the school gods have it in for Jelly who seems to end up in trouble for an assortment of non-malicious actions, including one as a result of helping out at the Food Share Partnership, a local food bank.  And then Jelly gives a great and funny and well-received speech about the redeeming qualities of video games, and Victoria starts to spread a rumour that he copied it from the internet.  This kid just can’t catch a break.  And I haven’t even mentioned how Parker starts acting weird, even believing the rumour; how in trying to help the manager of the food bank with computer issues things become even more complicated; how even after doing well in the competition Jelly has to write another speech and realizes that the “problem was I didn’t have any heart or funny left.” (pg. 129)

But he’s wrong.  Courtesy of Jennifer Mook-Sang’s pen and wit, Jelly has loads of funny left to share.  Take this little gem that starts as an old adage that every child has heard from every coach, teacher and parent:

     It didn’t matter whether I won or lost, I told myself.  It only mattered that I’d done my best and the audience enjoyed it.
      I was such a liar. (pg. 146)

Jelly is honest and refreshing and has a quirky but realistic take on things that I wish I heard from more children.  As a teacher, I think I’d be killing myself laughing every time this kid opened his mouth.  Yet he’s not a distracting or over-the-top class clown.  He does his schoolwork, enjoys writing and has a good heart.  If there’s a way to instill compassion through a read-aloud, I think Speechless could do so.  And still entertain.  And while I wouldn’t want to think of Speechless as a teaching tool, I believe middle-grade teachers could benefit from getting Speechless into their classrooms to introduce students to speech-writing and get some much needed humour into the curriculum.  It’s a nice little package with some important lessons told in such an engaging and amusing way.  Well done, Jennifer Mook-Sang.


  •   •   •   •    •   •   •  

If you’re fortunate to live in southern Ontario, consider attending the book launch of Speechless on October 4 at A Different Drummer Books in Burlington.  And judging by the refreshments, it is sure to be worth a chuckle or two as well.

Assured Destruction with Zombies

by Michael F. Stewart

978-0-981269993

225 pp.

Ages 13+

2014

If you haven't read Michael F. Stewart's Assured Destruction (2013), reviewed here, and Script Kiddie (2013), its sequel (reviewed here), then don't read this review.  Get Books 1 and 2 in the Assured Destruction series first.  You won't be disappointed and you'll enjoy Book 3 all the more.

When Script Kiddie ended, tech savvy Janus had saved her classmate and friend Hannah from attempting to kill an online predator, and sustained enough injuries–including a broken ankle and bruised ribs–to slow her down a bit. But only a bit because she's still got a lot to do.  If she doesn't want to lose her semester, she must attend school every day and on time.  With mom hospitalized and undergoing electric shock therapy, Janus feels like she must take on more of the business responsibilities.  The mortgage on the business, Assured Destruction, is still in jeopardy and Janus is working on ways to make more money, including billeting ten international students (though she's got nothing ready for them, only space in their industrial park business/home).  She also has a plan to make the company more profitable by seeking out some of the clients that had worked with her dad before he disappeared several years earlier, although her mom's boyfriend, Peter, thinks she shouldn't be doing this.  

Her visits to these clients, including AAA Ltd. and A ZaZa Pizza, leave her more confused.  They don't have the number of computers that would make them customers of Assured Destruction; in fact, she's even warned away by a pony-tailed man she sees at several locations.  Janus is quick to recognize that these clients may not provide the business they need but she's sure they may be helpful in finding her father. But her investigations hit too close to home, and her determination to learn the truth ends up putting her life and the business in jeopardy.

While pursuing the mystery of her father's disappearance and his dealings with these special "customers", Janus again gets involved with the hackers online at Darkslinger to find a solution to something the media is calling the Zombie Worm, a malware program that is affecting the school server, her home computers, and businesses, traffic lights, etc.  But Janus doesn't realize that, as they say, when you play with fire, sometimes you get burned. And when she's trying to do everything-school, business, heal, friends, boyfriend, community service, investigate her father, liaise with the police-she gets burned really badly, metaphorically, though almost physically too.  

Michael F. Stewart has developed Janus into a character who can see beyond the moment and beyond the computer, although this is something that is difficult for her.  She is used to taking care of everything, not relying on anyone or anything. Her physical injuries at the end of Script Kiddie have required her to get help, whether she wants it or not. (Driving the van with hand controls is an especially funny scene.)  Too soon her mental health is in jeopardy as well. Janus needed to know, really know, that she didn't have to take on the world by herself.  Many of us don't like asking for help, assuming that it shows weakness.  Wrong.  The weakness is in not asking, especially when we know many hands make light work.  Between her friends and others watching out for her, Janus has a lot of support.  By continually going after things herself, she negates what they mean to her.  Not deliberately, but she still does. Not until she is able to accept help do things start to turn around for her and Assured Destruction. 

Assured Destruction with Zombies may have an edge-of-your-seat adventure with several mysteries to solve and a whodunit that will surprise you but it's Janus' character that took centre stage for me, finally becoming a person with whom I could empathize.  Her computer smarts are far beyond any that I will ever know, though I'm sure a few young readers will know exactly what she's doing always, but those are her skills and strengths.  Showing her weaknesses and working with them, rather than through them, has made Janus stronger and a more likeable character. And I'm reassured, after reading Assured Destruction with Zombies, that nothing can destroy her. Janus may become damaged but she's an invincible protagonist who could take on the world, cyberspace and all.

Script Kiddie: Assured Destruction, Book 2

by Michael F. Stewart
Non Sequitur Press
978-0981269962
212 pp.
Ages 12+
August 29, 2013

When I reviewed Michael F. Stewart's Assured Destruction on March 21, 2013, I knew that this computer thriller heralded a great new series for young adults.  The second book in the Assured Destruction series, Script Kiddie, has proven me right.

The 2000 hours of community service that 16-year-old Janus Rose was given (as a consequence of her indirect involvement in cyber-attacks on those whose hard-drives she'd not destroyed) in Assured Destruction has the teen helping Detective Williams and snarky Constable Ethan Chow of the Ottawa Police Department in the High Tech Crime Unit.  Janus' computer skills, honed at her multiple computers (and Shadownet personalities), are exceptional and her problem-solving, while sometimes impetuous, lets her think outside the box readily.

Janus' first police case involves discovering how credit card information is being stolen from the very bank that has tried to foreclose on their home and company! Unfortunately, her quirky ideas about undercover work and her sincere interest in warning potential victims gets her off that case officially (though Janus doesn't always follow the rules) and instead profiling a killer from his laptop.

At school, Janus is drawn in to helping her classmate/friend Hannah who's been lured by an older man to submit nude photos of herself and needs help in getting away online from the man who continues to harrass and even threaten her.  Soon after, though, Hannah wants Janus to back off, and Janus doesn't know how she can truly help the teen.

To help in her investigations, Janus looks to the internet for a community of hackers with skills beyond her own.  But, after trying to ingratiate herself into Darkslinger.net, she is expunged for being a Skiddie a.k.a. a Script Kiddie, a naive wannabee hacker. It's only when she gets a bit of assistance from her mother's boyfriend, Peter, a retired computer security consultant, that she finds a way to be accepted at Darkslinger and get some much-needed help.

I haven't even mentioned the turmoil going on at home as Janus' mother's multiple sclerosis progresses, leaving her weaker and going blind, and Janus looks into the state of their finances.  Sadly, it's evident that the business, Assured Destruction, is not making enough money to pay the bills and upcoming mortgage payments.

For a sixteen-year-old, Janus does incredibly and credibly well.  Michael F. Stewart has not created an unbelievable superhero-esque teen.  She gets people angry at her, she makes poor choices (though usually with the best of intentions), she doesn't know who to trust, she tries to make things right, she skips school occasionally, she worries about her ailing mother, she wonders about her father who left, she likes to make out with her boyfriend Jonny (though her time with him is limited), she's tech savy and willing to learn what she doesn't know, and she does her homework (usually).  She's a teen with a lot on her plate and sometimes it slips off and then she gets more loaded on, but Janus just keeps on trying.  Not surprising that one of her Shadownet alter-egos, Gumps advises that,

"If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.  H. G. Wells" (pg. 156)

There is no time for the Script Kiddie reader to wallow in Janus' turmoil either, as the plot is fast-paced and relentless in its subplotting. While some readers may relate to the circumstances of Janus' life and the situations into which she stumbles so easily and innocently, Janus is like no one else.  Janus and Michael F. Stewart's other characters, many who are virtual or unidentifiable, are still surprisingly real and distinct. I don't know whether Michael F. Stewart has based these characters on real persons or not but that's quite a feat when there's only voice to give them substance. Having learned that Michael F. Stewart is also Mike Stewart, author of a number of graphic novels for Oxford University Press' Boldprint Graphic Novels series, I suspect his creativity spans different media, beyond text alone. That would explain the depth and texture of his writing and its ability to extend beyond dimensions rarely experienced in novels. Younger readers will not need to worry but I hope that as a "mature" teacher-librarian I can continue to navigate the digital and virtual dimensions with ease as I am already anticipating Books 3 and 4 in the Assured Destruction series.

Touch

Written by Kim Firmston
James Lorimer & Co. Ltd.
978-1-4594-0371-0 (epub)
978-1-4594-0369-7 (pb)
101 pp.
Ages 13-18
2013

Most people would see having the magic touch -- finesse -- as a positive attribute, especially if used for charitable or beneficial needs.  If used to manipulate and sway others to your preferences, that same touch can be undesirable or shameful.

But sixteen-year-old Ethan is honestly impressed by his dad's talent to persuade everyone, whether at his IT security workplace or at home.  In fact, Ethan is eager to impress his father with his own skills in hacking, tech and engineering, hoping to emulate his father's success at age 19 winning a robotic competition.  He even tries to manipulate his girlfriend Maddie into cozying up to their competition, Antoine, to get a look at his plans.  Needless to say, Ethan soon learns he doesn't always demonstrate his dad's proficiency at enticing others to his will.

Though close to his father, Ethan is comfortable with his father's new wife and younger step-sister, Haley, and considers them his family.  But when Haley's attention-grabbing antics (e.g., cutting her long hair and dying it black with red tips; going Goth; having meltdowns) eclipse his successes and accolade-grabbing stunts, Ethan is less than compassionate about what may be troubling Haley.  Not surprising that when Haley tells her mother that Ethan's dad has been touching her inappropriately, Ethan does not believe her.

After his dad moves out without letting Ethan know, Ethan's confusion is exacerbated, having him wondering about his own place in the family and where his loyalty and trust should lie.  With his dad continuing to manipulate him to keep tabs on Haley and Mom, Ethan begins to see how control is not everything, especially when compassion, cooperation and compromise can achieve so much more.

Part of Lorimer's SideStreets series, Touch offers a contemporary story line, based on the issue of sexual abuse, in a hi-lo format i.e., high interest, low vocabulary.  While it is too predictable from the title and opening scenes that Haley is being sexually abused, Ethan's responses offer the perplexity needed to deepen the story.  While dealing with his own disbelief and conviction of his father's innocence, Ethan comes to see his father's manipulative techniques as selfish and detached, not admirable or effective.  With that change in perspective, Ethan is able to redirect the skills he was using to impress his father to expose him instead.  That twist in his purpose saves Ethan from his own narcissistic path and unexpectedly has him becoming a real big brother to Haley, protecting her as much as he can.

While the hi-lo format can restrict the story development and expression of characters, a good writer can augment the base story elements with enough details, secrets and innuendo to take a story from ordinary.  Personally I would have appreciated more evidence that Ethan could develop a change of heart, but Kim Firmston has a good solid plot here in Touch, adding Ethan's finesse with technology, to provide readers with greater substance on which to focus our story demands. 

Assured Destruction

Written by Michael F. Stewart
978-0-981269948
183 pp.
Ages 13+
March 22, 2013

Tomorrow Michael F. Stewart's first book Assured Destruction hits the market and, with its savvy plotting and tech focus, it's sure to be the start of a successful series.  And there's even a little romance going on.

Assured Destruction may normally refer to a principle of military strategy but here it refers to the Ottawa service that Janus, 16, and her mother run with the mandate of destroying and recycling hard drives and other electronics.  Except for Fenwick, their forklift operator and general works employee, Janus does a lot to keep the business running, as her mother has multiple sclerosis and generally works on the administrative needs of Assured Destruction. But Janus has a little secret cache of hard-drives that she keeps back from destruction by their metal shredder, affectionately known as Chop-Chop, so that she can poke around for secrets.

Secrets are power. (pg.7)

In fact, the story begins with Janus taking the hard drive of a classmate of her's, Jonny Shaftsbury, after being dropped off by his mother. Though it is slated to be destroyed, Janus is intrigued because Jonny has seemed interested in her. So, along with her other Shadownet terminals, for which she has created different personas and Twitter accounts, Janus adds Jonny's which becomes Paradise57. 

When Janus realizes that two individuals from whom she held back HDs have been targeted, one by robbery and the other with allegedly posting pornography, and the police come by about leaked names from other computers dropped off at Assured Destruction, Janus knows something wicked is unfolding but she can't admit her involvement for fear of making the business liable.  But things go from bad to worse when Janus sets up a trojan to learn who has set up a site where she appears to be the administrator.  Instead, all of Janus' networked computers and server go down, and she is suspended from school, grounded at home and questioned by the police.

Soon Janus realizes that her Shadownet of virtual people does not provide the solace it once had.

...I'm not sure I care as much about these people anymore, they don't seem as real as they once had. (pg.120)

In fact, Janus is finding herself attracted to Jonny and another classmate, Karl, who both show an interest in her, but her precarious status has her questioning everyone's trustworthiness, including her mom's new boyfriend, Peter.  While Janus is very tech savvy, she had never anticipated someone hacking her and putting the life that she and her mom have in jeopardy.

While I would consider myself familiar with the use of technology, the programming and hacking exploits of Janus and others would have left me confused if not for Michael F. Stewart's ability to explain without explaining.  Janus' reactions and valiant efforts to stay the consequences of the cyber attacks provide clarity enough to know when something is working or not working. Keeping the hard drives may seem reprehensible but for a girl who is working hours upon hours at the family business (since her dad took off), her Shadownet people are her friends.  She has no time for others.  Maybe she shouldn't have saved them from Assured Destruction but what has been done to her and those whose hard drives she has "borrowed" is far beyond justifiable.  The hacker's actions are not there to incite better behaviour; they are completely selfish.  And Michael F. Stewart has no problem convincing the reader that the world of the Shadownet and hacking is a dark and dangerous one, not a strategy game for all ages.  While there were a few instances where I felt that the writing could have been tighter to ensure clarity and impact, Assured Destruction's fast pace, intricate plotting and atmosphere of unease has me looking forward to Michael F. Stewart's next instalment. 


Just as I was preparing this review, I learned of this trailer for the book and thought readers might be interested.

ASSURED DESTRUCTION: Trailer

Uploaded by Michael Stewart on March 20, 2013 to YouTube.