Liam Takes a Stand

Written by Troy Wilson

Illustrated by Josh Holinaty

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-161-9

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

March 2017

In the aftermath of Family Day here in Ontario, I think little Liam would have a thing to say about family and brothers in particular.  Twin older brothers actually. And brothers so overwhelmingly competitive that nothing else matters.  Fortunately Liam is an insightful child who is determined to “win” his brothers’ attention and, though they are too busy outdoing each other, Liam perseveres, making for a happy family in the end.

From Liam Takes a Stand 

by Troy Wilson 

illus. by Josh Holinaty

Lester and Lister’s competitive spirits take them from sports activities to creative endeavours and finally to entrepreneurship when they each open lemonade stands for the summer.  It’s Lester’s Lemonade Universe vs. Lister’s Lemonade Multiverse, and Liam wants to help but is told he’d just told them back, ostensibly from winning this latest venture.  So Liam, determined to show his brothers how hard he can work, takes on a series of neighbourhood jobs, paid in cash by all but Mrs. Redmond who pays him in apples.

From Liam Takes a Stand 

by Troy Wilson

illus. by Josh Holinaty

While Lister and Lester continue to grow their businesses to outrageous proportions, trying to outdo and to outsell the other, Liam works hard, saves his money and eventually opens Liam’s Apple Avenue.  He takes a soft touch to his business, though, unlike the hard sell and gimmicks of his older brothers, and Liam’s business becomes a resounding success.  Hard-pressed to be outdone by their little brother, Lester and Lister start their own apple drink stands, too busy with hype to work on making the best product possible.

Fortunately, Lester and Lister recognize what they must do to win even a little bit, and Liam is smart enough to hold onto what he has accomplished while getting what he’d always wanted i.e. play time with his brothers.

Troy Wilson’s take on sibling rivalry is over-the-top and yet so realistic.  Two brothers willing to do whatever it takes to succeed over the other—success itself is never the goal—and ignoring their little brother who ends up being their biggest competitor yet.  In starting to believe their own hype, they disregard all else in the pursuit of domination. And it’s little Liam who initially loses out but finally wins in the brother game of life.

From Liam Takes a Stand 

by Troy Wilson 

illus. by Josh Holinaty

While Josh Holinaty has illustrated for non-fiction books and for other media, Liam Takes a Stand is his first picture book project and his artwork is gloriously over-the-top, perfect for the story.  His big-headed stick figures and colourful displays of convoluted businesses ensure the focus is on the boys and their efforts and I can see children rolling on the floor laughing (yes, they do actually do this) with the boys’ uproarious results.  And I can see them all trying to copy Josh Holinaty’s characters, as children tend to do with favourite cartoons.

Beyond the obvious entertainment value of Liam Takes a Stand, as a teacher I could envision using the fun and hyperbolic attention of the boys to their work for lessons in advertising and economics as well as character education. That makes Liam Takes a Stand a nice little package of fun and life lessons for all to enjoy.

The Door in the Mountain

by Caitlin Sweet

ChiTeen (imprint of ChiZine Publications)

978-1-77148-191-5

251 pp.

Ages 13+

March 2014

Reviewed from uncorrected proof

If you feel the cover image I've included above is larger than the norm posted here, it is.  I wanted to show readers the powerful cover of The Door in the Mountain so that you may well understand why I deferred (worthlessly, I might add) my reading of this young adult novel which helped launch Chizine Publications' new imprint, ChiTeen. The minotaur-like creature frightened me, as I'm sure he would have if I'd met him in a dark, lonely labyrinthe.  While there are treacherous acts and despicable characters in The Door in the Mountain, however, I should not have allowed the cover to discourage my reading.  I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.  It was like rubber necking at a horrific accident.  You had to see how it would turn out.

"How what turns out?" you might ask.  Well, if you think the stories of Greek mythology have already been told, you are so wrong. What we won't know how it turns out is the culmination of Ariadne's rivalry with all her god-marked siblings, most especially Asterion, her youngest brother, marked by the Bull-god himself, Poseidon. Seems their mother, Pasiphae slept with Poseidon's priest to ensure that son would be god-marked by Poseidon, same as herself, in conflict with her husband, King Minos, who'd been marked by Zeus. (Gifting by a god manifested itself in powers such as shooting fire from one's hands, controlling water, crafting marble, creating wind, etc. ) Shamefully unmarked, Ariadne often found comfort as a child at the workshop of craftsman, Daedalus, whose own son, Icarus, sprouted feathers and bird-like features, though he could not fly. But as she grew older and more beautiful, she found consolation, at least temporarily, in humiliating, even hurting, her siblings.

One of her first acts of vengeance against her little brother Asterion, then age 2, begins as a ploy to see if her hypothesis that his little horns reacted to heat was valid.  Young Asterion endures the pain of being badly burned, but this does not appease Ariadne as the boy's transformation into a bull is seen by her mother and Poseidon's worshippers as another honour bestowed upon him.  Now Ariadne receives even less attention as Asterion is regarded as god-like and included in regular rites of the priests and priestesses.

When Ariadne's eldest brother, Androgeus, is murdered while attending the Games in Athens, everything changes.  Without the protection of Androgeus and with the assignment of Chara, Asterion's only friend, to be Ariadne's slave, Asterion's fate becomes tragically directed by Ariadne's evil resentment. The Greek myths may suggest where this story may go but don't doubt that Caitlin Sweet will show you another path.

More crushing than a Shakespearean tragedy and more surreal than the myths we heard as children, The Door in the Mountain overwhelms. Jealously begets evil, and propositions become ritual sacrifices, and there are no promises or trust that can survive. The only prospect for redemption must come at the pen of Caitlin Sweet as the fates of all in The Door in the Mountain achieve no resolution.  You may hate Ariadne's wickedness and cheer for Chara's eternal caring.  But to what end? Only Caitlin Sweet and perhaps the Greek gods know.  I will leave that capably in her (their?) hands for now.

You can check out Caitlin Sweet's progress on Book 2 on her blog at http://caitlinsweet.com/

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nota bene
Again I have learned never to judge a book by its cover. (But, just so you know, ChiZine Publications, the weird face on your address labels and some marketing concepts still creeps me out. Big time.)