40 Things I Want To Tell You

Written by Alice Kuipers

HarperTrophy Canada

978-1-44340-587-4

283 pp.

Ages 13+

2012

When I read a book that touches me, really touches me, I always finish it, close the cover, lay my hand over it, and just sit.  Sometimes I just re-immerse myself in the story, sometimes I weep, sometimes I wonder how the characters managed, sometimes I ponder the title and the cover.  With 40 Things I Want To Tell You by Alice Kuipers, I did it all.

Amy, a.k.a. Bird to her family and best friends, is the queen of lists and the princess of planning.  She knows that she and her good friend, now boyfriend, Griffin, will have sex for the first time on her seventeenth birthday.  She knows what she needs to do and how hard to work to get to Oxford when she finishes school.  Bird is so in control that she sets herself up as "Miss Take-Control-of-Your-Life" on a website offering advice to teens.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of stuff she needs to tell others but she doesn't.  She doesn't tell her best friend, Cleo, about the website until it's been up for months.  She doesn't tell Griffin that she is anxious about their first time, and then when she can't "do it" the night of her birthday, she doesn't tell him why.  She doesn't tell anyone that she's attracted to a new boy at school, Pete Loewen, not even him when he approaches her.  Cleo asks Pete out and he declines, and still Bird tells her nothing about her encounters with Pete which now include mind-blowing kisses.

Of course, Bird isn't the only one who needs to share things.  Since the death of Griffin's dad several years ago, his mom's mental health has been rocky and getting worse.  Offers of help are declined and her condition minimized when he speaks to Bird.  Then, there's Bird's mom who denies anything is wrong, though her mood is off and her organizational expertise (passed down to Bird) is showing weakness.  But, when Bird's dad, an entrepreneur currently focusing on solar bricks, goes to the bank, unbeknownst to this wife, to get a mortgage on the house, which Bird's grandmother left her mom, Bird just can't face the fighting.  Bird just runs away from it, going to the park where she often sits.  A chance meeting with Pete leads Amy (as he calls her) to pitch her self-control and have sex with him.

So, although she continues to offer free advice online, even listing "Top Tips" (e.g., Top Tip 18: When you make a decision, say it out loud; pg. 156), Bird has even more that she should be telling: to Griffin, to Cleo, to Pete, to her parents, and even to herself.  Self-denial is a big issue for Bird.  And, in her not-telling, all their interconnected lives are shattered and transformed.  She would have been wise to heed her own advice, as her own Top Tips continue to reflect the circumstances of her own life.

I wish I could reveal the moving conclusion to Alice Kuipers' story of Bird, but I fear that I will spoil it for the reader.  Suffice it to say that Bird's reactions and resignations and decisions are poignant, heartbreaking and honest, as well as justifiable to her, whether you agree with them or not.  Alice Kuipers' skill at weaving an emotionally engaging story with remarkable characters, likeable or not, like those in our own lives, will disarm you effortlessly until you realize you have been invariably touched forever.

Here are 5 things I want to tell you:

1. If you're a teen, female or male, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

2. If you're a parent of a teen, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

3. If you are a teacher or counsellor, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

4. If you appreciate great literature, read 40 Things I Want To Tell You.

5. Read 40 Things I Want To Tell You. 

Saskatchewan Book Awards

On February 16, 2012, the shortlists for the annual Saskatchewan Book Awards were announced at the University of Regina.

Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada that has a provincially-focused book award program i.e., one representing Saskatchewan's writing and publishing contributions.  With an impressive community of over 300 authors and 75 book publishers, Saskatchewan has much to celebrate and promote.

Established in 1993 by the joint efforts of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, the Saskatchewan Publishers Group and the Saskatchewan Library Association, the Awards have grown from four to fourteen, although the specific awards vary year to year.

This year, the Saskatchewan Book Awards announced its short lists in thirteen award categories:

• Scholarly Writing Award
• First People’s Writing Award
• Saskatoon Book Award
• Regina Book Award
• Award for Poetry
• First Book Award
• Children’s Literature Award
• Fiction Award
• Non-fiction Award
• Book of the Year Award
• First People’s Publishing Award
• Publishing in Education Award
• Award for Publishing

Congratulations to all nominees.  As we are CanLit for LittleCanadians, we'd like to honour those nominated for the Children's Literature Award:

• Adele Dueck, Racing Home (Coteau)
• Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story About Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn)
• Anne Patton, Full Steam to Canada: A Barr Colony Adventure (Coteau)
• Judith Silverthorne, The Secret of the Stone Circle (Coteau)
• Alison Uitti, First Days: Night Movies (Hear My Heart Books)

I'd also like to recognize those children's and YA titles that have been nominated for other Saskatchewan Book Awards.
 
For the Saskatoon Book Award:

• Beverly Brenna, Waiting for No One (Red Deer Press)

For the Regina Book Award:

• Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn Press)

For the Fiction Book Award:

• Arthur Slade, Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III (HarperCollins Canada)

For the Publishing in Education Award:

• Penny Draper, Ice Storm: Disaster Strikes #6 (Coteau)

The Saskatchewan Book Awards will be presented on April 28, 2012 at a gala ceremony in Regina.

Freedom to Read Week

February 26 to March 3, 2012

"Freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free country by world standards, books and magazines are banned at the border. Schools and libraries are regularly asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves. Free expression on the Internet is under attack. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read."

From Censorship in Canada at 
http://freedomtoread.ca/censorship_in_canada/index.asp 

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council to raise awareness of issues involving intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

From Vernon, B.C. to Coaldale, Alberta, and Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, to Innisfil, Toronto, Ottawa and Peterborough, all the way to Cornerbrook, Newfoundland Labrador, libraries and other organizations are organizing events to celebrate our freedom to read.   A wide variety of contests, displays, films, readings, concerts, workshops, read-a-thons, and benefits are planned throughout Canada.  Check the Freedom to Read Week 2012  web site for a full listing of events.

A personal note:
Many readers are able to choose their reading unhampered by the will of others.  When the readers are young, it's not unusual for parents to help direct their children's choices of reading materials.  Similarly, teacher-librarians (if you're fortunate enough to have one in the school) or public librarians are experienced in offering readers' advisory and can offer assistance.  But just as there is a wide range of readers, both in interest, capabilities and experiences, the richness of literature available to children and young adults is far-reaching (contrary to the "there's nothing to read" refrain).  What a child chooses to read or a parent of a child allows to be read is personal, as is their reaction to any text.  We all choose what we want to read, are willing to read, or refuse to read.  That's freedom to read.  But, censorship is the expectation that we have the right to choose what others may read.

As reviewers, we must be diligent to avoid focusing on those attributes which may be deemed objectionable by some and to instead focus on the literary quality of the book: the plot, the characters, the writer's craft, vocabulary richness, themes.  To overwhelm a review with red flags of inappropriateness is both arrogant and unprofessional.  Of course, I pick and choose what I review, based on what books are available, on my reading preferences and on my personal reactions to the theme or the author's writing or whatever.  After all, I can't review every book so I choose those I look forward to reading.

But, anyone who decides that a particular book should not be included in a school or public library, or used by a teacher for a novel study, or honoured with a nomination on a selection list (such as for the Forest of Reading) is practising censorship.  And don't for a second believe that they are protecting anyone with their book challenges.

Decide for yourself what you will read.  Don't decide for all readers.  Not your job.  Nor mine.

Chasing the White Witch

by Marina Cohen

Dundurn

978-1-55488-964-8

157 pp.

Ages 8-12

2011

The old adage "Be careful what you wish for" should have been the title of the book that twelve-and-a-half-year-old Claire picks up at the grocery story.  But it isn't.  While Claire deals with her first pimple (extraordinarily perched at the end of her nose), enduring the relentless taunts of her fifteen-year-old brother, Jordan ("But I can't see you behind the mountain in front of your nose. Oh wait a minute - that is your nose!"; pg. 10) and then noticing her enemy, the beautiful and perfect Hollis Van Horn, is in the grocery store too, the little book that flutters to her feet is titled Remedies, Rituals and Incantations.  It must have been a sign - right? Claire thinks so.

Her first order of business is to get rid of that nasty pimple, and fortuitously there is an acne remedy in the little green book penned by the White Witch.  When the concoction (which includes yogurt, oatmeal, Limburger cheese and garlic) with the prescribed chant doesn't work, Claire reads the introduction (which she had ignored earlier) that states that the spellcaster must be pure of mind and spirit.  After cleansing herself by being helpful, meditating and taking a hot bath, the pimple is gone, and Claire is encouraged to co-opt her best friend, Paula-Jean, into performing an avenging spell on  Jordan.  The  spell works but Paula-Jean's uneasiness with the magic makes her aloof and ready to yield to Hollis' offer of friendship.  In reaction, impulsive Claire puts a hex on Hollis.  The unforeseen consequences of that act send Claire to team up with seriously-ill Hollis in order to locate the White Witch and learn how to make things right.  

Marina Cohen's earlier books (Ghost Ride, Dundurn, 2009; Mind Gap, Dundurn, 2011), both well received by readers, examine the serious consequences of choices made by young men.  In Chasing the White Witch, the theme is similar but I enjoyed the light-hearted manner in which Marina Cohen addresses it.  While the consequences of casting spells could be dire, the reader is fairly sure that the outcome of this story will not be tragic; after all, first you have to suspend disbelief to even accept that this magic works.  And Cohen's choice of materials (Limburger cheese?) and the farcical nature of the chanting suggest a story based in "make-believe" rather than reality.

But, it is the humour in the story that is most enchanting (pun intended), from Jordan and Claire's relationship (e.g., "Jordan could bungee-jump over cactuses using spaghetti as far as I was concerned."; pg. 16) to the publisher's name (Mixed Pickle Press) to Claire's imagination (e.g., "I had imagined the green crusty blotches and hobbit-feet and all.."; pg. 85) and her father's endless stream of aphorisms (If you kick a stone, you'll hurt your foot; pg. 29; Where you are going is more important than how fast you get there; pg. 69) and her reactions to them (e.g., "Please, Dad, I don't have time to do something as trivial as think"; pg. 70). As convinced as Claire is about her power to cast spells, her take on the circumstances is so authentic but impetuous that the reader is engaged in following her through to the end.

Though a short read at only 157 pages, which is often insufficient to develop any character well and fully, Chasing the White Witch introduces us to several distinct characters, namely Claire, Jordan, Paula-Jean and Hollis, who could easily return in a sequel.  By not tying up Chasing the White Witch's ending in a nice bow, Marina Cohen has created an opportunity to take these characters in a totally different direction and still delight the reader.

Timber Wolf

by Caroline Pignat
Red Deer Press
978-0-88995-459-5
206 pp.
Ages 11-14
2011

Waking in the snow, numbed by pain and cold, the young narrator of Timber Wolf comes to the violent realization that he knows neither his name, what has happened nor where he's from.

"Homeless.  Nameless.  Hopeless.  Yet, try as I might, nothing comes to mind but the fat flakes drifting down from the endless winter black." (pg. 3)

Although his recollections return slowly and intermittently, it is the first, that of his father, Da, teaching him to carve wood with a knife, that has him hopeful of family searching for him.  While he awaits his rescue, he does his best to find shelter and food.  Two key events occur which set the stage for the young man's journey back to himself.  First, he has a frightening but companionable encounter with a wolf who continues to help him throughout his ordeal.  Second, when the young man retrieves a snared rabbit, which he shares with the wolf, he meets a young Anishnaabeg, Mahingan, who saves his life.

Under the care and guidance of Mahingan's Grandfather Wawatie, the young man regains his health and strength, and learns some of the Anishnaabeg ways.  But, Mahingan's relentless anger compels him to abandon the young man when they come across a logging camp shanty.  The memories unleashed by the shanty bring the young man closer to his story but they also reveal that he is responsible for harming others.  As he continues to search for his life, he encounters his companion wolf, a bear and a frightening trapper with his own memory issues.

While the narrator will not determine his own name until page 171, his identity has been introduced in the first two books by Caroline Pignat: Greener Grass (Red Deer Press, 2008) and Wild Geese (Red Deer Press, 2010).  In Greener Grass, the 2009 winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Text, we are introduced to Kit Byrne's family (Mam, Da, brother Jack, little sister Annie) who have endured the hardships of farming in 1800's Ireland.  With the famine and subsequent starvation and evictions, Kit and most of her family, as well as her friend Mick, escape to Canada, hopeful of a better life.  This background information is not necessary to appreciate the story of Timber Wolf, which capably works as a stand-alone text, but the connections revealed in the books are important.  Readers who have not enjoyed Greener Grass and Wild Geese are encouraged to partake in these fine reads, even after reading Timber Wolf.

In Timber Wolf, Caroline Pignat's emphasis on the characters within an accurate, historical context draws the readers in, effectively bringing fear, despair, and hope to the foreground. The challenges of survival without solid memories that could provide a foundation for endurance and success are overwhelming and powerfully told in Caroline Pignat's rich writing.  Her imagery ("They pull his full form up onto the log where he flops like a load of wet laundry"; pg. 77) and perspicacity (Grandfather Wawatie's assertion that "even the tiniest hole left too long will eventually destroy the whole boat"; pg. 192) provide the beauty for this adventure story.  Although Caroline Pignat, in the interview notes at the conclusion of the book, does not confirm whether there will be additional books related to the Byrnes, I will look forward to another book to enlighten me historically and emotionally, as all three of these books have.

Forest of Reading: Most Passionate Fan

CONTEST

Do you participate in the annual reading programs of the 

Ontario Library Association? 

Are you 18 or younger and love the Forest of Reading?

Could you effectively and enthusiastically 

share your love of the Forest of Reading?

The Ontario Library Association is looking for 

the Forest of Reading's biggest fan

Just tell us why you love the Forest of Reading

in an essay (max. 500 words)

or in a video (max. 5 min; uploaded to YouTube.com)

for a chance to win

VIP Tickets to the Festival of Trees

including backstage access and the chance to meet the authors

for your school or library (max. 20 tickets)

Email your entry (with link, if a video) to 

Communications Co-ordinator Carla Wintersgill at cwintersgill@accessola.com

Deadline for entry is April 1, 2012

• VIP tickets only includes the price of the tickets, not travel or accommodation to the Festival
• If the winner is unable to attend the Festival due to distance, a set of the 2013 books from that reading program may be taken in lieu of the tickets

By submitting an entry, you authorize the Ontario Library Association to edit, alter, copy, publish or distribute your video or essay for purposes of publicizing the OLA’s programs or for any other lawful purposes. The prize of VIP Festival tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded for cash or credit.

Emily For Real

by Sylvia Gunnery
Pajama Press
978-0-9869495-8-6
196 pp.
Ages 12+
Available April, 2012

Secrets can be kept hidden, or they can be shared thoughtfully or they can slip out unceremoniously.  Regardless, depending on who is keeping the secret and the focus of that secret, the impacts can be catastrophic, enlightening or inconsequential.  Emily For Real involves many such secrets, crossing three generations. 

Seventeen-year-old Emily Sinclair attempts to keep her boyfriend Brian's breakup with her a secret just until after her family has dealt with the funeral of her grandfather, Karl Sinclair.  But, Cynthia Maxwell, an older and mysterious visitor to the funeral reception, gets Emily curious about her Granddad, particularly as he was not a warm, affectionate man.  In fact, Emily's mom, Winnie, clearly did not respect her father-in-law, although his twin children, Emily's dad, Gerry, and her Aunt Emma, have irresolute sentiments about him.  Although dementia prevents Meredith, the caring woman who Granddad married within a year of his first wife's death, from offering clarification, additional probing by Emily and others brings new information about the accidental death of Gerry's and Em's mother.

With Granddad's secret revealed only after his death, the family is left to find their own ways to deal with it: ignore it, pursue it, embrace it, accept it.  Whether by cowardice, shame or self-righteousness, he left the family with more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, Emily continues to berate herself about Brian, hardly sharing with anyone, especially Leo Mac, a new student with whom Emily is asked to work.  His absence from a group presentation as well as a chance Halloween encounter has her asking questions of Leo who freely but angrily reveals his hidden truths.  Still reluctant to share all her secrets, except with the disinterested Meredith, Emily capably determines the nature of Leo's complicated situation and offers him friendly support, sadly something that she cannot accept.  However, when a final secret, both more personal and unnerving, is carelessly revealed, Emily's innermost feelings ask for a voice.

As the narrator who shares her responses to a stream of stupefying revelations, Emily becomes a real girl, not a cardboard cut-out of a teen.  In dealing with a death, a funeral and her family dynamics, her inertia is quite evident, few things rousing her attention or interest.  Her brain may keep taking her back to thoughts of Brian and the others' secrets, but she finds solace in visiting Meredith and in her own diversionary interest in Leo.  Leo's gruff and protective manner intrigues Emily while providing the reader with a sympathetic character for whom we can cheer.  

Although Emily's dad and aunt play significant roles in her dramas, I could not fully empathize with them, finding their reactions generally incredible or vague.  I was most responsive to Emily's mom whose sarcasm, indignation and resolve are more in keeping with the circumstances of her family life.  She may not be totally likeable (few people are) but she is more real than her husband or sister-in-law who probably should be more emotional and reactive, given the circumstances.  Luckily, Emily is real enough to deal with these issues in her own way; after all, she is Emily For Real.