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. 

Follow Your Money: Who gets it, Who spends it, Where does it go?

by Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka

Annick Press

978-1-55451-480-9

56 pp.

Ages 9-12

2013

With the increasing number of Canadian households spending more than they bring in, it's not surprising that many young people aren't getting the financial literacy education they need to make wise decisions about money.  If parents are overspending, unaware of the ultimate costs for these spending habits, how can they possible share financial wisdom with their children?  Fortunately, Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka have put together Follow Your Money, a non-fiction text that can help young people understand how money can fly out of their wallets, ways to keep a tighter handle on it, and how everything is interconnected.  

After a brief history of money and profit, readers will examine key purchases that they or their family might make on a regular basis.  Items like bread, jeans, pizza, computers, transportation, gas, heating, pets, and sports equipment, are examined with respect to the costs of production, the parties involved from creation to sales, any profits made, and taxes paid. (I would like to mention that, as new caregivers to two kittens, that the joy and goodwill we get back from these little brothers is priceless, even if we do need a new wingback chair!)  In addition, readers are introduced to the concepts of banking, interest, loans, credit and debit cards, and those critical fees and penalties. 

Young readers will definitely never look at a price tag the same way after reading Follow Your Money.  I probably won't either.  Looking at the cost of public transit, I can now see why the government helps cover some of the costs.  And the next time I buy ink cartridges for my printer, I will remember that it's one of the most profitable products we buy.  Forget gold -- buy ink!

Having Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka author this book together is inspired.  Author Kevin Sylvester has successfully entertained young readers with a variety of his award-winning picture books (e.g., Splinters, Tundra, 2010), novels (e.g., Neil Flambé and the Tokyo Treasure, Simon & Schuster, 2012) and non-fiction (e.g., Game Day: Meet the People Who Make It Happen, Annick Press, 2010), as well as illustrating those of other authors (e.g., Don't Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You by Catherine Rondina, Kids Can Press, 2010).  Michael Hlinka, who regularly shares his business commentary on CBC Radio, brings his financial know-how, partnering well with Kevin Sylvester.  Together they have produced an entertaining look at money management for young people, complete with relevant and amusing illustrations, and organized to enhance readership and understanding.  We can all learn something from Follow Your Money.

While I don't want to suggest that this is a teacher resource, Annick Press has made a lesson plan available based on Follow Your Money.  It can be accessed at http://www.annickpress.com/content/lessonplans/FollowYourMoneyLessonPlan-1.pdf

There's also a video posted by Annick Press to YouTube of a workshop conducted by Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka in February of this year.  I've posted it on my Book Trailers and Other Media page at http://canlitforlittlecanadianstrailers.blogspot.ca/2013/03/follow-your-money-who-gets-it-who.html

Swift

Written by R. J. Anderson
Orchard Books
978-1408312636
368 pp.
Ages 11-15
2012

When the piskeys of the Delve leave their below-ground home (built into an abandoned human mine) for the Lighting celebrations on the surface, it is a time of frivolity, feasting, storytelling and music.  It is the same for ten-year-old Ivy except that, unlike the other female piskeys, she was born without wings, and must make the arduous journey through the tunnels with her mother, Marigold, to reach the surface.  But, when her mother disappears that night, surely kidnapped by the legendary evil spriggans, life in the Delve will never be the same for Ivy, her young sister Cicely, her hunter older brother, and father Flint, a miner.

Five years later, at Cicely's first Lighting, a piskey-boy, Keev, goes missing and a spriggan is captured and jailed.  Ivy helps the spriggan, who is actually a faery she calls Richard, once she learns that he was sent by her mother Marigold.  She agrees to help him escape if he teaches her to shape change into a bird so that she might fly. But when Cicely disappears, Ivy declines to go with Richard so that she may search for her sister, albeit in swift form.  Injured during her search, Ivy is rescued by Richard who takes her to hide at the home of his human friend, Molly, a young girl who loves everything faery. In fact, when Richard goes missing, it is Molly who takes Ivy to Truro to find her mother.

What should be a wonderful reunion with Marigold is clouded with the unsettling truths her mother shares with Ivy regarding the history of the piskeys, faeries and spriggans, about Ivy's own heritage, and the dangers afflicting the Delve.  Confused as to what recourse she has, Ivy becomes even more enmeshed in the human-faery world when she purchases a clay sculpture of a faery that she is convinced has Richard trapped within.  Determined to help Richard, find Cicely, and return to the Delve to ensure the survival of the piskeys, Ivy must manage to understand the machinations of the human world, the trickery of a faery plotting revenge and the inclinations of the piskeys and her family from whom she fled.

Swift is a fantastical adventure of mesmerizing proportions, from the tiniest of piskey and faery to the legendary spriggans and large, unfamiliar humans, everyone has an agenda, selfish or otherwise, governed by the truths they believe and the affections and resentments they harbour. The plot twists and turns with new revelations and discoveries, mostly surprising, taking Ivy from the sheltered Delve to a larger world of duplicitous entities and strange circumstances, and then back to her endangered homeland.  R. J. Anderson deftly creates a world of fantasy in Swift, taking the reader effortlessly from the below-ground tunnels and nooks of the Delve, to the flight arenas of the swifts and other birds, all visually tangible.  And she draws her readers in, promising answers to questions of family loyalty, community, and self-awareness, while teaching that the answers are actually within us all the time. 

    ≈   ≈   ≈   ≈   ≈   ≈    

The sequel to Swift is slated to be named Nomad, and is tentatively scheduled for release in early 2014 from Orchard Books.

The Power of Harmony

by Jan L. Coates

Red Deer Press

978-0-88995-495-3

260 pp.

Ages 9-12

May, 2013

There's a nebulous haze that pervades the atmosphere of The Power of Harmony.  Sometimes it's the darker gray or mauve of coal-mining, grief and prejudice but sometimes there's a vague yellow of the canary peeking through, working at bringing up a message.  Though it is often difficult to heed a message that is unusual or contrary, those who listen will know the benefits of it.  In 1968 Springhill Nova Scotia, nine-year-old Jenny knows the gray of Springhill's mining disaster, perennial sinkholes, and the bullying by Sarah Saunders (a.k.a. Queen Smirkle Bee) and the Bad Boys (Junior and Wade) but her wonderful parents, joyous baby sister, Bethy, and books bring much light into her life.

But, when a new student, Melody Summer Syliboy, joins their class, Jenny watches how her Nanny and others respond to Melody with a full-range of prejudices levelled against Aboriginal People.  Melody may withdraw from the taunts of the Bad Boys and ignore other insensitive comments, but she stands up for Jenny when she is bullied and saves her when she almost drowns in Pit Pond.  The two girls become friends, sharing a love of singing and the need to share their fears and secrets.

With the upcoming Miners' Hall Concert, on the tenth anniversary of the Springhill mining disaster, Melody and Jennifer are asked to sing a song together. They heed the words of surprise guest, Anne Murray, who tells them,

"Remember - sing with your heart and soul; harmony's a powerful thing." (pg. 238)

The harmony of Melody and Jenny is a powerful force, helping the two girls face extraordinary life challenges of death, shame, prejudice, grief, fear, and abuse.  Together they support each other as no one else could, providing the strength needed to overcome those challenges.  For two young girls, they endure much trauma, both within their families and more publicly.  But Jan L. Coates does not depict Melody and Jenny as anything but ordinary children, albeit more aware of how people treat each other.  They are emotive ("Try to swallow the fat lump of sad in my throat." pg. 143) without being emotional; kind without gushiness; and clever without being smart-alecky.  It's Jan L. Coates evocative text and careful plotting that elevate the girls to extraordinary while the history of Springhill, Nova Scotia, including the coal mining, the residential school and the prison, ground the story in reality.  The Power of Harmony could have been a cacophony of anger, abuse and prejudice but, with Jan L. Coates' considerate story-telling, it is a sensitive coming of age story in a socially-evolving Canadian setting.

Beautiful Goodbye: Book Launch (Paris, ON)

Join 

author 

Nancy Runstedler

for the launch of her first book

Beautiful Goodbye

Dundurn Press

978-1459705531

152 pp.

Ages 9-12

on

August 10, 2013

2 - 4 p.m.

at

Green Heron Books

47 Grand River Street

Paris, ON

Although I have not read Beautiful Goodbye yet, 

reviews in Quill & Quire and Resource Links  

mention the use of an Ouija board that transports 

a trio of kids to 1915, when the spirit who they contact lived.  

(I was always warned against playing with Ouija boards!)

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping

Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

Kids Can Press

978-1-894786-86-8

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

April, 2013

Everyone's favourite squirrel, Mélanie Watt's Scaredy Squirrel, is back and thinking about camping.  But, he's not thinking about going camping because there are too many hazards and preparations.  So, content to experience the camping experience digitally, Scaredy Squirrel starts setting up his TV.  Oh no! The electrical outlet for the TV is so far away he'll need to prep himself for entering the wilderness after all.

Ever the compulsive planner, Scaredy Squirrel lists the supplies he needs, all the gear for his wilderness outfit, a detailed schedule, training routines, and an elaborate map of the area.  As always, Scaredy Squirrel is prepared for everything, except the one thing that is never part of the plan! Luckily, Scaredy Squirrel always finds a way to accommodate the unexpected, even if he panics at first, and resolves the situation triumphantly.

When Mélanie Watt introduced young readers to this rodent in Scaredy Squirrel (Kids Can Press, 2006), he was an immediate hit.  He's cute, he's compulsive, he's troubled, and he's quick thinking.  And things always seem to go wrong, no matter how prepared he is.  While his books never have predictable endings, they're always satisfying.  And, in Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping, young readers can look forward to Scaredy drifting off into the sunset.  Natural bliss!

If you and yours are planning to enjoy Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping or just a little camping, Kids Can Press provides a few accompanying activities at their website here.

If you haven't enjoyed the full range of Mélanie Watt's Scaredy Squirrel books, check out these available or coming soon from Kids Can Press:

• Scaredy Squirrel (Kids Can Press, 2006)
• Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (Kids Can Press, 2007)
• Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (Kids Can Press, 2008)
• Scaredy Squirrel at Night (Kids Can Press, 2009)
• Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party (Kids Can Press, 2011)
• Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas (Kids Can Press, 2012)
• Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping (Kids Can Press, April 2013)
• Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween (Kids Can Press, August 2013)

Skink on the Brink

by Lisa Dalrymple

Illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

978-1-55455-231-3

32 pp.

Ages 4+

June 2013

This Saturday, Lisa Dalrymple and Suzanne Del Rizzo will be holding a launch for their picture book, Skink on the Brink, and I implore you all to go, pick up your own copy and share in the experience that is Stewie the Skink.

Lisa Dalrymple's text follows Stewie from his early days as a blue-tailed skink whose contentment with his name, appearance, unique defense feature, and his forest habitat adjacent to a pond is evident in the clever little songs he makes up.  Judging by Suzanne Del Rizzo's rich plasticine illustrations of various animals and vegetation in the area, Stewie has many reasons to be happy. 

But, as with all living things, Stewie will grow and mature, and he does, but into a less colourful skink of grey about which he can't find much to sing.  Hopeful for inspiration in a new habitat, Stewie sets out, finding a new pond that has its own set of attributes.  Instead of seeing what he does have, Stewie focuses on what he has lost.  That is, until a wise woodpecker shares with Stewie the nature of his endangered status and that his original habitat was best for keeping him safe.

Skink on the Brink shares the need for self-acceptance and seeing beyond the superficial.  Stewie is so enamoured with his blue tail that he cannot see anything as wonderful once it's gone.  Luckily a woodpecker with great rhythm brings out the song in Stewie and, surprisingly, mating throughout the forest and pond! But, as the title suggests, Skink on the Brink goes beyond the individual and introduces young readers to the concept of species endangerment and the importance of habitat in ensuring the survival of species such as Stewie.  To enhance a young reader's understanding of these concepts, Lisa Dalrymple provides comprehensive notes about endangerment and habitat protection, as well as the life cycle, classification, and defense mechanism of skinks.  And for a little fun, there are the rules for a game of Skink-Tail Tag and Suzanne Del Rizzo's instructions on making Stewie from plasticine.

Though a welcome addition to any primary/junior teacher's collection of science picture books, Skink on the Brink is for young readers who enjoy the texture-rich illustrations of plasticine art done well and learning about the natural world, with encouragement to involve themselves beyond the book.  As such, Skink on the Brink is the best of children's non-fiction in a visually-enhanced fictional context. Be sure to save this one.