The Almost Truth

by Eileen Cook
Simon Pulse
978-1-4424-4019-7
248 pp.
Ages 14+
2012

Sadie has big plans.  Now that she's finished high school, she's determined to leave her trailer park life on Bowton Island and head to Berkley to study architecture.  Although she's most upset about leaving her best friend, the very hot Brendan, she's been saving her money–often from small cons she pulls, as learned from her father who is currently in jail–and finally has enough.  That is, until her mother, a hotel maid who is always pinching pennies, guiltlessly tells Sadie that she took it for Dad's lawyer.  (Nice parents, eh?)

A poster of a three-year-old child, Ava McKenna, who went missing 15 years earlier gives Sadie an idea for a con that would help her get the money she needs for school.  The wealthy McKenna family who is offering $250,000 for information about Ava's disappearance from the island is slated to attend a big fundraising event for their McKenna's Children's Foundation and Sadie, with Brendan's help and information she gleans from hotel staff, devises a way to get close to the family.

While working to insinuate herself close to Chase Parker, the young man in charge of organizing the charity event, Sadie finds herself at a crossroads with Brendan and navigating her own family obstacles, including her mother who has difficulties with the truth.

For years I thought I was going crazy, since I didn't remember all these things, but then I realized she just made them up.  Cut out any parts of her life she didn't like and squished in a new and better memory to fill the gap. (pg. 59)

The mystery of what happened to little Ava becomes wrapped up in Sadie's desire to know herself better, though she's running from Brendan and can't trust her parents to think about anyone but themselves.

Though the reader might be chagrined by some too-obvious coincidences, the story of Ava McKenna's disappearance is a true mystery that is not solved until the very end, so don't be so sure that you've got the whole truth at any time before then.  Often the truth is tailored for those receiving it and can be interpreted far too many ways.  The Almost Truth makes it clear that sometimes the truth is hidden by a strong desire to make that truth a reality, rather than as a result of omission or outright lies.  But when untruths are piled upon untruths by different parties, it is vey difficult to discern the truth under the burden of imagined realities.  

Having previously reviewed Eileen Cook's Unraveling Isobel (Simon Pulse, 2012), I knew I could expect a well-crafted plot that involved some mystery, romance and teen angst, but I was impressed by the depth of the plotting in The Almost Truth.  While I wondered why Sadie could not see how much Brendan cared for her–I suspect that this is not unusual among teens–and I was convinced that the solution to Ava's disappearance was obvious, I soon realized that there was much more to the story.  And that's because Eileen Cook has established characters who choose to see circumstances that work best with their own interpretations and that become their reality.  They're not living lies, at least they don't all know they are, but they're working with the reality they see.  It can be confusing and sometimes you want to shake one of them and yell, "Don't you see it?" but it wouldn't do any good.  The Almost Truth demonstrates that sometimes the almost truth is the only truth there is, until one person pulls out a single truth that allows the burden of imagined realities to collapse.

Winter's Coming: A Story of Seasonal Change

by Jan Thornhill

Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon

Owlkids

978-1-77147-002-5

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

October, 2014

Sure, reviewing a book called Winter's Coming before winter would have been more logical–hence Owlkids' October release for the book–but isn't it just as great to read a book about the changes that come with winter while in the throes of that season's cold and snow?  (Apparently I thought so.)

Lily, a young snowshoe hare, is surprised by the changes she sees in her surroundings, which she'd always enjoyed as green.  Now there are colour changes in the trees and massive flocks of birds heading south because Winter's coming.  If they have to escape, she wonders whether she should be evading this danger as well.  Luckily the squirrel who is preparing a cache of food tells her she won't need to do the same, and Lily is relieved to know that, "Whatever Winter was, at least it wasn't interested in her food." (pg. 9) Also inquiring of the chickadee, mosquito, tree frog, caterpillar, snapping turtle and black bear, Lily still finds Winter a mysterious entity.  

Would it be as tall as the trees and have humongous, smelly feet?  Or would it be stretched out like a weasel, with a hundred pointed teeth?  Would it have a bald head like a turkey vulture?  Or would it have hair so long that it swished along the ground?  Would it make noise like thunder? Or would it fly on silent wings like an owl?  Lily had no idea, but she was convinced that Winter would be big and powerful. (pg. 20)

It's not until she watches Winter arrive and the black bear points out Lily's own change for winter that Lily understands what all the animals have being sharing with her.

Winter's Coming is as charming a book as it is educational, explaining animal adaptations to the coming of our coldest season as seen by a young snowshoe hare who doesn't know what to expect having never experienced winter.  Lily is inquisitive, but never precocious (thank you, Jan Thornhill!), always taking in what she sees and hears and tries to make connections with what she knows already.  She's on guard for potential threats, as a wise hare will be, but insightful and thinking beyond Winter as a predator.  Her thinking is probably similar to that of a child for whom a new concept, whether it be math or behavioural or whatever, is just out of reach of understanding.

Complemented by Josée Bisaillon's collage illustrations that emulate the bits and pieces of the natural world as it changes in response to the coming season, Jan Thornhill's newest nature book (she has an astounding repertoire of award-winning non-fiction) will be enjoyed just as easily as a story as much as an information book.  Winter's Coming will be an worthy addition to any library, personal, school or public.

The Gospel Truth

by Caroline Pignat

Red Deer Press

978-0-88995-493-9

328 pp.

Ages 12+

October, 2014

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all

                             ~Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson would not have written this poem yet but her words would still ring true for an enslaved young woman named Phoebe on a Virginian tobacco plantation in 1858. Phoebe is attuned to listen to the birds for their messages of hope and freedom, while keeping her own song quiet, having stopped speaking since her mother Ruthie was sold by Master Arnold Duncan ten years earlier.  And though she doesn't speak, Phoebe is chosen to accompany Doctor Ross Bergman, a guest at the plantation, and Miss Tessa, the marriageable daughter of Master Duncan, when he visits the plantation from Canada to study the birds of Virginia.

Taken under the wing of Bea, the housekeeper, and given to Miss Tessa as her personal maid, Phoebe understands well enough what is expected of her but also what she needs to do for herself, including learning to read so that she may find her Momma.

Cause a slave can't have words.

Or hope. 

But I do. 

I got both,

buried deep in the hollow part of me. (pg. 36)

However, not everyone feels as Phoebe does, including Shad, the young slave who has feelings for her. Though the younger brother of a powerful slave who has runaway three times, Shad is still convinced the best recourse is obedience to Master Duncan, and it is this attitude that threatens everything for Phoebe.

Told in free verse and in six voices (Phoebe, Master, Miss Tessa, Doctor Bergman, Bea, and Shad), The Gospel Truth tells more than just of the life of slaves on a tobacco plantation in the mid-19th century.  It speaks of a change coming, of those who see it and those who don't, and those who risked so much to be part of that change–love, security, family, life–sometimes even without choice.  Every voice that speaks from Caroline Pignat's pen is clear and resounds with every word spoken or not.  

The power of Caroline Pignat's words would compel me to cite so much of her text. She has the gift for novel in verse, not simply writing prose in verse form.  Just as a good novelist doesn't tell everything, allowing the reader to interpret, surmise and read into the text, a great writer of novel in verse tells even more in fewer words.  Pamela Porter, Martine Leavitt and now Caroline Pignat.  As for the story, think The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill in free verse for younger readers and with more soul.  A perfect bundle of story, voice and form–that's The Gospel Truth by Caroline Pignat.

Something Wiki

by Suzanne Sutherland

Dundurn

978-1-45972-821-9

160 pp.

Ages 9-12

For release January 3, 2015

While the title Something Wiki may suggest that there's something wicked, there really isn't, unless, of course, you count going through puberty and all that it entails: skin breaking out, body image issues, first crushes, changing friendships, parent issues, etc.  Okay, so puberty is pretty wicked.  But the "wiki" in the title refers to twelve-year-old (almost 13!) Jo Waller's use of Wikipedia as a diary, allowing her to share her feelings by amending entries that relate to her situation.  She adds her personal touch to entries about acne, ambush, hairdresser, and friendship, among the many that kick off each new chapter in Something Wiki, always knowing that her edits will satisfyingly disappear almost as soon as she finishes them.

Too bad the problems of growing up can't disappear as easily as revised wiki entries because there's a lot going on for Jo, and much of it she cannot control.  Because Jo sees herself as a short, chunky, geeky girl with glasses and zits, she tends to compare herself to others, specifically her friends:  pretty, best friend Stacey, musical Trisha and the smart, ginger-haired Chloe.  But she's starting to feel out of sync with them, especially when she learns Stacey has lied to her in order to hang out with Chloe alone.  Those she used to rely on for support seem to be turning on her.  Add to that the domestic chaos brought about by the return home of her 24-year-old brother Zim with his girlfriend Jenevieve who is pregnant, and Jo's parents refusal to include their youngest in their home situation.  And then there's cutie Declan Walsh who intensifies the pandemonium.

Suzanne Sutherland has made Something Wiki into Jo's coming-of-age story, demonstrating that everything in the life of a pubescent girl may seem twisted and knotted but, with time and some effort at disentanglement, a new order can arise.  The wickedness of losing friends, unfair accusations, bad haircuts, bad skin, and feeling discounted can be endured when their absurdity in the big picture is realized.  Suzanne Sutherland gives Jo the ability to see the ridiculousness in her life.

These days I just want to sleep. I'd be happy if I could sleep all day....
It won't work, though. I drool in my sleep. 

As if I needed to look any uglier. (pg. 127)

Yep, the regular fries of teen angst–bad enough for the skin–becomes poutine courtesy of Suzanne Sutherland: far richer and flavourful. 

New Members of the Order of Canada

On December 26, 2014, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, announced 95 new appointments to the Order of Canada.  The Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours, was established in 1967, during Canada’s centennial year, to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. 

This year, two well-known contributors to youngCanLit  were honoured with appointments to the Order of Canada as Members of the Order of Canada, recognized as making outstanding contributions at the local or regional level or in a special field of activity. I have the pleasure of recognizing these newest Members of the Order of Canada, as designated by the post-nominal C.M., here with the accompanying citations :

Brenda Clark, C.M.

Port Hope, Ontario

For her contributions as an illustrator, notably as the artist behind Franklin the Turtle, and for her support of literacy.

Eric Robert Walters, C.M.

Mississauga, Ontario

For his contributions as an author of literature for children and young adults whose stories help young readers grapple with complex social issues.

Congratulations to Brenda Clark and Eric Walters on this outstanding recognition.

Butterflies Don't Lie

Written by B. R. Myers

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77108-162-7

288 pp.

Ages 12+

September 2014

A review of Butterflies Don't Lie may have been better posted in September when the book was first released and when summer was hardly the distant memory it is now in January. But perhaps this is a great time to think about summer jobs, sun and sand and summer-time romances, when we need to enjoy the lightness that comes with being sixteen and working at a restaurant on the water and crushing on a guy.  Think back, whether it's years or months, and enjoy the warmth, be it the sun on your skin or the butterflies in your belly, that comes with B. R. Myers' first novel, Butterflies Don't Lie.

Sixteen-year-old Kelsey has her whole summer at home in Mariner's Cove ahead of her, and she's got one goal:  to grab the attention and hopefully a kiss from Blaine Mulder, a gorgeous classmate on whom Kelsey has been crushing. Her best friend, Francine, who is going to be away all summer, has helped Kelsey devise a plan (spreadsheet and all) that includes bumping into Blaine as he teaches sailing at the yacht club near the restaurant, the Queen's Galley, where Kelsey will be bussing tables.  But the best laid plans...well, you know the way they can go awry.

First, she becomes more responsible for her little brother, Chet, whom she adores but requires special attention.  Mom and Dad are not acting like themselves, and Mom is decidedly cool towards Kelsey's need to be a regular teen.  And, most unexpected of all, one of the Stunders (summer residents at Mariner's Cove) is working at the Queen's Galley and always seems to catch Kelsey at her worst: almost getting Chet injured, ruining the flower beds, losing Chet, mixing up sugar and salt, and getting drunk.  And while she doesn't stray from her Blaine spreadsheet, Kelsey is certainly taken with Luke (sadly known as How-Hole through most of the book) and his beautiful blue eyes and the butterflies that swoop inside when he looks at her.

It's pretty obvious that Kelsey and Luke are somehow going to get together, but neither is working that angle.  In fact, the multitude of magazine quizzes that Kelsey does regularly hint at nothing more than the outcome she wants for herself i.e., Blaine is the boyfriend for her.  Luke may be fairly private, and rumours of his sanity questioned, but he can see through Kelsey and the quizzes she cheats at, more insightful into her personality than she herself is.  What the reader will be waiting to learn is how the two will ever get together when Kelsey continues to be smitten with Blaine and things at home are so messed up.

While Butterflies Don't Lie may not be an emotionally shattering love story, it's as a first love, a summer love should be: light-hearted, playful, absurd, tenuous, and promising.  And B. R. Myers gets it all right.  Teens will enjoy second-guessing Kelsey's motivations, cheering her on, shouting at her to "Forget Blaine!" and encouraging her to be nice to Luke, while still wondering whether things can work out.  Again, even though B. R. Myers dangles several secrets as potential obstacles to Kelsey and Luke's romance,  the greatest complications are the teens' inability to be honest with themselves and second guessing the other's intentions.  Luckily, their mistakes aren't life- or relationship-threatening, only fodder for more humour.

Based on Butterflies Don't Lie, I think we can look forward to another youngCanLit author to follow here on CanLit for LittleCanadians; fortunately, B. R. Myers is set to release another young adult novel in 2015.

***********************

After posting this review of Butterflies Don't Lie, B.R. Myers shared that a sequel to the book would be coming out in the fall of 2015.  Just Jesse will be published by Nimbus Publishing and will focus on the best friend of Chloe, the popular girl at the Queen's Galley who befriends Kelsey.  Chloe shares with Kelsey that her friend, Jesse, is also away and she misses her, just as Kelsey misses Francine.  There is a suggestion that Jesse has had a hard time dealing with the passing of her father, but we never meet Jesse, only her mom–the caterer hired after Kelsey drives away the cake decorator–and grandmother. Check out B. R. Myers' blog at http://bethanymyers.blogspot.ca/p/busgirl-blues.html to learn about Just Jesse and her other books, already published and forthcoming.

The Old Ways

by Susan Margaret Chapman

Illustrated by John Mantha

Fifth House

978-1-92708-316-1

32 pp.

Ages 5+

October, 2014

The clash of cultures between generations is seemingly inescapable but it must be especially overpowering for those of Aboriginal heritage.  For older members, the history and perhaps memories of the old ways being driven from them by heavy-handedness might compel them to relinquish those traditions or to hold on even tighter.  Although young Simon in The Old Ways may be oblivious to the history of his culture, his grandparents, Ananaksaq and Ataatga, undoubtedly are not, but their kindness and wisdom help them educate Simon in the most subtle of ways.

You see, Simon is a child drawn to the amenities of contemporary culture: computers, TV, video games and even pizza. But, living with his Ananaksaq and Ataatga, his life includes caribou stew, story-telling and offers to build igloos.  Simon may think, "Ataatga and the old ways again" but when a snowmobile trip to Igloolik to visit family takes a dangerous direction, the young boy realizes the value of the old ways in ensuring more than just their survival.

The cover of The Old Ways states that the story was inspired by a true story and perhaps that is why it is all the more poignant.  Preaching to children of the way things used to be done is worthless when young ones have no connection to those ways.  It's irrelevant if mom and dad walked to school or didn't use computers; their children only know about getting driven to school and being digitally connected to everything. But author Susan Margaret Chapman allows Simon to witness the benefits of the old ways and come to the realization of their worth for himself, rather than demanding his acceptance. His grandparents make him aware of their ways, sharing with him as needed, but they wisely allow him to come to them when he's ready to really learn about these ways. And John Mantha's illustrations make almost tangible the simplicity of a northern lifestyle, whether in the house or on the cold, blue tundra while exposing the contrast between old and new.

While The Old Ways is a lovely and valuable resource for teachers to introduce the concept of comparing cultures, over time and place, it is also a story of connecting between generations, recognizing that sharing is a demonstration of respect and should be appreciated as such.