2017 Summer Reading List of the Forest Kid Committee

Last week, fifteen children who had been selected from well over 100 applicants of the Forest of Reading attended a full-day session of talking books at the offices of the Ontario Library Association.  Their mission was to compile a summer reading list for readers of Silver Birch and Red Maple reading ages.  These voracious young readers brought recommendations and talked books with their peers and also with guest authors Kevin Sylvester and Vikki VanSickle who attended in person and Gordon Korman and Wesley King who joined the proceedings via Skype.  It was a full day of youngCanLit and the efforts of these amazing young people helped produce this very first list of the Forest Kid Committee.  Enjoy!

Suggested Summer Reading List for 
Silver Birch Readers (Ages 9-11)

The Boundless
Written by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins Canada
Review here

A Day of Signs and Wonders
Written by Kit Pearson
HarperTrophy









Dragons vs. Drones
Written by Wesley King
Razorbill

The Girl Who Could Fly
Written by Victoria Forester
Feiwel & Friends

Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts
Written by Esta Spalding
Tundra Books
Review here

Maud 
Written by Melanie Fishbane
Penguin Teen

MiNRS
Written by Kevin Sylvester
Margaret K. McElderry Books

The Road to Ever After
Written by Moira Young
Doubleday Canada

Slacker 
Written by Gordon Korman
Scholastic

We Are All Made of Molecules
Written by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books
Review here

Suggested Summer Reading List

for Red Maple Readers (Ages 12-13)

Bent Not Broken: Madeline & Justin 

Written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Clockwise Press

Every Hidden Thing

Written by Kenneth Oppel

HarperCollins

The Explorers: The Door in the Alley 

Written by Adrienne Kress

Delacorte Books for Young Readers

In Real Life

Written by Cory Doctorow

Illustrated by Jen Wang

First Second

Laura Monster Crusher

Written by Wesley King

Puffin Canada

MiNRS 2

Written by Kevin Sylvester

Margaret K. McElderry Books

A Month of Mondays

Written by Joëlle Anthony

Second Story Press

Review here

Optimists Die First

Written by Susin Nielsen

Tundra Books

Review here

Restart 

Written by Gordon Korman

Scholastic

Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

Written by Jonathan Auxier

Puffin Canada

Full details, including a listing of the incredible participants in the first ever Forest Kid Committee, can be viewed at the Ontario Library Association website media release here.

Dingus

Written by Andrew Larsen
Kids Can Press
978-1-77138-661-6
208 pp.
Ages 9-12
May 2017

Dork. Doofus. Dingus.  Variations on a theme.  But Andrew Larsen’s narrator, eleven-year-old Henry will have no problems accepting that final moniker after the conclusion of his fifth grade and the beginning of a summer holiday that seems to hold no promise.

Though Henry likes his Gr. 5 teacher Mr. Buntrock–with his stories, laughter yoga and word-of–the-day–the school year has been one of multiple changes, not the least of which is his growing estrangement from his best friend Max.  Though the two boys have always relished their differences–Max is smarter, taller and wealthier–Max has become so immersed in his winning chess team that he has little time for Henry.  Worse still, Max seems to take pleasure is teasing Henry about wearing Max’s cast-off clothes and more, making Henry the butt of his chess team’s jokes.

At home, things are similarly in flux.  Mom who’d had baby Sam a year ago is returning to work which will require more travel, starting with a trip to Las Vegas the last day of school.  Dad, who’d lost his job just before Sam’s birth, has stayed at home to care for Sam and, by default, Henry. And, of course, there is less money for everything and anything, including a pair of much-admired Chad Baker sneakers.

I was mad at Max. I was mad at his new friends. I was mad at my dad for getting me Chad Fakers instead of Chad Bakers. I was mad at myself for being so mad.
   My life officially sucked.
   I was mad at that, too. (pg. 45)

Adding insult to injury, Max gets to go away to his much-loved chess camp while Henry  sees a summer of nothingness ahead of him.  What Henry doesn’t realize is that Dad’s idea of a staycation will bring him a new set of experiences like outdoors movie night, Elvis sandwiches, and bottle rockets, suggesting that change really is as good as a holiday.

It must be rough being a kid for whom everything feels like it’s going sideways.  What’s worse is when it’s things you can’t control like money, baby brothers, and friends as well as  things you can but don’t because you’re a dingus.  But Andrew Larsen realizes that change, like that of the puberty lessons Henry has to endure at the end of Grade 5, is inevitable and rolling with it rather than fighting it is probably a lot easier.

I know there’s a million middle-graders out there right not who are wondering about their summers, the changes their bodies and minds are going through, and the direction that friendships are heading.  It’s a lot on their plates, especially since things don’t always work out at planned.  But, take solace in that, even if you’re a Dingus–and we are all such goofs some time in our lives–that it’s rarely fatal and often educational, just like mistakes and school.

Different? Same?

Written by Heather Tekavec

Illustrated by Pippa Curnick

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-565-7

32 pp.

Ages 2-6

May 2017

Maybe it's not really a book genre but I would call Different? Same? an interactive non-fiction book.  It's the kind of book that encourages young children to voice their observations in answer to the simple questions "How are these animals different?" and "How are these animals the same?"  And it's a lovely way of emphasizing the commonalities of animals while still appreciating the diversity of species that populate our world.

From Different? Same! 

by Heather Tekavec

 illus. by Pippa Curnick

For each double-spread, a series of animals are differentiated by their motility, habitat, textures, colours, sounds and other physical and behavioural attributes.  But a final statement at the bottom right corner instructs the reader to "But look closer now..." before sharing the similarity of note for that set of animals.

A final double spread illustration invites readers to seek other similarities, such as spots and webbed feet amongst the forty animals–insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals–depicted in the artwork.  It becomes a find and seek adventure for children, whether they read the book themselves or not. And, if they want to learn a little more, a note at the conclusion called "Why Animals Have the Characteristics They Do" clarifies the functionality of the characteristics noted, turning Different? Same? into a more serious science book for older readers.

From Different? Same! 

by Heather Tekavec 

illus. by Pippa Curnick

Heather Tekavec has published ten previous children's volumes including the popular Stop, Thief! (Kids Can Press, 2014) but this is her first non-fiction book. Still she retains her lively writing by turning Different? Same? away from pure information text and into a book of discovery.  UK illustrator Pippa Curnick furthers that intent with her amusing animals from all levels of the classification hierarchy.  All and all, Different? Same? shows us how distinct the animals in the world are while celebrating common ground, a lesson we should all accept and appreciate in our own world.

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

Written by Jess Keating

Illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

978-1-4926-4204-6

40 pp.

Ages 4+

June 2017

Eugenie Clark was born in 1922 and many, including her university instructors, probably believed she should have become a teacher or a secretary or something else deemed an appropriate occupation for the time.  Thank goodness she followed her heart and applied astounding determination to getting her education and pursuing her interest in sharks, helping her become the scientist she did. And thank goodness for Jess Keating who has brought Eugenie Clark's story to young readers so that they may learn and take example from this impressive role-model of a scientist.

From Shark Lady 

by Jess Keating 

illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

As a child, Eugenie Clark adored going to the aquarium and watching her favourite animals, the sharks.  She was compelled into learning all she could about them through books, though a gift of an aquarium from her mother gave her a chance to create an underwater world of her own, ripe for the study of other aquatic organisms. 

From Shark Lady 

by Jess Keating

 illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns 

Eugenie pursued studies at college, and, though many tried to dissuade her, she earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees as well as her doctorate in zoology, and began her research career.  Through an illustrious career of discovering new species, diving in open oceans to experience her first encounters with sharks and training sharks, Eugenie Clark worked tirelessly to dispel countless myths about sharks and educate and protect the animals she loved so.

Author Jess Keating, a zoologist herself, comes from a place of knowledge, appreciation and empathy, allowing her to create an intelligent biography of Eugenie Clark.  We already know that, whether Jess Keating applies her zoological training and expertise to middle-grade fiction (How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes are Tied; How to Outswim a Shark Without a Snorkel; How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue) or children's non-fiction (Pink is for Blobfish), she knows what kids want to read about and she gives it to them in her entertaining and insightful writing. Shark Lady is her first illustrated biography, here of a courageous and determined American woman of science, whose story Jess Keating strengthens with two appendices, one about sharks that she calls "Shark Bites" and the other an infographic timeline of Eugenie Clark's life from birth in 1922 to her death in 2015. (My images below are only partial scans of both these components.)

From Shark Lady

by Jess Keating 

illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Illustrated in the bright, bold artwork of Spanish artist Marta Álvarez Miguéns,  Shark Lady both inspires and entertains with a story, albeit one based in facts, of a young girl's dedication to pursuing her personal interest in sharks and converting that into an extraordinary scientific career, while still cultivating an interest in learning more about Eugenie Clark and sharks.  It's a fabulous read that will have many a child rousing a parent or guardian for a visit to a local aquarium.  Indulge yourselves and go.  There may be another Eugenie Clark just waiting for the opportunity to dive into learning more.

Away

Written by Emil Sher

Illustrated by Qin Leng

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-483-1

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2017

There’s a looming red circle on the calendar and a family that knows that date is coming.  No one ever says but it’s evident from “discussions” a mother and child are having via sticky notes that it’s all about going away to camp for the first time. 

From Away 

by Emil Sher

illus. by Qin Leng

Though Mom is upbeat about having one last movie night, and buying bug spray and packing, her daughter is less so.  The child tells her mom she’s only borrowing the sleeping bag for one night; that Lester the cat would miss her; and that evidence from her grandmother suggests her mother's own childhood camp experience was traumatic.  Of course, her mother remembers it quite differently.

From Away 

by Emil Sher 

illus. by Qin Leng

Of course, as with many things, it’s the anticipation of the unknown that is worse than anything for the child.  Thankfully, a final series of notes on larger paper (this will undoubtedly be her letter home) about her camp experience indicate a charming reversal of attitude.

From Away 

by Emil Sher 

illus. by Qin Leng

Emil Sher's story about a young girl heading to camp for the first time is more about family and communication than it is about the camp experience.  The family's busy lifestyle requires them to communicate so much through their sticky notes but this does not affect their relationships but rather guide them in their activities, like a visit to the laundromat that includes math drill, and ensures connection even when apart.  Perhaps the child's reluctance is also associated with the fear that this connection could be lost with distance and time. Fortunately, Qin Leng's pencil and watercolour illustrations provide the softness of touch and brightness of affection needed to allay any family's trepidation about summer camp and reassure everyone–mother, child, cat, grandmother–that it's just like any other day (or week or two) but within a new location and some secondary characters.

Undoubtedly there will be many children who are already anticipating their own summer experience "away" and Emil Sher and Qin Leng have provided a wonderful literary grounding tool in Away that could help most overcome the worries about the unknown. The caring and affection are obvious in the notes and illustrations and will help push any child or adult from worry to acceptance and finally appreciation.  

Undiscovered Country

Written by Jennifer Gold

Second Story Press

978-1-77260-031-5

320 pp.

Ages 13+

April 2017

I feel the familiar wave of sadness overtake me, trapping me underwater, stealing my breath.  Here in the jungle, it is easier to forget my grief.  Sometimes, it feels like something I forgot to pack, something there wasn't room for in my suitcase, and I feel I've won, I've escaped.  Then I remember, and it feels as fresh and raw as it did the night she closed her eyes for the last time. (pg. 125)

Seventeen-year-old Caitlin Marks' grief is as raw and unrelenting as the environs of Bolivia  to which she has thrown herself as a volunteer for nine months with Students Without Boundaries. SWB is Cat's way of running from Ohio and the recent death of her mother from cancer and a father too wrapped up in his own anguish to be a parent to his daughter. But what Cat discovers is that grief resides everywhere, in different forms, and can travel as easily as she does.

Told in alternating perspectives of Before and After, Undiscovered Country is Cat's story of the months leading to her mother's death from cancer and then her experiences as a volunteer in the village of Calantes, a community of poverty, violence and political unrest. As the reader learns of Cat's mom finding the lump in her breast and subsequent gruelling chemo, loss of hair, struggle for dignity and affliction with brain cancer which ultimately takes her life, Cat struggles with balancing being the support her mother needs and going on with her own life, taking her SAT, dealing with peers who see her in terms of her mother's illness, and planning for school at Stanford.  Each step is a struggle of emotions and logistics, helped only somewhat by her sessions with Dr. Shapiro who diagnoses her with Bipolar II.  Bolivia undoubtedly seems like a chance to really help while escaping the overwhelming torment of her sadness.

Sadness is like cancer that way, an unwelcome guest that takes the body or the mind hostage, stripping the joy... (pg. 138)

In Calantes, Cat meets bunkmates Margo who's there to appease her ultra-competitive parents and outdo her cousin who just got into law school; Taylor who'd flunked his first year of college after coming out as gay to his wealthy family; and Melody, a devout Christian, whose self-righteousness masks hidden traumas. And, though everything reminds her of her mother–make-up, Diet Coke, pretzels–Cat soldiers on, meeting the handsome local Rafael and others in the village where she ends up working in the rudimentary infirmary.  But, as she and fellow SWBers  struggle with their emotional baggage, the people of Calantes must deal with their social and political strife, troubles which Rafael is adamant can only be solved with dangerous actions.

The ambiguity that is Cat is normal after a tragedy.

Sometimes it feels as if there are two Cats–the one who longs for love and companionship, who's lonely and desperate for affection, and the other one, who's desperate and desolate and pushes people away, almost determined to stagnate in her grief. (pg. 187-188)

It's unfortunate that Dr. Shapiro and others in Undiscovered Country are so quick to label sadness and grief as mental illness in need of medication.  Cat's foray into a third-world country to volunteer and ease her impotence in helping her mother may not be ideal for all but it works for her, allowing her to discover herself and others in new circumstances.  Without realizing it, Cat's explorations abroad and within challenge her to accept her new normal.

Jennifer Gold, author of Soldier Doll (Second Story Press, 2014), again takes the issue of grief and connections and creates a story of loss, confusion and redemption, with honest characters dealing with realistic challenges but this time in a contemporary setting.  Her characters are dealing with grief, cancer, sexual abuse, foster care, sexuality, family expectations and the teen angst of relationships, peer and romantic.  It's a lot for them to deal with and a lot for Jennifer Gold to tackle.  Still Undiscovered Country, unlike most of us and most definitely Jennifer Gold's characters, never stumbles, instead exposing different paths of salvation to life's struggles, some safer than others, but all viable and very real.

The People of the Sea

Told by Donald Uluadluak

Illustrated by Mike Motz

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-138-6

28 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2017

The supernatural can be frightening but all the more when based in a true story.  This is a true story.  It is the story that was told by Nunavut Elder Donald Uluadluak of a childhood encounter that revealed a bridge between the world of his Inuit life and the myths of his people.

From The People of the Sea 

told by Donald Uluadluak 

illus. by Mike Motz

Donald Uluadluak recalled playing with two friends on the beach and in the water near Arviat, Nunavut in 1940.  When a woman with long dark hair like seaweed and pale skin appeared in the water, watching the trio but never speaking, the boys ran away, back to their camp.  It wasn’t until much later that they shared with their families what they’d seen and were told they’d seen an arnajuinnaq, one of the sea-dwellers of Inuit myths.

From The People of the Sea 

told by Donald Uluadluak 

illus. by Mike Motz

Imagine seeing a supernatural creature. Donald Uluadluak and his friends must have been stunned to learn what they had seen.  Startlingly, he reveals that “Our parents told us that, in the past, people of the sea were easy to spot.  But by the time I was a boy, they had become rare and were not often seen.” (pg. 26) I don’t know why these creatures revealed themselves to the Inuit and specifically to Donald Uluadluak and his friends but The People of the Sea gives us a first-hand account like no other.  Whether the reader believes Donald Uluadluak's account or not, there is an honesty to his story, perhaps because of the playful innocence of the children and the earnestness with which they share the story with their families.  Still Mike Motz's illustrations convey a cool creepiness to the story and makes the reader think about the possibility that a supernatural creature visited three boys that day.

Inhabit Media co-founder Neil Christopher provides notes about his interactions and work with storyteller Donald Uluadluak, having helped put the Elder's stories, including Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story (Inhabit Media, 2012), to paper so that all might share in their knowledge and cultural importance.  Though Donald Uluadluak passed in 2014, his daughter Elizabeth Issakiark ensured his tales would not be lost.  Like Neil Christopher does in his introduction, I would like to thank Elizabeth Issakiark for her dedication to helping share her father’s stories and to Donald Uluadluak for revealing so much personal history and heritage for those of us ignorant of much but interested in learning.  I hope that The People of the Sea is but the first of more Donald Uluadluak’s stories that will be shared with the world.

Donald Uluadluak and daughter Elizabeth Issakiark 

from preface to The People of the Sea