Rivals in the City (The Agency, Book #4)

by Y. S. Lee

Candlewick Press

978-0-7636-5914-1

293 pp.

Ages 12+

March, 2015

Since wowwing readers with her first book, A Spy in the House (Candlewick, 2010), in the Mary Quinn Victorian mystery series, Y. S. Lee has gripped readers with the authenticity of her social and cultural landscapes, the complexity of her plotting, and the intricacies of relationships between her characters.  The stories provide a glimpse into life in Victorian England, though not always a pleasant one, while tantalizing readers with convoluted mysteries that have former homeless thief turned spy Mary Quinn and her love interest and fellow investigator, engineer James Easton, looking over their shoulders constantly.

In Rivals in the City, Mary Quinn and James Easton have set up their own enterprise, Quinn and Easton, though Mary's former Agency employers, Miss Anne Treleaven and Mrs. Felicity Frame, now estranged, connect with the young couple separately to enlist their help with regards to the first investigation Mary ever pursued (The Spy in the House, Candlewick, 2010).  Seems the shipping magnate Mr. Henry Thorold, accused of insurance fraud and piracy, is now dying in Newgate prison, and everyone is anticipating the return of his wife, Mrs. Maria Thorold, who had attempted to murder James while fleeing accusations of being the true perpetrator of the piracy and countless deaths of Lasgars.  Thorold's daughter, Angelica, too is scheduled to return to her father's bedside from her studies in Austria.

While everyone is watching for the appearance of the devious and dangerous Mrs. Thorold, Mary and James are distracted somewhat from their discussions of marriage–a wholly beneficial state for Victorian men but not so for women of the day–by matters demanding their personal attention.  James and the family firm of Easton Engineering have been contracted to build a series of new underground vaults for the Bank of England's storehouses of gold, and Mary is becoming acquainted with a young Chinese boxer who holds the secrets to her father's past.  Can the two continue on their path to matrimony without being steered off course by the interests of The Agency's former matrons or by those who purport to have their interests at heart?  Can the truth of Thorold's crimes be revealed without further danger from the elusive and deadly Mrs. Thorold?

Y. S. Lee plunges the reader into the grimy underworld of criminal activity of 1860s London while tempering it with the loveliness of a first and true romance, all of it revolving around the unique Mary Quinn.  Y. S. Lee’s protagonist has grown into a strong young woman, still hampered by her past of shame and loneliness, but enjoying the benefits of her accomplishments, including independence.  Perhaps she has such a bountiful future because she does not deny her past.

This was her London: brutal, coarse, dangerous.  It was part of her history.  It had molded her character.  But she would not allow it to shape her destiny. (pg. 67)

And that future includes the gracious James Easton whose wits and engineering prowess are only shadowed by his thoughtfulness and insight.

She’d changed him more than he’d ever dreamed possible.  He was no longer entirely at home with his peers, thanks to her.  If he lost her now, what on earth would become of him? (pg. 80)

You can see how these two incredible characters create a story on their own, irrespective of a grand mystery wrapped up in the criminal activity involving the British Museum and the Bank of England.  There’s much to delve into in Rivals in the City: the history, the mystery, the atmosphere, and the romance.

And while Y. S. Lee is 4 for 4 in The Agency series, sadly there will be no Book #5.  Y. S. Lee has written that, “The publication of Rivals also marks the end of the Agency quartet – the last Mary Quinn adventure, the last time I write dialogue between Mary and James, and probably my last romp through London, 1858-1860.” (Retrieved today from a post dated March 10th, 2015 at http://yslee.com/tag/the-agency/) So, enjoy this finale for Mary Quinn, as I did, but look forward to other novels by her true birth mother, Y. S. Lee.

New youngCanLit Releases for Fall 2015

I always get excited about the new books set for release in the fall. Whether it's the elixir to counteract the beginning of the school year or the anticipation of hoards of books that will be available for reading on cool or even cold days, the announcements of the upcoming releases for fall get me very excited.  And there's so much to which we can look forward in the way of picture books, fiction, young adult and non-fiction youngCanLit.  There's sequels and continued series, and new books from favourite authors and illustrators, and curious new titles from unknown contributors to youngCanLit.  On the whole, I think we've got a great fall of new books set for release.  Enjoy the anticipation, and then enjoy the books.  I know I will!

Please note that I have done my best to include as many titles by Canadian authors and illustrators as possible, having perused various catalogues and conducted many advanced searches.  My apologies to those I have missed and those whose release dates have been inadvertently logged incorrectly. Please feel free to leave a comment so that I might correct my omissions and errors.  Thank you.

Picture Books

All Year Round by Emilie Leduc, translated by Shelley Tanaka (Groundwood)
Alpha by Isabelle Arsenault (Candlewick)
The Bambino and Me by Zachary Hyman, illus. by Zachary Pullen (Tundra)
Buddy and Earl by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Carey Sookocheff (Groundwood)
Bug in a Vacuum by Mélanie Watt (Tundra)
Down Here by Valerie Sherrard, illus. by Isabelle Malenfant (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
Feel the Wind by Rhea Dufresne, illus. by Guillaume Perreault (Annick)
The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Marion Arbona (Tundra)
Grant and Tilley Go Walking by Monica Kulling, illus. by Sydney Smith (Groundwood)≫>artist Grant Wood
Hear the Sea by Rhea Dufresne, illus. by Mylene Henry (Annick)
InvisiBill by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Dušan Petričić (Tundra)
Kyle Goes Alone by Jan Thornhill, illus. by Ashley Barron (Owlkids)
Look at the Sky by Rhea Dufresne, illus. by Jacinthe Chevalier (Annick)
Making the Moose Out of Life by Nicholas Oldland (Kids Can Press)
Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc (Kids Can Press)
Mud Puppy by Robert Munsch, illus. by Dušan Petričić (Annick)
The Night Children by Sarah Tsiang, illus. by Delphone Bodet (Annick)
So Many Babies by Lorna Crozier, illus. by Laura Watson (Orca)
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox by Danielle Daniel (Groundwood)
The Specific Ocean by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Katty Maurey (Kids Can Press)
Stanley at School by Linda Bailey, illus. by Bill Slavin (Kids Can Press)>>>sixth and newest title about Stanley as in Stanley's Party, Stanley at Sea and Stanley's Little Sister among others
The Yoga Game in the Garden by Kathy Belliveau, illus. by Denise Holmes (Simply Read)


Fiction

After Dark by James Leck (Kids Can Press)
Dark Terror by John Wilson (Doubleday)
Dead Man’s Boot by Eric Murphy (Dancing Cat Books)
The Dragonfly Effect by Gordon Korman (Scholastic)>>The Hypnotists, Book 3


Young Adult

Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth (Orca Book Publishers)
Asp of Ascension by B. R. Myers (Fierce Ink Press)>>A Nefertari Hughes Mystery, Book 1
Nowhere Wild by Joe Beernink (HarperCollins)
Red by Alyxandra Harvey (Createspace)
Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly (Kathy Dawson Books)


Non-Fiction

10 Ships that Rocked the World by Gillian Richardson and Kim Rosen (Annick)
DNA Detective by Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Lil Crump (Annick)
Give Me Wings: How a Choir of Former Slaves Took on the World by Kathy Lowinger (Annick)

Picture Books

Apples and Butterflies by Shauntay Grant, illus. by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo (Nimbus)
Awesome is Everywhere by Neil Pasricha (Puffin)
Brady Brady Superstar Hockey Collection by Mary Shaw, illus. by Chuck Temple (Scholastic Canada)
Dojo Daytrip by Chris Tougas (Owlkids)>>>sequel to Dojo Daycare
Explosion Newsie by Jacquelie Halsey, illus. by Loretta Migani (Lorimer)
Fifteen Dollars and Thirty-Five Cents: A story about choices by Kathryn Cole, illus. by Qin Leng (Second Story Press)>>>new title in I'm a Great Little Kid series
Gabby: Wonder Girl by Joyce Grant, illus. by Jan Dolby (Fitzhenry & Whiteside) >> sequel to Gabby and Gabby Drama Queen
Gerbil, Uncurled by Alison Hughes, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
I Love you, One to Ten by Caroline Adderson, illus. by Christina Leist (Groundwood)
The Little Knight Who Battled Monsters by Gilles Tibo, illus. by Geneviève Després (Scholastic Canada)
Loula and Mister the Monster by Anne Villeneuve (Kids Can Press)>>>another Loula book after Blue-Spruce nominee Loula is Leaving for Africa, and Loula and the Sister Recipe
Missing Nimama by Melanie Florence, illus. by Francois Thisdale (Clockwise Press)
Once Upon a Line by Wallace Edwards (Pajama Press)
P’ésk’a and the First Salmon Ceremony by Scot Ritchie (Groundwood)
Ready, Set, Go! by Robert Munsch, illus. by Michael Marchenko (Scholastic Canada)
Sing a Song of Bedtime by Barbara Reid (Scholastic Canada)
Snap! by Hazel Hutchins, illus. by Dušan Petričić (Annick)
Some Things I’ve Lost by Cybèle Young (Groundwood)
Starring Shapes! by Tania Howells (Kids Can Press)
West Coast Wild by Deborah Hodge, illus. by Karen Reczuch (Groundwood)


Fiction

Alex vs. the Four-headed Gargantuan by Laura Peetoom (Lorimer)
The Beautiful Game by David Skuy (Lorimer)
Blood Oath by Don Cummer (Scholastic Canada)>>>sequel to Brothers at War
Brothers in Arms: The Siege of Louisbourg, Sébastien deL'Espérance, New France, 1758 by Don Aker (Scholastic Canada)>>>I Am Canada book
The Dirty Trick by L. M. Falcone, illus. by Kim Smith (Kids Can Press)>>>The Ghost and Max Monroe, Case #3
Hannah and the Wild Woods by Carol Anne Shaw (Ronsdale) >>> sequel to Hannah and the Spindle Whorl, and Hannah and Salish Sea
Head Hunter by Eric Howling (Lorimer)
Hope’s Journey by Jean Rae Baxter (Ronsdale)
Jasper John Dooley: Lost and Found by Caroline Adderson, illus. by Mike Shiell (Kids Can Press)
Kah-Lan, the Adventurous Sea Otter by Karen Autio, illus. by Sheena Lott (Sono Nis Press)
Loyalist to a Fault by Evan Munday (ECW Press)>>Dead Kid Detective Agency #3

MiNrs by Kevin Sylvester (Simon & Schuster Canada)

Myles and the Monster Outside: Weird Stories Gone Wrong by Philippa Dowding (Dundurn)
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, illus. by Jon Klassen (HarperCollins)
A Pocket Full of Murder by R. J. Anderson (Simon & Schuster Canada)>>>Book 1 of Uncommon Magic
Ripple Effect by Sylvia Taekema (Orca)
Scenes from the Epic Life of a Total Genius by Stacey Matson (Scholastic Canada)
Seven Dead Pirates by Linda Bailey (Tundra)


Seven Secrets (Orca Book Publishers)
• A Big Dose of Lucky by Marthe Jocelyn 
• Innocent by Eric Walters 
• My Life Before Me by Norah McClintock 
• Shattered Glass by Teresa Toten 
• Small Bones by Vicki Grant 
• Stones on a Grave by Kathy Kacer 
• The Unquiet Past by Kelley Armstrong 


Speechless by Jennifer Mook-Sang (Scholastic Canada)
The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson (Orca)
Survival: Avalanche! by Frieda Wishinsky (Scholastic Canada)
A Time for Giving: Ten Tales of Christmas by Jean Little et al.,  (Scholastic Canada)>>>Dear Canada book
Touch of Gold by Vivien Gorham (Nimbus)
Ugly Kicks by Kelsey Blair (Lorimer)


Young Adult

Above by Jason Chabot (HarperCollins Canada)>> sequel to Below of Broken Sky Chronicles
Aptitude by Natalie Corbett Sampson (Fierce Ink Press)
Cave Beneath the Sea by Edward Willett (Coteau) >> The Shards of Excalibur, Book 4
Crack Coach by Steven Sandor (Lorimer)
Creep Con by Kim Firmston (Lorimer)
Delicate by C. K. Kelly Martin (Dancing Cat Books)
Diego’s Crossing by Robert Hough (Annick)
Girl on the Run by B. R. Myers (Nimbus)
Gone Wild by Jodi Lundgren (Lorimer)
In The Swish by Dawn Green (Red Deer Press)
Julian by William Bell (Doubleday)
Keepers of The Vault: Fire and Glass by Marty Chan (Clockwise Press)
Leading Lines by Chantel Guertin (ECW Press)>>A Pippa Greene Novel
One Night by Melanie Florence (Lorimer)>>>Lorimer Sidestreets
Regenesis by Eric Walters (Doubleday)>>sequel to End of Days
The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (Simon & Schuster Canada)
Shimmy by Kari Jones (Orca)>> Orca Limelights
Transferral by Kate Blair (Dancing Cat Books)

Non-Fiction

The Art of the Possible: An Everyday Guide to Politics by Edward Keenan, illus. by Julie McLaughlin (Owlkids)
Branded a Baby Killer: The Story of Tammy Marquardt by Jasmine D”Costa (Lorimer)>> Real Justice series
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Michel Chikwanine and Jessica Dee Humphreys, illus. by Claudia Dávila (Kids Can Press)
Maple Leafs A-Z by Mike Leonetti, illus. by Greg Banning (Scholastic Canada)
Oak Island and the Search for Buried Treasure by Joann Hamilton-Barry (Nimbus)
Righting Canada’s Wrongs: Residential School by Melanie Florence (Lorimer)

Speak a Word for Freedom: Women Speak Against Slavery by Janet Willen and Marjorie Gann (Tundra)

Stay Strong: A Musician’s Journey from Congo by Natalie Hyde (Clockwise Press)
Strange Light Afar: Tales of the Supernatural from Old Japan by Rui Umezawa (Groundwood)>> 8 Japanese folktales
The Way to School by Rosemary McCarney (Second Story Press)>>>proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Plan International's Because I Am A Girl Fund
What’s the Buzz?: Keeping Bees in Flight by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox (Orca)>>Footprints

Picture Books

1, 2, 3 Cheers for the Toronto Maple Leafs! by Matt Napier, illus. by Melanie Rose (Tundra)>>>An Official Toronto Maple Leafs Book of Numbers
The (Almost) Everything Book by Julie Morstad (Simply Read Books)
Ben Says Goodbye by Sarah Ellis, illus. by Kim LaFave (Pajama Press)

A Boy Asked the Wind by Barbara Nickel, illus. by Gillian Newland (Red Deer Press)

Crocs at Work by Robert Heidbreder, illus. by Rae Maté (Tradewind)>>>sequel to Crocodiles Play and Crocodiles Say…

Fatima and the Clementine Thieves by Mireille Messier, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard (Red Deer Press)

Five Busy Beavers by Stella Partheniou Grasso, illus. by Christine Battuz (Scholastic Canada)
The Golden Touch by Glen Huser, illus. by Philippe Béha, music by Giannis Georgantelis (Tradewind)>> myth of King Midas
Hockey Hero by Zachary Hyman, illus. by Zachary Pullen (Tundra)
Mayann’s Train Ride by The Honourable Mayann Francis, illus. by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo (Nimbus)
Mouse Pet by Philip Roy, illus. by Andrea Torrey Balsara (Ronsdale)
Our First Caribou Hunt by Jennifer Noah, illus. by Chris Giroux (Inhabit Media)
The Thundermaker by Alan Syliboy (Nimbus)
Timo’s Garden by Victoria Allenby, illus. by Dean Griffiths (Pajama Press)
Today is the Day by Eric Walters, illus. by Eugenie Fernandes (Tundra)
When Santa was a Baby by Linda Bailey, illus. by Geneviève Godbout (Tundra)
If I Were a Zombie by Kate Inglis, illus. by Eric Orchard (Nimbus)
Where are You, Little Red Ball? by Patricia Coté, illus. by Yayo (Tradewind)


Fiction

44 Hours or Strike! by Anne Dublin (Second Story Press)
Bagels on Board by Joan Betty Stuchner, illus. by Dave Whamond (Orca)
Beyond the Laughing Sky by illus. by Julie Morstad (Puffin)
Gobbled by Ghorks by Robert Paul Weston (Razorbill)>> sequel to The Creature Department
Hockey Luck by Irene Punt, illus. by Gary O'Brien (Scholastic Canada)
Last Shot by David Skuy (Scholastic Canada)>> sequel to Rocket Blues
Operation Josh Taylor: Hannah Smart by Melody Fitzpatrick (Dundurn)
Sammy and the Headless Horseman by Rona Arato (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
Sight Unseen by David Carroll (Scholastic Canada)
Through Flood and Fire by Anne Patton (Coteau) >> A Second Barr Colony Adventure, sequel to Full Steam to Canada
Upside Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle (Scholastic)
West Meadows Detectives: The Case of the Snack Snatcher by Liam O'Donnell and Aurélie Grand (Owlkids)


Young Adult

250 Hours by Colleen Nelson (Coteau)
Algonquin Spring by Rick Revell (Dundurn)>>>new An Algonquin Quest Novel
Bad Business by Diane Dakers (Orca Currents)
Betting Game by Heather M. O’Connor (Orca)>>Orca Sports
Burned by Natasha Deen (Orca) >> Retribution series
The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones (Candlewick)
Exposed by Judith Graves (Orca) >Retribution series
A Flame in the Maze by Caitlin Sweet (ChiZine)>>> sequel to A Door in the Mountain
Foolproof by Diane Tullson (Orca)>>Orca Soundings
Frame and The Maguire by Joanna M. Weston (Tradewind)
Heartache and Other Natural Shocks by Glenda Leznoff (Tundra)
How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue by Jess Keating (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky)>>>Book 3 in My Life is a Zoo series
An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet (Scholastic Canada)
The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong (Doubleday)
Queen of the Godforsaken by Mix Hart (Thistledown)
Raising the Stakes by Trudee Romanek (Orca)>>Orca Limelights
Saving Stevie by Eva Richardson (Red Deer Press)
Set Your Free by Jeff Rosee (Orca)
Size of a Fist by Tara Gereaux (Thistledown)
A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston (Disney-Hyperion)
Unleashed by Sigmund Brouwer (Orca)>>Retribution book
Young Man With Camera by Emil Sher, photographs by David Wyman (Scholastic)

Non-Fiction

Hidden Gold: A True Story of the Holocaust by Ella Burakowski (Second Story Press)
Koala Hospital by Suzi Eszterhas (Owlkids)>>first in new series nonfiction Wildlife Rescue series highlighting rescue centers for endangered species
The Quiz Book About Me... and You! by Helaine Becker (Scholastic Canada)
Where Do Babies Come from? Our First Talk about Birth by Dr. Jillian Roberts, illus. by Cindy Revell (Orca)>> first in new series called Just Enough
Would You Survive? by Helaine Becker (Scholastic Canada)

Picture Books
A Walk on the Shoreline by Rebecca Hainnu, illus. by Qin Leng (Inhabit Media)
Way Back Then by Neil Christopher, illus. by Germaine Arnaktauyok (Inhabit Media)
Wild Eggs: A tale of arctic egg hunting by Suzie Napayok, illus. by Jonathan Wright (Inhabit Media)
A Year of Borrowed Men by Michelle Barker, illus. by Renné Benoit (Pajama Press)


Fiction
The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels (Tundra)
Beatrice More Moves On by Alison Hughes, illus. by Helen Flook (Orca Echoes)
A Bone to Pick by Gina McMurchy-Barber (Dundurn)>>>new A Peggy Henderson Adventure
Call of the Sea by Amanda Labonté (Fierce Ink Press)
Cold as Ice by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic Canada)>>>Whatever After series #6
The Enchanted Egg by Kallie George (HarperCollins Canada)>>>Book 2 in the Magical Animals Adoption Agency 
Survival: Shipwreck! by Frieda Wishinsky (Scholastic Canada)


Young Adult
At Ease by Jeff Ross (Orca>> Orca Limelights
Calvin by Martine Leavitt (Groundwood)
Li Jun and the Iron Road by Anne Tait, illus. by Paulette Bourgeois (Dundurn)
Light of Day by Allison van Diepen (HarperTeen)
A Sky Unbroken by Megan Crewe (Razorbill)>>Book 3 in Earth & Sky trilogy
Sleight of Hand by Natasha Deen (Orca)
Three Good Things by Lois Peterson (Orca)>>Orca Currents


Non-Fiction
Elephant Journey: The True Story of Three Zoo Elephants and their Rescue from Captivity by Rob Laidlaw, Brian Deines (Pajama Press)

Picture Books
Kiss, Kiss by Jennifer Couëlle, illus. by Jacques Laplante (Pajama Press)


Fiction
Cherry Blossom Baseball by Jennifer Maruno (Dundurn)>>> new A Cherry Blossom Book


Young Adult
Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes (Razorbill)>>Falling Kingdoms Book 4

Picture Books
Growing Up in Wild Horse Canyon by Karen Autio, illus. by Loraine Kemp (Sono Nis Press)
If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki Van Sickle, illus. by Cale Atkingson (Tundra)


Fiction
The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim: The Undead by Shane Peacock (Tundra)
The Inn Between by Marina Cohen (Roaring Brook Press)
Outlaws 2.0 by Gordon Korman (HarperTeen) >>> sequel to Masterminds
Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier (Razorbill)>> a sequel to Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
Unleashed by Gordon Korman (Scholastic)>>>Swindle #7

Young Adult
No Matter How Improbable by Angela Misri (Fierce Ink Press)>>>new A Portia Adams Adventure


Non-Fiction
Dark Matters: Nature’s Reaction to Light Pollution by Joan Marie Galat (Red Deer Press)
Eat This! A Kids’ Guide to Fast Food Advertising by Andrea Curtis (Red Deer Press)

The Mosquito Brothers

Written by Griffin Ondaatje

Illustrated by Erica Salcedo

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-437-4

128 pp.

Ages 7-9

May 2015
(Reviewed from advance reading copy)

Humans may have silly inventions like glass.  But we have the power to pester them to total distraction. (pg. 41)

Can you think of a better time to review a book called The Mosquito Brothers than in July when our recent cool and wet days have me scratching for bug juice so that my face isn't littered with the very insects that don the cover of Griffin Ondaatje's latest from Groundwood Books?  I can't.

What Jonathan Livingston Seagull did for the gull, The Mosquito Brothers does for the much-maligned mosquito, giving a back story with family, flight, fancy and friends for one young mosquito named Dinnn (yes, triple n's).  Dinnn, one of 401 young born to Corrina Culiseta-Woo and Brad Needles, learns very early that flying is not his thing and vows to walk wherever.  Luckily being born in a puddle at the edge of the parking lot of the Lakeside Drive-In Theater provides convenient access to level ground and asphalt. Unluckily, walking is not a cool thing for a mosquito to do.  Not surprising, when Dinnn finds a leather jacket, he is convinced it makes him look cool, especially after his mother refashions its emblem to The Mosquito Brothers.  But, no one else seems to think it’s cool so while Dinnn follows all the mosquito protocols (e.g., going to school, studying life cycles, participating in Dragonfly drills), he dreams of having an adventure.

Knowing that his mother was from the Wild i.e., the countryside where she accidentally left behind her only surviving son from that batch of flying teeth, Dinnn sees the Wild as his chance to shine.  And when the red minivan that brought his mom from the Wild and picked his dad up at the gas station shows up at the drive-in, it’s Dinnn and the entire family’s chance for a road trip to the Wild.

Dinnn may be a mosquito but he’s every child who doesn’t fit in and wants desperately to be accepted, even popular.  He finds the means to be himself, much to the appall of his siblings and peers, but it’s only when the city mosquito reaches the country that he is able to be appreciated by others and appreciate himself as well.  With tongue in cheek (or is that proboscis in skin?), Griffin Ondaatje pokes fun, with sensitivity, to the need for most of us to fit in, even if it means putting on a heavy leather jacket that makes things even harder, and heavier, to assimilate.  (After all, just like Dinnn, we don’t always make wise choices as to what constitutes coolness, right?)

The Mosquito Brothers is a delightful story of accepting one’s strengths and weaknesses and finding ways to manage them.  Though the awareness that these insects hovering around brings me to distraction, Griffin Ondaatje and Erica Salcedo have created loveable individuals with quirky characteristics (for example, Dinnn's father is a floater who is drawn to the addictively large screen of the drive-in, and Gus is a stocky and hairy country mosquito who seems like more of a bruiser than a poker) who cause less irritation and more amusement than might seem possible in an early reader about mosquitoes.

Dinnn’s father sat in the school office for two days filling out registration leaves, but so many of his kids had pesticide allergies that the paperwork took all his energy, and he fell asleep in the hall by the juice machine. (pg. 36)

But, if you think The Mosquito Brothers is all fun and games, guess again because the plethora of valuable life cycle information, including an addendum of true or false questions, transforms the story into a dual-natured fact and fiction early reader perfect for laughs and learning in the classroom.

Crash: The Game, Book 3

by Eve Silver

Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins

978-0-06-219219-6

357 pp.

Ages 13+

June 2015

If you haven't read Rush and Push, Books 1 and 2 respectively of Eve Silver's The Game trilogy, do read them first.  Crash will be all the more enjoyable with the background gleaned from the first two books.  And you'll see why Rush won the 2015 White Pine award of the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading readers' choice award program.


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Everything that teen Miki Jones thought she knew about the game–in which she and boyfriend Jackson and friend Luka are pulled into by the Committee to fight the alien Drau–comes crashing down in Crash, Eve Silver's final book of her The Game trilogy.

As debilitating and off-centering as the car crash that has landed both Miki's father and her best friend Carly clinging to life in hospital, so is Miki's understanding of how the game works after she finds herself telepathically communicating with an unarmed Drau who pleads for mercy.  This is not the enemy they’ve all been told about.  And now there’s some weird stuff going on in the game, with the players feeling sluggish and images breaking up into pixels, and then it’s not even being played the way they’ve learned it to be.  Even outside the game, Miki keeps getting this creepy feeling like she’s being watched.

So not only is she worrying about her father and Carly and maybe even Jackson leaving her like so many important people in her life already have, now she is brought before the Committee who question her about that encounter with the Drau.  Fortunately, Jackson's sister, Lizzie, who had died in the game but has connected with Miki from a different dimension, instructs Miki how to keep the Committee from getting inside her head and taking over all her memories.

Everything is a muddle.  How is Miki to reconcile what she knows, what she believes, what she feels, and what Jackson says and does, with what they are being told?  Too many inconsistencies and the feeling of being manipulated has Miki on a trajectory to crash through everything she knows or thinks she knows.

Crash is a fitting conclusion, wrapping up The Game trilogy with a very convincing resolution to the story of manipulation for entertainment purposes by an almost omnipotent entity.  And while Eve Silver reassures the reader that there are happy endings for seemingly ill-fated couples and that for those repeatedly overwhelmed by loss it is not endless,  The Game trilogy is a cautionary tale of finding enjoyment in war and destruction, even if it seems to be only in an action-packed role-playing game.  Enjoy the action of the story, including a number of cliff-hangers, but heed its subtle message.  Eve Silver has shared it so expressively, making it worthy of noting.

Painted Skies

by Carolyn Mallory

Illustrated by Amei Zhao

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-004-4

36 pp.

Ages 5-7

June 2015

In different parts of our country right now, Canadians are enduring record high temperatures and repressive fires, but Painted Skies will easily transport them to the cold of an Arctic October during which a new girl, Leslie, learns first-hand the wonder of the northern lights from her Inuit friend, Oolipika.

When the two girls go out to play in the evening snow, they bear witness to the wonder of colours dancing across the sky.  Oolipika teaches Leslie of the Inuit legend in which the lights are anirniit or spirits of those who've passed and now play a running game, chasing a ball of a walrus skull.  Moreover, Oolipika instructs Leslie how to safely keep the spirits away with noisy finger play.

Immersing her characters in the true Arctic experience, making their actions analogous to those of the caribou, ptarmigan, raven and snowy owl, Carolyn Mallory similarly embeds the reader in the cold and clear night of a snow-packed landscape and the consuming quiet of a northern evening.  Her text may recount how a seasoned Arctic resident shares the marvel of her world with a newcomer, including the telling of an Inuit tale, but her descriptions of the dancing lights bring the curiosity of the skyscape to life.

Sometimes green, sometimes red,
the night sky dances.
Stars peek through satin pink with
a wink and a flicker.
A wisp of yellow gauze
as the sky
breathes with light
Splashes of purple and silver-grey,
a sail, a sheet, a streak–
with one great gust, gone. (pg. 31)

I don't know much about artist Amei Zhao except that she works in visual development and production design for animation but Painted Skies demonstrates to me that she has a future in emotive illustration.  While the northern lights are a visually evocative inspiration no matter what the medium, Ameo Zhao finds it within herself to enrich that brilliance and meld it with the innocence of the girls and complement Carolyn Mallory's text so splendidly.  Painted Skies not only finds a way to demonstrate the richness of the northern lights but also convey the Inuit tale of its origins while tagging it all with an addendum about the science behind them.  It is a story worthy of ancient storytellers of the north and proudly of Inhabit Media.

Nomad

Written by R. J. Anderson

Orchard Books

978-1408326480

352 pp.

Ages 12+

2014

Reviewed from audiobook
Oakhill Publishing Ltd.
 978-1784331016
Narrated by Lucy Scott
2014

When R. J. Anderson ended Swift (Orchard Books, 2012), Ivy had helped save her piskey family and friends of the Delve from the evil faery Gillian, but had been banished by her aunt Betony, the Joan, as a traitor.  Since then she has been looking for a place where the piskeys might live in safety away from the poison infiltrating th Delve –their below-ground tunnels home–and colluding with her brother Mica’s hunting partner, Mattock, who obviously has feelings for her and with her best friend Jenny to convince the piskeys that they are unsafe.

Meanwhile, Ivy is dreaming of a spriggan boy who is the son of a chief and a faery and Martin (formerly known as Richard), the faery-raised spriggan with whom she has been traveling, believes that Ivy must be having visions of memories of what actually happened, and perhaps these will help them find other spriggans.

But poor Ivy and Martin are trying so hard to do the right thing, for themselves and each other and the people from which they come, and there are so many others working against them.  Sadly, so much is tied up in prejudices between the different supernatural folk.  Although Ivy and Martin are both part faery, they have been raised to distrust each other, just as spriggans, faeries and piskeys have as long as they can remember.  And now, Ivy and Martin find themselves helping each other more than just as repayment for previous help and are experiencing growing affection for each other.  How to balance all their needs and feelings and be true to themselves?

R. J. Anderson is a a masterful storyteller of faery fantasy, easily convincing the reader that her characters are more than just human, even better than human.  And that’s saying something.  R. J. Anderson can create empathy for characters who can change into bird form, wield magic, and transfer memories, while creating realistic story-lines about finding or making home under unusual, if not dire, circumstances.  While R. J. Anderson continues to weave amazing stories–she has a new one called A Pocket Full of Murder coming out in September–she has announced on the FAQ page on her website that there are no current plans for a sequel to Nomad. As disappointing as that is not to revisit the characters in whom we've invested our hearts, readers can be assured that R. J. Anderson has cobbled an ending that will appease and successfully bring all her characters home where they belong.

The Princess and the Pony

by Kate Beaton

Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic

978-0-545-63708-4

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

July 2015

Here's a charming story that is perfect for sweetly demonstrating that perspective is everything!

Princess Pinecone, with the stubby shape and minuscule and pointy feet iconic of Kate Beaton's heroines*, is determined to compete in a great battle competition where all the warriors of her kingdom would be showing their stuff.  Of course, they all have the right gear: shields, amulets, and helmets.  And she hopes that she'd get something of warrior greatness for her birthday, rather than the cozy sweaters she got every year; in fact, this year she has been desperately hinting at a grand horse. But what she gets is a pony: a short, rotund pony that eats what it shouldn't and farts too much.

Princess Pinecone's advice to her pony on the day of the battle is, "Just...do your best."(pg. 19) But it's a mean battle, with spitballs, squareballs (!) and all manner of balls, and warriors being knocked over every which way.  When the meanest warrior of all, though, takes aim at Princess Pinecone, he is stopped dead in his tracks by her little roly-poly pony. Seems the warriors never get to express their cuddly sides and are delighted to enjoy Princess Pinecone's cutie-pie of a pony.  She even helps them all get in touch with their loveable natures via some well-selected sweaters!

She may not have been the meanest warrior at the battle, but Princess Pinecone and the pony are voted the Most Valuable Warriors of the day, and hefted onto a multitude of hairy, tattooed and rough warrior arms in celebration. You can't beat that for cuteness or inspiration.

The Princess and the Pony has all the right ingredients for a masterpiece children's book:  an irresistible princess; a short and plump little pony; a loving family who tries to get the right birthday gift for a little warrior; a plethora of superhero-like warriors; a challenge to which our protagonist must rise; a valuable lesson in being oneself; a happy ending; and a little bathroom humour via a farting pony.  Kids will eat this book up!  Share it with them to encourage them to persevere–and to accept birthday gifts gracefully–but delve into Kate Beaton's detailed and comical illustrations with the abandon of a rollicking ruckus. Everyone is sure to win with The Princess and the Pony.


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*I first became enamoured with Kate Beaton's people from her article in "My Books, My Place" for The Globe and Mail, January 21, 2012 in which she described and drew herself in various reading positions. After that, I could always pick out her illustrations.