Mackenzie, Lost and Found- Deborah Kerbel

Another look at the Middle East conflict, Mackenzie, Lost and Found is the story of a 15 year-old who recently lost her mother. Her eccentric professor father thinks the best thing for them would be a change, and he re-locates them to Jerusalem for a year. Mackenzie is predictably furious and determines to leave after three months. But the interim brings a cute boy, and a good friend, both of whom contribute to a desire to stay. When the relationship begins to develop between Mackenzie and Nasir, she is appalled to find that it must be kept a secret, especially from Nasir’s parents. The other plot line centers around the illegal disposition of found artifacts, with which Nasir and his family become involved. Mackenzie is inadvertently drawn into this drama and eventually into very real danger. I did not feel the characters elicited a great deal of empathy. There seemed to be an attempt to cover too much history with perhaps an expectation that readers would already understand the background. Surprisingly, lots of our students don’t even know there is a conflict going on. As a somewhat superficial, light read, this would still be a good addition to your library and may serve to pique further interest in readers.

I am reminded of One More River by Lynne Read Banks, which dealt with the same type of issues in a more substantial form. They might be read together and comparisons drawn.

Gravity Brings Me Down- Natalie Ghent

I have a habit of primarily reviewing only the books I love, which is not always a good idea, as I know some of you use my reviews for ordering purposes, and I should probaby let you know about some of the books I didn’t love. That being said, there is nothing essentially wrong with this book, and there may be students who would enjoy it. There is some mild language and mature content, but I think this might still be suitable for  grade 7 through high school.

Although this wasn’t a bad read, I just didn’t feel the plot in Gravity Brings Me Down was developed well enough. Sioux is a character somewhat like Spinelli’s Stargirl, although not as likely to elicit our empathy. In the midst of the normal teen family realationships, crushes on boyfriends, boredom at school, crazy teachers and the desire to be unique, yet fit in, enter “Miss Marple”, a somewhat forgetful, eccentric old lady. She believes that Sioux is her youngest daughter, and although Sioux is a little weirded out, she also begins to develop some sympathy for her. This leads her to visit “Miss Marple” and pretend to actually be the long-lost daughter. I liked the relationship, but it seems to be abruptly abandoned at the end of the story. Having taken Mabel (aka Miss Marple) on a shopping spree after her admission to a long-term care facility, the family’s lawyer forbids Sioux to have any more contact with her. She accepts this with relative ease and somehow, puts all the pieces of her life together. Would kids like it? I’m not sure.  I much preferred Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen by Glen Huser  which had a similar theme.

The Hunchback Assignments- Arthur Slade

Saskatoon author, Art Slade, once again shows his versatility in The Hunchback Assignments. Of the steampunk genre, unfamiliar to me, this story embraces the elements of fantastical, historical and intrigue. Modo, once a curiosity at a travelling show, is taken in by Mr. Socrates, aware of the child’s ability to transform his features. After 12 years of being trained and sheltered, he is abruptly abandoned on the streets of London. There, Modo must use every skill he possesses to survive, and yet to disguise his disfiguring appearance. Having set himself up as a private sleuth, he is one day approached and hired by the mysterious and lovely Octavia. With Mr. Socrates back in the picture, Modo attempts to unravel a chain of events which leads them to London’s underworld and to the revelation of a sinister plot by the mad scientist, Mr. Hyde.

At intervals, we are given glimpses into the world and cruelties of Mr. Hyde; providing us with just the right amount of suspense and horror. I would highly recommend this for readers from grade 6 right through high school. I trust there will be a sequel because we will want to know what happens to Modo next.

Puppet- Eve Wiseman

Puppet is an “awful” book; not in the writing but in the horrific historical episode it looks at. We have read and been horrified by the numerous books related to the holocaust. Puppet looks at another piece of the Jewish story, where Jews are accused of murdering Christian children for their blood.

When Esther diappears in her small Hungarian village, the Jewish community is accuse of “blood libel.” Her best friend Julie, suspects that Esther, greatly abused and unhappy in her domestic situation, has taken her own life. But the horror takes on a life of its own, and the authorities are determined to find a scapegoat. To that end, they force a young Jewish boy, Morris, to confess to having seen the Jews perform this ritualistic murder in the synagogue. The trial begins, and at first it appears that the authorities may hold sway, but the enterprising lawyer for the defense begins to pick out inconsistencies in the testimony, and indeed, outright impossibilities.

This is a heart-rending story; one that will have you grappling with a world that could, and still does, allow such atrocities. When will we ever learn?

Lunch with Lenin- Deborah Ellis

I have never personally been a fan of short stories, but Lunch with Lenin kept me fascinated. With her usual profound insight and amazing depth of understanding of many cultures, Deborah Ellis has created little vignettes which portray lives affected by the drug trade. In a totally non-judgmental way, she provides glimpses of how drugs are used and abused, and yet how in many countries, they are also the only way to provide a livelihood. Taking her ideas from many different settings and parts of the world results in an overview that is at once informative and humbling. Too often we here in our western society make assumptions without really understanding the reasons behind a way of life. Ellis has provided that, and I believe this is an important read for our students and for ourselves. I highly recommend this.

Numbers- David A. Poulsen

My first experience with this author was Last Sam’s Cage which I found to be excellent. In Numbers, he has tackled a whole new theme, and one that needed to be addressed. Fifteen year-old Andy tends to be a fairly typical high school student. Although he doesn’t fit well in any of the popular groups, and feels that he doesn’t measure up at home, he does hang out with a small group of other misfits. But things improve when he find out that Mr. Retzlaff, the coolest teacher in school, will be his Social teacher. Not only does he make the class fun, but he takes a special interest in the students, which builds Andy’s self-esteem. Gradually, rumours start to surface about Mr. Retzlaff’s teachings on the holocaust. At first Andy thinks he is just teaching them to think for themselves and to question what they see and hear. This is all very admirable, but when it escalates into something more, Andy has some hard decisions to make.

I would be like to be able to house this in the YA section of the library but due to some language and some sexual overtones, I will recommend it for high school only. Please read it for yourselves. It is a powerful and well-written novel.

It seems to be generally recommended for grades 10-12.

Return to Bone Tree Hill- Kristin Butcher

Return To Bone Tree Hill is an excellent example of a fine author’s ability to create suspense. Jessica has lived in Australia for six years, but recurring dreams are haunting enough to draw her back to Victoria, where she used to live. Her dreams are terrifying to the extreme as she kills a boy in her dream. It is so vivid that she decides she has to find out the truth, even if it means she’s a murderer. So back to the scene of the crime, as it were. When she arrives, she indeed finds that Charlie, the boy in her dreams, has disappeared. She finally confides in her good friend Jilly, and together they attempt to unravel the maze of memory and fact. This novel has lots of suspense and although the character is 18, it would be most suitable for grade 7 and up.

Check out this great book trailer on You Tube.

http://www.goodreads.com/videos/show/3575-return-to-bone-tree-hill

The Prince of Neither Here Nor There- Sean Cullen

Yes!! A new, excellent Canadian fantasy series. This first novel in the series, The Prince of Neither Here Nor There will take its place with the best of fantasy anywhere. Brendan is the typical high school misfit, with all the awkwardness and pimples of many adolescents. He is fortunate to have a few good friends, including Kim who seems to hang out with them even though she’s one of the cool ones. When some unusual episodes convince him he is not just geeky, but is also losing his mind, Brenden knows he needs to find out more about himself. Kim, and an odd substitute teacher, seem to be keeping an eye on him, which makes no sense. Eventually, he finds out that he is actually a faerie, who has been left in the human world for reasons he doesn’t understand. So the adventure begins! As per usual, there are those Faeries who want to turn him to their own vile purpose and those who want him to realize his full potential. Lots of action, chases, escapes, and original characters have you cheering for Bendan as he has to find for himself where he truly belongs. This will be great for your Grade 7 readers right through high school

Word Nerd- Susin Nielsen

A bullying book with a difference, Word Nerd was a fun and fascinating read. Before I continue my review, though, I have to let you know that although the character in the story is only 12, there is language in this book that, in my opinion, renders it unsuitable for an elementary school. This is a huge disappointment to me, as the story itself and the characters have much to commend them. I feel that although there are many positive reviews of this novel, not one mentions any issue with language, and I see part of my mandate is to inform librarians and other readers of potential problems.

Ambrose is one of those nerdy kids we have all met, or perhaps have been ourselves. He and his mom have moved frequently after his father’s death, so making friends has been very difficult. His mother is quite over-protective, so he invents a world for her where everything is fine. But when some so-called friends slip a peanut in his sandwich, knowing full well he has a life-threatening allergy, the truth comes out and his mother decides he will stay home and take classes by correspondence. Bored to tears, he strikes up an unlikely alliance with Cosmo, an ex-con and the son of the kind couple who rent to Ambrose and his mother. They only have one thing in common; Ambrose has learned to play Scrabble with his mom and Cosmo learned in jail. When they join a Scrabble club, it is only the gorgeous gal who leads it that keeps Cosmo coming back. All of this, however, is kept a secret from his mom for obvious reasons. But no secret can be kept forever, and Ambrose has to face the proverbial music and learn to stand up to his mom in the process. I loved Ambrose’s attitude, his unique relationship with Cosmo, and his ability to find a world where he can be accepted for who he is.

Who do I recommend this to? Well, I’m not sure. I would prefer not to put it in my YA collection for the afore-mentioned reason, but the character is a little young for high school, so you readers will have to use your discretion.

I would like to ask a favour of anyone who reads my blog. If you do read it regularly or from time to time, would you please make a brief comment? I am trying to get a feel for how many readers I have and there are some publishers who will send me books for review if I can give them some idea of my readership. So give me a moment of your time, if you will. Many thanks!!

Wanting Mor- Rukhsana Khan

Another excellent addition to our global awarenes books, Wanting Mor looks at the life of Jameela in post-Taliban Afghanistan. When her beloved mother dies, Jameela is left to the mercy of her alcoholic and drug-addicted father. He hurriedly moves them to Kabul where he fairly quickly marries. The new step-mother is reminiscent of the Cinderella story. Jameela is expected to work like a slave with no appreciation and the father conveniently stays out of the way. After Jameela seems to be establishing a friendship with the son of her new step-mother, the complaints are so vicious that Jameel’s father takes her to the market and abandons her. Befriended by a kind shop-owner, she is taken to the orpahanage where she gradually finds her place and wonder of wonders, is given the opportunity to learn to read. This had been a dream of her mother’s who couldn’t read herself as she had grown up under Taliban rule. This is a solid story of a young girl with great courage.