Half World- Hiromi Goto

Half World is a most unique blend of fantasy and horror. I wonder what dreams may come of reading such a novel. It deals with the three realms of Flesh, Spirit and Half World. Normally, these worlds are in balance but something has gone amiss, and Half World is keeping people captive, to relive over and over again their greatest pain. It is ruled by a ghastly creature, Mr. Glueskin. Melanie is the daughter of a couple who miraculously conceived in Half World. Melanie’s mother is able to cross the chasm into the Realm of Flesh with her unborn child. The cost of that crossing is huge.

In the Realm of Flesh, Melanie’s mother is barely able to exist. Melanie herself is an outcast and lonely. One day, she comes home to find her mother has left for Half World at the call of Mr. Glueskin. Here is where it really becomes bizarre. Melanie is helped by an elderly woman to find the tunnel to follow her mother. She is given an amulet which changes to Jade Rat who is there to help Melanie. Melanie’s task is to rescue her mother, defeat Mr. Glueskin and bring the realms back into harmony again. Quite a task for an unskilled fourteen year old girl. The creatures she meets in this other world are beyond my description- you have to read the book to truly be able to appreciate them. This is not a book for the faint-hearted; I would expect that your readers would need to be quite mature and capable.

Posing as Ashley- Kimberley Joy Peters

Posing as Ashley is the second novel by the author of Painting Caitlyn. Although fairly edgy, they are definitely novels that will appeal strongly to our female readers and deal with subject matters of interest to them. Posing as Ashley is a companion novel with the focus on Ashley as the protagonist. Ashley has been the sidekick and best friend to Caitlyn during her struggles. Ashely is in a serious relationship with a great guy and is totally shocked when he suggests taking a break for the summer while he is away. She is devastated and finds herself vulnerable to a suggestion of her dad’s girlfriend to consider becoming a model. Her very protective mom and caring dad are very supportive of this; a little bit of a jarring note as I would expect them to show more concern over the possible pitfalls of that type of lifestyle. Nevertheless, Ashley finds that it help to take her mind off of ex-boyfriend Brandon, and, indeed, she meets Justin who awakens her to possibilities she might have been missing out on. Ashley has to come to understand the jealousy and downright spitefulness that is a part of the modelling world. She has to decide how much pressure she will take from Gabriella, her dad’s girlfriend, to achieve. And she comes to realize that her mom, who is also battling cancer, has more worries than just the well-being of Ashley. The back of the book states that Ashely must decide if she will stand up for what she believes in. I was pretty sure that she would come to decide that modeling was not for her, and be willing to disappoint her family. I was wrong- that wasn’t her big choice at all. Read it for yourself and tell me what you think of the ending. I believe of the two novels, Painting Caitlyn is the most powerful but both of these novels have a place on your YA and high school library shelves. These are not for younger readers.

War Brothers- Sharon McKay

childsoldiers-photostory

This photostory was created by a grade 8 student as part of a culture study unit. Each student read a novel from a different culture, identified the basic need of the character. They then did some research on that country and blended fact and fiction to create a documentary style drama. I thought they were quite successful.

This novel is nominated for the 2009 Snow Willow Awards. I believe it is one of the most powerful novels I have ever read. I would recommend it for a YA audience right through to adults. War Brothers deals with the issue of child soldiers in Uganda. Adults will remember the movie, Blood Diamond, which this novel brought to mind. Here is a link to the author’s site and an excerpt from the book.

Tin Angel- Shannon Cowan

Tin Angel had crossed my desk last year and for some reason, I never read it. It is one of the most unusual topics I’ve come across- that of looking at the court system for juveniles prior to the Young Offenders Act. Not that it is done in any kind of a preachy way; the facts are stated and only in the prologue does the author reveal the premise for her writing.

Ronnie lives with her parents and sister in a wonderful mountain lodge. To her, her life is perfect but financially, the lodge is in trouble. On the scene comes Louis, mom’s old friend who is willing to buy the lodge. Her dad is dead against it, but on his last trip out, he is killed and the family is left helpless. They sell the lodge and move into town where Ronnie is a total misfit, and an incredibly naive misfit at that. I really wondered at times at how she allowed life to just pull her along without any thought as to what the consequences might be. Would she really be as sheltered as this story makes her out to be? Maybe!

Anyway, as time goes on, home life becomes more and more difficult as her mother has turned to alcohol for solace and sister Marcia is spending more and more time with Louis. Ronnie meets and becomes friends with Lee, an escapee from the law. She suggests Raven’s Lodge as a hide-out for him and then discovers he is being hunted. Determined, she hikes to the lodge to warn him and encounters Louis. What happens there seems fairly straight-forward but the facts become confused in Ronnie’s mind. The only thing she knows is that she cannot admit to having been there. When she is subsequently arrested and charged for the murder of Louis, it becomes apparent that she has been interrogated without parental consent and the evidence itself is flimsy at best. I actually found this rather fascinating but it remains to be seen if our readers will feel the same. I would suggest this for at least grade 6 and up. It would be an incredible fit for teachers of social studies in regards to Canadian law.

Wolf Pack of the Winisk River- Paul Brown

Wolf Pack of the Winisk River is a most unusual book on several counts. It is written in free verse style and it is written from the viewpoint of a wolf pack. It moves along at a nice pace and integrates many facts about wolf behaviour into the narrative. Wolf is alone after the death of his mate and pups and he himself becomes the enemy of other packs. When he is able to defeat two males from such a pack, he is able to unite with the female and her two pups. We follow their journey as they follow their prey; in particular, the caribou herds. We become aware of their limited interaction with humans and all the animals that cross their paths. We become very much aware of the daily struggle they face just for survival and that it is never ending. We come to admire their courage, tenacity and patience as they eke out an existence. For those young people that enjoy animal stories, this will have some appeal. I hope they don’t set it aside after noting the free verse format, as for many that will be somewhat unfamiliar. This would be a fabulous read-aloud and might welll be integrated into an animal or environment study. I would recommend this for middle years and up.

CM Magazine has written a fine review on this. Check it our here.

If You Live Like Me- Lori Weber

Lobster Press has been kind enough to send me some recent releases to read and review on my blog. The first one I picked up was If You Live Like Me. I am beginning to think there is a conspiracy to entice me to visit Newfoundland, as this novel and my recently reviewed Tales From Cook’s Cove series by Mary Sheppard have created such a strong sense of place, that it seems to be calling to me. I’ll let you know when I make the trip.

If you Live Like Me is a fine coming-of-age novel; without some of the overinflated angst that we have found recently in some teen novels. Cheryl is understandably upset; her parents have moved her yet again, this time to Newfoundland, in pursuit of her dad’s interest in dying cultures. They seem to lack understanding of the huge disruption in this teen’s life and try to focus on the positive. But for Cheryl, that equates a lack of understanding and caring, and she withdraws from them, determined she will find a way to go home to Montreal. Then she meets next-door neighbour Jim, who befriends her in a most accepting and engaging way. Gradually, against her better judgement, she is drawn into a relationship with him, which conflicts her between leaving and staying. The characters in this novel are finely drawn and we are inexorably drawn into the deepest feelings that are Cheryl’s. Although at times it seems to meander a bit, I ended up feeling that it helped us to more fully empathize with all the characters, and certainly drew us into the heart and culture of Newfoundland.

My biggest (and trivial) concern was the depiction of Jim’s auntie with whom he lived, as a frail, white-haired dotty old lady who turns out to be 60!!! OUCH! That hurt. Look around; I don’t know a single 60 year old who could match that description.

In Spite of Killer Bees and A Very Fine Line- Julie Johnston

I read two books by this fine author recently and both of them are worthy of a spot on your shelf. A Very Fine Line is the story of Rosalind who lives with her mother and sisters in Ontario in the 1940’s. Through her old-maid great aunts, she discovers that she is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and therefore endowed with the gift of second sight. She is torn between abhorrence and curiosity as to how she might use this for her benefit. Her mother wants her to have nothing to do with this superstition and Rosalind has to come to terms with how this strange revelation might fit into her life. Johnston’s writing is described as polished and this makes her novels fascinating and would be of great interest to our female readers.

In Spite of Killer Bees is an amazing story of three sisters whose father has died in prison and whose mother has deserted them. To their amazement, they find that they have inherited their estranged grandfather’s large mansion-like home and they think there will be a pot of money to go with it. To their consternation, they find that they can only keep the home if they convince their great-aunt to come and live with them there. Three very unique sisters, Johnston has developed these characters masterfully with an unusual enough plot line to make one want to keep turning the pages.

Adventure, Anyone?

Two novels I’ve read recently fall under the adventure umbrella and so I’ll briefly review them together.

Leepike Ridge by N.D.Wilson is the story of Thomas who lives with his mom on the edge of a cliff next to Leepike Ridge. When his mom has a new refrigerator delivered, he uses the packing foam as a raft and is sucked underground. There his discoveries are many- corpses, a tomb, a treasure and an old man living on crawdads whom he finds is a long-lost friend of his dad. There they together face the possibility of no return and together determine to find a way out. In the meantime, his mom is dealing with the criminals who want the treasure for themselves. Fast-paced, this will meet the need for adventure for many of our boys in particular from age 10 and up.

Although Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury starts off more slowly, it too turns into a battle for survival. Dylan’s Scout group camps on an ancient lava flow beneath a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. At first, the focus is more on the interaction among the boys, in particular, Dylan and Louie, who appears to be out to get him. But then the unthinkable happens as they are faced with first a small tremor and then a huge earthquake. The description of how this might have felt is riveting as you begin to feel the heaving earth and the fear associated with it. Now it is up to Dylan and Louie to hike out to find help for the other wounded. Author of Under the Blood-Red Sun, this novel might take a little more perseverance for readers at the beginning but they will soon be caught up in the intense drama.

Here is a more in-depth review.

The Broken Thread- Linda Smith

Being a great fan of the Tales of Three Lands trilogy, I looked forward to reading this novel but was saddened to find that the author passed away in 2007. The Broken Thread encompasses all that good fantasy should embrace. It has excellent character development, an amazing and believable world, and a great problem to solve which demands much of the protagonist. When Alina finally is called to be a weaver on the Isle of Weaving, she knows she is fulfilling her destiny. Allowed for the first time in the weaving room, she sees a broken thread and uses a strand of her own hair to effect a repair, without any idea of the disastrous set of events it would set in motion. That simple change meant that the past would be changed and it was vital for Alina to go back to that time and set things right. When she actually came to understand what was needed in order to do that, she had to make some painful decisions. I wish so much there was a sequel to this book as Alina’s life would be so interesting to follow. The small body of work by this author deserves a place on shelves and hearts everywhere.

This has been nominated for the 2009 Snow Willow awards.

Petey- Ben Mikaelsen

The first book I read by this author was Touching Spirit Bear, and as I continue to read more of his offerings, I am always impressed by the variety of his themes and the true readability of his story-line. Petey was no exception. It caught my interest immediately as it chronicles the life of a little boy with Cerebral Palsy who in that era was simply diagnosed as an idiot, and at a young age was put away in a mental institution. As he grows up in that foul environment, several people recognize the intelligence housed in a twisted body and provide some relief. As well, he becomes great friends with another boy who has “mild retardation.” Ultimately Petey is moved to a nursing home, more suited to his care, and is separated from his friend without any idea of where the other has been taken. Petey, although an amazingly positive person, decides he will no longer get involved emotionally with another person, and withdraws. Then Trevor comes into his life, a lonely school boy, who initially protects Petey from bullies and gradually comes to see him as the real person he is. The message is unmistakable and the ending very poignant. What an exceptional author!

Other books I read and loved are Tree Girl and Red Midnight.