Leftovers- Heather Waldorf

An excellent read for teens or adults, Leftovers is a book that was hard to put down and easy to remember. Reading it for a selection committee, I felt it was too mature for our purposes, but that didn’t stop me from eagerly reading to the end. This author has the rare gift of being able to reveal just enough titillating information to draw you in further and incline you to cheat a little by peeking ahead. (I used to think it was awful when my mom did that and now I find myself doing it from time to time.!!) Sarah’s father dies unexpectedly and her greatest emotion is relief and joy. That sets you up immediately for a roller-coaster emotional ride. Apparently acting out, she takes a car that she is unable to drive, and ends up in an accident. Her consequence is community service at Camp Dog Gone Fun, where her canine friends begin to give her the courage to face her past. Quirky Sullivan also believes in her but has a hard time understanding some of her extreme reactions, in particular to having her picture taken. Gradually and then suddenly, the truth is revealed, and Sarah needs to learn to trust again. I would recommend this for your high school crowd. If you wish to try it for your Young Adult shelf, I would recommend reading it first, as there is mature content.

Polly Horvath

Dear Polly Horvath,

I always enjoy reading your books. I remember reading Everything on a Waffle and loving it, but with a niggling question: Which of my students will read this? Since reading more of your works, that question has become amplified. I really struggle with who your audience is. The characters are right for children and although the plot line is a little eccentric, there are students who would enjoy that. Your writing is superb but the flights of linguistic fancy often seem above what most of our readers would enjoy. Recently, because I’m really trying to figure you out, I read The Canning Season. Once again, it is full of quirky characters and a plot that dazzles the mind. But as I encountered some of your language choice, I thought, oh,no- this is not appropriate for my younger students for whom the story seems intended. But the characters appear to be too young for my YA (Young Adult) shelf and definitely too young for high school. So in all good conscience, where do I put this? To whom do I recommend this? I came to conclude that this should be an adult book. It would not take a great deal of revising in order for it to take on the quality of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, which it so reminded me of in terms of style and audience.

I also recently read My One Hundred Adventures. This seemed much more accessible to our elementary readers and I look forward to testing it out on some of my more discerning readers. Although, once again, there are many implausible scenes, it moves along at quite a sharp pace.

Reading The Corps of the Bare Boned Planes last year was what really set me off on this “who is you audience” rant. See the post I wrote on this at that time, which explains some of my frustration in trying to come to an understanding of you as a most excellent author.

So once again, dear Polly, you are an amazing writer. I just think that you need to decide for whom your writing is best suited. I will continue to read your offerings and perhaps I will find that indeed they have a child audience that I am as yet unaware of. We adult readers adore you!

Gwen- Carolyn Pogue

Gwen is another home child story, so I was expecting something somewhat similar to others I have read. But Gwen is unique in particular because of the character. Although she loses her father early on and becomes an orphan sent to one of Barnardo’s homes, she never loses her indomitable spirit. Her sojourn there gains her many friendships, which are sundered when they are sent to Canada. Unfortunately, Gwen’s first experience is horrific, and when she has to rebuff advances from the man of the house, she takes matters into her own hands and treks back to Peterborough to ask the Matron for a new place. A unique writing style and a courageous character combine to make this an excellent read, and a great addition to your Canadian history collection. This is likely most suitable for readers from grade 5-8.