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?