Two Books about moms (absent moms)

Two books I read that fit into the “mother” theme are Jakeman by Deborah Ellis and Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher, Although the latter author was new to me, I have loved Deborah Ellis’s work for a long time. She is the author of the “Breadwinner” trilogy, and her book Bifocal, which she co-authored with Eric Walters, has been nominated for next year’s Snow Willow awards in Saskatchewan. Jakeman is about Jake and his sister, Shoshona, who are off on the bus to visit their mom in prison. It struck me as rather bizarre that these children set out late at night to catch a bus with only one social worker for supervision. Jake imagines himself to be a superhero, Jakeman, who will be all the things he can’t be in real life; brave and daring. He has also decided that there has been a vast misunderstanding about the reason for his mother’s incarceration, so writes regular letters to the governor, asking for her release. Through a wild series of events, the children are left to guide the bus on their own and Jake is actually able to confront the governor in person with his request, only to find that the governor really doesn’t care.

Harry Sue, on the other hand, is a girl in a foster home who has decided that the only way she can find her mom is to become a criminal as well and be sent to jail. Although her intentions are good, her heart is much too compassionate towards the other children in the home, and she is constantly diverted from her plans by having to rescue one of them. I would love to use both of these boks with a class and compare these 2 heroes.

Some other great titles I have read on this theme:

Losing Forever- Gayle Friesen

So B. it: a Novel- Sarah Weeks

Out of Focus- Margret Buffie

Smell of Paint- Sheryl McFarlane

Peacekeepers- Dianne Linden

Raspberry House Blues- Linda Holeman

Escape From Memory - Margaret Peterson Haddix

Two Must Reads

Dear Jo- Christina Kilbourne

What Mr. Matteo Did- Priscilla C ummings

These are two very powerful novels that deserve a place in every library. Dear Jo is the story of a girl falling victim to an internet predator. Told through the journal entires of her best friend, who very nearly falls prey as well, this is a powerful look at the dangers of on-line chatting. This is a novel that I expect will be flying off the shelf. I believe this would also be important for parents to read.

The second novel centers around three 6th. grade girls who report their music teacher for being sexually inappropriate with them. This story will keep you on the edge of your seat as the story unfolds to eventually reveal that two of the girls have been coerced into this lie by the other girl. Things literally spiral out of control and lives are changed forever. This is not something that is generally addressed with tweens; in particular, what can happen if you lie about something like this.

A is For Angst- Barbara Haworth-Attard

In choosing materials for my Young Adult shelf (for grades 7&8), is the dilemma of appropriateness versus interest. I believe that balance can be achieved by authors and I think has been successfully melded in A is For Angst. Although the theme of coming-of-age for a young woman and all that implies is still foremost, it is handled in a sensitive, humorous and realistic manner. Teresa is ready for love- or thinks she is- but is love ready for Teresa? Even a condom is too embarrassing to be called by its name- she calls it a condiment. As she learns in health education, it’s better not to peel the banana before practicing putting on the “condiment.’ There are lots of humorous moments but also realistic looks at sibling interactions, best friends vs boyfriends and the love and embarrassment often felt for other family members.

This never becomes overly graphic in its content and I would certainly recommend it for the more mature readers.

Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen- Glen Huser

Doesn’t the title alone just grab you? Looking through my group of Snow Willow books, I realized that this was the other one I needed to comment on. In a time when teenage angst is at an all-time high in young adult novels, it was refreshing to find one that found a way to put some humour into it as well. Tamara has been in many foster homes and when she decides she wants to take a modelling course, she knows Shirl and Herb will never be able to fork over the fee. Tamara is also frustrated with the community service project her teacher has dreamed up- being paired with an old person in a nursing home. Both of these characters are well-drawn with lots of humour interjected throughout as the pair strike up an unlikely alliance in an attempt to both get what is important to them. Tamara needs money for her modelling course and the “Wrinke Queen” needs a driver to take her on a trip to see her favourite operas. Will it work or will they kill each other first?

One of the things I miss about not being in a classroom setting is the lack of opportunity to read novels aloud to older students. I believe this would be a fun read-aloud with lots of room for discussion and would also fit well with the emphasis we have on teaching the moral intelligences. It would be fun to make comparisons to other books about unlikely friendships, both novels and picture books. It would be fun to write about a personal unusual relationship we may have encountered in our lives as well.

But aside from all that, if promoting great reads is what we, and the Willows, are all about, the Skinnybones and the Wrrinkle Queen fits the mandate well.

My huge apologies- apparently I really wanted this book to be on this year’s Snow Willow list and thus assumed it was. So just call it a really great read!!