Wounded- Eric Walters

Wounded presents a present-day issue in a most readable format; that of the cost of war to those serving in the armed forces as well as that of their families. Marcus’s father is serving in Afghanistan and he, his sister and mother, cannot wait for him to return. The telephone ringing at an unexpected time causes trepidation; an unexpected visit to school by a superior officer causes fear. Will he be the one this time to be called out to face bad news. Emotions run high throughout this novel and when his dad finally does return, his increasingly erratic behaviour brings you to understand the almost impossibility of fitting back into “normal” life. Although there are times when the conversation between father/son seems a bit stilted, one has to admire the strength of the relationship between them. This is an important novel for our students to read as there are many days when the paper shows the latest casualty, but we have no grasp of the huge emotional impact on those most closely involved. This would pair well with Deborah Ellis’s Off to War:Voices of Soldier’s Children; true short stories on the same theme.

Submarine Outlaw- Philip Roy

A truly riveting adventure story, Submarine Outlaw will likely capture the heart and minds of all who have longed to escape the confines of their everyday world and try something exciting and even dangerous. Alfred has no desire to be a fisherman and approaches the local junkyard dealer and together, they build a submarine. Hard as that might be to believe, read on, for the  dramatic escapes and encounters Alfred makes in his undersea voyage are fascinating and believable. For those of you seeking another kind of adventure story, I would pair this with Kenneth Oppel’s Skybreaker and John Lunn’s The Aquanauts and would be suitable for grade 5 readers and into early high school. The sequel is already out and I have purchased it so I’ll be ready for those students who will want to continue with Alfred’s adventures.

This is nominated for the 2009 Diamond Willow category.

Read another review from the blog What Counts.

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!

Broken- Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry

Broken was a fascinating read with a quirky character, Ash, who is trying desperately to find where she really belongs. She tries to stand out as different with her purple hair and endless cargo pants, but several things make her start to wonder if she should just conform. Her dad is going to be re-married, and both her dad and his fiancee seem oblivious to the effect this may be having on her, as it comes with the bonus of 2 step-sisters. If that weren’t enough, her dad seems to take the other girl’s parts in any altercation, and Ash becomes more and more doubtful of her father’s real love for her. That and a love interest from Seth, popular guy in school, guides her to change and become more like everyone else. This doesn’t come without fallout- her best friend Mouse, feels betrayed. Everyone but Ash seems to be aware of the fact that Seth is just using her until he gets back with his old girlfriend. This is an excellent example of a novel with edgy characters, all the qualities needed for a good YA novel, and with good language and only mild sexual content. I would definitely recommend this for our libraries.

The Truth About Truman School- dori hillestad butler

This is another look at bullying- this time online. Truman School, told from a variety of very distinctive perspectives, centres around Amr and Zebby who decide to start an on-line newspaper where kids can say what they really think about Truman School. Soon it becomes a format to bring down a certain popular girl, Lilly, and Amr and Zebby are not sure they have the right to delete something when they have opened it up to entries from everyone. A fast-paced, easy read, this nonetheless has lots of food for thought and I think would be very appealing for both gals and guys. I highly recommend it.

Sister Wife- Shelley Hrdlitschka

A story that will haunt you for some time, Sister Wife is the story of a community which advocates plural marriages. Naturally, it is the young girls who are assigned to marry the older men. Celeste is struggling to conform to the rigid expectations and begins to rebel in small ways; even more so after she meets Jon, and they discover feelings for each other. Jon attempts to persuade her to leave the group and find a new life. Tempted as she is, she also knows it means leaving her family and way of life behind forever.

Multiple voices tell the story which allows us a deeper insight into the belief system and allow us a glimpse of a lifestyle that may seem inconceivable to this. Although this has some mature content, it is not graphic and would be suitable for grade 7 right through high school. Another excellent novel from the author of Gotcha, one of my favourite reads last year.

Res Judicata- Vicki Grant

Prepare for lots of laughs as you read this good humoured sequel to Quid Pro Quo. Although I have not read the first, it certainly didn’t distract me as this story stands on its own very nicely. Cyril’s mom is a young, slightly wacky lawyer who involves him from time to time in her legal education. Thus the title, Res Judicata, and his not surprising penchant for sticking his nose in where it maybe doesn’t belong. First, the big shocker- mom has a boyfriend! And about the time Cyril reluctantly comes to like him, he’s out of the picture. And it all has to do with his mom’s client; the very unprepossessing Chuck. Arrested for murder after presumably accidentally killing a wealthy professor, mom manages to free him. But Chuck comes up with the idea that he should take the police force to court for false arrest. And why is Biff, the old boyfriend, still skulking around? Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between friend and foe. Lots of action and lots of laughs with quirky and interesting characters makes this a sure-fire favourite for your young adult group. I highly recommend it.

Egghead- Caroline Pignat

Another nomination for the Snow Willow award for 2009,
Egghead is another serious look at bullying and many of its resulting injustices. What makes Egghead unique is the story being told from the viewpoint of three different characters; Will, the bullied, Devan, the reluctant side-kick to the school’s worst bully and Katie, one-time friend of Will whose position becomes somewhat untenable as they reach high school. Chapters are short and with the variety in speaker, keep one’s interest well. Immediately the reader is drawn into the fierce emotions at play in this novel. This would be a fabulous read-aloud for middle years students with the potential for great discussion. For those students who enjoyed Schooled by Gordon Korman, winner of last year’s Snow Willow award, this is a must.

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.