Racing for Diamonds- Anita Daher

Part of the Orca Young Readers series, Waiting for Diamonds is an excellent example of a fast-paced, adventure-filled novel for your middle years’ readers. A scant 113 pages makes this accessible to a wide variety of reading levels. Anita Daher has created a courageous and feisty heroine in the person of Jaz. Having moved recently to Destiny from Yellowknife, she quickly becomes involved with the Junior Canadian Rangers and is training for the big sled-dog meet. Unfortunately, she and Colly, her partner, are about as compatible as “potatoes with strawberry sauce.” In the middle of all this comes the news of a missing diamond polisher, who is soon accused of criminal activity. When Jaz finds out it’s her friend Gunther, she is in total denial as to the possibility of his guilt. But the race must go on, or so they hope. Partway through the race, they discover an injured Gunther, who immediately sees them as his way to escape, Jaz now has to admit that something funny is going on. In danger now from the weather and Gunther, she and Colly must cooperate if they are going to make it through at all. Nominated for this year’s Diamond Willow award, this is a thriller that is sure to please.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Klutzhood- Chris McMahen

Arlos is making a move and he doesn’t like it! A small town doesn’t hold a candle to Victoria, and even more horrible, all the kids can talk about is hockey. He makes excuse after excuse as to why he can’t play, but the truth is, he doesn’t even know how to skate. So desperate is he to escape his fate, he allows himself to be initiated into a gang called The Dumpster Dudes, and is commanded by their leader, X, to perform several outlandish escapades. When these are not successful, he is eventually shamed into playing a game of hockey, and lo and behold, he loves the game and isn’t even all that bad at it! Klutzhood is an apt title for an entertaining read.

There are lots of surprises in this story and lots of humour including the kind some of our boys will eat up. It was also refreshing in that the students at the new school were generally welcoming and inclusive. I know many of our authors are currently focussing on the bullying aspect of new situations so it is nice to see a book that highlights some of the good kids.

This is nominated for the Diamond Category (grades 4-6) for the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Award.

Dear Jo- Christina Kilbourne

Although I reviewed this briefly in another post, Dear Jo has now been nominated for this year’s Snow Willow awards and I wanted to give it a little further attention. This was indeed, a powerful read, and one that will have you on the edge of your seats many times. Although abductions by unknown internet predators is not a common occurrence, it is something our children need to be much more aware of.  Too often, they think they are immune to this possibility and continue to chat on-line with unknowns, and  expect that they can maintain their safety and privacy. Maxine and her best friend, Leah, hide their own identity but are very gullible in their belief that the person they are chatting with is up-front about who he really is. Only when Leah disappears, does Maxine start to feel the impact of their actions, and in a series of heart-rending journal entries, pours out her fears, her guilt and her despair over what might have happened. If you have not yet read it, I won’t spoil it for you by giving away the ending. This is a novel that I expect will be flying off the shelf. I believe this would also be important for parents to read.

Swindle- Gordon Korman

In Swindle, Korman appears to be harking back to his old roots as this reminds me greatly of his ealier Bruno and Boots novels. Griffin is a Man With a Plan and easily ropes his best buddy, Ben, into his escapades. Worrying about his parents’ financial dilemma, he finds an old baseball card in a house slated to be demolished. Even he knows a Babe Ruth card has to be worth something, and when he takes it to the local collector, is offered $120.00 as he is assured the card is not an authentic item. When it come to light that this very card will be a big ticket item at the next auction, Griffin is outraged and decides to take matters into his own hands. Being the Man With a Plan, he recruits a team to steal back what he believes rightfully belongs to him. An amazing plan ensues with enough action  to satisfy all your adventure lovers. One wonders if we might see more of Griffin’s escapades in the years to come and indeed, I just discovered that Zoobreak is the upcoming sequel. Once again, Korman has created an entertaining and accessible middle years’ novel. This is nominated for the 2009 Diamond Willow Awards. Juvie Three , a YA novel, is also nominated for the Snow Willow awards for 2009.

Watch this Gordon Korman You Tube interview.

Eye of the Crow- Shane Peacock

A wonderful combination of mystery and historical fiction, Eye of the Crow takes us to the early years of the one and only Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock’s parents are social outcasts because of their unconventional marriage and Sherlock is determined to better their circumstances. Always with an eye for detail, young Sherlock is mystified by the heinous slaying of a woman in a seedy part of London. Convinced there is more to this crime than is immediately evident, he begins to investigate and becomes embroiled in a series of escapades which eventually culminate in him becoming a prime suspect in the crime. There are more mysteries to come and this will be a fine addition to our mystery genre. As mentioned in a previous blog, this will be a fine companion for the Enola Holmes mysteries by Nancy Springer. One wonders how independent authors have chosen to embark on mysteries so linked by time and characters.

Eye of the Crow is one of the 10 nominated books for the 2009 Snow Willow awards! Don’t miss it!

The Secret of Grim Hill- Linda DeMeulemeester

This book confused me somewhat. I had been looking forward to reading it as it had come up on several recommended sites. The unfortunate cover will likely not appeal to the age group for which I assume it was intended. That assumption is based on the age of the protagonist, Cat, who is just entering her first year of a new high school. The plot and actions of the character made it appear more appropriate for the grade 4-6 crowd. So my recommendation is to offer it to that group of readers as they may quite enjoy the mysterious and and even scary moments in this book.Cat is typically unhappy in her new school and wishes she could afford to attend the posh Grimoire private school. When she hears about a soccer tournament which will award attendance at this school as the prize, Cat is eager to try out and give it her all. Things begin very quickly to seem out of sync.Teachers don’t expect assignments in on time, barriers to players’ attendance at soccer practises mysteriously evaporate and Cat’s playing ability exceeds even her wildest dreams. When her sister Sooky suddenly disappears after having warned Cat of the dangers of the school and her mom doesn’t remember who Sooky even is, Cat finally realizes that something indeed is amiss and begins to explore the possibilities. A creepy atmosphere may well draw kids to this, but when I compare it to Coraline by Neil Gaiman of some years ago, it just doesn’t have the same depth and credibility. Well, you know what I mean- some books allow you to suspend your disbelief with the blink of an eye while others have you going, “you’ve got to be kidding!” Grim Hill falls more into the latter category for me.

It is one of the nominations for this year’s Diamond Willow awards.