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.

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.

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.

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.