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.

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.

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 Juvie Three- Gordon Korman

Korman continues to impress with his most recent offerings. A renowned writer from a very young age with the successful Bruno and Boots series (fondly remembered by my son-in-law), he continues to produce excellent novels. His language in The Juvie Three is terse and polished. I don’t believe I missed a word and I sometimes tend to be a skimmer. Douglas Healy wants to help juvenile delinquents, having been one himself. His choice of characters: Gecko, on the hook for stealing a car and abetting in his older brother’s theft; Arjay, a big, gentle giant who has been convicted of murder while acting in self-defence, and Terence, who really is in jail for crime committed, but is really just a lost kid looking for a place to belong, is masterful. The interaction of these characters is crucial to the unfolding story. Several weeks into their time at the half-way house with Healy, a tussle results with Healy taking a fall and sustaining a concussion. Terrified, the boys drop him at an emergency unit and hope things might yet turn out all right. But Healy has suffered amnesia and doesn’t even remember his own name. never mind the boys who are in his care. Transferred to a mental hospital until he regains his memory, the boys, who have been on their very best behaviour, plan to break him out. The rest is left for you to enjoy!

This novel would appeal to male and female readers and would be suitable for a Young Adult section as well as high school. Highly recommended, as are Schooled and Born to Rock, other recent offerings.

Vampires- a New Genre?

I understand that when there is a lot of hype around a particular series (referring to Twilight, et al), there are many who want to get on that particular bandwagon and cash in on its popularity. In a similar fashion, the Harry Potter series spawned a whole rash of fantasy, some great, some mediocre. The same is true of the new vampire offerings. I contrast two novels: The Night Wanderer:A Native Gothic Novel by Drew Hayden Taylor with Night Runner by Max Turner. Night Wanderer is an exciting and haunting story of sixteen-year old Tiffany who lives on Otto Lake Reserve with her father and grandmother. A typical teenager, she fights with her dad, and is more concerned with her relationship with her boyfriend, a white boy from a neighbouring community. Although she thinks they are in love, there are little signs that make her wonder if he really accepts her into his sphere of friends. Then along comes Pierre, an unusual man from Europe, who is going to board with her family for awhile. He refuses the offer of her room and prefers to lodge in the darkened basement. Although you understand quickly that there is something very different about him, you are left to read the clues and make some judgements for yourself. His and Tiffany’s paths continue to intersect; in fact, the author uses both voices to tell the story which really allows us to enter both of their worlds. Although I don’t want to give much more of the story away, I do believe this story has merit, it is fast-paced and will have wide appeal for our vampire lovers. There are a few language issues so I would recommend you read this before housing it in the YA section of your elementary school but this will suit the high school collections as well.

Night Runner, on the other hand, is not as subtle. It too is action packed but after the rather exciting beginning, it lagged until the end where many loose ends were tied up very quickly.  Zach, who lives in a mental institute because of a strange illness he has contracted following the death of his parents, is told to run by a wild man who has broken into the institute. I loved the beginning and then was so disappointed to find out it was a vampire story. I thought it had the potential for breaking new ground if it followed a completely different plot. I also need to say that this is not my favourite genre, so my prejudice may well be showing. He soon discovers that he is a vampire and that his father was a vampire hunter.  I thought it really strained one’s credulity (understandably so) but even an unbelievable story needs to seem plausible. I am able to suspend my disbelief quite readily, but really had difficulty with htis one.His best friend’s easy acceptance of Zach’s condition and his willingness to trap animals for their blood just seemed too, too trite. I certainly agree that this will have “kid” appeal and the language was good, so I will certainly house it in my library, but in a search for excellence, this didn’t make the cut for me.