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.

Death in the Air- Shane Peacock

Well, Shane Peacock has done it again in the second of his stories of the early days of Sherlock Holmes. Although reading the first one sets the scene for this one and acquaints us with Sherlock’s background and family life, Death in the Air also can be read on its own. After solving a nefarious murder in Eye of the Crow and receiving no credit for it, Sherlock is increasingly determined to become a great detective acknowledged by all. When he is a close spectator of a great trapeze artist’s untimely fall, he is immediately convinced that it is a murder that he alone can solve. His investigations take him into the seediest parts of London, pitted against the notorious Brixton gang. If he can bring them to justice, he would have to be credited with an amazing coup and be given the reward that he so desperately needs to finance his education and to save his mentor and employer from ruin. The relationship between Sherlock and Bell is compelling and I trust will continue to receive a place in future novels. Whether Sherlock attains his goals in this novel, I shall leave for the reader to discover.

What World is Left- Monique Polak

Although all books that relate to the holocaust are horrendous, the emotions evoked by What World is Left increases as you realize that the story is that of the author’s own mother. A non-religious Jewish family in Holland, Anneke’s family cannot believe that they are being sent to Theresienstadt, a “model” concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Her father, an artist, is forced to use his skills in the camp for propagation. Anneke is forced into hard labour and learns just how much the human spirit and body can endure in order to survive.

I would highly recommend this for grade 8 right through high school. It would be a valuable addition to your Literature Circles list as well.

Listen to this excellent interview with Monique and her mother.

http://www.moniquepolak.com/video.html

Greener Grass- Caroline Pignat

Historical fiction at its best, Greener Grass is a poignant look at the great famine in Ireland of 1847, after entire potato crops were destroyed by blight. Seen through the eyes of fourteen-year old Kit, we are overwhelmed with the utter devastation which led to famine and death. Many landlords evicted tenants for non-payment of rent, and they were forced to exist on seaweed soup once daily. Many perished. As all good historical fiction shoud do, this takes us into the heart of Ireland and the hard choices that need to be made when survival is at stake. Kit is a resourceful and strong character who evokes our sympathy and draws us into the plight they faced. This will make a fine addition to both elementary and high school libraries and should be included in lists of excellent historical fiction.

Wild Geese is the name of the anticipated sequel.

Bite of the Mango- Mariatu Kamara with Susan McLelland

Although I read this last year, Bite of the Mango is not a book you would readily forget. A powerful and true story of a 12 year old girl who was faced with an attack of terrorists who brutally raped her and cut off both hands. I think for most of us, that would be the end of the story, but Mariatu is a young woman of great courage. This story chronicles her steps to regain her health, her freedom and hope. Today she attends university in Toronto and tours to tell of her experiences. This memoir would be excellent to include in the study of various cultures around the world.

www.mariatufoundation.com will tell you more of her work in Sierra leone today.

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!

Gwen- Carolyn Pogue

Gwen is another home child story, so I was expecting something somewhat similar to others I have read. But Gwen is unique in particular because of the character. Although she loses her father early on and becomes an orphan sent to one of Barnardo’s homes, she never loses her indomitable spirit. Her sojourn there gains her many friendships, which are sundered when they are sent to Canada. Unfortunately, Gwen’s first experience is horrific, and when she has to rebuff advances from the man of the house, she takes matters into her own hands and treks back to Peterborough to ask the Matron for a new place. A unique writing style and a courageous character combine to make this an excellent read, and a great addition to your Canadian history collection. This is likely most suitable for readers from grade 5-8.

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.