Reading ‘short’ books is a nice diversion, and often an entertaining one. 

 

BELIEVE IN THE WORLD: Wisdom for Grown-ups from Children’s Books collected by Amy Gash and Elise Howard, illus. Eleanor Davis (Quotations) (139 pages)

The authors have collected nearly 400 quotations from a wide range of children’s books, new and old, half of which I have read. Some excerpts are wise, some are whimsical, some are moving and many are inspiring. but nearly each choice is worth pondering. The book is organized into five sections: How To Be Good in the World; How to be Joyful in the World, How to be Strong in the world, How to Be at Home in the world; How to Believe in the World.  Specific titles to frame the collection appear in each chapter (e…g., ONE: Kindness; Acceptance, Courage, Confidence, Forgiveness) This uplifiting book is right up my alley blending children’s literature with adult well-being. 

NOTE Believe in the World collection of quotations  is a worthy descendent to the book WHAT THE DORMOUSE SAID: Lessons for Grown-ups From Children’s Books by Amy Gash (ed)  / 1999 

Samples

Trust dreams Trust your heart., and trust your story. ~Neil Gaiman, Instructions

“I will do it tomorrow,” said Toad. “Today I will take it easy.” ~ Arnold Lobel, Days with Frog and Toad.

It’s going to be okay. I’ll make friends, and if I don’t I’ll borrow books from the library.  ~ Kelly Yang, Front Desk

There’s as many ways to live as people. ~ Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy

Even the silence has a story to tell you. Just listen. Listen. ~ Jaqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming

 

THE REST IS MEMORY by Lily Tuck  (114 pages)

This is a work of fiction, based on fact. After reading an obituary of the photographer Wilhelm Brasse, who took more than 40 000 pictures of prisoners in Auschwitz, the author was struck by 3 photographs of Czeslawa Kwoka, a Catholic girl from southeastern Poland.  Tuck was only able to discover bare facts about this girl but has chosen to invent brutal details about this teenage girl, her family and the brutal experiences which led to her death after three months in a concentration camp. Lily Tuck has chosen to fill her pages with short passages (somegtimes one or two sentences in length), weaving in authentic historical facts of Commander Hedwig Hoss, harrowing  treatments of prisoners,  a short story, ‘This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman’ by Tadeuz Borowski and a children’s tale from Janus Korczak. She provides footnote references throughout (sometimes acknowledging Wikipedia). The Rest is History is a testimony to almost 6 million Poles who were killed of which 2 million were non-Jews who died in prison, were forced into labor, executed or sent to concentration camps.  Some readers might have hoped for a more linear narrative of the Polish girl’s life but I was fascinated by Lily Tuck’s  back and forth timelines, her brief anecdotal recounts and her blend of fact and fiction. Brief though this is, The Rest is Memory is yet another heart-wrenching publication of The Holocaust history.  This book is the first publication I’ve read with a 2025 imprint.

Excerpt (p. 90)

The thread spun from the prisoners’ hair ws used to make yarn, felt and socks for submarine crews and railroad workers. One kilo (2.2 pounds) of hair was worth 0.50 Reichsmark – about $109. By 1943, the twenty boxcars filled daily with the prisoner’s confiscated property, which Rudolf Hess boasted about to Himmler, also held sacks of human hair. 

 

HOW SONDHEIM CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Richrd Schoch (Nonfiction) (235 pages + Notes and Index) / nonfiction

Stephen Sondheim died on November 26, 2021. Much has been written about him. Much will be written about him. Sondheim transformed musical theater and it is the author’s contention that his works have the power to transform us too.  Each chapter highlights a Sondheim musical, presented in chronological order of production. Each title is accompanied by a subtitle shining a light on a central theme (e.g., ‘Gypsy: How to Be Who You Are’; ‘Company: How to Get Close’, ‘Follies: How to Survive Your Past’).  In many cases, attention is given to particular songs  (‘Being Alive’, ‘Someone in a Tree’, ‘Moments in the Woods’ and ‘Send in the Clowns’ (which gets about 10 pages).  Anecdotes and references are aptly filtered throughout each chapter, Richard Schoch makes the case that Sondheim’s greatness lies beyond the clever (genius) lyrics but rest in the ability to reach, relate and reflect on our own personal life stories.   Shoch digs deep into the composer’s creative process but moreover helps us realize that Sondheim understands us, reveals us and enriches us. This book is for Sondheim fans and inspires me to see any of his musicals again. And again. And listen repeatedly to his scores on the CD’s (yes, CD’s) I own. I’m not sure that the book will change my life but I was impressed with Richard Schoch’s writing because I though carefully about Sondheim’s as a teacher and how I / we might connect to the themes of his work. Truly, “no one is alone.” How Sondheim Can Change Your Life is on my list of favourites for 2024.

 

I AM FULL: STORIES FOR JACOB by Dan Yashinsky (2023) (153 pages)

This book was given a SHOUT OUT in one of my grown-up read postings, December 2023.  It is a book written in the shadow of grief. It is funny. It is  heartbreaking.It is filled with heart. And hands on heart, it was the best book that I’ read in 2023. I was so glad to have read this again recently, and know that I will turn to it again (and again). 

Jacob Evan Yashinsky-Zavitz lived a life of courage  and resilience in dealing with a genetic condition known as Prader-Willi Syndrom (PWS) which forces those with the disease to deal ewith  intense hunger known as hyperphagia.  But what a rich life and full life Jacob created for himself especially as a fisherman, a photographer, a jewellery maker, a poet, and a crossing-guard.  A tragic death, at the age of 26,  as a result of a car accident put his father, family and friends on a journey to deal with grief. 

In the Prologue to the book, Dan Yashinsky writes: “I started writing this chronicle about six month’s after Jacob’s death trying to find a way to remember, to grieve, perhaps to find a shred of meaning in this unspeakable loss.” Dan Yashinsky, master professional storyteller, began gathered  texts that make up this requiem.  The ongoing journal that Dan kept recording his son’s adventures and misadventures, the unforgettable expressions Jacob uttered at all stages of his life, the trials and triumphs he experienced provided the a rich source for the author to pay tribute to his son by presenting narratives in Jacob’s imagined voice as his guide. The anecdotes and reflections are written in the first person.  A collection of poems, speeches, letters, notes and photographs are compiled to paint a mighty portrait of this heroic hat-loving, fishing-loving, food-loving, joke-loving, family-loving human who learned to embrace his disability rather than ignore it. 

At his funeral, Jacob’s brother said: “love continues to exist in the world, even though (my) little brother has gone to be with his ancestors. Somehow, love remains”.

This is a life lived with love. This is a  book of LOVE.  This is a book of remembrance. 

 

KILLING TIME by Alan Bennett (103 pages), 

In this slim volume, master playwright and storyteller, Alan Bennett invites us into  council home for the elderly, where a quirky and endearing cast of characters seem to get by from day to day, as their days fade.  Residents  and staff include a compulsive knitter, a chiropodist, an archaeologist, a hairdresser and a pervert who enjoys showing off his willy. Set during Covid, staff are hospitalized and protocol is disrupted. and the seniors hang on to what’s left of their memories as the threat of death overhangs in Hill Top House.   I cared for these characters and  found myself laughing out loud often by their behaviours and utterances. (“Am I dying?” she said to Phyllis. “Dying?” said Phyllis. “Let’s get old age out of the way first.” Like reading his other books –  The Uncommon Reader and Smut: Two unseemly stories –spending time with Bennett’s writing, however brief, is an absolute delight.

Excerpt (p. 91)

“I suppose you can’t have sex with it (Covid) either. No singing, no praying, no sex,”

“You can have sex if you’re in a bubble.”

“Where do you get them?”

“What?”

“These bubbles.”

 

LAGOM: What you need to know about the Swedish art of living a balanced life by Barbara Hayden (2019/ 85 pages) / nonfiction

This was a lovely gift from a lovely friend in Helsingborg, Sweden. Lagome (“Lah-gome”) means ‘just enough’ and presents the Swedish lifestyle that you do not want to have too much of something and by pursuing extremes youwill not be able to enjoy life. Such chapters as  ‘Take Enough Breaks in Your Day;. ‘Learn to Listen More’, ‘Perform Acts of Kindness and ‘Lagom as a Part of Being Mindful’  offer sound advice.  The invitations to “Work on Your Own Capsule Wardrobe’ and ‘Declutter Your Home’  and ‘Eat Less’ makes sense to me.  Lagom invites readers to think about when we get ‘just enough of everything we need, we will lead a happier, healthier life. Thank you Lagome for helping me think about where I am in life and where I might go in order to lead a balanced life. Thank you, Petra for the gift. 

 

THE PARTY  by Tessa Hadley  (112 pages)

This novella was recommended to me by a salesperson at Waterstone’s book store. The story is set in Bristol and is centred on two sisters Moira and Evelyn, who attend a party in a dockside pub and become intrigued (and repelled) by two worldly men who approach them. In the third part of the novel, the two sisters accept an invitation to visit the mansion that Paul owns with his brother and sister. On this night, Moria and Evelyn, come face to face with the mysteries of human desire and in the end they learn things about each other, about themselves as they venture forth into adulthood.

 

THE YEARS by Annie Ernaux / 2008 / English Translation by Alison L. Strayer / 2017 / Memoir (231 pages)

Seven Stories Press claimed that this autobiography that is ‘at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective.”

This hybrid memoir spans the years 1941-2006. by Nobel literature prize-winning author (2022), Anne Ernaux. She uses the pronoun ‘we’ instead of the expected ‘I’ of autobiography and when writings about her personal history from childhood, youth, and adulthood, she uses  the third person voice (i.e., she). Drawing on notes from six decades of diaries, the author takes a close-up look at French society just after the Second World War into the early 21st century by giving reference to personal photos, books, song titles, radio and television and movies. The author digs into such issues as consumerism, illegal abortion, a troubled marriage, her mother’s Alzheimer and experiences with cancer  in rather short passages.  The writing is fearless, critical and both personal and universal and certainly original. 

 

THIS IS THE STORY OF THE CHILD RULED BY FEAR by David Gagnon Walker (Script) (60 pages)

This is a rather short script about a production that involves a narrator + audience involvement by having 7 readers volunteer to read different parts (as well as audience members reading the chorus).  This is an intriguing excerise in interactive storytelling. The story is a fable of sorts about an imaginary civilization where characters confront their anxiety and fears about a collapsing world.  The playwright’s notes suggests taht this is a play “about worry and wonder, loneliness and community, beauty and despair, stories and life.” The collaborative nature of this play is intriguing. The narrative is often poetic and abstract. What’s missing from an independent reading is the video visuals that appear throughout. This piece is an interesting premise  by an emerging Canadian playwright, that I hope to be able to see someday.

 

SHOUT OUT

FIRE by John Boyne (167 pages)

“Fire takes the reader on a chilling uncomfortable, yet utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition” ( from book jacket blurb)

Freya works as a surgeon in an Irish hospital  who has a strong reputation for specializing in skin grafts. She lives a rather privileged existence but she is haunted by a trauma from her past. When she was twelve years old she was tormented by two teenage boys, two years older than her  and a cruel incident  has haunted her and spurred a life of revenge. Fire is the third book in ‘The Elements’ quartet (Water, Earth, Fire, Air). Each of the books is a stand alone, although narrative elements thread each book. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. John Boyne is at the top of my list of favourite authors. Fire is a chilling, chilling, spellbinding read. 

 

 

The titles listed below were written several decades ago (0r more). Each of these ten books intrigued me for some reason and I enjoyed reading these Children’s Literature Classics as well as some  Grown-up books that came my way.  Some choices were selected because I have seen theatre productions of these titles in New York in London. 

 

YOUNG PEOPLE


BALLET SHOES by Noel Streatfeild /1936

WHY? Read this in preparation of seeing the theatre production at the National Theatre in London

Since its publication many decades ago, Ballet Shoe has been a favourite of thousands of young readers (girls?). it is the story of three girls, the adopted Fossil sisters, each discovered as a baby by Great Uncler Matthew (GUM), an elderly professor who travels the world. The girls come to live in England with the very GUM’s practical great niece Sylvia and a nanny named Nana. To make ends meet, Sylvia takes end a group of boarders who contribute to the girls education by tutoring them. Each of the girls has a special talent. Pauline longs to be an actress. Petrova wants to fly planes and Posy wants to dance dance dance.  The story is mostly centred on the Children’s Academy of Dancing and Stage training where they embark on rigorous training to enrich their talents which may or may not lead to their vocation in the arts. Readers who enjoy this story are likely cheering on the three determined children as they grow up, develop a warm sisterly relationship, practice practice practice dancing and acting and pursue their dreams, and perchance fame in each of their pursuits.  Although it has entranced readers for generations, I wouldn’t say this is my favourite children’s book, but I am not British, a girl or a wannabe ballet dancer! However, Hurrah, Hurrah for any book that espouses the arts!!!!

 

PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren / 1950

WHY? Read this in preparation of a visit to Sweden (presenting 2 workshops to teachers)

I’m sure I read this classic Swedish novel  many years ago, but re-reading Pippi Longstocking while riding on a train from Copenhagen, Denmark to Helsingborg, Sweden provided me with some delightful (and hilarious) reading on my journey. What a character Pippi is!! The nine-year old girl lives in an old house (Villa Villekula) in an overgrown garden in a tiny little town. She has no parents to tell her what to do and her adventures with neighbours Tommy and Annika show how unique and outrageous, how brave and clever this character with crazy red pigtails is. Such rollicking episodes as walking backwards, making pancakes by throwing eggs into the air,  being a ‘thing-finder and discovering  an empty can over her head to pretend it’s midnight, outwitting two policemen who have come to take her to a children’s school; horseback riding; going to school and drawing a picture of a large horse on the classroom floor;  going on a picnic and getting into a fight with a bull; going to the circus and winning one hundred dollars by lifting  strong man the Mighty Adolf up into the air. No wonder that this title, created  by renowned author Astrid Lindgren (winner of the 1958 Hans Christian Medal)  has been a favourite for generations of Swedish citizens and – for readers around the world, There are two sequels: Pippi Goes On Board and Pippi on the South Seas. Oh what fun Pippilotta Delicatessa, Windowshade, Mackrelmint Efraimsdotter Longstocking, (and her pet monkey,  Mr. Nilsson, are.  Pippi Longstcoking is a fun and absurdly funny classic to be read – and read again.  

 

BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE by Kate DiCamillo /2000

WHY? I am a Kate DiCamillo fan and after enjoying recent publications (Ferris; The Hotal Balzaar) I wanted to re-read her first novel publication.

On page one of this novel we are introduced to India Opal Buloni, a young girl who lives with her daddy, the preacher. One day she was sent to buy some groceries at the nieghbourhood Florida store (Winn-Dixie) and she came back with a dog (Winn-Dixie).  As the story unfolds we meet a remarkable cast of characters: Otis, a guitar playing, pickle loving worker at the  local pet store’ Gertude a squawing parrot, Gloria Dump, who was rumoured to be a witch, but is a recovering alcoholic with a heart of gold (who owns a tree with hanging bottles), Miss Franny Block, somewhat neurotic soul who’s in charge of all the books in the library; Amanda Wilkinson who’s face was always pinched up like she was smelling something really bad; Sweet-Pie  Thomas who was only five years old, Dunlap and Stevie Dewberry, two brothers who looked like twins, but weren’t , But readers hearts will wrap especially wrap themselves around the rescue dog, Winn-Dixie  who has a human-like smile, who loves to listen to stories, who is afraid of thunder, who is able to catch mice without harming them, and who is as loyable and lovable a canine as anyone would want for a pet – especially India Opal Buloni.  With this Newbery Honor Book, Kate DiCamillo has stepped up the ladder whose books are fantastic and seem to have gotten better as the climbed up and up that ladder (The Tale of Desperaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Flora and Ulysses). I’m so glad I re-read this book and look forward to spending time re-visiting other books by this author. You  are a wise, funny, errific storyteller, Kate DiCamillo who has grown and grown because of Because of Winn-Dixie. I love your books.  Of course, kids do too. 

Excerpt (p. 96)

“It’s different  for everyone,” she said. “You find out on your own. But in the meantime, you got to remember, you can’t always judge people by the things they done. You got to judge them by what they are doing now.”

 

GROWN-UPS

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain /1884/1885

WHY? James by Percival Everett was at the top of my 2024 list of favourite books and I promised by self I would read Mark Twain’s story which inspired Everett’s brilliant book.

This is the classic story of a young boy named Huck Fin who runs away from home and travels down the Mississippi River. He is accompanied by Jim, an escaped slave and the two companions encounter a cast of  colourful characters and experience a wide range of adventures, funny, fascinating and suspenseful. The book digs into the themes of freedom, friendship and societal norms. As stated on the back cover, ‘the book is famous for its vivid portrayal of American life and its critique of social issues.’   If truth be told, I found myself skipping sections, hoping tHuck and Jim would get on with their journey. But who am I to argue with a classic?

 

OUR TOWN by Thornton Wilder/ 1938

WHY? I saw a Broadway production of this play in January 2025. I sometimes like to read the play after having watched it. 

“Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? – every minute.” (p. 108)

I am a fan of this classic script by Thornton Wilder, which is one of the most produced plays across North America. I have seen and enjoyed several productions and am often moved by the story of life in the small village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Most of all, it is an allegorical representation of all life. The play, in 3 acts, introduces us to a community, to a marriage and to death. Noteworthy, is the minimalist use of sets for producing this play. I was somewhat disappointed with a recent production I saw in New York, with Jim Parsons as the Stage Manager (terrific) and featuring a cast of actors both black and white.  I’m glad I saw it, but there were some artistic choices that didn’t, for me, enrich the simplicity and heart of this great play. 

 

ROOMS FOR RENT IN THE OUTER PLANETS: Selected Poems 1962-1996 by Al Purdy / 1996

WHY? Raise your hand if you received a poetry anthology as a gift this past year. For Channukah/Christmas a dear friend gifted me Al Purdy’s poetry collection.  Maybe poetry wouldn’t have been my first choice of books to read during the holidays,  I decided to dig into this book, poem by poem since it was a gift. 

Margaret Atwood claimed Purdy to be ‘the voice of the Canadian vernacular.’  Michael Ondaatje wrote, “Who is he like, you ask yourself. And in Canada there is no one. I can’t think of a single parallel in English literature… What a brave wonder.”   I do tend to buy poetry from time to time (especially for audiences of young people). Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets  (a Canada Reads finalist, 2006)  is a selection of three decades worth of thought-provoking work poems by the man described by the Globe & Mail as “the greatest of our poets.”  Confession: For me, this poet’s work is of the ‘I don’t really get it’ ilk. I tried. There are glimpses of narratives hidden in each piece, there are some astonishing sensory images (e.g., ‘chain saws stencil the silence in my head’ (p.81); ‘it is moonlight milk pouring over the islands’ (p, 107); ‘listening how the new house built with savaged old lumber bent a little in the wind and dreamt of the trees it came from’ (p., 17)  (many which I struggled to quickly grasp), and there is no doubt wordsmith genius throughout but if truth be told, I found most pieces mystifying or challenging. I often slowed down to read the poems. I tried to paint pictures in my head.  Line by line, the language was rather accessible, but poetic arrangements and some new vocabulary puzzled me (e.g., ‘uxurious’ wife beater; a great ‘Jeroboam’, ‘trilobites’ and swamps). The ‘messages’ sometimes escaped me.  Perhaps hearing these poems out loud. Perhaps having someone to talk to help me unlock the meanings might have helped.  And so I dare to admit, that my brain cells didn’t connect to the brain of ‘the greatest of our poets.’ Should I try again?

Excerpts

“… suddenly/ I become the whole damn feminine principle so /happily noticing little tendrils of affection steal /out from each to each unshy honest / encompassing golden calves in Israel and slum babies in Canada.” (from ‘The Winemakers Beat-Etude’ (p. 54)

“Not again shall bud conceive/ or the stars bear witness/ and lightning flas over chao/ nor any deity of teh flesh send hsi small amphibians scuttling onto land for safety/ the amino acids are dissolved/ their formulas forgotten.” (from ‘Adam and Eve’ (p. 118).

 

TALES OF THE JAZZ AGE by F. Scott Fitzgerald /1922

WHY? In preparation for seeing the musical “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” based on Fitzgerald’s short story.

These eleven stories, written over 100 years ago,  have a contemporary appeal to them in their study of relationships, dreams, infatuation, class and culture.  Though Fitzgerald captures a Jazz age place and time, the stories describe pursuits of love (The Camel’s Back):  drinking and gambling and lusting (Jelly Bean); class (The Diamond as Big as the Ritz) and a girl in a bathtub (Porcelain and Pink/ script). The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an intriguing, engaging reading challenging readers to suspend disbelief about a man born as an adult in his 70s and the narrative works backwards as he gets younger and younger while the people around him age.  Benjamin’s schooling, marriage, and business successes are described throughout in a life story that spans decades in a story told in less than 20 pages 

Note: There is a film version of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt. However, the screenplay only borrows from the premise of the Fitzgerald story and invents an entirely new life for this character. 

 

WHAT THE DORMOUSE SAID: Lessons for Grown-ups From Children’s Books by Amy Gash (ed)  / 1999

WHY? Believe in the World: Wisdom for Grown-ups from Children’s Books is a 2024 publication of quotations collected by Amy Gash and Elise Howard. This book provides references to some classics as well as some 21st Century titles.  What the Dormouse Said is a noteworthy prelude to this recent release of quotations.

This is a collection of inspirational quotations from children’s literature is organized under such headings as’ Faith and Courage, Imagination and Adventure, Practical Musings, Character and Individuality, Acceptance, Goodness and Silence. We met words of wisdom from such authors as William Steig, Antoine de Saint-Expuery, Aesop, Dr. Suess and Judy Blume. In the preface to the book, author Judy Blume writes that What the Dormouse Said “reminds us that we should never grow so old, or change so much, that we cannot find room in our hearts for the wisdom of children’s books.” (p. xii).

Samples

I hate being good. ~ Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers, 1934

Shirking responsibilities is teh curse of our modern life – the secret of all the unrest and discontent  that is seething in this world. ~ Anne’s House of Dreams, L.M. Montgomery, 1917

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. ~ The Little Prince, Antoine de  Saint-Exupery, 1943

 

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK by Nathan Englander, (Short Stories) /2012

WHY? In preparation for seeing the theatre production in London.

This  collection of eight short stories by award-winning author Nathan Englander isn’t that old (published in 2012)  and even thought I read it when it was first published I decided to re-visit the  book particularly for the title story. Two Jewish couples are meeting in the kitchen of the husband and wife who live in Florida. Lauren/ Shoshana and Mark are an orthodox couple visiting from Israel. This is a reunion of the two women who once went to a Yeshiva school and were best friends. This is a room with ‘four Jews bitching’ as they discuss religious convictions, being kosher, smoking pot, parenthood, and The Holocaust. What they talk about when they talk about Anne Frank is centred on a ‘game’  of who or who might not take the responsibility of taking a Jewish person into hiding. This was a clever and intriguing story of two marriages, four viewpoints and one provocative dilemma. 

 

THE YEARS by Annie Ernaux / 2008 / English Translation by Alison L. Strayer / 2017 / Memoir

WHY? In preparation for seeing the theatre production in London.

Seven Stories Press claimed that this autobiography that is ‘at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective.”

This hybrid memoir spans the years 1941-2006. by Nobel literature prize-winning author (2022), Anne Ernaux. She uses the pronoun ‘we’ instead of the expected ‘I’ of autobiography and when writings about her personal history from childhood, youth, and adulthood, she uses  the third person voice (i.e., she). Drawing on notes from six decades of diaries, the author takes a close-up look at French society just after the Second World War into the early 21st century by giving reference to personal photos, books, song titles, radio and television and movies. The author digs into such issues as consumerism, illegal abortion, a troubled marriage, her mother’s Alzheimer and experiences with cancer  in rather short passages.  The writing is fearless, critical and both personal and universal and certainly original. 

 

SHOUT OUT

HOW DO YOU LIVE? by Genzaburo Yoshino /1937 / 2021 (English Translation)

WHY? An intriguing review in the New York Times + book blurb “The Heartwarming Classic: over two million copies sold. This is a book for young adolescents who are coming to learn about their identies and their place in society as well as for adults of any age, who have come to wonder ‘What is a life well-lived?”

As we go through the journey life, most of us wonder: “What’s it all about, Alfie?” Some questions that frame this book: How do we live our lives as caring citizens of the world, How do we  pursue our dreams? How do we build  trusting  family and friend relationships? What does the class structure we are born into influence our views of the world? As young people move into adolescent hood they come to think about their identities, the ‘invisible knapsacks’ they carry. and their place in the world today and tomorrow?  Following the death of his father, a fifteen year old teenager named Copper encounters changes particularly in his education, his friendships, and in his insights into history (Napolean’s conquests), and science (Copernicus)  talent (making tofu, playing sports).  In a number of chapters we are told stories of Copper’s every day life but these chapters are  framed  with chapters that appear as journal entries from Copper’s uncle who shares advice wisdom, and raises questions for that help Copper consider what matters most. In a translator’s note we are told that Yoshino wanted to write an ethics textbook but turned to the novel format that containing lessons and messages about thinking for oneself. That the book was written in 1937, speaks to the universal quest to of being living a life “like a true human being.” In particular, I was knocked out by the strong lesson  to be learned about the question os standing up for others when encountering bullies and determining ‘What should you do: ‘What would you do?’.  Genzburo Yoshino has indeed accomplished his  goal  to have his character reflect on the question “How Do you Live?” and as readers, young and old connect to Copper’s story, they too will wonder .  ‘How Do You Live?’ and “How will you live?”  

As I write about this book I recognize what a philosophical marvel this is. Everyojne needs an uncle to help us sort out confusions and guide is into a path of well-being, belonging and kindness. With this book, Yoshino serves as an uncle to us all. How lucky we are to have this translation. I also look forward to seeing the film version by renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away; My Neighbor Totoro) 

Excerpt; (p, 275) Reminder this book was written 1in 1937

“I think there has to come a time when everyone in the world treats each other as if they were good friends. Since humanity has come so far, I think now we will definitely be able to make it to such a place. So I think I want to become a person who can help that happen. 

 

The picture books listed below (mostly 2024 titles) are highly recommended. There is a range of themes in the 13 picture books listed below. Some titles are funny. Some  titles touch the heart.  Each title has sensational art work. 

 

DAD, I MISS YOU by Nadia Sammurtok; illus. Simji Park

Picture books can offer readers so much in terms of enjoyment, information and feeling. Dad, I miss you is rather bleak as the story unfolds but it is one of the most powerful picture books I’ve recently come across a that present the harsh life of an Indigenous  child being sent to a residential school. The story is told is told in aturn by the voices of a boy who expresses his fears and confusion, and a father who’s monologue conveys his own fears and sadness as well as his hpes for a better future for his child. In its simplicity, it is strong story about connection and separation. The book is based on Inuit writer, Nadia Sammurtok’s family history of residential school separation.  The superb artwork  by Sumji Park clearly evokes the events and memories of father and child presented throughout.  Dad, I Miss You is a heart-rending book that needs to be shared, discussed and felt. 

I can’t do this anymore. I’m so hungry, Dad. I need you.

       We miss you a lot, but you’re learning to read in English and count numbers

       They said it would be better this way.

 

DON’T THINK OF TIGERS by Alex Latimer

The artist asserts that he can draw anything but he can’t draw tigers, and claims that there will not be a single tiger illustration in the book. Latimer demands that readers ‘Don’t Think of Tigers’ and or course the pages are filled with tiger art, comical, lively,  silly and imaginative depictions of this captivating jungle animal. An amusing read indeed!

I really, really can’t draw tigers, so 

whatever you do, please

DON’T THINK OF TIGERS!

DR. COLOR MONSTER: And the Emotions Toolkit by Anna Llenas

When feelings are difficult to work through, a visit with the Color Monster is sure to help deal with emotions. When a young girl has a weird, unpleasant feeling the Doctor tries to get to the root of the problem and with the help of his emotions toolskit, he helps the upset girl to calm down and regulate her emotions and help her feel better. A wonderful full-page spread of 27 meditative things that help bring positivity and happiness to help the girl – and readers – deal with weird feelings is worth the price of the book (e.g., sunbathing drawing a picture of how you feel, smelling scents that you like, moving your body, going out for fresh air, a hug). The colourful (of courser) art work is lively filling each page with delight. Dr. Color Monster is a wonderful prescription to help us name and validation our emotions.  Also by the author, The Color Monster, The Color Monster Pop-up book, The Color Monster  Board Book, and The Color Monster Goes to School. 

This is the emotions toolkit. Here we keep everything that helps us calm down and regulate our emotions to feel better. Should we open it and look inside?

I’M SO SORRY YOU GOT MAD by Kyle Lukoff; illus. Julie Kwon

Jack behaved badly by knocking over a classmate’s castle. The teacher is asking Jack to write an apology telling him to explain 1. What you did 2. That you are sorry. 3. How you’ll help fix it.  This book helps readers understand that there’s more to an apology than just saying, “I’m sorry” which is frustrating for Jack who thinks he isn’t at fault. The story is told entirely in hand-written notes, including several thrown-away writing drafts. . I’m So and Sorry You Got Mad is a terrific story with an important lesson about taking responsibility and taking the challenge of making amends that come from the heart.  

 

LIAM AND THE LETTERS / WALTER AND THE WORLD by Stephanie Simpson McLellan; illus. Mike Dias (chapter book) 

Two Tales of Twenty Six is two stories for early readers designed in a flip-book format.  Walter the mouse is out to conquer twenty-six cats in order to reach the outside world. Turning the book upside-down and back to front, readers will meet character in a parallel adventure of a young boy, who is learning to read by conquering the twenty-six letters of the alphabet and eventually come to read about Walter the mouse’s adventure.  This delightful book is one to read back and forth, forth and back, more than once. 

 

THE MOON’S JOURNEY by Beryl Young; illus. Sean Huang

Beryl Young describes a family’s journey as they travel across the ocean from Wales to a new home in Canada. The story is set in the 1950’s and is based on a true story that has been recorded in the Canadian Museum of Immigration of Pier 21 in Halifax. Readers travel with Faith who is nervous about the strange new place which will be called home. The night moon that watches over Faith and her family brings her friendship and good company and hope.  The Moon’s Journey is a worthy addition to stories about immigration and for many young readers an informative introduction to Pier 21, a gateway to Canada for one million immigrants.

Gareth said, “I have an idea. Tomorrow when we get to the dock, I’ll ask the captain to set up a towline between the ship’s funnel and the moon.” 

Faith looked up at him, “You mean the moon would come with us?”

“Of course, silly,” Garth said. 

 

PASTA PASTA LOTSA PASTA by Aimee Lucido; illus. Mavius Demirag

One by one, the relatives arrive each bringing a pasta dish to prepare for the family (Nonna Ana from Catania prepares lasagna;  Nonno Titi from Tahitii prepares spaghettini; Zio Tony from Shoshoni prepares ravioli; Zia Trini anf Houdini prepare rotini etc), Rhming stanzas delight as each dish is prepared. Tbis book is a yummy shout out to lotsa lotas pasta. 

Ring-a ding, the doorbell righs and oh!
What did my nonna bring?

Nonna Ana from Catania

only likes to eat lasagna.

Sift the flour, form a crater –

bye-bye eggshells see you later!

Add some basil just for flavor; 

stir and stir – we’re pasta makers. 

 

SOS WATER by Yayo

Any book that can help young readers think about climate change and their part in taking care of the environment is worth sharing.  This picture book tells the story of a sailor named Lalo and a goldfish named Rosa in search of a safe place in the world for Rosa to be safe. However, every place they visit from the North Pole to tropical jungles, from deserts to Paris is  is strewn with plastic bottles. The cover illustration is spectacular (Lolo rowing is rowing a boat in a sea of thousands of plastic bottles.  Simple text, humour, imagination and  a thoughtful message about recycling  and glorious illustrations (often comic like) help to make SOS Water  is a treasure of a picture book.  Thank you Yayo.

I dreamed I had magical powers to clean the world.

“What can I do? ” I asked the sea.

WHO’S WALKING DAWG? by Marie Prins; illus Leanne Franson

Dawg wants to go for a walk but his busy family ignores him and so Dawg takes matters into his own paws and wanders off into the neighbourhood.  Eventually the family members worry about the gone dog and go searching for, Dawg who (spoiler alert) returns home just in time for supper. This is an  amusing story with appealing, clear text matched by appealing, clear illustrations. 

He followed his nose past a cat by a car, a bunny in a bush, and a toad near the road…

 

WINDSONGS by Douglas Florian (poetry)

I think I each of Douglas Florian’s poetry collections that shine on the wonders of nature. I was pleased to get his newest release in this tribute to weather including Rain, Hurricane, Hail, Wind, Frost, Thunder, Tornado). Florian’s rhymes delight as well as help readers ponder the elements of weather, whether the weather be hot or weather be whether be cold.  I have always been a fan of Florian’s colourful, playful, poetic, art work, poems unto themselves. 

                from “Sun” 

                     The

              sun is the force,

       and the sun is the source

of whether it’s raining or sunny, of course.

 

YOU CHOOSE by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart 2003/2023

This is an entertaining interactive picture book that inspires ‘would you rather’ choices by asking readers to answer questions and choose from many illustrations to answer the question. For example,  “When you get hungry, what would you eat?” invites readers to examine a double page spread of about 75 brightly coloured food drawings (ice-cream sundae, tarts, waatermelon, cheeses, corn on the cob, spider and worm stew); “Is there a job you would like to do?” invites readers to examines 50 panels, each showing a different occupation (dentist, librarian, construction worker, pilot).  I love this book for this element of choice, problem solving and storying and for the possibility of visiting each spread again and again. (also: You Choose Your Dreams, You Choose in Space, You Choose Fairy Tales).  Fun! Fun! Fun!

 

SHOUT OUT

EYES OPEN by Susan Meiselas (nonfiction)

This art book is an awesome presentation of 23 Photography Projects for Curious Kids. Each project from around the world provides impetus that plant seeds for young photographers to pay attention and connect with the world as professional photographers do. Project titles include: Alphabetography, Neighbourhood, Personal Space, Strangers Meet, Generations, Parallel Lives, Imagined Landscapes accompanied with vivid photos to gaze upon and wonder.  Eyes Open is not just for young people. The book is designed to enhance the artistic self by thinking about”how to focus, frame, to see light, movement and emotions”  It is a marvel of a  collection inviting readers to open their eyes, notice and perhaps capture the wonders of people, places and things. (It is a terrific resource for art teachers helping to enrich visual literacy and media skills).

 

SHOUT OUT

A HAPPY PLACE by Britta Teckentrup

“Follow me, whispers the star, and I will help you find a happy place.”  And so begins  a child’s journey ‘into the deep blue night, past the sparkling river. / up the rolling hills. /into the moonlit woods.”  Star and child continue to  dance and sign in the light of the moon as they encounter and dance together with  a tippy-toed squirrel, a bushy tailed fox, a long-eared hare and other creatures of the night. Britta Teckentrip’s magical wonderous illustrations must have been created with the beams of the moonlight. What is especially staggering about this picture book is the construction of the pages with peek-through pages and cutaways to take children on a magical moonlight adventures. This is a marvel of a publication. A  book to be treasured and read again and. again. A five-star (and shining moon) gift of a book. WOW!

 

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FYI

The 2025 Caldecott winners for best illustrated book were announced on January 27.

Caldecott Medal; CHOOCH HELPED by Andrea L. Rogers, illus. Rebecca Lee Kunz

 

Caldecott Honor Titles include

HOME IN A LUNCHBOX by Cherry Mo

MY DADDY IS A COWBOY by Stephanie Seals; illus. C. G. Esperanza

NOODLES ON A. BICYCLE by Kyo Maclear; illus. Gracey Zhang

UP, UP, EVER UP by Anita Yasuda; illus. Yuko Shimizu

 

FYI… LARRY’s CHOICE… THE YELLOW SCHOOL BUS  by Loren Long

 

This posting provides a list of books, movies, theatre and music (listed alphabetically) that have brought me pleasure in 2024. I tried to keep each list to a clear 5 titles but I needed to push a little further at times. Yes, each of these suggestions is a favourite, but alas there were some favourites amongst favourites which I’ve designated with an asterisk (*).

 

PICTURE BOOKS

Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales by Catherine Cawthorne; illus. Sara Ogilvie

Dr. Color Monster and the Emotions Toolkit by Anna Llenas (also: The Color Monster)

The Ferris Wheel by Tulin Kozikoglu; illus; Huseyin Sonmezay *

My Heart is a Tree by Michael Morpurgo; illus. Yuval Zommer (anthology)

The Yellow School Bus by Loren Long *

PICTURE BOOKS: Canadian

Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok; illus. Simji Park

Do You Remember? by Sydney Smith

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol; illus, Todd Stewart

SOS Water by Yayo

Two Pieces of Chocolate by Kathy Kacer; illus. Gabrielle Grimard

When You Can Swim by Jack Wong *

FICTION: MIDDLE YEARS (ages 9-12)

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps *
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
Finally Heard by Kelly Yang
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Olivetti by Allie Millington
The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate
Tree Table Book by Lois Lowry *

FICTION:  (ages 12+)

Call Me Al by Wali Shah & Eric WaltersTig by Heather Smith

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

The Red Court by Matthew Hastie (YA)

Tig by Heather Smith

When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman

BOOKS: GROWN-UPS

How Sondheim Can Change Your Life by Richard Schoch (nonfiction)
James by Percival Everett *
Long Island by Colm Toibin *
The Little Big Things by Henry Fraser (nonfiction)
The Little Liar by Mitch Albom
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

MOVIES

A Real Pain *
All of Us Strangers *
Conclave
The Great Escaper`
The Outrun
September 5
The Wild Robot (animated)
Will & Harper (documentary)

MOVIES INTERNATIONAL

Flow (animated) / Latvia
The Green Border / Poland, Czech Republic, France, Belgium
Io Capitano / Italy, Belgium, France
Perfect Days / Japan, Germany *
The Teachers’ Lounge / Germany

THEATRE: Toronto

Age is A Feeling
Big Stuff *
Dana H *
Home
La Bete
Playing Shylock *
The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes
Titanique
Wonderful Joe

THEATRE: Outside of Toronto

My Fair Lady (Shaw)
One Man, Two Guvnors (Shaw)
Salesman in China (Stratford)
Something Rotten (Stratford)
Stereophonic (New York)

MUSICALS: New York & London

Hello Dolly / London
Cats: The Jellicle Ball / New York *
Operation Mincemeat / London
Pacific Overtures / London *
Standing at the Sky’s Edge / London
Sunset Boulevard / New York

SHOUT OUT’s

Jon Batiste:  Beethoven Blues (CD)

Maev Beaty starring in My Name is Lucy Barton (theatre)

John Boyne (Water, Earth, Fire) * (novella)

Kate Di Camillo: The Hotel Balzaar (novella)

Cecile Mclorin Salvant / Meridian Hall (concert)

Jon Batiste / Massey Hall (concert)

Oh Mary / New York * (theatre)

Ripley / streaming (Netflix series) 

Vanya / starring Andrew Scott (NT Live)

This posting highlights some recent picture book publications that amused, informed and provided warm food for thought about being true to ourselves. 

 

BEING HOME by Traci Sorell; illus. Michaela  Goade

Illustrator, Michaela Goade came to my attention when she one the Caldecott Price for her book We Are Water Protectors for her staggering art work. I have since been drawn to her other illustrated picture books (Remember by Joy Harjo and Berry Song). Author Traci Sorell is an enrolled Cherokee Nation Citizen who is highly recognized for her fiction and nonfiction publications (We Are Greateful, We Are Still Here). Goade and Sorell worked together to create another picture book treasure, the story of a young Cherokee girl who says goodbye to the urban home she has known her whole life and now looks forward to living and clerating with her Native family in her new home.  Readers are taken on a road trip with mother and daughter and are welcomed by her not-now faraway family “close enough to gather, eat, laugh, dance and share. This is a wonderful wonderful book of heart and home.

 

INTO THE UNCUT GRASS by Trevor Noah

Tired of following rules doing exactly what his mother says i.e., brush your teeth so our breath smells clean , make your bed even though it doesn’t want to be made), a young boy decides to venture out on his own to make his dreams come true and o learn about the world beyond home. He is accompanied by his bear friend, Walter and encounter a wise gnome, a pair of agreeable snails a windstorm, and a merry group of dancing coins. In the end the journey helps the boy discover the importance of finding peace with the people we love. Comedian Trevor Noah (author of the book Born a Crime) tells an engaging story about friendship, compromise and connections. This is a perfect read aloud one on one, or with a group of primary children gathering at the feet of their storytelling teacher.  Trevor Noah dedicates the book to the ‘imagination that lives in all of us’ and in a forward to Into the Uncut Grass he writes, “Imagining has been one of my greatest joys. It’s the one thing we can do, no matter where we’re from or who we are. It allows us to explore worlds we’ve never seen and live as people we’ve never been.”  This recent publication with whimsical illustrations by Sabina Hahn, is a testimony to childhood independence, to dreams, to imagination and to a place called home.

 

KISS ME! (I’m a Prince!) by Heather McLeod; illus. Brooke Kerrigan

The opening sentence of this picture book reads, “If you kiss me, I’ll turn into a prince.” Young Ella decides not to obey the frog’s wishes, even though her promises her a princess. Ella learns that life in a castle isn’t all that appealing (prince and princesses study all day, they don’t play, and they have to wear clothes that don’t get dirty. Ella says that she’d rather have a talking frog than live in a castle. When frog arrives at Ellas’ house, he discovers that he is now having more fun than castle life ever allowed him. Life is good, until a royal courtier comes to take the frog prince back to where he belongs! Kiss Me! is an amusing twist on a familiar fairy tale.

 

STEP INTO MY SHOES by Alkisti Halikia: illus. Fotini Tikkou (2019/ 2024)

When we say that we ‘step into the shoes of others’ we are working towards empathetic understanding as we consider diversity and equity learning. This picture book takes the expression literally as a young girl named Matou tries on shoes that she finds outside  mosque she passes on her way from school. Curiosity leads Matou to imagine the lives of the shoe-wearers might lead. This  thought-provoking storyhas been translated from the Greek (2019) and gently invites young readers to think about ‘otherness’. Lovely!

 

TONBO by Allen Say

While taking a morning walk,  an elderly man is starttled by the appearance of a paper airplane (Tombo) that flies over his head. The man decides to follow the plane which takes him to familiar places and encounter familiar people from his past.  On each page, the man is getting younger and younger until he returns to the present. Allen Say takes readers on a lyrical, memory journey through important events in a person’s life  – his own life. As expected, Allen Say’s wonderful impressionistic illustrations capture moments of z story, enlighten character and stir emotion. Beautiful!

 

WHEN YOU FIND THE RIGHT ROCK by Mary Lyn Ray; illus. Felicita Sala

One of my favourite poems that I shared with many students is David McCords “This is my Rock” (This is my rock/ And here I run/ to steal the secret of the sun). I was so pleased to discover this new picture book that celebrates the of rocks, large and small whether they are ‘best for the inside of mountains’ or be the most important becausse it ‘fits in your hand exactly.  I celebrate books that make the ordinary seem extraordinary. When You Find the Right Rock is a treasure of a nonfiction title that invites readers to pay attention, to reflect upon, connect to and collect rocks that are be waiting for them to discover. 

 

ZOOM IN ON ZOMBIES by Kari-Lynn Winters and Catherina Rodina

This informative nonfiction titles provides readers with everything you wanted to know about Zombies – and more. Such topics as natural habitats, zombie-like traits, how creatures become zombifies and zombie allies are sure to fascinate. An abundance of facts  stories, jokes and experiments and photographs make this an appealing read for those curious about the life (and death) of the Zombie world.

 

SHOUT OUT

SKATING WILD ON AN INLAND SEA by Jean E. Pendziwol; illus. Stewart (2023)

Two children wake up to the winter song sung by Lake Superior. They venture out into the cold and encounter tracks set by fox, deer, hair, mink, otter and wolf. Ravens croak, a blue jay scolds  before lacing up their skares and venture off to the surface of theice where the voice of Lake Superior vibrates beneath their feet and “hums a haunted meoldy, the song of water, held captive by winter, mysterious magical music as old as teh earth, rising up from her depths, echoing up and up”.  This is a staggering picture book achievement, a hybrid of lyrical poetic writing, narrative, and informational text. The art work by printmaker Todd Stewart is the best of the best of recent picture book illustrations. Skating Wild on an Inland Sea  is the perfect marriage of words and visuals. Staggering.  Winner of the 2024 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.

 

 

SPOTLIGHT ON TD BOOK GIVEAWAY

Each year, The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) has organize a giveay to deliver Canadian ppicgutre books toevery grade 1 student in Canada. More than 12 milion books have been distrubuted to Ganadian children since it’s inception in 2000. This year’s TD book Giveaway is VIOLET SHRINK by Christine Baldacchinio; illusrated by Carmen Mok (2020). 

Violet Shrink is a story about understanding and acceptance. Violet has natural introversion and social anxiety and doesn’t like gatherings … but her whole family loves to always have people over. As the big family reunion approaches, Violet has to work up the courage to talk to her dad and come up with a solution to make the loud and boisterous day work for her as well.  

 

 

SHOUT OUT

PLUMLEAF PRESS is dedicated to producing books to entertain and inform young readers, offering books to celebrate the wonders of nature as well as  the diverse of our identities and interests. The following six 2024 titles serve as examples of the well-crafted, quality  publications created by this special Canadian publishing house. 

 

ANNE OF THE LIBRARY-ON-THE-HILL by Catherine Little; illus. Sae Kimura

Anyone who has felt themselves lost in a book will identify with Anne, a young girl who finds comfort when visiting her neighbourhood library.  Anne’s favourite book hero is Anne of Anne of Green Gables. Imagine Anne’s  excitement when she learns that the beloved author, Lucy Maud Montgomery will be visiting her town Catherine Little’s wonderful story is written in celebration of L.M , Montgomery’s 150th birthday (born on November 30, 1874 and died on April 24,1942).   This book is a special shout out to an iconic fictional hero as well as a strong shout ot to book lovers everywhere. Hooray for Catherine Little!. Hooray for L.M.Montgomery. Hooray for Anne – and Anne!

BEA’S PAPER IMAGINARIUM by Rachael Spears

Some artists are very particular about the materials they work with. Bea, a young artist, only wants to work with pristine paper, When her supply of clean paper is depleted,her creative spirit seems to have left her.  One day, however, the young girl discovers possibilities in other media and ‘her mind began to buzz with ideas, whir with excitement and spin with possibilitie’ as she worked on collages made from a variety of materials. . Hats off to Bea for helping readers thing about imagination and creativity and the art of being an artist!

THE COMFORT TREE by Holly Carr

A number of forest animals find comfort around magnificent  oak tree that stands deep in the forest. Throughout the four seasons, each animal (e.g. Raven, Fox, Squirrel, Bear, Blue Jay) finds a special kind of solace and comfort amidst the tall tree. In the later part of the book,  the animals can be heard calling good night to each other from the boughs of the tree giving each other company and comfort.  Holly Carr’s text is spare and succinct each of the animals’ actions. Her staggering silk paintings with vivid jewel-like colours  and patterns gloriously fill each spread. The Comfort Tree is a rich contribution to books on positive mental health; beautiful told story centred on healing and community. The story acknowledges that this picture book was created from the spirit of “The Portapique Story Trails Project” and was written for the community of Portapique, Nova Scotia.

JACINTA’S ORDERLY WORLD by Margaret Sullivan; illus. Scot Ritchie

For Jacinta, all her belongings need to be placed ‘just right’ in the right place. Her vbooks and toys, her  seashell collection and the pairs of socks she owned were each organized into a special place. Jacinta liked to be in control of things but the world doesn’t always work to accommodate her wishes. During an outing with her father to the local car mechanic, Jacinta sees a rainbow hidden in an overturned oil can and discovers that what  first appears to be chaotic can be beautiful. Jacinta’s understanding of how some things in the world may seem messy – and beyond our control.  Knowing that nothing is perfect, I think Jacinta would be good friends with Bea in Bea’s Paper Imaginarium since each of these characters discover possibilities and wonders of things that may be beyond our expectations.

SOCCER SCARIES by Sunshine Punzulan; illus, Mike Deas

Being part of a sports team is so very important to boys and girls young and old. By participating in a competitive sport, children are provided a signficant medium for physical, social and emotional development.  Students attitudes towards winning or losing are may be dependent on their upbringing or be influenced by their teammates. Anxieties may be part of playing in a sport. For sound mental health, it is important for children to talk about their fears and learn to accept both setbacks and victories. In Soccer Scaries, Sunshine Punzulan tells a story about the pressure a young boy feels when being faced with the important soccer game against the Warriors. Being the goalie is a big responsibility for Brandon, a responsibility that brings worry and a queasy stomach. The book puts readers inside the action of the sport as they cheer Brendan and his teammates through the ups and downs of a championship soccer game.,

A SONG FOR THE PAPER CHILDREN by Christopher Tse (poem)

This picture book presents a published version the poem written to commemorate the centenary of the Chinese Exclusion Act.  It was performed by poet Christopher Tse in the Senate of Canada on June 23, 2023. The poem is a tribute to Chinese immigrants, some of whom arrived in Canada after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed to harshly restrict their entry. The ‘paper children’ were courageous men and women who endured legislated racism, financial hardship. and acts of violence and discrimination, It is also a tribute to the vibrant, resilient Chinese Canadian community who continue to contribute significantly our nation.  Visually, the words and illustrations  are mostly presented in black, white and red. Archived  photographs are spread throughout to accompany the text. This picture book for older readers is a remarkable artifact of poem, and historical account,  as picture book.children si

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 THE BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, 2024, New York Times, Sunday Novvember 10, 2024

 

 > ANIMAL ALBUMS FROM A TO Z by Cece Bell

> AS EDWARD IMAGINED: A Story Of Edward Gorey in Three Acts by Matthew Burgess; illus. Mark Majewsk

> THE CAT WAY by Sara Lundberg

 > HERE AND THERE by Thea Lu

> LITTLE SHREW by  Akiko Miyakoshi

> THE MAN WHO DIDN’T LIKE ANIMALS by Deborah Underwood; illus. LeUyen Pham

> PLANTING HOPE: A portrait of photographer Sebastido Salgado by Philip Hoelzel; illus. Renato Alarcao

>THERE’S A GHOST IN THE GARDEN by Kyo Maclear; illus. Katty Maurey

> UP,UP EVERY UP: Junko Tabsi; A Life in the Mountains by Anita Yasuda; illus Yuko Shimizu

> YAYA AND THE SEA by Karen Good Marable; illus. Tony Engel

 

 

 

 

Most of the titles listed in this posting have been published within the past year. As it happens, each of these books have been nominated for a book award, or in fact was honoured with a book prize. As I’ve often said, a great award doesn’t necessarily make it a great read. That being said, 3 of these titles will be on Larry’s list of favourite grown up reads on my end-of the year list.  Mention of three award -winning books for young people is also featured below. 

 

DUCKS: Two Years on the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (2022)

In 2005, Kate Beaton graduated from university and was determined to pay off her student loan as quickly as possible. She left her seaside home in Cape Breton and like many East coasters, she headed out to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush.  For two years, Beaton brvely committed herself to life in the oil sands where she experienced isolation, despair, loneliness,  and  trauma. She dedicated her job working as a tool crib attendant in a number of camps and in the city of Fort McMurray in Northern Alberta.  Ducks is presented in graphic format, with monochromatic black, white and gray panels that expose the bleak environment, the strained relationships and  the harm done to the environment (including dying of hundreds of ducks). as well as uncovering  truths about Indigenous rights.  Most graphic pages are filled with speech bubble dialogue but stark interior and  landscape images that appear throughout capture the setting of this bleak life (I would have liked to have had some narrative captions included to help clarify time and place of events of Beaton’s experiences Overriding this saga, is Kate’s life living in a man’s world wh ere misogyny, harassment and rape abound.  Ducks is a harrowing account of the artist’s life between 2005 and 2008.  It is a story of perseverance, mental health. As outlined in the Afterword Beaton’s document  “the humanity of camp workers is often lost in the popular image we have constructed about what goes on there and why.” (Afterword). In 2023, Ducks was declared the winner of the Canada Reads. It wa also won the 2023 Eisner Awards for best writer of comics as well as the 2024Swiss-based Jan Michalski Prize for Literature

 

HELD by Anne Michaels

I did not enjoy this book. Too challenging. Too poetic. Too confusing. Too obscure. To elliptical. A fine writer, Anne Michaels is, but not for me.  Winner of the Giller Prize 2024. So what!

Excerpt

“We think of history as moments of upheaval when forces converge, teh sudden upthrust of the ground we’re standing on, catastrophe. But sometimes history is simply detritus: middle mounds, ghost nets, panoramic beaches of plastic sand. Sometimes both: a continental convergence of stories unfolding too quickly or to gradually to follow; sometimes too intimate to know.” (p. 216)

 

ORBITAL by Samantha Harvey

Orbital is a day in the lives of six women and six men travelling through space at a speed of over seventeen thousand miles an hour as the earth reels below.  How did the author do her  mammoth research to accurately depict the life of a space mission, without having joined on such a mission herself? How does her imagination to take readers on an ‘out of this world experience’ that the magical wonders of our environment and our planet intertwined with the philosophical musings of humanity.  The opening pages of the novel offer rapturous reviews for this short novel (207) page novel : “meditative”, “timely hymn to life on earth”, “ecstatic voyage” “soulful and haunting”, “radiant”, “profound” “dizzying” ,”remarkable”, ‘extraordinary”.  This is an extraordinary achievement of brilliant, poetic writing where I found myself slowing down and re-reading gorgeously written passages.  Orbital is a marvelous achievement that I can’t say was as ecstatic an experience that other readers have had. The book did indeed inspire meditational thoughts about Earth. Technical descriptions and the in-depth look at the mission of astronauts  intrigued me, but didn’t always interest me. For readers who are intrigued with what life travelling in space might be like, Orbital is a gem of a reading experience. Winner of the Booker Prize 2024. (Had I been on the Booker ocommittee and I would have voted for James by Percival Everett (see below) Just sayin’.

Excerpt (page 155)

“And yet, if he were offered a trip home today no way would he take it, and when the time comes to go in several months, he won’t wish to. An intoxication; the heigh-sick homesick drug of space. The simultaneous not wanting to be here adn always wanting to be here, the heart scraped hollow with craving, which is not emptiness in the least, more the knowledge of how fillable he is. The sights from orbit do this; they make a billowing kite out of you, given shape and loftiness by all that you aren’t.”

 

RAISING HARE by Chloe Dalton (Nonfiction)

During the pandemic lockdown, author Chloe Dalton leaves the city and returns to her chidhood home in the countryside where she encounters a newly born hare and becomes its faithful custodian. This book chronicles the journey of the relationship of human and animal. The story documents the challenges of providing safety and survival, nourishment and trust of an animal rescued from the wild. Chloe Dalton presents the story with exquisite writing about the natural world (I was reminded of the book H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald ). Her knowledge, through inquiry, of the life of a leveret is astounding. Her primary research method as she sensitively observes and questions the life of her visitor is a exceptional.  A fascinating memoir. Raising Hare is shortlisted for Waterstone’s book of the year, 2024.

Excerpt

“As the earth’s winter palette gave way to the lush green growth of spring, and the strenghtening sun dried out the land, deepening shadow and creating sharper contrasts, the leveret’s colouring shifted. Its fur lost its dark chocolate hue, until its paws, flanks and chest were the colour of spilt cream and only the fur on its back and ears still recalled its newborn pelt.” (pages 45-46)

 

SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan (2021) / novella

I decided to re-read this novella (110 pages) after seeing the wonderful small movie starring Cillian (Oppenheimer) Murphy.  The film beautifully captured the soul of Keegan’s book, portraying time and character with heart.  In an Irish town, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant is kept busy during the weeks leading up to Christmas. He dutifully makes his deliveries and strives to make ends meet to keep his dutiful wife, Eileen,  and  his five daughters  as comfortable as he can afford. It is a story of community. It is a story of the past memories rising up to haunt the hardworking man.  Filtered throughout the narrative, is the history of a small community controlled by the Church. In a note on the text, the author gives a short history of the Magdalen laundries where many girls and young women lost their babies. Some lost their lives. Brilliantly,  Small Things Like These encapsulates the history of Catholic institutions through the story of one young girl who was locked up in the coal room.  Keegan’s writing is precise in the telling, description and straight=to the-heart capturing of emotions.  This book was the winner of the2022 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and was a finalist for the Booker Prize, This was the title recently chosen for the New York Times Book Review Book Club as well as Oprah Winfrey’s 109th book club choice (December 2024). 

Excerpt

“… he found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what ws there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?” (p. 108)

 

TELL ME EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Strout

Tell Me Everything reacquaints readers with characters we’ve met in earlier novels. Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge and Bob Burgess’s intertwine as Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine. Lucy is invited to sit with Olive living in a retirement community and tell stories about people they have known. It is these stories that imbues their ‘unrecorded lives’ with meaning. Lawyer Bob Burgess (married) and Lucy (divorced) enjoy a strong friendship where they feel they can tell each other anything.  Adding to the plot, a sad sack of a man, is accused of killing his mother.  Bob Burgess becomes involved with the unfolding murder investigation. Elizabeth Strout’s book Olive Kitteridge was a Pulitzer Prize winner (2009). I loved that book. Elizabeth Strout is a storyteller extraordinaire illuminating the heart and soul of her characters, shining a light on universal themes.  She first introduced readers to Lucy Barton in a hospital room in the novel My Name is Lucy Barton (2016), and this engaging character was central subsequent publications, Oh William! (2021), Lucy by The Sea (2022)   I loved meeting the cast of Strout’s fictional characters once again. In the end, the many stories add up to have readers consider “What does anyone’s life mean?” and dig deeply into the notion that “Love comes in so many different forms, but is always love.” Oh, Elizabeth, I love your books.  Always ‘winners’ with me!

 

Excerpt (p. 224)

Lucy Barton, the stories you told me -as far as I could tell – had very little point to them. Okay, okay, maybe they had subtle points to them. I don’t know what the point is to the story!”

“People,” Lucy said quietly, leaning back. “People and the lives they lead. That’s the point.”

“Exactly,” Olive nodded. 

 

SHOUT OUT!
 
JAMES by Percival Everett

I don’t remember reading Mark Twain’s classic book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)and was somewhat hestitent to dig into reading Percival Everett’s new novel, a re-imagining of Twain’s book told from the perspective of the slave Jim who accompanied Huckleberry Finn on his journey down the Mississippi. Accolades for Everett’s book lured me into picking up his novel. I’m oh-so-glad I did. It’s a brilliant piece of writing and for sure, one of the best novels of 2024.   Nigger Jim –  now James – escapes being sold as a slave which would force him to be separated from his wife and daughter forever. James joins Huck who has faked his own death to escape from his violent father. Readers join James and Huck on their harrowing raft journey down the Mississippi River each hoping to reach the promise of a Free State.  Everett creates a clever device by having James expertly read and write English (better than his enslavers)  but using Black dialect ‘slave talk’ to hide his literacy when encountering white folks. I rooted for James all along the way as he and Huck encounter  harrowing events on their joureney.   I am keen to read Twain’s novel. And I know I will re-read (or perhaps listen to) Percival Everett’s knockout of a novel once again. It’s an enlightening – and funny – fictional masterpiece. 

James was awarded the Kirkus Prize for fiction as well as the National Book Award for fiction in 2024.  It was recently announce as the winner of the Barnes & Noble book of the year. This title was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.

Excerpt (page 99)

“Get on the raft, boy,” I said.

We climbed aboard and pushed off into the flow.

“Jim,” Huck siad.

“What?

“Why are you talking so funny?”

“Whatchu be meanin’?” I was panickking inside.

“You were talking – I don’t know – you don’t sound like no slave.”

“How do a slave sound?”

He stared at me.

“I only knows one way to talk, Huck, Naw you got me scared. What you mean, I sounds funny?”

“You don’t now, but I could’ve sworn you did.”

“How ’bout naw, Huck? Ho does I sound naw?

“You sound okay now.”

“Lawdy, that’s good.”

Huck cut me another suspicious look. 

 

SHOUT OUT!

LONG ISLAND by Colm Toibin 

Irish author, Colm Toibin wrote the novel Brooklyn, published in 2009, where we first meet Eilis Lacey a young Irish girl who emigrates to New York hoping to find a new life for herself. At first, she is very homesick, but she soon comes to make friends and settles in to her being a clerk at a classy department store. She falls in love with a handsome Italian plumber named Tony and they decide to secretly get married. The death of Eilis’s sister has her to return to Ireland where once again she falls in love with a man named Jim. She keeps the secret of her marriage to herself and in the end abruptly returns to Brooklyn. The movie version of this story stars the beautiful Saiorse Ronan who gives a terrific performance. A great love story indeed. Pass the Kleenex.

In the recent publication of the novel Long Island, a sequel to Brooklyn, twenty years have passed in Eilis’s life. She is a mother to teenagers Larry and and although she seems to be rather settled into her marriage to Tony and accepts the the community of Italian in-laws who live in neighbouring houses. We learn right away that Tony has impregnated another woman and her husband threatens to leave the child on Tony’s doorstep when it is born. Eilis will have nothing to do with this and so she returns to Enniscorthy to stay with her mother who will be celebrating her 80th birthday. She is reunited with Jim and lo and behold they once again fall in love and keep this a secret.  Jim has another secret. He is engaged to Nancy, a widow, who was once a good friend to Eilis.  Will Jim cancel his engagement to Nancy. Will Eilis stay in Ireland? Will Jim follow Eilis if she returns to Long Island. A great love story indeed and Toibin adeptly puts readers inside the hearts and minds of each character.  I’d say we become part of the community and partake in visits to the fish and chip restaurant,  visits Jim’s pub, visits to the seaside,   being a guest at wedding, and secret ventures down dark streets and  hotel rooms.  I loved this book because of Toibin’s brilliant narrative and authentic dialogue invites us to care about the characters. The reading was quick paced (especially the last 50 pages). It is not essential to have read Brooklyn beforehand but those who venture into Long Island will have an unforgettable read about marriage, family, loyalty, betrayal, secrecy living inside a story of leaving behind and moving forward.  More Eilis, please. A five star read  Long Island was recently honoured as the “Irish book of the Year” by Waterstones book store. 

 

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SHOUT OUT

Award-Winning Books: Children’s Literature

 CRASH LANDING by Li Charmaine Anne

Jay Wong is entering her final year of high  school. Throughout the novel, we enter Jay’s world of skateboarding (The world of skateboarding is a highlight of this story), her talent for creating remarkable videos, her battles with her mother who has high expectations for her, her lies to her parent as she schemes to join her friends,  and her of her lesbian sexuality. Problematic, too, are Jay’s dreams and concerns  about the future and whether to enter university or not.  When she meets up with Ash,  an independent, talented skateboard, the friendship opens up doors for Jay’s truths about herself as well as the dreams she has for living an independent life. (“It’s like my coordinates have changed in the past few weeks. I’m not where I used to be and my destination is shifted.” (page230)  Li Charmaine Anne has done a fine job of capturing the  life and sexual identity of an Asian teenager, of the relationships (and partying) of senior  high school students and the the stress of meeting family visi0ns. Many teenagers will identify with the authentic experiences that the author presents through a compelling narrative and engaging characters. This novel is the winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People.

 

KAREEM BETWEEN by Shifa Saltagi Safadi (Verse Novel)

Life in grade seven can be challenging. For Kareem, he feels that he is caught in the middle as a Syrian American boy who dreams of being a star football player. Austin is a racist bully (he calls Syrian citizens (cereals) who traps Kareem into doing his homework. Kareem is also voluntold to  host to a Fadi, new Syrian refugee with an embarrassing accent but does not provide him with the friendship that the boy needs.  When Kareen’s mother returns to Syria to help her family, things get chaotic in Kareem’s life and for Muslim U.S. citizens who are under threat of the  exec utive order to  banMuslims  in 2017.  Safadi tells an important, compelling story in verse about a Muslim boy who is stuck between his Syrian American Syrian identity,  stuck between friends and family and  stuck between what is right and wrong.  This novel is the National Book Award Winner for Young People’s Literature, 2024.

 

SHOUT OUT / A picture book

SKATING WILD ON AN INLAND SEA by Jean E. Pendziwol; illus. Stewart (2023)

Two children wake up to the winter song sung by Lake Superior. They venture out into the cold and encounter tracks set by fox, deer, hair, mink, otter and wolf. Ravens croak, a blue jay scolds  before lacing up their skares and venture off to the surface of theice where the voice of Lake Superior vibrates beneath their feet and “hums a haunted meoldy, the song of water, held captive by winter, mysterious magical music as old as teh earth, rising up from her depths, echoing up and up”.  This is a staggering picture book achievement, a hybrid of lyrical poetic writing, narrative, and informational text. The art work by printmaker Todd Stewart is the best of the best of recent picture book illustrations. Skating Wild on an Inland Sea  is the perfect marriage of words and visuals. Staggering.  Winner of the 2024 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.

 

 

 

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My book Teaching Tough Topics: How do i use children’s literature go build a deeper understanding of social justice, diversity and equity was published. This resource provided a guide to choose and use the best picture books, novels, poetry and nonfiction in the classroom to address sensitive but significant topics in the classroom. A feature that closes each of the ten chapters highlights ‘Great Books for Tough Topics’.

In the past few years, there have been many new releases that I have recommended in Dr. Larry Recommends postings. Should the book go into another reprint, I would be keen to add some additional suggestions for each of the ten topics. In the meantime, I think I need to prepare an updated booklist of books published in 2020-2024. I will do that. I am always on a mission to discover new titles that deal with culture, identity and diversity. This posting highlights twenty new  titles, each addressing a tough topic presented in my book.

 

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RACE AND DIVERSE CULTURES

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THE GO-BETWEEN by Jennifer Murano

Jennifer Murano has drawn from the stories of Eiko Kitagawa Murano. the author’s mother-in-law to tell an engaging story of a young Japanese girl living in Vancouver in the 1920’s. When her sister, a talented dressmaker, is giving the opportunity to attend summer school, twelve-year-0ld Sumi is giving the responsibility of helping out with the household duties at a Doctor’s home.  Sumi is not treated with respect by the housekeeper and others in the community and encounters racism that make the experience uncomfortable for her.  When she is aked to support striking workers at the local factory, Sumi becomes a go-between that shows courage and strength of character. The novel unfolds in episodic events (e..g, afternoon musical recitals, going fishing, battling a storm) that help to make this an appealing account of a smart young Japanese girl’s attempt to fit into a community and to hang on to dreams of a better life. 

KAREEM BETWEEN by Shifa Saltagi Safadi (Verse Novel)

Life in grade seven can be challenging. For Kareem, he feels that he is caught in the middle as a Syrian American boy who dreams of being a star football player. Austin is a racist bully (he calls Syrian citizens (cereals) who traps Kareem into doing his homework. Kareem is also voluntold to  host to a Fadi, new Syrian refugee with an embarrassing accent but does not provide him with the friendship that the boy needs.  When Kareen’s mother returns to Syria to help her family, things get chaotic in Kareem’s life and for Muslim U.S. citizens who are under threat of the  exec utive order to  banMuslims  in 2017.  Safadi tells an important, compelling story in verse about a Muslim boy who is stuck between his Syrian American Syrian identity,  stuck between friends and family and  stuck between what is right and wrong. 

 

THE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE EXPERIENCE

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ON THE BLOCK: Stories of Home edited by Ellen Oh (short stories)

The setting of this story is the Entrada apartment building where residents of varied cultures reside. On the Block is a collection of 12 stories by 12 diverse authors. Each story is centred on a middle-age boy or girl, each with an adventure (e.g., collecting popsicle sticks to enter a bridge- building contest, rescuing a dog, playing with action figures, a girl learning the lion dance, first-an encounter with a ghost,  and first-love infatuation).  Ellen oh has done a fine job of helping to interconnect  the lives of the multi-generational families. . Each story is about 15 pages or less and together offer a mosaic of relatable characters whose everyday adventures and  dreams will appeal to a wide range of young tweenagers.  Not sure why the authors’ names do not accompany the selections (listed in copyright page). Although we do get to meet characters from 12 different cultures, it wasn’t always explicit what their identities were (food plays an important part in most stories) and  I felt the immigration narrativs could have used a bit more development  in each tale. Ellen Oh is the founding member of We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in children’s literature. Bravo! Other We Need Diverse Book anthologies include Flying Lessons and Hero Next Door. 

THE OTHER SIDE OF TOMORROW by Tina Cho; art by deb jj lee (ages 10+)

What a special book this is. It is a graphic novel. It is historical fiction. The text is present in free verse poetic style. The book is told in short chapters with alternating voices of the two central characters. The refugee theme is gripping! This is the story of two young people from North Korea who have chosen to escape the bleak future they face. Yunho hopes to reunite with his omma who snuck across the border into China and Myunghee, an orphan has big dreams, even though the threat of the regime overpowers her.  By chance, Yunho and Myunghee  meet up with each other and their fates are intertwined and their heroic efforts conquer harrowing odds (corrupt soldiers, jungle snakes, imprisonment.  This powerful refugee story, set in 2013,  brings the history of North Koreans who escaped to South Korea with the secret help of the Asian Underground Railroad. This is a story of Courage with a capital “C” a”. The stunning artwork by deb jj lee enlightens the narrative with clarity but also provides  poetic representation of events and setting and character’s thoughts. The Other Side of Tomorrow is an extraodinary account of resilience and survival. 

 

INDIGENOUS IDENTIES

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RED BIRD DANCED by Dawn Quigley / Verse Novel

This is a verse novel, presented in alternating voices of a girl named Ariel, passionate about ballet dancing, and her neighbour Tomah, a struggling reader who seems to get by by making others laugh. The two friends live in the city’s Intertribal Housing Complex  When Ariel’s Auntie goes missing, Ariel’s dancing suffers and she strives to keep the memory of her missing aunt alive. (“Dancing is how i connect my body and soul to the earth”. Ariel and Tomah carry each other through their sadnesses and struggles. Dawn Quigley, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe does a brilliant job of unpacking the trials and tribulations of urban Native kids and their connections with those who came before them and their resilience even when bad things go on outside the front door in the city. Quigley masterfully uses the free verse form to illuminate the emotions and stories of two Native citizens. Readers are given insights into the Native culture (e.g. Jingle dancing) but  especially come to understand the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MM1W) through aunt Binieshinh’s story.Impressive too is the description of bird life that serves as a metaphor for the character’s world views.  This book deserves awards. 

WE STILL BELONG by Christine Day

Seventh grade student, Wesley Wilder , a talented gamer, is one of only 2% students listed as Native in her school. this story mostly takes place over one day when two things preoccupy Wesley’s mind: 1. Her poem about Indigenous Peoples Day will be printed in the school newspaper and 2. she is about to ask her crush, golden boy Ryan,  to go with her to the school dance. Spoiler: Things don’t go all that well according to Wesley’s expectations.  Christine Day tells an appealing, relatable story about tweenage relationships as well as unpacking the stress that many students this age experience. Filtered throughout the novel, are elements of Wesley’s Native culture. Family is very important to her. I enjoyed reading this novel but would have preferred to have a deeper look into blood quantum laws* and perhaps an extended narrative of the fact that Indigenous People’s Day was not honoured in Wesley’s school offering the potential to discuss activism.  Attending an  powwow event provides a good opportunity to inform readers of an important Native practice. The author is a member of the Upper Skaggit Tribe in the Pacific Northwest, We Still Belong is a title of the We Need Diverse Books initiative that aspires to have where every child see themselves in the pages of a book. (Other titles by Christine Day include I Can Make This Promise and The Sea in WInter. Any book with the word BELONG in the title is worth paying attention to. 

*Blood Quantum laws are those laws in the U.S. that define Native American status by fractions of Native American ancestry. These laws vary from tribe to tribe

 

THE HOLOCAUST

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BY CHANCE ALONE: A remarkable true story of courage and survival at Auschwitz by Max Eisen with Kathy Kacer / The Young Readers’ Edition / Biography

in the spring of 1944, 15 year old, Tibor “Max” Eisen, along with his family members, were loaded onto crowded cattle cars bound for Auschwitz-Berkenau. Max was the only one of his family to survive the selection process but was forced to endure back-breaking slave labour and the infamous Death March in January 1945. Max’s survival was dependent on ruthless resilience and hope by chance alone. The details of the brutality and suffering that Max Eisen endured are heart-wrenching and oh-so-hard to believe. But survive he did and in 1949 Max arrived at Quebec City en route Toronto where he married, raised a family and enjoyed a safe life.

Max Eisen’s  memoir “By Chance Alone” serves as the promise he kept to his father to tell the world what happened at Auschwitz. Eisen’s book is a document of his gruelling experiences and the book was the winner of the CBC Canada reads competition. Since the 1950’s Max worked as a Holocaust educator speaking at schools and other institutions. Writer, Kathy Kacer came to know Max and wrote this Young Readers’ Edition, ‘remembering his voice, his dignity and his ability to convey his story in the most straightforward yet most poignant manner.” (p. 187). Max’s life, his biography and Kacer’s book – along with  readers of the book all share in the responsibility to remember this dark history, and like Max to pass it on. By Chance Alone is a harrowing, but vital, read. 

NOT NOTHING by Gayle Forman 

Twelve year old Alex’s life is troubled. After moving around fourteen times, his mother has abandoned him and he is now living with an aunt and uncle who haven’t welcomed him with open arms. Alex did something very very  bad and a judge has sentenced him to volunteer in a retirement home. At first, Alex stubbornly does not cooperate with what is being asked of him but a meeting with a girl his age aned Maya-Jade gradually softens his approach to duties. A special relationship develops witha 107 year old man named Josey who has refused to speak until he meets Alex and he  recounts stories of surviving a ghetto and escaping a concentration camp. At the heart of Josey’s stories was his devotion to Olka who taught Josey how to sew. This relationship has opened up a world of trust and emotion for Alex and the need to confront the terrible incident that he was responsible for. The novel is presented in alternative narratives about Alex’s life and Josey’s memories. Not Nothing is a story of memory, hope, compassion and forgiveness. It can proudly sit on the shelf with other stories about surviving the trauma of The Holocaust. 

WHEN WE FLEW AWAY: A novel of Anne Frank before the Diary by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman has written over 30 books including some YA titles (Aquamarine, Nightbird, IncantationA). This recent publication is an astonishing attempt to tell the story of Anne Frank and her family’s experience of surviving the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. When We Flew Away can be considered a prequel of sorts to the iconic Diary of a Young Girl, which Anne wrote while she and The Frank family  were in hiding during World War II. The published journal became one of the most central texts of Jewish experience during the Holocaust.  Writing this novel was certainly an ambitious project for Alice Hoffman but she has risen to the occasion by doing extensive research to tell the heart-wrenching story of the girl millions of readers have come to know and respect. Like Alice Hoffman who first read the diary when she was twelve years old, readers have come to recognize that the venerated book changed the way we looked at the world. Hoffman paints a vivid portrait of a creative, fearless girl becoming a teenager, “the girl who was always questioning, who had so much to say, the one who wished she could fly away and see the world.” (p. 31).

Fictionalized accounts of Anne’s relationships with her parents, older sister, grandmother, friends and boyfriend provide readers with step into the heart and mind of an audacious young lady as well as a historical account of Jews were caught up in the inescapable violence of Nazi power.  I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book that serves as an extended foreshadowed account of what we know will happen to Anne and her family. You will likely want to re-read the notorious diary again. I do. The book is published under the cooperation with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Excerpt (p 61)

What happened in Germany had begun as a tiny see of hatred, the smallest blister, a few evil men. How could Oma tell her beloved granddaughter waht could happen when that seed bloomed? How could she reveal to her sweet child that evil was everywhere, in the hearts of your neighbors, and the postman and your friends next door? Hatred was contagious, it spread from one household to the next, a slow infection of the spirit of the soul. 

 

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CHALLENGES

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DEER RUN HOME by Ann Clare LeZotte / Verse novel / (Deafness)

This novel in verse blends ASL grammar with English telling a heartbreaking story about an abused girl who feels invisible because of her deafness, particularly when her family members refuse to communicate with her in sign language. In school, twelve-year old Effie struggles with reading and math because of language deprivation. Moreover, Effie struggles  to make the world understand what she feels and hopes for. It is the care and concern of her compassionate ASL interpreter who recognizes that something is wrong in Effie’s life and puts up a fight to help Effie through her problems and give her hope.  Ann Clare LeZotte is completely deaf and a bilingual/bicultural (ASL/English) member of the Deaf community and essential voice for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, disabled and marginalized youth. In her author’s note LeZotte tells us that she wrote Deer Run Hume based on story of a court case of a deaf girl who was adopted by her school’s ASL interpreter. Deer Run Home is a compelling read.

LOUDER THAN HUNGER by John Schu (ages 12+) / Verse novel / (Mental Health; Body Image)

Jake is a thirteen-year-old boy who’s life is full of despair, He is depressed. He has an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is a boy burdened Anorexia Nervosa.  He is wounded by bully taunts  “Loser. Wimp Freak.”    There is no happiness in his life, other than memories of time spent with his loving grandmother and admiration of Broadway musicals and Emily Dickinson poetry (“I am nobody! /Who are you?  Are you. – Nobody – too?”).  Jake does not have a healthy relationship with his parents (His mother is also dealing with depression.  The voice is an evil character roaring inside Jakes head (“You need to  burn off more calories.” “You don’t deserve love and warmth and kindness.”  “You – are  – repulsive!” “You don’t want to get better.”) Jake writes “I want  to erase every single thing about me.”   When others notice that Jake is wasting away (literally)  he finally he  is sent to a psychiatric treatment centre where, Whispering Pines,  much of the narrative unfolds. The demonic Voice persists and Jake resists help from other troubled residents and from his therapists. Readers will root for things to get better for Jake and will read on to discover a turning point that will lead this teenager coming to  feel worth and to lead a better life. 

This book is a punch in the heart. The free verse style is a suitable format for the character to reveal his reflective thoughts. Some pages only have a few words. Some poems are written with one word per line. Some words are written. Many phrases are repeated. Many statements follow a repeated pattern  Writers are often advised to ‘write what you know’. In an afterword to the book, the author writes a letter to his readers stating “How do I understand Jake’s inner thinking? How do I understand Jake’s heart so well so deeply? The reality is that many of his thoughts, including his disordered thinking and eating, are passed on my own experiences as a young person. Louder Than Hunger parallels John Schu’s life in many ways makes it all the more harrowing a read.  It is  courageous, heart-squeezing story and though a tough read, Jake’s/John’s story  can open doors and ignite conversations. Any reader with compassionate heart will worry and care aboutJake and want to wrap their arms around him to give assurance and hope. As I read through the book, I became aware of the word ‘heart’ that is sprinkled generously throughout the book. I first encountered librarian and author John Schu at a language conference where he passionately shared favourite book titles with the audience and generously gave books away to individuals asking, “Who’s heart needs this book?” In her brief forward, author Kate DiCamill0 writes that ‘reading Jakes story will change you.” And quoting Mr. Schu, I say “your heart needs this book!

OUT OF MY DREAMS by Sharon M. Draper (Physical challenges)

We first meet Melody Brooks in the novel Out of My Mind. Life is frustrating for this girl with cerebral palsy since she cannot speak, move, nor communicate her thoughts and wishes. Melody is however, a very smart girl with a photgraphic memory and a fierce desire to be normal. Draper wrote a sequel to the book entilted Out of My Heart where the girl, telling of Melody’s adventures at summer camp. In the third book, Out of My Dreams, Melody is given the opportunity to visit London and readers join Meldoy and  her fellow travellers (a retired British actress and her  and her adult companion)  on  a sightseeing excursion to such places as the Globe theatre, The British Museum, Buckingham Palace and the London Library and a rock concert. Thanks to help of her speech generating device, named Elvira, Melody is able to express herself most of the time. Participating in a an interntional symposium of Innovation, Discovery and Application (I.D.E A for innovative ideas to change the wolrd for the disabled. Through this experience and her friendships, Melody discovers she has the power to speak up, speak and ‘understand the power of hope, the power of ideas’ but most of all, the power of our dreams? This third book in the trilogy can be read as a stand-alone but readers who have cheered for Melody in two previous novels are certain to enjoy journeying with this smart, brave girl once again. 

 

POVERTY

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AND THEN, BOOM! by Lisa Fipps  / Verse Novel

In her debut novel, Starfish (2021), Lisa Fipps wrote a powerful story about body shaming and the trials and tribulations of a young adolescent girl dealing with her weight and with bullying.  The author’s newest novel is a look into the harsh realities of living in poverty. Whenever she gets ‘the itch’. Joe’s mother abandons her son. He and his grandmother are left to downsize, to pay the bills and use any means to fight hunger. Life for Joe, is filled with unexpected ‘And then…’ moments, especially large one’s that are unexpected BOOM moments which demand that he face challenges, make decisions and solve problems in order to survive from day to day.  When life gives you lemons – A death, a storm, starving and the care of stray dogs – it is hard to make lemonade. Joe’s resilience and strong character help him get through life’s “And Then, BOOM” events. “Every story boils down to and thens and BOOMS!/ And -thens and BOOMS, but  are all about the moments when something happens that changes everything./ It could be bad. And it could be good but it’s often not.” (p. 5). Joe’s life circumstances often broke my heart but I was compelled to cheer for him  because of his humour and hope even when hard days got worse.   I absolutely LOVED this novel. I can’t wait for another Lisa Fipps publication. 

 

SHOUT OUT

GATHER by Kenneth M. Cadow (2023) / MENTAL HEALTH; DEATH & REMEMBRANCE

“Stories aren’t for shocking, in my opinion. They’re for chewing on longer than you would a meal.” (p. 184)

1 is a resourceful,  10th grade teenager who fights to hold on to family and home while his mother struggles from addiction. His chance meeting with a stray dog, (who he names Gather)  provides Ian with companionship and a reason to get through each day.   Like many rural students his age, Ian struggles with poverty, is eager to find a job to help sustain him and is influenced by his friends who’s behaviour may or may not have different values than theirs. Hanging on to memories and lessons from Gramps, the neighbouring woodland and farming areas are very important to Ian. Ian is a smart guy, but the school system seems to be failing him. He is extremely dexterous and  has a great ability  to fix things gathering any materials that he comes across. The author brilliantly takes us into the head and heart of this teenager by presenting a first person narrative where the character is shown to be deeply reflective and critical of what life has given him. Throughout the novel, we are given many flashbacks which help to present a fully realized, realistic character. Evocative too  is the Vermont setting, which is vital to Ian’s perspective on living. (“You are what you eat, you are what you do, and everything I learned to do, I learned here, in my town and on our land.” (p. 222)

This novel, nominated for National Book Award and winner of the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers Literature, is one of the finest books I’ve read this year. I loved the story. I loved the writing. I loved the voice of the protagonist. I’m assured that Kenneth M. Cadow has some of my favourite authors sitting on his shoulders: Gary Paulsen whose stories often shworwed characters surviving (and  worshipping natural settings and J.D. Salinger who gave us Holden Caufield and his sardonic comments about the world around him. I’d say, too, that Elizabeth Stroud is whispering in Cadow’s ear as he  tells stories about ‘interesting’ characters in our families and community who help  to shape our lives. 

This is the first young adult novel written by former teacher and principal, Kenneth M Cadow who writes: “In my teaching career, I have encountered dozens upon dozens of stories like Ian’s: kids whose spirits are threatened to be crushed by societal disregard. The kids who are able to pull through by the ingenuity of their skill set and the strength of character.” Gather is a monumental tribute to those students. This is an important story about resilience that many students who can connect too. It is an essential read  for teachers who really want to ‘know’ their students.  I strongly recommend this outstanding YA novel. 

 

DEATH, LOSS AND REMEMBRANCE

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DEAR MOTHMAN by Robin Gow (Verse novel)  /  TRANS IDENTITY

Nora / Noah’s best friend, Ella / Lewis, was killed in a car accident Noah is trying to come to terms with the loss. Noah and Lewis understood each other and had much in common, including the fact that they were both Trans. The novel is mostly written as letters to Mothman,  Lewis’s favourite cryptid, who may or may not be living in the woods near Noah’s house. Strange appearances convince  Noah that Mothman is real and Noah decides to make Mothman the subject of his science fair project and gather as much evidence to prove its existence. When Noah makes friends with three girls, he finally comes to feel that he belongs. Through the extended metaphor of a lonely creature, Robin Gow has created a compelling story about grief,  gender issues and acceptance. The journal letters. as well as recounts. of everyday events are presented as free verse (in rather small font) and provide a narrative, and an honest expression of emotions. Dear Mothman and an authentic confessional account of a preteen  boy living with autism who is dealing with grief and their  queer identity. 

 

GENDER IDENTITY AND HOMOPHOBIA

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ASKING FOR A FRIEND by Ronnie Riley / MENTAL HEALTH / QUEER IDENTITY

“Labels can change as you grow… and just because you identify one way now, doesn’t mean you’ll always identify that way. Things change, people change, and labels are fluid.” (pp. 108-109)

Nonbinary Eden Jones suffers from social anxiety. They feels that their life is  ‘pathetic’ and they want to be as invisible as possible.  Their mother has moved them to a new school, hoping things will get better. Eden Jones is asking for a friend. Actually, they need a few friends because their mother is expecting them to invite them to his birthday party, but Eden has lied about his friendship circle.  Even though they are reluctant to approach them, Eden gradually comes to develop friendships with Duke, Ramona and Tabitha .  Things are getting better for Eden as the group starts to bond… but they remain trapped in the lies they told his mother  – and their new ‘sort of real’ friendships. Ronnie Riley (queer, trans, nonbinary, lesbian, neodivergient) has done a remarkable job of presenting a cast of nonbinary, lesbian, trans characters who find joy in their queer identity even through the ups and downs of friendships. 

CRASH LANDING by Li Charmaine Anne 

Jay Wong is entering her final year of high  school. Throughout the novel, we enter Jay’s world of skateboarding (The world of skateboarding is a highlight of this story), her talent for creating remarkable videos, her battles with her mother who has high expectations for her, her lies to her parent as she schemes to join her friends,  and her of her lesbian sexuality. Problematic, too, are Jay’s dreams and concerns  about the future and whether to enter university or not.  When she meets up with Ash,  an independent, talented skateboard, the friendship opens up doors for Jay’s truths about herself as well as the dreams she has for living an independent life. (“It’s like my coordinates have changed in the past few weeks. I’m not where I used to be and my destination is shifted.” (page230)  Li Charmaine Anne has done a fine job of capturing the  life and sexual identity of an Asian teenager, of the relationships (and partying) of senior  high school students and the the stress of meeting family visi0ns. Many teenagers will identify with the authentic experiences that the author presents through a compelling narrative and engaging characters. This novel is the winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People.

THE LGBT PURGE: and the fight for equal rights in Canada by Ken Setterington (nonfiction 2022) / YA

The LGBT Purge was a systematic effort in Canada whereby government agencies began to investigate and blackmail thousands of people who were expected of being queer. The goal was to keep these people out of the military,RCMP and civil service. The LGBT Purge is part of Lorimer Publishers Righting Canada’s Wrongs series. The nonfiction text provides a fine balance of verbal and visual text.  Such chapter headings as ‘Gay Pride and Activism’, ‘Resilience and Rights: 1990 and Beyond’ and ‘The Government Apologies’ help to summarize and present relevant historical information to inform readers about gay relatinships, homophobia, discrimination, blackmail and government policies. Ken Setterington has done masterful research about the purge and deserives lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, Two Spirits and other Canadians persecuted for their sexuality and gender identity nad formed movements to protest and demand equality. 

 

BULLYING 

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WEIRDO by Tony Weaver, Jr; illus. by Jes & Cin Wibowo (graphic novel)  / MENTAL HEALTH;  BULLYING

Tony Weaver, Jr.’s classmates thinks that he is a weirdo becomes comic books, anime and video games and finds solace in larger-than-life heroes. At eleven-years of age, Tony, a gifted middle-years student, struggles with the  finding a place to belong and to conforming to the expectations of others.  (This angst is indeed shared by a wide population of young teenagers.) After a traumatic event, his parents send him to another school where he further attempts to be accepted, despite the bullying that smothers him.  With the help of supporting parents and a caring therapist, Tony Weaver, Jr. recounts his mental health  and the emotional events that are drawn from his own life experiences. Like other graphic autobiographies (Smile by Raina Telgemeir,  The New Kid by Jerry Craft and Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka)), Weirdo tells a compelling story about a young teenager who is on a quest for self-discovery. This book is “a powerful, poignant reminder that you are always worth fighting for” (Author’s note)

Excerpt (p. 109)

“I want to be normal so bad. To make jokes that aren’t awkward, and have people think I’m cool… People look at me like Im about to explorde. Life they have to tiptoe around me so I don’t hurt someone. “

 

RIPPLES OF KINDNESS

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In each of the titles outlined in this posting, a character experiences tough times, no matter the tough topic. Moreover, each character has a relationship with a character that offers support, comfort and KINDNESS.

In lieu of a novel suggestion, I am including this staggering picture book title as a strong example of Ripples of Kindness. 

THE YELLOW BUS by Loren Long

“It’s about the purpose in life, the passage of time and teh simple human feeling we get from doing something for others.”

~Loren Long, New York Times, Sunday August 11, 2024

Loren Long, the author of the Otis picture book series, shows his genius talent in this new picture book. The Yellow Bus, a simple story that unfolds over decades is the biography of a familiar,  what may seem ordinary, part of our lives. Through many years, the bus encounters new drivers, a new route, and new passengers young and old.  Even when left alone, the yellow bus finds joy and discovery in the people and places around her. Loren Long brilliantly tells the story of this character through sublime, detailed black and white art work with pops of colour becoming a passenger on the narrative of this bus’s life. A New York Times article (Sunday August 11, 2024)  as well as the end pages to this book explain the huge project the author embarked upon by creating a three-dimensional model community that served as a model for Long to view the world of the bus from many angles.

The Yellow Bus,  a story about the passing of time and bringing joy and caring to others, stands on the shoulders of  the classic titles, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (1942) and yes, The Giving Tree (1962) by Shel Silverstein.Expect to see a Caldecott sticker on future publications of this stellar picture book. s [picture book, too, will become a classic. It’s a masterpiece. 

There once was a bright yellow bus who spent her days driving

Every morning they climbed in…

pitter-patter, pitter-patter, giggle, giggle-patter.

The yellow bus carried them from one important place to another.

And they filled her with joy. 

The titles in this posting are listed into sections for readers ages 8- 14+ including chapter books, books for middle years readers, YA fiction, Poetry. At least two of the titles are sure to appear on my list of 2024 favourite books. 

See also a list of award winning titles presented on October 28th at the Canadian Children’s Book Awards  for best in Canadian publishing , 2023, 

Moreover, two spotlights are given to  two special titles written by Uncle Larry’s nephews. 

 

CHAPTER BOOKS: ages 8-11

 

ALI HOOPS  by Evanka Osmak; illus Megan Chew

Fifth grader Ali has dreams of joining the girl’s school basketball team, not only because she loves the game, but she wants to share the experience with her best friend. Leila. Ali is dedicated  preparing for the tryouts but has a hard time playing as good as Leila. This is story about perseverance and disappointments. Young people who are interested in the sports and being a member of a team, will cheer for Ali’s courage and determination as come to understand the meaning of  competition. 

EVERY LITTLE BIT OLIVE TRAN by Phuong Truong

Olive Tran, a Vietnamese girl,  is about to celebrate her tenth birthday which is a major turning point in her life because she is now able to go to school without the accompaniment of her parent. Not only does she come learn about the meaning of being more independent but she becomes aware of racism in her world and try to understand how Asians, like her are treated cruelly.  Phuong Tran, author of the picture book Everyone is Welcome, tells accessible – and important – stories of Anti-Asian racism and belonging. 

SHOUT OUT

THE HOTEL BALZAAR by Kate DiCamillo; illus. Julia Sarda

Marta’s soldier father is missing and they young girl and her sad mother are living in a small room in the Hotel Balzaar. Mother cleans rooms in the hotel and  warns her daughter that she musta be quiet like a little mouse. The curious gilr meets up with a mysterious countess guest of the hotel who promises to tell her seven stories in the coming days. Marta is entranced with the stories and their hidden meanings and hopes that the tales will help uncover the disappearance of her missing father. The tales are rich in narrative and mystery. How intriguing to read about an army general transformed into a talking parrot; a childless couple who were given a son who had the gift of singing like a nightingale; a nun who left the covent she lived in because she felt that God has abandoned her; a circus, tightrope walker. 

Kate DiCamillo is a storyteller extraordinaire. Oh, how I wish I could write like DiCamillo.  Oh, how lucky we are to have her words, her imagination, and stories of adventure, yearning and hope. Oh I wish, every teacher would share a title by this award-winning author with her students (perhaps starting with The Hotel Balzaar). This novella is certain to be at the top of my list of 2024 favourites. The artwork by Julia Vardas is spectacular: black and white images that sometimes fill the page or half-page with a  number woodblock print-like images set in rectangles throughout the book.  The Hotel Balzaar is the second of The Norendy Tales series.  In the first book, The Puppets of Spelhorst, aa] king, a girl, a boy and an owl  are puppets shut up in a trunk by an old sea captain who eventually come to life through the hands of two young girls and a maid. More please!.

Excerpt (p. 70)

“So,” said Marta, ‘if you will not let me ask about endings, maybe you will let me ask if there is more to the story.”

“Ah, well. More. There is always more,” said the countess. 

 

FICTION: ages 9 -12

 

THE FAIRY TALE FAN CLUB by Richard Ayoade; illus. David Roberts 

The premise of this book is  quite clever. C.C. Cecily collects letters by concerned readers to send to fairy and folk tale characters to determine if life is being lived happily ever after.  Each of the characters answers letters that have been forward to them (e.g. Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Humpty Dumpty,)  British author, Richard Ayoade (The Book That No One Wanted to Read) is a very funny guy. I’m not sure that young people would ‘get’ his sense of humour and satire but that’s OK. They would be amused by the exchange of letters (no emails) and maybe just maybe be motivated to read or re-read familiar fairy tales. That’s a good thing. I’d also say that this book would inspire readers to write letters to book characters asking for clarification of story elements and asking questions about each character’s fate.  Letters could be answered from the points of view of the characters. That’s a great thing. The detailed art work by David Roberts is terrific- and amusing too!

Sample (p. 10)

Dear Little Red Riding Hood (I’m sorry I don’t know your real name)

How can you be swallowed by a wolf and survive? Also, how is it possible to mistake a wolf for an old woman? On is grisly and scary, and the other is a wolf. Just kidding, ha ha! But to be serious, it didn’t sound realistic to me. 

THE FRINDLE FILES by Andrew Clements

Andrew Clements final novel is “a tribute to great teachers, ce ourageous kids and the power of language.” (Jon Agee, New York Times, Sunday September 22, p. 22)

Andrew Clements is a master storyteller for having written over 20 books enjoyed by millions of grade four to seven readers. (The Landry News; In his first novel, Frindle (1987) we are introduce to Nick Allen who invented newfangled word for a ballpoint pen. Desipte battles with his fifth-grade teacher, Nick’s Frindle-brand became a phenomenon and a retail sensation. More than 24 years after Frindle fame, we meet Josh Willet a techno-obsessed sixth grade student who is is battling his technophobic English Language Arts teacher who forbids laptops and e-books in his class. Homework must be hadned in neatly on lined paper with work written in blue or black ink.  When Josh discovers a Frindle pen, he believes something is up and he is determined to find out the truth about Mr. N’s background. Is Mr. N, (Mr. Allen Nicholas, the Nick Allen the hero of Friendle fame?  Why is Mr. N hiding his true identity? Why is he so against the world of computers and social media? What Mr. N is passionate about is the “Strunk and White’s Elements of Style” syle guide, originally published in 1935 (Note: E.B White of Charlotte’s Web fame) which he asks his students to consult daily in order to consider the craft of being good writers.

The Frindle Files is another Clements engaging school adventures  this time raising ethical questions regarding privacy, fairness, and the pros and cons of technology in modern times. The story revolves around  a mystery crusade of a determined middle coder who attempt to put together pieces of a puzzle of internet piracy and hidden identity of a caring, quirky teacher who is fond of wearing Hawaiian shirts. One needn’t have read Frindle to enjoy this posthumous publication of one terrific children’s author (1949-2021). Pencil drawings(particlarly of pens) by illustrator Brian Selznick are scattered throughout. 

OUT OF MY DREAMS by Sharon M. Draper

We first meet Melody Brooks in the novel Out of My Mind. Life is frustrating for this girl with cerebral palsy since she cannot speak, move, nor communicate her thoughts and wishes. Melody is however, a very smart girl with a photgraphic memory and a fierce desire to be normal. Draper wrote a sequel to the book entilted Out of My Heart where the girl, telling of Melody’s adventures at summer camp. In the third book, Out of My Dreams, Melody is given the opportunity to visit London and readers join Meldoy and  her fellow travellers (a retired British actress and her  and her adult companion)  on  a sightseeing excursion to such places as the Globe theatre, The British Museum, Buckingham Palace and the London Library and a rock concert. Thanks to help of her speech generating device, named Elvira, Melody is able to express herself most of the time. Participating in a an interntional symposium of Innovation, Discovery and Application (I.D.E A for innovative ideas to change the wolrd for the disabled. Through this experience and her friendships, Melody discovers she has the power to speak up, speak and ‘understand the power of hope, the power of ideas’ but most of all, the power of our dreams? This third book in the trilogy can be read as a stand-alone but readers who have cheered for Melody in two previous novels are certain to enjoy journeying with this smart, brave girl once again. 

FICTION: YA, ages 12+

 

GATHER by Kenneth M. Cadow (2023)

“Stories aren’t for shocking, in my opinion. They’re for chewing on longer than you would a meal.” (p. 184)

1 is a resourceful,  10th grade teenager who fights to hold on to family and home while his mother struggles from addiction. His chance meeting with a stray dog, (who he names Gather)  provides Ian with companionship and a reason to get through each day.   Like many rural students his age, Ian struggles with poverty, is eager to find a job to help sustain him and is influenced by his friends who’s behaviour may or may not have different values than theirs. Hanging on to memories and lessons from Gramps, the neighbouring woodland and farming areas are very important to Ian. Ian is a smart guy, but the school system seems to be failing him. He is extremely dexterous and  has a great ability  to fix things gathering any materials that he comes across. The author brilliantly takes us into the head and heart of this teenager by presenting a first person narrative where the character is shown to be deeply reflective and critical of what life has given him. Throughout the novel, we are given many flashbacks which help to present a fully realized, realistic character. Evocative too  is the Vermont setting, which is vital to Ian’s perspective on living. (“You are what you eat, you are what you do, and everything I learned to do, I learned here, in my town and on our land.” (p. 222)

This novel, nominated for National Book Award and winner of the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers Literature, is one of the finest books I’ve read this year. I loved the story. I loved the writing. I loved the voice of the protagonist. I’m assured that Kenneth M. Cadow has some of my favourite authors sitting on his shoulders: Gary Paulsen whose stories often shworwed characters surviving (and  worshipping natural settings and J.D. Salinger who gave us Holden Caufield and his sardonic comments about the world around him. I’d say, too, that Elizabeth Stroud is whispering in Cadow’s ear as he  tells stories about ‘interesting’ characters in our families and community who help  to shape our lives. 

This is the first young adult novel written by former teacher and principal, Kenneth M Cadow who writes: “In my teaching career, I have encountered dozens upon dozens of stories like Ian’s: kids whose spirits are threatened to be crushed by societal disregard. The kids who are able to pull through by the ingenuity of their skill set and the strength of character.” Gather is a monumental tribute to those students. This is an important story about resilience that many students who can connect too. It is an essential read  for teachers who really want to ‘know’ their students.  I strongly recommend this outstanding YA novel. 

SHOUT OUT

TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS FROM NOW… Jason Reynolds 

Let’s talk about sex, baby

Let’s talk about you and me

Let’s talk about all the good things

And the bad things that mayu be

       ~ Salt-N-Pepa

The novel is arranged in 8 sections, starting with the present (‘Right Now’ and moving backwards through time (Twenty-four minutes seconds ago; Twenty-four minutes before that…) until we learn about Neon and Arias first meeting (Twenty four months ag0.  This clever device invites readers to gradually learn about the journey of these  two characters’ trusting relationship and the learn about friends and family who help to carry them through their days. Jason Reynolds brilliantly captures the anticipation, the preparation, the hesitation, the nervousness,  the excitement and the joy of two teenagers who have carefully planned to have sex for the first time. Reynolds writes that “the book is ‘for the young lovers who want to know what it is to feel safe and joyous while stumbling through maturation.” This “let’s talk about sex”story is a tender exposition that raises questions and answers them through honest conversations (Neon’s talk with each of his parents is priceless) about losing virginity.   Twenty-fur Seconds from Now is teenage love story for all teenagers,  and yes, for “Black boys who deserve love stories too.” (Reynolds /  Acknowledgements). This is a book that will be read; a book that needs to be read. Must be read. Once again, bravo to you Mr. Reynolds. 

 

POETRY

 

BLACK GIRL YOU ARE ATLAS by Renee Watson; illus. Ekua James (YA+)

Renee Watson is a poet and author of children’s literature titles (e.g., Piecing Me Together (YA): The 1619 Project: Born on the Water (picture book) and this semi-autobiograpical collection of poems is an deeply thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood drawn from Watson’s experiences of growing up. The anthology is presented in various poetic forms that serve as odes to the Black women in the poet’s life and is a call for Black adolescent girls to step into their power.  Ekua James vibrant collage art pieces that accompany the words are poems unto themselves. 

Excerpt (from “Altars”

Every girl…”needs to learn how to be n harmony with the music of her breath.”

Every girl growing into a woman

needs a teapot, a crockpot,

Needs to learn how to slow down, 

slow down and wait.

Needs to learn how to steep,

how to take her time, simmer to a boil. 

 

IN AND OUT THE WINDOW by Jane Yolen; illus.  Cathrin Peterslund (ages 8 – 12)

I totally admire and respect the work of Jane Yolen for her contributions to children’s literature with over 400 published works in a variety of genres.  I was excited to learn about her recent collection of over 100 poems organized into such themes as Home, Animals, School, Careers and the Calendar. Each section is introduced with an inspiring poem about writing poems (Why to Write a Poem; How to Write a Poem; Where to Write a Poem; When To Write a Poem etc.)The conceit of arranging these poems ‘in and out’ te window probvide an organizational framework for arranging the poem, but thematically doesn’t work all that much for me. Most poems are one page in length, some are very short, most have a rhyme pattern. I read the book chronologically, knowing as it is with many poetry (and short story) collections that I’d like some works more than others. I wish i could say that I liked more than I didn’t but there were only about a dozen pieces that got post-it note attention (e.g., A Family, Patter of Rain on the House, In My Locker, Catnip) As poet, Yolen puts a microscope on everyday occurrences. The poems seem to be best read aloud (as many poems are). Sometimes the punchlines landed other times, after re-reading pieces, I sighed, feeling that the poems didn’t carry me far into thought and feeling. Oh well. Having a new poetry anthology is cause for celebration. Having a new Jane Yolen publication is cause for congratulations. I admire the range of theme, form and length of the poems that appear in this collection.   I was hoping to give this collection a  five star review, /or maybe, maybe four,  / I think i’d give it a rating of three / I yearned for something more.  (illustrations were a throwaway).

ROBOT, UNICORN, QUEEN: Poems for your and me  by Shannon Bramer; Irene Luxbacher (ages 8 – 12)

A range of topics are presented in this collection by Canadian poet Shannon Bramer (Climbing Shadows)  inviting children to delve into the world of poetic language, familiar events and playful  imagination. Topics include: a robot in the rain; practicing the piano; a broken plate;  a loving pony; a tribute to the Iris;  refusing to eat a sandwich;  lying under sprinkler). Sample excerpts: “The toad toad me to sit and listen to her sing”; “I’m sewing a speckled starling in a tree”; The problem with this sandwich is that it is a sandwich”; “Please do not disturb the night owls thinking in the arms of trees.”If I were a pig / :zazzIf I were a pig I’d be a pig with pizzazz”. These are poems are  splendid dreamlike adventures to be shared with young readers. . The staggering artwork by Irene Luxbacher are poems unto themselves created in fanciful abstract, dreamlike visions. Robot, Unicorn, Queen is the winner of the CCBC 2024 David Booth Youth Poetry book award.

THE UNBOXING OF A BLACK GIRla Shante (YA+)

As Shante navigates the city through memory, this timeless book illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or boxed in, through zazz

and poems about expectations, exploitations, love, loss, and self-realization,” (from Jacket description)

Angela Shante worked as a classroom teacher and has had a career as a poet / spoken word artist. This collection of poems inspects pivotal moments in Shante’s life, from childhood experiences, educational experiences, family and community.  The Unboxing of a Black Girl is a tribute to Black joy as well as sobering events such as sexual assault, poverty,  menstruation, hair perms, masking and mental health.  Many pages contain words of less than 20 pages. Some pages tell stories about her upbringing, A strong feature of this book are the inclusion of footnotes that encourage readers to listen to songs, watch movies and read literature about Black Girls’ experiences.  I am so glad to have spent time with these remarkable poems, which, as a white guy, opened up doors for me into the life of Black girls who feel boxed in. 

Excerpt (p. 87)

Black is Not a Monolith (a pair of 5-7-5 haikus)

it can not be boxed

it can not be defined, and

it can not be bought

 

Black is divine, see

Black can be anything we 

decide it to be. 

 

A PROUD UNCLE:

SPOTLIGHT ON GREAT BOOKS BY TWO GREAT NEPHEWS

 

PASTA TO THE MAX  & FLAVOURS TO THE MAX by Max Swartz O’Neill

Received a message from my great nephew this week that he has two little cookbooks listed on Amazon.  The recipes in each book have been created and tested by my nephew Max, who is 11 years old. Hooray for Max!  Yummy! Yummy!

Great recipes,

Great cook.

Great nephew,

Great book! 

 

THE RED COURT: Shattered Skies, Volume I,  by Matthew Hastie (YA)

My great nephew, Matthew (age 23) has published his first novel, a fantasy adventure extraordinare! WOW!

This novel was given to me in manuscript edition.  The book has just been rleased as an Amazon titles, crossing fingers so that lovers of fantasy adventures can enjoy this thrilling book. The author is a great storyteller and expertly creates other world characters and plots of good and evil. He cleverly alternates the narratives between chapters featuring 1. Grayson 2. Violet and keeps readers guessing, ‘What happens next?’

Kudos to Matthew Hastie for presenting a wild ride of a book. His ease with language, his invention of contemporary and other worldly characters and his use of sharp dialogue, (and his wit) contribute to mighty fine read.  Rick Riordan must be sitting on Hastie’s  shoulders (Matthew read all is books) and there is no doubt that the twists and turns of Marvel comics (Matthew is addicted to these) have helped shape the action of The Red Court. Matthew Hastie pours his imagination onto the page and offers readers  exciting cinematic events (particularly the many battle scenes), sure to engage readers who love entering a world of  doors that transport to other universes, magical deeds,  bloody combats,  powerful swords, premonitions, dreamscapes, tyrants, elves, dwarves, dragons, minotaurs,  evil parents, friendships – and yes,  romantic relationships!!!

The Red Court is a remarkable accomplishment! 

Here is the back cover synopsis:

When a group of estranged friends reunite five years after the disappearance of one of thei own, they each find themselves on separate paths.

Burdened with guilt, Grayson will stop at nothing to find their lost friend. While Gray finds himself in an otherworldly conflict, Violet and the others uncover a conspiracy that dates back to their towns foundling

As connections form between these two disparate conflicts, it becomes clear that they’re fighting on two sides of the same war. But with their enemies consolidating power, time is running out, and the fate of two worlds hangs in balance. 

DISCLAIMER: Fantasy Adventure is not my genre of choice. Also, I’m not usually fond of books that are more than 700 pages. But I really enjoyed this one and I was honoures to be given the chance read it in advance of its publication. 

Here is the dedication to the book, (which made me weep!)…
“Dedicated to my Uncle Larry, who never let me stop reading!”

The dozen  books listed below can fall into different categories (e.g., Tough Topic Themes or  genres).  I have decided to present these new titles as representatives of publications from 4 different countries (Canada, UK, U.S. Australia). Most titles have been released in 2024.

A few titles that I’ve recently read tell stories of children who have been abandoned by their irresponsible mothers (e.g., And Then, Boom by Lisa Fipps),  and three of  which are listed in this posting: Not Nothing by Gayle Foreman and The Outsmarters by Deborah Ellis and Tig by Heather Smith), This premise sets up story that builds empathy  for characters needing to be resilient in the face of a parent who experience mental health or addiction. 

 

CANADIAN

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BIRDS ON THE BRAIN by Uma Krishnaswami; illus. Julianna Swaney (Activism)

This story takes place in contemporary India. The central characters are Reeni (bird lover) Yasmin (book lover), and Anil (karate lover).  When a school project requires the three friends to conduct survey’s, Reeni gets excited about the possibilities of finding out about the Bird Count of India, a major event where thousands of birdwatchers will be counting birds as part of a global movement. Reeni is supported by her good friend Yasmin and her Book Uncle who offers the girls some books about birds.  The girls come to discover that people are not as dedicated to the cause as they are and encounter several glitches: 1) Their friend Ani decides to embark on a project of his own (solar panels) 2) the local authorities are not supporting the event 3) the girls do not have a phone to help them conduct research. Reeni, Yasmin and Anil are strong advocates for both human and non-human inhabitants of their communtie. Birds on the Brain is a terrific novel to help young people understand the importance of fighting what you believe for.  This novel is a sequel to Book Uncle and Me but can be considered a stand-alone title.

THE OUTSMARTERS by Deborah Ellis (Mental Health) / ages 11+

Kate is a troubled twelve year old, who’s erratic behaviour issues has had her suspended from school. Her mother has abandoned her and for the past three years she was assigned left to live with her grandmother, a stubborn, strong-headed character (much like Kate)  Gran is a “hard-hearted old broad” a  true specimen of ‘tough love’, not letting her granddaughter get away with anything and encouraging her to take responsibility around their junk shop residence. Eager to make money, Kate sets up a philosophy booth business  providing answers and lessons to any customers who come her way. As the novel unfolds, we learn more about the young girl’s traumatic past and the troubles of her mother who was addicted to drugs. Kate dreams that one day her mother will return to her and she that life will be better without getting into fights with Gran. Kate is an angry, friendless girl who is strong enough to take matters into her own hands to get what she wants and needs. Kate would find good companionship in  Paterson’s Gilly Hopkins and Smith’s Tig (see below).  There’s not doubt that award-winning author, Deborah Ellis, is at the top of the heap of Canadian novelists for young people,The Outsmarters is a gem of a  book y about trauma, mental health and resilience. 

Excerpt

Should I mind my own business, or is it my business to mind? The more I think,  the more I’m not sure. That’s the trouble with thinking. Once you get started, it’s damn hard to stop. (p, 73)

TIG by Heather Smith (Mental Health)

I am very fond of Heather Smith’s work (Ebb and Flow, Barry Squires: Full Tilt; The Agony of Bun O’Keefe), and was excited to see a new novel by her. Tig’s mother has flown the coop and she  and Peter are invited to live with her Uncle Scott and his partner Manny in a somewhat idyllic setting.  Tig is not happy with the arrangement and is resistant to accept any help and affection that is offered. Scott and Manny are aware of the Tig’s troubled past (How could a mother just disappear from her child’s life?*) but slowly and patiently provide positive parenting, buying clothes, letting Tig play freely in a nearby park and buying her the pet bulldog (Guten Morgen) that she desperately wants.  Tig prepares a list of goals for herself and at the top of the list is to outrun a wheel of cheese and of course, wanting to be reunited with her mother. Heather al cleverly sprinkles unfamiliar vocabulary throughout and provides a definition and uses that word in a sentence that offers rhyming words (e..g. ‘Druthers: a person’s preference in a matter. If I had my druthers, I’d have no more mothers’ (p.35). Heather Smith brilliantly offers readers metaphors for Tig’s life (e.g. renovating a doll house) and expertly presents a whammy suprise towards the end of the novel, a surprise that makes sense and reveals much about Tig’s mental health. Tig is described as being ‘cheeky’ child. Like Katherine Patersons’ Gilly Hopkins, Tig is a character that readers will root for and care for and hope will move forward from a traumatic past. Heather Smith you write good books. Thank you, thank you for Tig.

 

 

AMERICAN

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ARE YOU NOBODY TOO? Tina Cane (Asian Identity)

Eight grader Emily Sofar, a Chinese girl who had been adopted is enjoying her life as the only Chinese student at a private middle school. When COVID hits, her father loses his job and she is transferred to I.S. in New York’s Chinatown, and discovers that she is in a community where she looks like everyone else. Emily, however, struggles to fit in and establish friends. She is always looking in herself to figure out who she is and feel comfortable with her past and present circumstances. It is the poetry of Emily Dickinson “I’m nobody! Who are you? Are you – Nobody – too?”)that provides Emily  a window and a mirror to her identity. Are You Nobody Too? offers readers a very introspective, reflective character who tries to find a place of belonging (as many adolescents do).  The free verse style is especially suitable for this story about the importance of poetry. Encountering words by the lonely Emily Dickinson throughout this book offers a special read for students who enjoy grasping the meaning of poems. 

BUFFALO DREAMER by Violet Duncan (Indigenous Culture)

Twelve-year-old Summer head to Canada to spend time with her mother’s family on a Cree reservation. Summer, her brother and her brother enjoy spending time with family and the joys of nature. This year, however, the young teenager learns about  the Sixties Scoop where children were forced to erase their Native identities when the Elders in the community speak up about their past traumas. Interspersed throughout the narrative, are descriptions of Summer’s vivid dreams about two young girls who are running away from Residential schools. At 99 pages organized into thirty short chapters, Violet Duncan presents an important novel about Indian identity and stories of scoop survivors.  In the author note, Violet book and give Duncan writes “I’ve aimed to breathe life into this book and give their (survivors) stories the credence and recognition they deserve by illustrating the strength of the human spirit” (page 103). Mission accomplished!  This is a beautiful specimen of historical fiction  about generations, healing, reconciliation and TRUTH.  Buffalo Dreamer provides an accessible and heartfelt document of  the historyIndian residential schools. 

NOT NOTHING by Gayle Forman (The Holocaust/ Mental Health)

Twelve year old Alex’s life is troubled. After moving around fourteen times, his mother has abandoned him and he is now living with an aunt and uncle who haven’t welcomed him with open arms. Alex did something very very  bad and a judge has sentenced him to volunteer in a retirement home. At first, Alex stubbornly does not cooperate with what is being asked of him but a meeting with a girl his age aned Maya-Jade gradually softens his approach to duties. A special relationship develops witha 107 year old man named Josey who has refused to speak until he meets Alex and he  recounts stories of surviving a ghetto and escaping a concentration camp. At the heart of Josey’s stories was his devotion to Olka who taught Josey how to sew. This relationship has opened up a world of trust and emotion for Alex and the need to confront the terrible incident that he was responsible for. The novel is presented in alternative narratives about Alex’s life and Josey’s memories. Not Nothing is a story of memory, hope, compassion and forgiveness. It can proudly sit on the shelf with other stories about surviving the trauma of The Holocaust. 

 

BRITISH

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ASTROCHIMP by David Walliams

David Walliams does not t disappoint. He faithfully releases at least one new novel title each year. He writes funny stories. He takes readers on comical (rather preposterous) adventures. Astrochimp might  have the ‘look’ of his two dozen or so previous titles (Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, Mr. Stink, The World’s Worst Children x3) with wild fonts and explosive illustrations Quentin Blake, Tony Ross) but along with his recent creative companion, illustrator Adam Stower,  he continues to write fantastic books for middle age readers who like to embark on fantastical journeys with quirky characters. In Astrochimp, we have Chump the monkey, Dimtri, the dog, Bardot, the cool cat, Choti the Gerbil, giant fruit flies, two old tortoises. These characters have blasted off into space. Will they survive? Will they kill each other? Will they save the planet? Will they return to Earth?Each character is based on real animals that were blasted into space over the past 80 years. (Fruit Flies / U.S, 1947); Monkey /U.S. 1949; Dog/ Russia, 1957); Cat / France 1963).  Chump was insprired by Ham the chimpanzee who was given the responsibility in piloting his Mercury spacecraft. Funny stuff!

A KIND OF SPARK by Elle McNicoll, (2020) (Autism; Bullying)

This novel won several British book awards including Waterston’s Children’s Book Prize (2021).  . Addie lives in a small village in Scotland and she sees and feels things that others do not. When her teacher informs the class about the witch trials that happened in their community centuries ago, Addie becomes intrigued and is keen on  having a monument erected for those witches who were different – like Addie.  Those differences are by some in her classroom and Addie which leads to some terrible bullying by a jealous classmate and a terribly mean, bigoted teacher. Luckily Addie has found friendship with a new classmate and continues to have a strong bond with her older sister who is also autistic and is experiencing new demons as she begins university. Addie is fiercely determined to let others know what is going inside of her “There is nothing wrong with me. I will not let people use my difference as a stick to beat me with” (p. 166). A Kind of Spark is a very special novel for digging into the behaviours, the mind and the spirit of those who are autistic. (the main character often reminds us that she is not a girl ‘with autism’. She is autistic). Elle McNicoll is a neurodivergent Scottish writer who lives in London. She has gifted young readers and adults  with a gutsy story sure to inspire understanding and compassion for those who are considered to be different. The book deserved its awards.

Excerpt (page 104)

“The last thing these women new in this world, the last thing they felt was fear. Fear and pain. Looking out at people who didn’t understand them, and who had accused them of something they weren’t.” I feel the unfairness of it building up inside me. “You have no idea what it is like to be punished for something you cannot control.

MILLIONS by Frank-Cottrell-Boyce

British author, Frank Cottrell-Boyce was known for writing scripts. In 2004 he wrote his first children’s novel, Millions, which ws an adaption of his screenplay for film and since that publication the author hasn’t looked back. He claims that writing for kids is now where he wants to put all his creative energy. Millions was the winner of the 2024 Carnegie Medal. Since then,  Cottrell-Boyce has published at least one novel every other year. Some titles include Framed, Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth and The Great Rocket Robbery and sequels to Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The author was recently  given the honour of being Children’s Laureate *2024-2026).  Despite their huge popularity in the UK, I had never come across any of Cottrell-Boyce  titles and a salesclerk at Waterstone’s suggested I start with Millions which was his claim to fame.  

Damian and his brother Antony whose mother had recently died,now live with their single-parent loving father who patiently gets through each day. As luck would have it (and as appealing fictional adventures would have it), Damian is surprised when a bag stuffed with money literary falls from the sky. What could two young boys do with all that money?  How are they going to spend it in only seventeen days before the th fictional takeover of the Euro. The two brothers are able to keep their hidden treasure a secret – for a while. Damian is an interesting gifted boy’ who is obsessed with the lives of saints. We are provided with facts about saints throughout the novel Damian even has visions of meeting some saints. I’d say that this book has a particular ‘British’ flavour and which would certainly engage boys and girls across the UK. I’m only going by this novel, but I’m not sure who appealing it would be to North American youngsters and perhaps that is why I haven’t come across the author’s name, despite his success. I will dig into some other titles by this popular, funny author. 

Excerpt (p, 198)

They had Nelson Mandela  talking for them.. “The only wealth is life.” What do you think of that? He said money can be a prison just like, you know, no money. The only wealth is life… You’ve got each other, got a place, got your health. Life. Everything else is a disappointment.”

PUPPET by David Almond

Silvester, an aging puppeteer, is filled with memories of good times he and his wife delighted others with their puppet presentations. When the artifacts of his life as a puppeteer are taken off to a museum, Silvester decides to make one last puppet. And thus, Puppet (aka Kenneth) is born, giving Silvester a new lease on life as he introduces the human-like ‘boy’ to  the world and to a loving cast of characters that includes a butcher, a pastry chef, a barber, and a busker. Eventually, the Puppet and Puppeteer meet up with Fleur who is so enamoured with the world of puppets that she longs to create her own and so Silvester guides her into creating puppets and put on a show in the town square. Puppet  is an engaging  narrative about creation and the circle of life.  There are no evil characters.  It is a novel about memory, about bonding, about artistry, and about the importance of storying.  Throughout the book, black and white illustrations by Lizzy Stewart depict story events with clarity and joyfulness. Like Charlie Mackesy’s, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse, David Almond weaves in philosophical statements to warm the heart and inspire reflection. 

Excerpt (pages 99-100)

“That’s a baby,” whispered Silvester. It came from a mother and father. It will grow into another child.”

Puppet swayed.

“Then it will become a teenager,” said Silvester. “Then an adult. And it might have children of its own. Then it wil become an old person like me. And then…”

He shook his head. ‘So much magic, Puppet!” he cried. “So many stories. Such an astonishing world!”

He opened his eyes and his heart and his imagination wide. 

 

AUSTRALIAN

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GRACE NOTES by Karen Comer (YA) Verse Novel

This novel was shortlisted for a number of book awards and was the winner the 2024 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book Prize for older readers. It is the story of two teenagers who are each talented and dedicated to their art form, despite the discouragement and lack of support from their parents. Karen Comer presents alternating narratives in free verse style.  Grace Dalfinch is passionate about playing the violin and James Crux aspires to be a noteworthy street artist. About halfway through the novel, their lives converge as they find solace and understanding and love with each other. Noteworthy, is the fact that this story is set in 2020 when the Pandemic hit the world. Throughout the novel the author provides facts about the growing number of Corona cases with snippets of postings from citizens who were dealing with the pandemic.  Readers will likely recall their own experiences of COVID-19. Teenagers will likely identify with Grace and Crux in their pursuit of their dreams, smothered by the  expectations of their parents. Grace Notes was an engaging, relatable read. 

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SHOUT OUT

CHOOSE LOVE by Nicola Davies; illus. Petr Horacek (Poetry) (2022) (The Refugee Experience)

Award-winning British author, Nicola Davies has written over 80 books for children. Her staggering book The Day War Came shines a light on the refugee experience by telling the story of a child fleeing war having lost family, home, education and safety. Choose Love grew from a remarkable charity Help Refugees.  Choose Love, the publication is a series of poems digs deep into the soul and plight of real-life refugee experiences, the lives they left behind to face an unknown future.  The book is divided into three sections: ‘Departure’, ‘Arrival’, ‘Healing’. Czechoslovakian illustrator, Petr Horacek creates stirring abstract art images to accompany each poem. the artist writes “my illustrations are not pretty. They are expressive and heavy with texture… Colour seeps through the paint just as love and hope seeps through Nicola’s poems… Love and Hope, the two most important things in our lives, because… what else?”

Sample: from “The Trials” (p. 23)

First the trial of escape:

Leaping from the monster’s mouth while its jaws snap;

felling with the flames and famine licking at your heels;

nights of terror wondering about the ones

you had to leave behind. 

 

OUT OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse (1997) and HOME OF THE BRAVE by Katherine Applegate (2008) and the 2015 Newbery Award winning THE CROSSOVER by Kwame are three exceptional examples of fiction.  That they happen to be verse novels is particularly worthy of praise. I am drawn to this format of narrative fiction and tend to automatically pick up a book if I know it’s free verse. I’m usually not disappointed. This posting is a round-up of  some Verse novels that have recently been published. Noteworthy, too, is that these suggestions happen to support the teaching of a tough topic. If you haven’t had the chance to dig into novels written in this poetic style, I suggest trying it. You might like it! 

 

ALIAS ANNA by Susan Hood with Greg Dawson / THE HOLOCAUST

Zhanna (alias Anna) , a young Jewish girl, living in the Ukraine when it was invaded by Germans during World War II is forced to l her entire family when the Nazis force them out of their home. Zhanna has strong musical talent and a promising future as a pianist. When her father bribes a guard, Zhanna is fortunate to take and hide  a treasured sheet of Chopin music.  This historical fiction title, told in verse, tells the story (one of hundreds) of Jewish children who were forced to give up their names and hide their identities. The author, along with Zhanna’s son, Greg Dawson recount the true, moving story of how two piano prodigies, outplayed their pursuers while hiding in plain sight.  Like The Children of Willsesden Lane and Hiding Edith this is a very special story of resilience and perseverance set during the Holocaust. 

“I don’t care what you do, just live.” (Zhanna’s father)

 

AND THEN, BOOM! by Lisa Fipps  / POVERTY

In her debut novel, Starfish (2021), Lisa Fipps wrote a powerful story about body shaming and the trials and tribulations of a young adolescent girl dealing with her weight and with bullying.  The author’s newest novel is a look into the harsh realities of living in poverty. Whenever she gets ‘the itch’. Joe’s mother abandons her son. He and his grandmother are left to downsize, to pay the bills and use any means to fight hunger. Life for Joe, is filled with unexpected ‘And then…’ moments, especially large one’s that are unexpected BOOM moments which demand that he face challenges, make decisions and solve problems in order to survive from day to day.  When life gives you lemons – A death, a storm, starving and the care of stray dogs – it is hard to make lemonade. Joe’s resilience and strong character help him get through life’s “And Then, BOOM” events. “Every story boils down to and thens and BOOMS!/ And -thens and BOOMS, but  are all about the moments when something happens that changes everything./ It could be bad. And it could be good but it’s often not.” (p. 5). Joe’s life circumstances often broke my heart but I was compelled to cheer for him  because of his humour and hope even when hard days got worse.   I absolutely LOVED this novel. I can’t wait for another Lisa Fipps publication. 

Excerpt (p. 65)

Hunger is day-in, day-out luck,

creating inside you

an urgent need, 

a craving, 

a longing

for something you can’t survive or thrive without 

and yet 

you don’t have it.

Hunger just isn’t about food. 

 

ARE YOU NOBODY TOO? Tina Cane / ASIAN IDENTITY

Eight grader Emily Sofar, a Chinese girl,  who had been adopted by a white American couple, is enjoying her life as the only Chinese student at a private middle school. When COVID hits, her father loses his job and she is transferred to I.S. in New York’s Chinatown, and discovers that she is in a community where she looks like everyone else. Emily, however, struggles to fit in and establish friends. She is always looking in herself to figure out who she is and feel comfortable with her past and present circumstances. It is the poetry of Emily Dickinson “I’m nobody! Who are you? Are you – Nobody – too?”) that provides Emily  a window and a mirror to her identity. Are You Nobody Too? offers readers a very introspective, reflective character who tries to find a place of belonging (as most adolescents do).  The free verse style is especially suitable for this story about the importance of poetry. Encountering words by the lonely Emily Dickinson throughout this book offers a special read for students who enjoy grasping the meaning of poems.

Excerpt (p. 233)

It’s not about being deep    she replies     It’s about knowing     what your needs      and feelings are     Without that what’s the point     of knowing anything at all? 

 

BLACK STAR by Kwame Alexander / BLACK IDENTITY: SEGREGATION

This title is the 2nd book in The Door of No Return trilogy by Kwame Alexander, author extraordinaire. The story takes place during the turbulent segregation era, and the beginning of The Great Migration. In the first book we are introduced to Kofi as a young boy who is kidnapped from from his home in West Africa to be sent off to be a slave.  In this sequel, a generation is skipped in Kofi’s life as we meet his spirited granddaughter, Charley, a young girl who is determined to become the first female pitcher to play professional baseball. Her mother, however discourages Charley playing , declaring that she should not play ball because”it is not normal, that getting all sweaty is not elegant, that girls should stay clean, be graceful, play piano or flute”. p. 21). Her lofty dreams are deterred with with tensions that are boiling over in her segregated town. Interspersed throughout the book are Nana Kofi’s stories about courageous ancestors and their crossing over from Africa. Although  Charley’s parents try to protect their daughter from dark truths of Black history,  Charley is fiercely determined to know more and more about her brave ancestors and not have her “dreams deferred”    Readers will cheer for Charley and will likely be engaged with the thrilling poetic narration of the baseball practice with Charley and her friends Cool Willie Green and Sox and the daring challenge of playing a game with a neighbourhood bully. Black Star is another powerful story from a powerful writer. 

 

GRACE NOTES by Karen Comer (YA)  /THE ARTS; THE PANDEMIC

This novel was shortlisted for a number of book awards and was the winner the 2024 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book Prize for older readers. It is the story of two teenagers who are each talented and dedicated to their art form, despite the discouragement and lack of support from their parents. Karen Comer presents alternating narratives in free verse style.  Grace Dalfinch is passionate about playing the violin and James Crux aspires to be a noteworthy street artist. About halfway through the novel, their lives converge as they find solace and understanding and love with each other. Noteworthy, is the fact that this story is set in 2020 when the Pandemic hit the world. Throughout the novel the author provides facts about the growing number of Corona cases with snippets of postings from citizens who were dealing with the pandemic.  Readers will likely recall their own experiences of COVID-19. Teenagers will likely identify with Grace and Crux in their pursuit of their dreams, smothered by the  expectations of their parents. Grace Notes was an engaging, relatable read. 

 

LOUDER THAN HUNGER by John Schu (ages 12+) / MENTAL HEALTH; BODY IMAGE

Jake is a thirteen-year-old boy who’s life is full of despair, He is depressed. He has an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is a boy burdened Anorexia Nervosa.  He is wounded by bully taunts  “Loser. Wimp Freak.”    There is no happiness in his life, other than memories of time spent with his loving grandmother and admiration of Broadway musicals and Emily Dickinson poetry (“I am nobody! /Who are you?  Are you. – Nobody – too?”).  Jake does not have a healthy relationship with his parents (His mother is also dealing with depression.  The voice is an evil character roaring inside Jakes head (“You need to  burn off more calories.” “You don’t deserve love and warmth and kindness.”  “You – are  – repulsive!” “You don’t want to get better.”) Jake writes “I want  to erase every single thing about me.”   When others notice that Jake is wasting away (literally)  he finally he  is sent to a psychiatric treatment centre where, Whispering Pines,  much of the narrative unfolds. The demonic Voice persists and Jake resists help from other troubled residents and from his therapists. Readers will root for things to get better for Jake and will read on to discover a turning point that will lead this teenager coming to  feel worth and to lead a better life. 

This book is a punch in the heart. The free verse style is a suitable format for the character to reveal his reflective thoughts. Some pages only have a few words. Some poems are written with one word per line. Some words are written. Many phrases are repeated. Many statements follow a repeated pattern  Writers are often advised to ‘write what you know’. In an afterword to the book, the author writes a letter to his readers stating “How do I understand Jake’s inner thinking? How do I understand Jake’s heart so well so deeply? The reality is that many of his thoughts, including his disordered thinking and eating, are passed on my own experiences as a young person. Louder Than Hunger parallels John Schu’s life in many ways makes it all the more harrowing a read.  It is  courageous, heart-squeezing story and though a tough read, Jake’s/John’s story  can open doors and ignite conversations. Any reader with compassionate heart will worry and care aboutJake and want to wrap their arms around him to give assurance and hope. As I read through the book, I became aware of the word ‘heart’ that is sprinkled generously throughout the book. I first encountered librarian and author John Schu at a language conference where he passionately shared favourite book titles with the audience and generously gave books away to individuals asking, “Who’s heart needs this book?” In her brief forward, author Kate DiCamill0 writes that ‘reading Jakes story will change you.” And quoting Mr. Schu, I say “your heart needs this book!

 

MID-AIR by Alicia D. Williams / DEATH LOSS & REMEMBRANCE 

Eighth-grade student Isaiah feels lost. He is struggling with the loss of his best friend Darius who was killed in accident. Isaiah feels guilty for the part he played in the hit and run accident and worried about the dwindling friendship with Drew who he enjoys hanging out with doing wheelies, watching movies and attempts to break Guiness World Records before entering high school. Isiah can’t seem to cope with a lost friend and a fading friend  his feelings of grief and the need to forge ahead with honesty and grace. The verse style and use of slang and vocabulary are relatable and well-suited for the reflective stance of this black teenage character.



DEAR MOTHMAN by Robin Gow   / DEATH LOSS & REMEMBRANCE / TRANS IDENTITY

Nora / Noah’s best friend, Ella / Lewis, was killed in a car accident Noah is trying to come to terms with the loss. Noah and Lewis understood each other and had much in common, including the fact that they were both Trans. The novel is mostly written as letters to Mothman,  Lewis’s favourite cryptid, who may or may not be living in the woods near Noah’s house. Strange appearances convince  Noah that Mothman is real and Noah decides to make Mothman the subject of his science fair project and gather as much evidence to prove its existence. When Noah makes friends with three girls, he finally comes to feel that he belongs. Through the extended metaphor of a lonely creature, Robin Gow has created a compelling story about grief,  gender issues and acceptance. The journal letters. as well as recounts. of everyday events are presented as free verse (in rather small font) and provide a narrative, and an honest expression of emotions. Dear Mothman and an authentic confessional account of a preteen  boy living with autism who is dealing with grief and their  queer identity. 

Excerpt (p. 157)

Why is being a person so hard sometimes?

I keep getting sad and thinking

“Maybe it would be easier to not have friends at all>”

 

Then I’m like – no, Noah. 

You love your friends.

This is just hard. 

 

RED BIRD DANCED by Dawn Quigley / INDIGENOUS CULTURE

This is a verse novel, presented in alternating voices of a girl named Ariel, passionate about ballet dancing, and her neighbour Tomah, a struggling reader who seems to get by by making others laugh. The two friends live in the city’s Intertribal Housing Complex  When Ariel’s Auntie goes missing, Ariel’s dancing suffers and she strives to keep the memory of her missing aunt alive. (“Dancing is how i connect my body and soul to the earth”. Ariel and Tomah carry each other through their sadnesses and struggles. Dawn Quigley, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe does a brilliant job of unpacking the trials and tribulations of urban Native kids and their connections with those who came before them and their resilience even when bad things go on outside the front door in the city. Quigley masterfully uses the free verse form to illuminate the emotions and stories of two Native citizens. Readers are given insights into the Native culture (e.g. Jingle dancing) but  especially come to understand the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MM1W) through aunt Binieshinh’s story.Impressive too is the description of bird life that serves as a metaphor for the character’s world views.  This book deserves awards. 

Excerpt

Life in the housing complex / meant/ family is a / doorstep away. / Life is in/ our relatives/  relatives/ who may not be blood related/ but are like tree/ roots that/ intertwine and hold on / to one another unseen (p. 12)

 

ULTRAVIOLET by Aida Salazar / TOXIC MASCULINITY

Thirteen year old Elio Solis tries to navigate social media, friendships, his Mexican culture  and his changing body. Swimming in his head are his mother’s warnings about toxic masculinity and consent and his father’s warning to ‘man up’.  In fact, his father takes him witness a cock fight as well as  partake in a community man’s group called ‘Brother’s Rising’  Elio is also experiencing ‘head over heels’   feelings for the beautiful Camilla, so much so that he sees the world as ultraviolet. When Elio’s heart is crushed by the blows of first love, he struggles with the ups and downs of coming of age. Through splendid accessible poetry, sprinkled with Spanish language, Ultraviolet provides a strong perspective  and questioning of masculinity.

Excerpt (p. 43)

So does that mean

I’m automatically toxic?

No, not you, but behavior like that could be.

As a boy you have privileges that girls don’t.

It’s what the world gives you

just for being a boy. 

That doesn’t seem fair, I shrug. 

 

A WORK IN PROGRESS by Jarrett Lerner / MENTAL HEALTH & BODY IMAGE

When he was in fourth grade, a mean kid tormented Nick Fisher by spitting out the words “Your FAT and Everyone knows it”. The words stuck inside his head for years and now that he’s in middle school, Nick is deeply angry and  gfully aware of his body and how others think about how he looks. His friends have abandoned him. He eats lunch alone outside the cafeteria. He overhears mean mean comments said by mean girls. Spoiler: Ast he title suggests: Progress is made (thanks to a new friendship, therapy and gradual self-acceptance).  The novel is written in free verse style and is accompanied by graphic images illustrations that put Nick’s tormented feelings into art. Jarret Lerner dedicates this book “For anyone who has ever felt less than.” The author tells the story with full-out honesty and self-reaization and as a wit progressesit is a story of foregiveness, resileince and hope. This is a remarkable book, vital reading for middle age readers  who feel ‘less than’ and  essential reading for middle age students  think about the progress needed to move forward by o accepting their identities as they move through the complexities of adolescenthood  (and what middle age student doesn’t ask themselves about who they are and who they are becoming)?  This is essential reading to think  about body image and  mental health issues. Highly recommended. 

Excerpt (pages 86-87)

I eat/ and eat/ and eat./ More/ and more/ and more.  And chewing/ and swallowing/ and chewing/ some more more/ there are moments –

brief/ beautiful/ blissful moments/ – when I forget who I am/ what I am/ that I am / at all.