Celebrating the special relationship between a father and son, Sherman Alexie’s 2016 picture book, Thunder Boy Jr. is a delightful read that families will enjoy.

 

Thunder Boy is named after his father but he wants a name all his own, something like Gravity’s Best Friend (since he learned to ride his bike when he was three). Luckily, Dad comes up with a name that will light up the sky!

 

The stunning and colourful illustrations by Yuyi Morales are the result of scanning old wood and clay bricks and using their colours and textures to paint digitally.

 

Highly recommended!

 

Rating: 5 stars/5 stars

Recommended for all ages.

The details: Alexie, S. (2016). Thunder Boy, Jr. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Picture Book - a boy and his bunny

"Mother looked puzzled as she brought him his bread.
'You know, I hate to tell you, but it's go to be said...'
'You have a great big bunny on your head!'
'And what's wrong with that?'
asked the big bunny Fred.
'You can do anything with a bunny on your head.'

This is an entertaining picture book that should delight parents and children alike. Tom Murphy's illustrations, blue and yellow line drawing, perfectly complement this uncomplicated and fun text. Recommended for those who enjoy a good read-aloud with a touch of whimsy.

Rating: 5 stars/5 stars

Recommended for all ages.

The details: Bryan, S. (2005). A Boy and his Bunny. New York: Arcade Publishing.

Picture Book - What Pet to Get

"Let's get a pet," said Jack one day.
"I promise I'll look after it."

"If you like, dear," replied his mother
absentmindedly.
"What pet should we get?"

The illustrations of wide eyed, larger-than-life animals dominate this story and give a good sense of Jack's mounting excitement. I would have liked to have seen more rhyme or at least a common refrain to carry listeners along for the ride. This book is better read silently than aloud. However, the end is sure to induce some giggles from your audience.

I was delighted to see the Web site for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals highlighted at the front of the book for families looking to adopt a pet. Recommended for any family thinking of adding a fur baby to the mix because it is sure to be a conversation-starter.

Rating: 3.5 stars/5 stars

Recommended for ages 4 and up.

The details:
Dodd, E. (2006). What Pet to Get. New York: Scholastic.

Picture Book: Olivia

After a nice bath, and a nice dinner, it's time for bed.
But of course Olivia's not at all sleepy.
"Only five books tonight, Mommy," she says.
"No, Olivia, just one."
"How about four?"
"Two."
"Three."
"Oh, all right, three.
But that's it!"

Olivia is a fabulous book about a feisty little girl pig named Olivia; one that ought to be read aloud by all mothers to their daughters at bed time. Olivia wears everyone out, even herself, but despite this her family loves her very much. The book has some very touching scenes between family members, particularly those involving Olivia and her little brother, Ian, and Olivia and her mother. Parents and children alike will marvel at the black and white illustrations with their whimsical touches of red. Adults will appreciate how the illustrations show Olivia's love of art and literature impacting her development, filling her mind with dreams and ambitions. Recommended for any parents who want to foster lively imaginations in their children.

Rating: 5 stars/5 stars

Recommended for ages 4 and up.

The details:
Falconer, I. (2000). Olivia. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Fantasy/Science Fiction: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

A Bewitching Tale: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

From that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

I have a confession to make. I've been living under a rock for the past decade (perhaps held prisoner by a twelve-foot troll? I'll never tell) and have neither read nor viewed the Harry Potter books or movies. I don't know what I was waiting for because Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. So much so, in fact, that I picked up the book and read all 300+ pages in one day.

Harry Potter sucked me in from the start, perhaps because it owes something to my favourite novel of all time, Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, with its plucky orphan hero who overcomes numerous obstacles and unfair disadvantages to win everyone over. In fact, the book borrows some of the most enjoyable aspects of classic children's literature and weaves them into an exciting and harrowing tale of sorcery and adventure. You'll note the crime solving capabilities of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys when Harry, Hermione, and Ron work to solve the mystery of the third-floor corridor. You'll be transported into magical realms of the imagination where people take the place of life-sized chess pieces, much like Lewis Carroll's Alice novels. The English Literature scholars amongst us will recognize Dickens' Gradgrind family in the descriptions of the eminently practical Dursley family ["He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination" (5)]. In the hands of a less-talented writer, the book might seem derivative; however, with Rowling's skill and sense of humour, all these elements combine to form a novel that adults and children alike will enjoy.

The novel tells the tale of an orphaned boy named Harry with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, who is raised by his aunt and uncle to be eminently normal (a "muggle," in Wizard-speak). For ten years, Harry is starved and berated, until the day mysterious letters with his name written in green ink begin arriving for him. Despite trying their hardest, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia can't stop Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, from finding Harry and setting him on the path to his destiny.

In his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry makes both friends (Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley) and enemies (Draco Malfoy) as he undergoes the standard childhood traumas (exams!) and thrills (Quiddich!). In fact, the novel owes a tip of its hat to the prototypical English school novel (think Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall for the tween crowd). But Harry discovers he is destined for something greater, a struggle only hinted at in the novel's concluding chapters.

While some scenes might prove frightening to small children, the novel deals with death in a hopeful way. Dumbledore, the supreme wizard and the book's voice of reason, drives home the point that, "to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure" (297). Based on the novel's many hints of things to be revealed as Harry ages, Harry has several great adventures yet to come.

Rating: 5 stars/5 stars

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

The details:
Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone. New York: Scholastic.

Revised Fairy Tale 2

Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted is a retelling of the story of Cinderella, complete with a handsome prince (Char, short for Charmont), two ugly* (*because of their mean spritedness and greed) stepsisters (Hattie and Olive) and a fairy godmother (Mandy).

I picked this book up based on the recommendation of a friend and it's a testament to Carson Levine's writing that I didn't even realize it was related to the Cinderella fable until I was a few chapters on in the book. The premise of the novel is that Ella is born with a fairy blessing that is actually a curse; she must always be an obedient girl. Ella despises these limitations and devises clever ways to avoid following orders by taking each command at its most literal meaning. It's this quick wit that makes Ella's character so charming and she will appeal to every girl who's ever danced around the edges of improper behaviour with a gleam of mischief in her eye.

Of course, the dilemma with the Cinderella story is how to make it relevant to young women who know that happily ever after involves so much more than merely finding a husband. Carson Levine makes Ella's choice to marry more about declining the proposal than accepting it. But you'll have to read the book to find out more.

Like all fairy tales, Ella Enchanted will be exciting for the young and the young at heart. Recommended for all ages.

The details: Carson Levine, Gail. Ella Enchanted. New York : Avon Books, 2003.

Graphic Novel 2

"You're getting on my nerves, Aya, university is for men, not girls." "And I'll find a rich husband to take care of me?" "Right. In fact, we're having supper with my boss, I want you to meet his son."

Marguerite Abouet's Aya tells the story of three teen girls living in a working class suburb in the Ivory Coast, in Africa, during 1978. The artwork is beautifully rendered by Clément Oubrerie. The book illustrates the vibrancy and joie de vivre of the culture. As the publisher states, "[this is] an Africa we rarely see-spirited, hopeful and resilient."

Aya is a 19 year old girl who wants to be a doctor and has little interest in the aggressive men she meets. She is a strong independent woman with a good head on her shoulders but she is also caring and does what she can to support her friends, Adjoua and Bintou, who would rather dance than study.

Aya examines social problems including the class divide, teen pregnancy, abuse and the role of women while remaining light hearted, funny and thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended for people ages 15-18. Some mature themes.

The details: Abouet, Marguerite and Clément Oubrerie. Aya. Montreal: Drawn and Quarterly, 2007.

Series Fiction

8:00 p.m.
The only nice person is Libby. She was stroking where my eyebrows used to be and then she went off and brought me a lump of cheese. Great. I have become ratwoman.

My first introduction to Louise Rennison's Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging came from a friend who held the book up to me and said, "this will make you blow snot bubbles out of your nose. Do not read this on the bus." He was right. Well, not about the snot bubbles, but about the hilarity that is the life of Georgia Nicolson.

The book is written in diary format, somewhat the way Bridget Jones would have described her angst-ridden life as a 14-year-old girl (complete with worries about her nose/body/skin/breasts and the mysteries of the male gender). Georgia's life is full of things she simultaneously loves and hates, like her parents, boys and her half-Scottish wildcat Angus who stalks her legs as if they were wild game.

My one quibble with the book is that sometimes Georgia struck me as a wee bit too egocentric and unaware of how her actions affected other people. Some of the comments she makes to her father or "Nauseating Pamela Green" reek of insensitivity (but then again, I suppose most 14 year old girls are slightly unaware how unkind their actions can be). I was also a little uncomfortable with the recurring jokes about lesbianism. I like to hope we're a little more socially aware these days.

However, when all is said and done the book is literally laugh-out-loud funny. I dare you to read the scene where Georgia meets her crush, Robbie, with her three year old sister Libby in tow and not guffaw or at least cackle a bit. Recommended for ages 13 to 18.

And if you like this one, later books in the series include On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God; Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas; Dancing In My Nuddy Pants; Away Laughing on a Fast Camel; Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers; Startled by His Furry Shorts; and Love is a Many Trousered Thing.

The details: Rennison, Louise. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. New York: HarperTempest, 2001.

Science Fiction

Every part of the definition is as important as any other; and if a child doesn't come within it, then it isn't human, and that means it doesn't have a soul.

John Wyndham's The Chrysalids describes a futuristic society where some sort of environmental apocalypse severed ties with the past and few areas have been re-settled, most notably the land of Labrador. Here, nine children discover they have an ability that marks them as different and different is the last thing they want to be.

David Strorm is the son of a powerful and deeply religious man who reveres the word of the two surviving books from the Old People: the Bible and Nicholson's Repentances. These books decree man must be made in the true image of God or else he is an abomination. The same can be said of animals or vegetation and inspectors closely watch the civilized areas for any signs of mutation that must be eliminated.

The Chrysalids forces us to examine our beliefs about authority and asks us to challenge the norms we take for granted in our society. The message is one of tolerance and the book will interest men and women ages 14 and up.

The details:
Wyndham, John. The Chrysalids. Toronto: Penguin, 1955.

Revised Fairy Tale

Zel turns her hands palms down, runs her fingers across the floor. She finds the sharp stone. It took her twelve days to work that stone from the wall. Her fingernails broke. Her fingertips went raw. She opens her eyes and pushes the mattress aside. She scratches a line on the floor beside the other lines, each one marking a day. Zel pulls the mattress back in place. No one who enters the room sees the scratches. Zel laughs. No one enters the room.

Donna Jo Napoli's Zel is a re-telling of the Rapunzel fable from three points of view: Mother, Zel and Konrad (Zel's prince, who is a Count in this version). Napoli weaves in threads of weightier topics such as religion and social class divides but the book is primarily a love story. Make that a love triangle. It is the story of Zel's two soul mates, her Mother and her lover, and the dangers that arise when someone wants something so passionately they are willing to give anything to obain it.

But it is also a book about madness. I was reminded over and over again of Charlotte Perkin Gilman's short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, because of the way Zel endlessly circles the space where she is held captive and scrawls upon the walls. Only Zel is not the only mad woman in the story. Mother, a character given no other name because she is so overwhelmingly consumed with this one function in life, plumbs incredible depths in order to realize her deepest desires.

Zel begins slowly and the stilted, somewhat Victorian-type language took some getting used to, so readers will have to decide whether reaching the book's finale is worth the effort. I felt it was because the agony of the characters was very intimately portrayed and reminded me of another favourite book, Wuthering Heights. This kind of work will not appeal to everyone; it's the sort of book that you will want to explore only if you are interested in taking a closer look at the depths of human depravity but also the power of human forgiveness. Recommended for teens who are reading at a mature level.

The details: Napoli, Donna Jo. Zel. Toronto: Puffin, 1996.

Realistic Fiction

Clearly, these Blondes, my Blondes, were a whole lot more complicated then they looked.

When I began reading Teresa Toten's Me:) and the Blondes I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into but, it proved me wrong. Funny enough, that's exactly the point of the book.

Pink cover. Smiley face. One lunch bag representing what it means to be different in a school full of bland boring similarities. I thought this would be your stereotypical, run-of-the-mill, Mean Girls-esque tale about a young woman who's gone to a million different schools and figures out the "rules" of becoming popular (i.e. attach yourself to the blondes). At first Sophie Kandinsky feels this way but as she gets to know the blondes she discovers they are not, in fact, interchangeable pod people. They all have dramas equal to her own, including bulimia and a secret family history. Sophie comes to understand how everyone struggles just as hard to get by.

Sophie has not had an easy go of it. It’s the 1970s, she is Bulgarian-Canadian and her father has been wrongly imprisoned. Her mother, an obvious immigrant (her accent is rendered phonetically by Sophie in the book) , attempts to live her life as a single parent and wife of a convicted felon. Sophia watches her mother fall to pieces after each weekly call from her father and somehow has to make a go of it at school while holding everything together at home, working a part-time job at Mike's soda fountain, playing varsity basketball and trying to avoid letting the truth about her life seep into the high school rumour mill.

The book examines the ways we hide behind secrets but also how we can overcome these barrier by forming open and trusting bonds with others. Me:) and the Blondes is a coming of age story replete with all the awkward girl moments: first make out, first tampon, embarassing parents, the rules of slow dancing. Toten's book is recommended for 12-16 year old girls encountering the same sorts of firsts. It will make you laugh but it will also make you think and that's always a good combination (for dating or reading).

The details: Toten, Teresa. Me and the Blondes. Toronto: Puffin Canada, 2006.

Controversial Book

Later, Grandma said, "He's a nice boy, Kath."
"I know." "Intelligent."
"Uh huh." "Attractive, too."
"I agree." "Just be careful...that's my only advice."
"Of what?' "Pregnancy."
"Grandma!" "And venereal disease."
"Does it embarrass you to talk about it?"

Judy Blume's Forever... examines how Katherine Danziger decides whether to have sex with her first long term boyfriend, Michael Wagner. Katherine and Michael are seniors and they have a caring, committed, mutually respectful relationship. Katherine is lucky enough to have a family, and particularly a grandmother, who want the best for her and are willing to talk openly about taking her relationship to a sexual level. Her grandmother is very active in Planned Parenthood and the National Organization of Women and she wants to make sure that Katherine will take care of her health and her future.

When Forever... was written in the mid-1970s, it caused quite a stir because the teens here talk openly and honestly about sex (although there are a few mutual orgasms occurring that may not necessarily reflect the reality of sex for those new to the act). It almost seems like a throwback now and it is hard to believe the book caused such a stir. A warning though, there are scenes of sexuality (although they are treated in a responsible way) and not all parents may approve because of these situations. They should, because, honestly, this is the frank talk they must have with their kids about how to protect themselves.

The book does not try to say this is right or wrong for everyone but rather a personal decision between two people. Blume also takes care not to trivialize the love you are capable of having at 17. It doesn't necessarily work out for everyone but that doesn't mean that it isn't just as overwhelming or an important, epic, part of our lives.

Forever... should be recommended reading for 14 to 16 year old women and men because it demonstrates not only how to make an important decision in a mature and responsible way but it does it without reading like a brochure from a sexual health centre or a poorly acted after school movie. The moral doesn't hit you over the head because Blume is a skilled enough writer that the characters come to life for her readers, who will agonize over where Michael and Katherine's relationship will take them once they graduate.

The details: Blume, Judy. Forever. New York: Simon Pulse, 1975.

Hi/Lo Book

I was relieved we were okay. Still, something in me kept saying, He took off and left me alone out there. Why didn't he say he was sorry?

Beth Goobie's Kicked Out tells the story of 15-year-old Dime, a Winnipeg girl who often feels she's worth about as much as her nickname dictates. Dime worries that her family cannot be normal, and fears that as much as she would love to get along with her parents, they may be doomed to yell and scream forever. She also fears that her boyfriend, Gabe, will return to his ex-girlfriend and that the ex is going to pound her face in outside of school. Things come to a head when she comes in three hours past her curfew one Friday, only to find her college-aged brother Darren waiting there the next morning, ready to help her move into his apartment.

Darren and Dime's relationship is different from the one she has with her parents. Although he can be authoritative, he never puts her down or makes her feel stupid. Sometimes it feels as if he is the only person in Dime's world who doesn't feel she's a freak or an alien. Darren is also a quadriplegic, paralyzed when he hit a moose while driving with a young Dime in the back seat. Dime sometimes wishes that she had been the one to lose her limbs since she thinks everyone believes she is a waste of space anyways. Can Darren help her to see her true value? Is it possible she can turn this whole mess around and escape grade ten?

Kicked Out is part of the Orca Soundings series of Hi/Lo books for readers looking for shorter, plot-driven, exciting reads. This book will resonate with 13-16 year old young adults who find themselves at odds with the world because they dress "differently" from the mainstream crowd (skulls, nose piercings, metal t-shirts) or girls who find themselves dealing with a boyfriend who is sometimes great and sometimes frustrating or just plain wrong for them.

The details: Goobie, Beth. Kicked Out. Victoria: Orca, 2002.