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.

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.

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.

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.

Romance

We kiss like it's a form of clasping.

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is infinitely better than the movie version by the same name. The book alternates between his and her points of view and explores what happens when two people somehow manage to connect. Really connect. The conversation between them is at times flirtatious, witty, angry and loving. They spend one of those magical nights together where you can just be 18 and young and walking around all night, discovering each other.

The language is lovely (Nick reads the sentences behind her eyes, Norah has fallen into the darkness of the consumed) but funny, funny, funny at the same time. If Nick and Norah were real people I would hope I could be cool enough to be their friends. I have to admit, I was never the kind of kid who could have pulled off playing at punk clubs in Manhattan or knowing where the best bands would play unadvertised concerts to intimate audiences at 3am, when the rest of the city was shutting down for the night. Part of Nick and Norah's charm though is the fact that they can be cutting edge but they're cool with everyone (gay, straight, bi, trans).

This book is great for the woman or man interested in the romantic aspect because it really rings true and resonates on that level (this is the night everyone wishes they could have with the one person out there who makes them laugh and really gets them in a way nobody else does). But it's more than that; the book is political and snarky and funny and discusses everything from Israel to the Beatles. Highly recommended for readers 16-18. Mature themes and language.

The details: Cohn, Rachel and David Levithan. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.