Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

With the approval of the L.M. Montgomery Estate, and with the 100th anniversary of the first Anne of Green Gables novel coming up, Budge Wilson set out to paint a picture of Anne Shirley’s life before she reached Green Gables. The result might not be quite what one would expect, but it is very, very good.

While the original Anne books are entertaining and frequently funny, there are plenty of hints of true darkness in the lives of the characters. This is nowhere more true than in the glimpses Anne gives of her early childhood. Those familiar with the story know that Anne lost her parents early, that she was taken in by people who expected her to work very hard helping to raise their large families, and that she seems to have spent most of that time longing for a degree of human connection that never really materialised. Budge Wilson picks up on all of this, producing a novel that feels much heavier than Montgomery’s generally do. Anne’s imagination and dreaminess is still there, certainly, but Wilson appears to be more focused on gaining an understanding of how Anne’s early experiences shaped her into the girl so many love than on extending Montgomery’s approach to storytelling into Anne’s earlier history. Its focus makes this undeniably a book for older readers, but one that stands remarkably well on its own as an exploration of one child’s development under difficult circumstances. Readers coming to the Anne series later, as I did, may find that Wilson’s insights serve as a helpful balance to Montgomery’s rather more exuberant novels.

Read the Guardian review, or this one, from the blog Brown Paper.

Check out the book’s website, where you’ll find crafts, activities, and a downloadable bookmark and poster!

Feeling Good: Todd and His Friend by sunmark

Todd and His Friend, written by sunmark and translated from Korean by William Broder, is a quirky, engaging story about loneliness and the power of imagination.

Young Todd is not a fan of studying or sports, which sets him apart from his classmates and renders school a daily frustration. What he would prefer to do is draw — to spend his time conjuring up dinosaurs and ships, ghosts and little boys.  When one of these little boys comes to life, however, stepping down from a brick wall, a gleeful friendship ensues. The two take on the world together (or at least school and sports!), with Wally rousing in Todd an entirely new outlook on life. But with chalk vulnerable to the elements, Wally’s time is limited, whether or not Todd is ready to say goodbye…

Used book sales have been a great resource for building up my daughter’s book collection, and this is precisely how Feeling Good: Todd and His Friend and other dual-story books from the Korean/English Bing Bang Boom Club series dropped into our hands. In retrospect, it’s amazing how long the books sat unread on our bookshelves! But after a fateful day, and the discovery of a remarkable depth and humour to these magic realist tales…well, my husband, daughter, and I are completely hooked, and continue to enjoy conversations around them.  

Unfortunately, very little information appears to exist around these books, leaving me with neither additional reviews nor trailers to share. But as a definite gem, consider giving the series a chance should it ever cross your path!

 

Ten: Going Away to School

Moving to a new place is one thing; moving to a new place where one’s primary job is to prove oneself takes the challenge to another level. Going away to school takes you away from comfortable routines and familiar dependence on others (whether these have been positive or otherwise), and requires you to discover who you are and how you make your way in the world. The characters in this week’s Ten uncover both strengths and weaknesses within themselves and, in the process, begin to understand their unique places in their respective communities.

Battle Dress by Amy Efaw
Andi leaves her dysfunctional family to go away to college at West Point. While the intensity of military life is a shock, Andi discovers that being required to take on challenges with boldness or face the consequences pushes her beyond the damaging patterns she’s learned at home to a place where she can claim her strengths and offer them confidently for the good of her team.

When No One Is Watching written by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by David A. Johnson

Energetic and creative when she is alone, Eileen Spinelli’s unnamed protagonist sings and dances, shows off her basketball skills, and is “brave as a bear / in a cave / in the dark.” When others are around — her classmates, her family, other adults in public places — the boldness disappears and she fades into the background. While others play and argue, she stays out of the way. That is, of course, unless the other is her friend Loretta, who is shy, too. When the girls are together, they make space for one another, and each feels free to play and make noise, even if others are watching, too.

Spinelli’s protagonist is beautifully complex and very relatable. Even readers who are rarely shy have likely found themselves in situations when they didn’t feel quite free to be themselves, and will feel a tug of familiarity when reading When No One Is Watching. For those children (and adults!) for whom shyness is a more frequent experience, the book is a gem, offering a character who understands what it’s like and who finds joy in both aloneness and friendship. Johnson’s illustrations are as exuberant as the child they depict. She is brightly coloured, full of motion from her hair to her shoelaces. The others — with the exception of Loretta — live their busy, talkative lives in softer colours, separated visually, as well as experientially, from the protagonist’s inner life.

Find reviews on Publishers Weekly and Waking Brain Cells.

Read an interview with Eileen Spinelli.

Descent into Paradise by Vincent Karle

Zaher is Afghani, but everyone knows he hates the Taliban. Fellow student Martin reports Zaher’s rough start in Paradise and his gradual acceptance by his new classmates. A drug bust at school throws the students’ flexibility into contrast with the prejudice of several members of the local police force. Zaher is falsely charged with drug dealing and his family is deported to the country from which they have sought asylum. Martin, whose marijuana is used to frame Zaher, describes an investigation marked by mistreatment and blackmail. When he is released, too late to help Zaher, Martin returns to school convinced that he is responsible and determined to find some way of fighting injustice as a means of making up for what he has done.

Descent into Paradise focuses on a teen distrustful of authority figures and casual about breaking rules that he believes are unnecessary. His experiences demonstrate that his actions have consequences, though readers will likely find the events described too extreme to be really believable. However, the story also suggests that there are valid places for Martin to direct his rebellious attitude, and that it is possible to distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy authority figures. The novella is one half of one of Annick Press’s Single Voice books. Each book contains two brief stories which address complex, timely issues in simple language and large type. Clearly intended for reluctant readers, the Single Voice publications offer considerable substance for thought and even discussion while keeping the presentation easily manageable.

Annick recruited bloggers to review the Single Voice novellas. Descent into Paradise was reviewed by theGreen Bean Teen Queen.

You can watch a promotional video for the Single Voice project here

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Kambili lives her life quietly. She goes to school, goes to church, does her homework. If she can think of something to say that will please her father, she does so, but usually someone else thinks of it first, and so she remains silent. It’s safer that way.

Kambili’s father loves his family, but believes deeply that they must conform to a particular image of Western Christianity. Any deviation from that image–including any interest in the family’s Nigerian heritage, or association with family members who choose to live in traditional Nigerian ways — is met with rage and often devastating violence. Kambili and, to a lesser extent, her brother, Jaja, have adapted themselves to this atmosphere, shaping their behaviour, their words, even their thoughts to fit the norm imposed by their father. And then their Aunt Ifeoma invites Kambili and Jaja to come and stay for a while with her and her children. Though Aunt Ifeoma is also a Christian, she has not seen a need to separate faith from heritage so completely. Jaja fits into this new way of living quickly, but Kambili has a hard time reconciling the glorified Western-ness she’s internalised with the confidence her aunt and cousins demonstrate in their engagement with Nigerian culture. Though she gradually learns to embrace the freedom held out by her extended family, the consequences for her immediate family will leave them reeling.

Purple Hibiscus is definitely a novel for older readers, but a valuable one for those who are up for the challenge. Kambili’s journey is complex and painful, asking readers to extend compassion not only to her, but to the whole of her family in a situation that is both unfamiliar and close to home: the process of learning to understand oneself in relation to, but apart from one’s father.

You’ll find several reviews at Weaver Press Zimbabwe or another blog-style review at Opinions of a Wolf.

Listen to Chimamanda Adichie herself talk about the Danger of a Single Story. A really beautiful TED talk well worth the 20 minutes:

A final note: If you can, read the audiobook first. Hearing the story with the proper pronunciation of unfamiliar words and names adds a lot.

Ten: Living in Wartime

Whether one is living under the threat of invasion, or waiting at home to hear what happened in last night’s battle, living in a country at war places new stresses on anyone old enough to understand. Supplies are more expensive, or simply not available. Friends and family members risk their lives, and perhaps you are called upon to do the same. People are more suspicious, the truth–both about what’s happening and why it’s happening–can be elusive, and even the end of the war rarely promises a return to the way things were. This week’s Ten looks at war from the perspective of the home front, of refugees, of combatants, of rebels, and of civilians caught in the middle of a war they didn’t choose.

My Bonny Light Horseman by L.A. Meyer
The sixth of the Jacky Faber books, this story finds Jacky under cover in France. Though initially posted in a brothel (where a bit of creativity gets her out of actually serving any customers), Jacky soon gets herself off the sidelines and into the thick of things on Napoleon’s battlefield. Though Jacky thrills to adventure, an unexpected encounter with an old acquaintance allows her to voice her ambivalence toward war and violence.

Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen

Twelve year old Ambrose is an optimistic kid. Not even the “pleasure” of changing schools every time he and his mother move and his deathly allergy to peanuts can keep him down. On his last day of school, he nearly dies when bullies hide a peanut in his lunch. To keep this from happening again, his overprotective mother decides that he will be homeschooled.

Ambrose stays home alone when his mom goes to work in the evenings, and it is during this time that he meets Cosmo, the proprietor’s twenty-five year old son who has recently been released from jail. When he discovers that they both enjoy Scrabble, Ambrose talks Cosmo into pretending to be his big brother and going with him to a Scrabble club (where Cosmo tries to impress Amanda, the club director). In this setting of shared acceptance, both Ambrose and Cosmo begin to really flourish and grow.

When was the last time that you felt like your talents were thoroughly accepted? Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that you were able to flourish when your talents and abilities were thoroughly recognized and you felt the benefit of this? Have you ever been in a situation where your presence helped another individual self-realize part of him or herself?  This novel allows the reader the opportunity to re-examine their own talents and how they have or have not helped to them to positively define themselves and achieve something unexpected or difficult. A really enjoyable, fun read. If you come across it — have a look!

Interested? Check out two reviews at CM Review and Quill and Quire Book.

Learn a bit more about this Vancouver-based author on her website!

You may also be interested in watching a book trailer that some students created.

Follow My Leader by James B. Garfield

Jimmy Scouts, plays ball, and gets into trouble with his friends. Then one bit of mischief — a mishandled firecracker — results in an injury that blinds him permanently. The next few months are tough, as Jimmy figures out how to move around on his own, how to read braille, how to fit in with his friends again and, ultimately, how to forgive the friend responsible for his blindness. A significant portion of the book focuses on Jimmy’s relationship with his new guide dog, Leader, whose assistance adds considerably to Jimmy’s independence, and whose companionship helps Jimmy to move forward with life as it is now.

Follow My Leader was originally published in 1957, but was re-released by Puffin in 1994 and remains easily available. Though the language is a bit dated, dozens of reviews on Goodreads and Amazon show that I’m not the only one who loved this book as a child (I read it in the early 90s) and remembers it fondly — and in detail! — as an adult. A big part of the appeal is the author’s commitment to describing how Jimmy learns to adapt in such a way that readers learn right along with him. Kids can try to feel the cushion of air near walls and other barriers, practice spelling in braille, and use the clock face method to direct others. In the process, their imaginations are engaged in understanding a little bit of what it might be like to live without sight.

Read a review from the perspective of someone who raises future guide dogs, or an intriguing TV Tropes “review.”

Young readers who enjoy this book will find all kinds of resources online to help them continue their exploration of the topic of blindness, like this one: Braille Bug

Flying Feet by James McCann

Though Jinho, a second generation Korean-Canadian, acts the part of a “good student” for his non-English speaking mother, he is also a frustrated teen who has just lost (another!) Tae Kwon Do tournament. What’s more, since he broke his opponent’s fingers in the process, he’s been disqualified from playing the sport.

Just when things are worst, he meets and is scouted by Austin, trainer for a free-for-all underground Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) club where there are no rules, weight classes, or referees that would disqualify attacks should they progress too far.

Though Jinho is initially enthralled by the promise of fighting without rules, when the dangerous reality of the sport makes itself clear, he finds it difficult to get out. The only way he can move forward is by coming to terms with what he learned prior to his MMA days and with his original foundations.

Self-realization comes about in different manners. One process of coming to this point can be through the removal of and reuniting with something one took for granted. Only through the personal acceptance, realization and feelings of respect for a big influence in your life, can one truly walk towards the road to independence and restructuring of oneself as a complete whole.  An action packed, highly accessible book title for a more reluctant reader.

Want to know more about the book? Check out the BookTrailer.  Also take a look at the CM: A reviewing journal of Canadian Material for Young People, and or, The Readingjunky’s Reading Roost.

Want to know more about the author? Visit his BlogPage.