buy now add to wishlist add to my shelf

How to Tend a Grave:
Far too often, young adult novels tend to be geared to young girls who presumably gush at the romance underlying the story. It is even rarer to find a good young adult novel that has a male protagonist who appeals to both genders. But Jocelyn Shipley’s latest book from Great Plains Teen Fiction, How to Tend a Grave, does just that. It opens with a young man, Liam, who is well adjusted to the challenges of living in a big city condo in a single parent family. He knows that his situation is atypical, but not unheard of. His mother is young enough to be more of a friend than a parent, but Liam doesn’t really let that bother him. He does his school work and plays video games and doesn’t question his mom’s book keeping services. But all of his stability is lost in one moment when his mother goes out to work and never comes home, the victim of a hit and run. This unfortunate event forces Liam to face the truth that his mom is a sex trade worker and that the life they have been living has been a sham. Liam must then reunite with his estranged grandfather, Gully, and must move out of the condo and to his mother’s hometown of Dunlane. This is the point in the novel that Shipley demonstrates her control of voice and her excellent characterization. The novel flips from the point of view of Liam to that of Harmony. A regular girl, who while trying to fit in, has a run of bad luck. She experiments with alcohol at a graveyard party and rather than fitting in more, she is victimized and ends up pregnant. She does not gain the admiration of her peers, but becomes the target of wicked cyber-bullying. But her parents take the pregnancy in stride as they feel they have been given a chance to have that second child that due to their age was never a possibility. Where else should Liam and Harmony meet, but in the graveyard that provides the common thread between their unraveling lives? Together they must find the answer to the age old problem of belonging and standing up for what is right as their town becomes overrun with attacks of vandalism and assault at the hands of a gang known as Youth 4 Crime. Shipley keeps the reader sharply on his toes by weaving a tale of teenage angst against the serious backdrop of gang violence, peer pressure, and the complexities and awkwardness of teenage sexuality. The novel seamlessly flows from the present tense prose that presents Liam’s struggle to cope with the aftermath of both his mother’s death and the diary entries that offer insight into Harmony, her seemingly bizarre behaviours, and the teen culture that has encompassed Dunlane. As a teacher, I see this novel as an invaluable resource as it provides serious topics for discussion: sex, abuse, drugs, pregnancy, and bullying from both genders. It also does not rely on a romance and fluttering hearts to bring the reader to finish the book. It has a well-crafted plot with twists and surprises that keep the pages turning. It is a refreshing addition to a genre that far too often relies on feminine sensibilities to engage its readers. It is also an invigorating read as Shipley is able to write as a teen thinks from a vantage point that is more common than the supposed nuclear families that are the norm. Read it as a parent or read it as a teen; it doesn’t matter. This book is well worth it.

buy now add to wishlist add to my shelf

Sometimes when you finish a book, you always know that there has to be more, that it simply couldn’t just end the way it did. That’s how I felt after reading, Susan Rocan’s Withershins. In the first book, the reader is transported back in time through the eyes of a young girl, Michelle Langly who struggles to overcome a complete paradigm shift. She learns that she is a survivor and able to adapt to the harsh reality that existed for all early settlers of Canada, especially women. But she also learns that life wasn’t a slice of cake for those indigenous people who also settled there so long ago. Even though she has adapted well to life in 1846, Michelle knows that she must return to her own time. She does so only to discover that part of her will remain entrenched in the past. And thus begins Rocan’s second book, Spirit Quest in the saga of Michelle Langly. It opens with Michelle being grateful that she has returned home to the present, but also upset that her friends, family, and love interests are still in the past. She tries to move on enlisting the help of her great-grandmother who confesses to her that she had been made to be ashamed of her roots and had lived her life as white because she was “lucky” to be light enough as not to warrant questions of her true race. Faced with the realization that her grandmother is a victim of the residential school system and her own longings to know what might have been or what could have been, Michelle is left with no choice but to return to past to help her make it through her future. Her desire to return is strengthened by her discovery in the library that her abrupt disappearance from the past in Withershins, has led to her friend Bear, his grandfather Owl, and the doctor being indicted with her murder even though her body was never found. So Michelle repeats the ritual of withershins and is transported back to the past with just enough time to save her friends. Michelle quickly resumes the life she left behind but soon realises that there is more to her return than a simple visit to well-loved friends. She knows that she is on a journey that is important not only for her spiritually but for the spirituality of her new found tribe. Rocan’s strengths as a writer really take note is this sequel. She is able to convey the sights, sounds, and smells taking the reader back in time all its senses. In a well-crafted plot, Rocan keeps the reader engaged as Michelle endures a spirit quest to discover who she really is and where she might be headed. Rocan invites us all to not simply accept what is around us, but to strive for what we want. Through Michelle’s spirit quest, the lesson of self-determination in the “fate” of life, teaches us that listening to what’s around us as well as what’s within us, provides us with a path to greater fulfillment. This sequel deliciously fulfills all the unanswered questions from the first novel and is a must-read for all readers of Withershins.

buy now add to wishlist add to my shelf

Susan Rocan’s novel, The Withershins begins with every teacher’s dream: students spending their night together fully engage in a project for a class. But all is not as simple as it seems. Add in an ancient ritual performed around Manitoba’s oldest stone church and you have the makings of a great novel. Meet Michelle Langly, a teen in grade eleven, who due to her fanny pack, may not have the best fashion sense. But that does not mean she doesn’t have a sensible and intelligent head on her shoulders, she is bright and articulate. Spurred on by her friends and love interest Jason, Michelle races thrice round the church withershins or counter clockwise. She falls down only to get back up in a time that is not her own, the church having disappeared. Thus the adventures of Michelle truly get going as she is faced with the effects of travelling back in time to the year 1846. She is discovered by the local Anglican priest and is taken to the doctor’s at Lower Fort Garry. There Michelle must feign amnesia to ensure that she is not tried as a witch. It is at this point, that Michelle encounters a First Nations’ group that helps her understand her plight and the reason for her mysterious journey. But it is not simple “pioneer life” that Michelle has to contend with, it is the classic question of coming of age and defining yourself wherever ye may be. As she discovers who she is, she also finds out that perhaps Jason doesn’t have to be her own true love, that racism is not easily overcome, and that mutual respect really does promote compassion and understanding. Susan Rocan’s simple, but controlled, writing style is both easy to read and vividly descriptive of the sights and sounds of Canadian life in the middle of the 19th century. She also does much to show life from both new Canadians’ and original Canadians’ perspectives in an entertaining way that will have you feeling more of your own heritage and leave you wanting to read more. Luckily, the sequel, Spirit Quest, has already been published.

buy now add to wishlist add to my shelf

There’s nothing better than a good book, except maybe a great free book. I was pleasantly surprised to have received a copy of Nelsa Roberto’s, The Break, from the publisher on twitter. When I opened the package, I discovered a book with an intriguing cover printed on ecologically friendly paper. I am not really a fan of YA Literature as a reader, but as a teacher soon to be teaching junior high literature, I have been spending my summer looking for books that kids would actually want to read. I remember being forced and coerced into reading Summer of the Swans and not really caring that Sara’s shoes had turned puce. Therefore, I opened my copy of The Break to a typical scene of a daughter, Abby, and her mother in a heated debate over the care of Nonna, a dear grandmother who has begun suffering the debilitating effects of dementia. In the first few pages, I felt that I should be a 14 year old girl in a pink room complete with Justin Bieber poster in order to enjoy this book. But very shortly, after the first 10 pages, Roberto’s control of her writing and her endearing characterization of Nonna had me hooked and I had to read on to find out what was going to happen next. As a reader, I found myself appreciating the headstrongness of Abby, the granddaughter of Nonna. She is articulate and bright with independent thought even though she is a cheerleader and a high school drama star. She is caring and compassionate and does not appear to indulge in a life of privilege that includes having a successful heart surgeon mother and living in a McMansion. Abby is also reviled by the thought of putting Nonna into a retirement community and constantly denies the eventual decline of her grandmother. Roberto then revs up the plot to full gear and really gets the story going. Highlights of the novel include an awkward attraction, an unlikely pairing, crotchety seniors, fair weather friends, parties, police, drugs, and death. Summer of the Swans, this book is not, nor is full of Sweet Valley High romance that is overblown and over glamourized. It includes the real feelings that echo the awkwardness of those learning to love. The reader is gripped by a story of carefully deliberate prose and by a well-crafted, quick paced plot highlighted by intrigue, sadness, and triumph. Roberto is to be commended for creating a novel that demonstrates the intelligence and foibles of young adults as they learn lessons that are universal for all.