by Heather Vogel Frederick
Emma, Jess, Cassidy and Megan simply can’t believe their ears! Their mothers have enrolled them in what? A mother-daughter book club? A book club which is to meet once a month, taking turns at members’ homes? What on earth could their mothers have been thinking – or not thinking?
The four middle school girls have many other things on their minds than reading and discussing Little Women. Megan is entirely preoccupied with her own set of fashionable friends; hockey is Cassidy’s life; Jess misses her absent mother too much to care about anything else, and Emma has already read just about every book in print - including Little Women. Besides, although Jess and Emma are good friends, they are despised by Megan, a snob, and Cassidy appears to have no use for anyone not involved with hockey.
However, as this novel skilfully demonstrates, the four unlikely friends have much more in common than they suppose at first. They also have quite a bit in common with the four sisters in Little Women - and with their own mothers. Connections are drawn between the girls and their families and into the past, as on various occasions they begin to ask themselves, “What would Jo March do now?”
Heather Frederick’s novel scores highly in appeal, humour and realistic dialogue, and it’s quite likely that middle school readers will be looking for more of her books. (The Library has two.)
** Recommended for ages 9 to 12 years.
Find this book in the library catalogue.
Spell Hunter, by R.J. Anderson, 329 pages.
@ SPL: YA FIC Ander
Faery Rebels, a new fantasy series for young adults by local author Rebecca Anderson, is certain to quickly gain a devoted following in Canada.(The first title, Spell Hunter, has already become a children’s bestseller in Britain where it was published under the title Knife.)
In the faery world of Oakenwyld, Knife, the main character, is a young rebellious faery who is determined to find the answers to her questions, follow her own instincts and do what she wishes – despite the Faery Queen’s strict rules. A few years later, Knife has become the Queen’s hunter due to her courage and fighting skills. As such, she is able to protect the faeries from their many predators … but she cannot shield them from a new mysterious, deadly disease. Could the humans living nearby have some answers or clues that would help? Knife feels that she must find out, once again defying the orders of the Faery Queen.
Knife’s quest to find the answers which the faeries of Oakenwyld so desperately need place her and Paul, her human friend, in immense danger. Knife’s courage and resolve are tested and strained to the limit in this suspenseful masterpiece, which so successfully juxtaposes magic and adventure, good and evil, and the faery and human worlds.
Young adult and middle-grade readers will be enchanted!
** Recommended for ages 10 to 14 years.
Find this book in the library catalogue.
@ SPL: YA FIC Jocel
One of the best recently-published Canadian books for teens is Marthe Jocelyn’s Would You, which has been included on the shortlist for the prestigious Canadian Library Association’s 2009 Young Adult Book Award.
Silver Tongue, by Charlie Fletcher, 509 pages.
@ SPL: J FIC Fletc
@ SPL: YA PB Ree
As much as 14-year-old Zanna loves her twin brother, Martin, and her dad, she is absolutely certain that a vacation with them in the remote Alberta icefields – sans e-mail or television - will be boring and dreary, at best. She would much rather be in Paris with her mom, checking out the French culture and cuisine scene. When Martin saves a wild puppy near their isolated Alberta cabin, Zanna names it “Paris ” and falls in love with it, but a know-it-all forest ranger insists that it’s a wolf. Zanna reluctantly agrees to leave it at the nearest wolf haven … and wonders if her summer will get any worse. Unfortunately, it does – Martin goes missing in the wilderness.
Frantic with worry, Zanna and her father enlist the help of Paris, hoping that the wolf puppy’s sensitive nose will lead them to Martin in time.
Last Chance for Paris offers teen readers an enjoyable combination of wilderness / survival novel and romance story, one that can be easily enjoyed by readers who may usually be uninterested in adventure or animal tales. Strong, realistic characterization, a suspenseful plot, wry humour, and a poignant message about family ties are all evident in this excellent teen novel.
Author Sylvia McNicoll has a number of young adult books to her credit, and she is also the Features Editor of Today’s Parent Toronto.
** Recommended for ages 12 to 15 years of age.
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