Jellicoe Road

Author: Melina Marchetta
Ages: 15+
Rating: 3.5/5

About: When she was eleven, Taylor's mother abandoned her at a 7/11. Since that time she's grown up at the Jellicoe boarding school, and she doesn't let anyone get close enough to her to abandon her. Or so she thought until her closest teacher mysteriously disappears.

Thoughts: I was recommended this novel by a fellow librarian who said it was "one of those novels that doesn't go out as often as it should." Now, after reading it, I think I can see why.

I felt confused when I started reading. The prologue occurs 20-some years before the start of the novel, and then there are italicized paragraphs interspersed throughout the story and I wasn't sure how it was all supposed to fit together. We shortly learn that the italicized sections are part of a manuscript the missing teacher has written, and which the heroine Taylor is reading. As I continued reading, the manuscript sections quickly became some of my favorite parts of the story -it is a beautiful and tragic story.

I also didn't like Taylor for most of the novel. She is mean and surly, an apparent shield that helps prevent her from getting too close to anyone who may abandon her again. Taylor has experienced more hurt than most of the kids at her boarding school, and the tragedy in her life seemed too unbelievable as I was reading it. Then we see Taylor starting to trust people and take responsibility for how she chooses to deal with everything, and all of a sudden I'm rooting for her -just like everyone else.

As the story progresses the pieces come together, the story gets more intriguing and partway through the book, the confusing start begins to take shape and have greater meaning. And I then I was hooked. Overall, a good story about a girl growing up and understanding her identity and her place in the world.

This is a book I would recommend for mature teen readers who would have the patience to continue reading through the slow start, or for adults who enjoy teen books.

Against the odds

Author: Marjolin Hof
Ages: 9-12
Rating: 5/5

About: Kiki's father is a doctor who has a passion for helping others in war torn countries, much to Kiki's dismay. She worries about stray bullets and illness, until her mother explains to Kiki about odds -The odds of a little girl having a father are high, while the odds of a little girl not having a father are low. But when her father goes missing, Kiki takes it upon herself to raise the odds in her father's favour. She begins this thought with the idea that the odds are quite low for a little girl to lose her pet dog and her father. And she doesn't much like her pet dog anyway.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this little novel. It was quirky and made me laugh, but at the same time it made me want to cry. This little girl was so stressed out about her father being missing she contemplates murdering her dog if it means that her father would come home safe. It was interesting to read about Kiki's logic and her feelings watching her mother and grandmother deal with her missing father, all while trying to sort out her own feelings. I liked how forthcoming Kiki was with the reader about her worries and anxiety. And I liked the rapport that Kiki had with her father and mother, it was endearing and made me root for the family's happiness all the more.

I think that this would be an important book for kids to read if they have parents going away to war or if a child has high stress about parents going away from them. The author addresses not only a child's anxiety about what could go wrong, but what happens when a parent is missing or becomes wounded while away. A lot of changes go on in that time. Kiki sees her grandmother unable to handle the stress; Kiki doesn't like being around her best friend, and she doesn't want to go to school; Kiki experiences thoughts and acts out in ways that surprise her. But throughout the novel Kiki's mother loves her, and she knows her father loves her too, and knowing this helps Kiki to deal with everything.

Secrets of the Cicada Summer

Author: Andrea Beaty
Ages: 9-12
Rating: 3/5

About: Lily has not spoken in two years. Most of the people in her small town believe she's been brain damaged by an accident, and Lily is content for them to continue thinking so, because it means they don't ask her questions about that night. She spends her time reading Nancy Drew novels and observing the goings-on of her neighbors. Until a new girl moves to town and threatens to ruin Lily's carefully built disguise.

Thoughts: I really liked the way the story unfolded, with sections about what's happening in the present and sections that are clearly her memories. This method of pacing really helps us come to the truth of what happened in that serious accident two years prior and in a way that prepares the reader for the shock of the accident, with great timing for Lily's recovery. I also enjoyed reading about Lily's favorite parts of her life because even though her life is far from perfect, the way she describes them makes me wish they were part of my life too.

The back matter of the paperback edition lead me to believe a good mystery is brewing, and that Lily is the perfect person to figure it out. The author does make a specific point of showing how observant Lily is, and she does turn out to be the perfect person to find Tinny when she goes missing. But overall the mystery part of the story was kind of lame.

Read-a-like: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Fever Crumb

Author: Philip Reeve
Ages: 13+
Rating: 3/5

About: Fever is a girl who was raised to be an engineer in a future version of London, England even though females are not considered to be capable of rational thought. But Fever is proving to be a strong apprentice, until she starts getting vivid images in her mind, memories that are not her own.

Thoughts: I was pretty disappointed by this novel. It seemed like such a neat idea, and the reading was pretty exciting for about the first half of the book. I kept expecting something great to happen, something intriguing or jarring, but the story just flat-lined.
Part of my dis-interest may have come from the character of Fever. She was brought up by engineers who believed that people ought to be rational above all else. Showing emotion was not rational. So Fever shows very little emotion throughout the novel, and always came up with rational explanations for everything. Both of these tendencies made her character uninteresting. When she could have been moving the plot forward and being an instrument in her own fate, she would brush off odd occurrences with the simplest and most logical explanation (which was often the wrong one), and instead of forming bonds with the characters around her she thought them irrational and would concentrate on the sequence of pi. So all the work to make the story interesting fell to supporting characters and a lot of running around (literally).
Overall it was a fun read, but it didn't meet my expectations for a great or memorable story.

2000-2010

At the start of this year, I began thinking about the close of an exciting first decade of the new millennium. I made a list of memorable events, and while reflecting on it, I realized that I didn't put down "renewed love of reading." It may not seem huge at first, but it is something that I made a concerted effort to get into -and my love just grew from there. I was in the 10th grade in 2000, and I've read some pretty amazing books since then. So I've made a list, 10 books for 10 years.

The first few that really got me going were:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird -by Harper Lee
Historical Fiction
We read this in the 10th grade I read it over Christmas break. I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this heavy subject, and a little more surprised to find that I did quite well when I was tested on it a few weeks later.

2. Harry Potter -by J.K. Rowling
Fantasy
This might be where I discovered that maybe it was okay to still read childrens' novels even though I was in high school. I was babysitting three boys, who were finally giving me a break and watching t.v. But the show was so awful I picked up the closest book on the coffee table and started reading it. It was The Chamber of Secrets and I might not have even finished it, but I babysat these kids all summer. When the book ended I picked up the other copy they owned, which was The Philosopher's stone. I realized it was a series, and the rest is a magical history!

3. The Chrysalids -by John Wyndham
Science-fiction
I started reading this one because it was lying on the kitchen counter and I was bored. One of my younger siblings was supposed to be reading it in school, but neither seemed to want to admit it was theirs. I was jealous because this novel looked interesting and my school seemed to assign us books about the same subject every year (racism in South Africa or Southern US).
This novel was totally different from any that I'd read before, and I think it was the start of my interest in Dystopia.

4. The Lord of the Rings -by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fantasy
Partway through the 12th grade I went to Chapters and told a sales person that I wanted to try reading some classic books that everyone should read. I had been looking at this series because it was on sale and the cover looked neat. When the clerk recommended I read The Hobbit first, I almost abandoned them. I thought The Hobbit was about rabbits that kill eachother, and I'd seen that movie and was not interested! (Turns out I was thinking about Watership Down which I've still not raised the courage for).
I read The Hobbit, and was super bored. It was only while I was thinking about it afterwards, that I realized it was full of action that I thought I might check out The Lord of the Rings. The lengthy descriptions would have turned me off again, except that having started the story I couldn't not finish it.
Lucky for me, since I love the heart in these books and the way the choice of words makes pictures and stories in my imagination.

5. Fifth Business -by Robertson Davies
Fiction/
This one I borrowed from a friend, partly because it was Canadian and partly because I thought I would look smart reading it. Again I got lucky, and loved the story. It is really this novel, which I read after I graduated and before I even applied to post-secondary, that convinced me I actually liked reading. This novel made me think about how lives are intertwined, and how we all affect eachother, and how symbols and literature are one way of interpreting and dealing with the mess of experiences in life.

These first five books brought me from 2000-2004. They weren't the only things I read in that time, but almost. I loved short stories and read a ton of them, mostly science fiction but a lot of mythology and fairytales. I also read a lot of stuff that I thoroughly disliked. This was mostly in part because I was choosing books I thought would make me LOOK smart (which would be more embarrassing if I hadn't met so many people in University who tried reading philosophy or Russian literature when they were 17 to look smart).

Now I try to choose books I think I'll actually like. The next five are books that I've read between 2005 and 2010, and which have made a lasting impression on my reading experience and the types of books I choose;

6. The Scar -by China Mieville
Steampunk
I was recommended this author by a friend of mine. The world Mieville creates is gritty and bizarre. The storylines are based in pure imagination, but the conflicts are rooted in human feelings of ambition, fear, and values of freedom. I've read a few of his novels now, but this one is my favorite.
It is about a floating armada, which commandeers passing ships and its passengers, making them at once it's citizens and its prisoners. The ruling government of the armada is searching for 'the scar' a tear in the world from which the possibility of our world came into existence.

7. The Chronicles of Narnia -by C.S. Lewis
Fantasy
I had never even heard of this series until walking through Chapters one day when I came across a thick book with a smoky looking lion on the cover. I was in University by this time, it was spring, early spring -the snow had temporarily just all melted -and I read this outside with a blanket on the lawn.

8. Never Cry Wolf -by Farley Mowat
Autobiography
While poring over a book called 501 must read books with some co-workers, one of them recommended this. It was a 501 must read, so I figured I should give it a try. It was the first real non-fiction book I read. Reading this I realized how interesting an author's opinions and perspectives could be without the veil of fiction.

9. The Three Day Road -by Joseph Boyden
Historical Fiction
After several years of pretty much ignoring adult fiction, I decided to read this one because it had won the Governor General Award, and I was intrigued by the Ojibway-Cree culture of the characters. I learned more about World War I than I ever did in school, and I loved the alternating narratives.

10. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Historical Fiction
I loved this movie when I was 9, and tried reading the book in the fourth grade. I quickly became discouraged with the tiny print and old language and did not re-considered it until this year. I loved it. So I also read A Little Princess and liked it. These are stories I'd love to read to a little girl before bed.