Trial by Fire by Sheila Dalton
Summary: Seventeen year-old Nathan is half-Native, half-white, living with a foster family called the Whitmans because his mother has kicked him out. With his outsider status Nathan finds himself constantly struggling to be heard and believed, but a relationship with a classmate named Sally changes everything as she is also considered an outsider. When someone sets fire to Sally’s house and Nathan witnesses it, the police don’t believe he didn’t do it himself. No proof means they can’t arrest him though, but Nathan is motivated to find out who really did it so they don’t come after him again. At first Sally seems willing to help him, except it turns out she has secrets and people to protect of her own. In the midst of the mystery and turmoil, Nathan meets Jenny, a Native who encourages him to get to know his other side, and find out who he really is.
Number of Pages: 207
Age Range: 13-15
Review: Though Trial by Fire was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award, what I really liked about it wasn’t the mystery, but Nathan himself. He was such a compelling character, trying his best to find his place in the world, despite being faced with so many obstacles. It seemed like he always got the short end of the stick, blamed for things that weren’t his fault and the target of anger he didn’t deserve. There were times I wanted to cry because he’s so good-natured he just takes it, believing others are right to mad at him and not understanding they all had their own issues going on.
In some ways this makes him seem younger than his seventeen years, but his experiences have made him into a gentle person who has to learn to stand up for himself. When people started listening to his side of the story, I felt like cheering on his behalf because he had to fight so hard to make it happen.
When it came to who burned down Sally’s house, I had my suspicions some things weren’t being said. It seemed to take Nathan a long time to figure out what was going on, but compared to the police who simply believed Nathan had done it, it actually wasn’t long.
My favourite aspect of Dalton’s story is the way Nathan comes into the Native part of his personal history. I wish I could read more about him becoming a healer, because he seems like he would be especially skilled at it as he is such a caring character. An action packed book with great character development, Trial by Fire is an enjoyable read for early to mid teens.
Memorable Quotes:
“Nathan was running. With the wind blowing hard against his face and whipping his long, straight hair into a banner behind him, he was happy. Running meant freedom. Running meant no one could catch him.
Though his lungs ached and his muscles burned, he drove himself on, faster and faster, as if he could outpace the heavy darkness with the force of his pumping legs. He knew that if he picked up enough speed, it would empty his head – of what he’d done, his mom, the Group Home, what the kids at school were saying about him. And maybe even old man Whitmore.” – Nathan from Trial by Fire by Sheila Dalton, page 5
“There was something to what she said, Nathan was beginning to realize that. But why did she always overstate the case? He wasn’t ashamed of who he was, because he didn’t know who he was. First things first. He was starting to think, though, that Jenny must have been pretty hurt herself, somehow, and it made him feel closer to her.” – Nathan from Trial by Fire by Sheila Dalton, page 130
“Dreams could come and dreams could go, he knew that now. Maybe all the things he thought he wanted for himself would change yet again. But, for the first time in his life, he had choices. And that felt good.
He was looking forward to the time – coming soon, the doctors told him – when he could run again. He missed it. But now, and in the future, he’d be running towards, not away from, something. And that felt best of all.” – Nathan from Trial by Fire by Sheila Dalton, page 207
Trial by Fire by Sheila Dalton is published by Napoleon Publishing, (1998).
Beautiful Goodbye by Nancy Runstedler
Summary: Maggie is bereft after the sudden death of her father, not quite sure how to proceed in the face of this and other drastic life changes. When she and her friend Gillian discover a Ouija board in the attic of Maggie’s new house, Maggie hopes to contact her father and say a proper goodbye. Instead, the girls end up contacting Hope Lewis, a deceased spirit who asks for their help. Along with Cole, Maggie’s little brother, the three are transported back in time to 1915 where they met Hope and find a way to support her through the most stressful time of her life. In the process, helping Hope helps themselves, and when they return to the present, all have gained a new found appreciation for what they have, as well as a greater awareness of the needs of others around them.
Number of Pages: 146
Age Range: 12-13
Review: In the wake of her father’s death, Maggie is overwhelmed by grief. Now the sole wage earner of the family, Maggie’s mother moves her and her brother to a cheaper house that also happens to be an abandoned hotel. In the summer before high school, Maggie is stuck, unsure of how to keep going without her dad. Nothing that previously brought her joy seems to work anymore, and she finds herself adrift in sorrow.
Encountering Hope through the Ouija board changes everything though as Maggie’s focus shifts from inward to outward, and because she has personal experience with the death of a parent, Maggie turns out to be the perfect friend when Hope’s father dies overseas in the Great War. My favourite part came after they arrive home safely and discover Hope’s daughter in a local nursing home.
What I love about Beautiful Goodbye by Nancy Runstedler is it’s a gentle story about the journey of grief. Runstedler presents her reader with a thoughtful, character-driven book, and Maggie’s growth is wonderful to witness. The last scene between Maggie, her brother Cole and their mother is a satisfying way to end the story as the reader gets the sense that what ever happens, Maggie will be okay. She knows grief is ongoing in nature, but also that she has an effective support system to help her through.
Memorable Quotes:
“She’d never dreamt in her worst nightmares that she’d ever stop reading. It was almost like giving up breathing. But she just couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything since her dad died. Every time she tried, the words became a blur of tears.” Maggie from Beautiful Goodbye by Nancy Runstedler, page 31
“Nothing remained from the life she knew in Harmony. Maggie made every effort since her father’s death not to get attached to anyone or anything. Caring hurt too much. People could be taken away from you. Now fearing that she might never see her home or mother again, she longed for something familiar.” – Maggie from Beautiful Goodbye by Nancy Runstedler, page 57
“Maggie’s last thoughts before exhaustion claimed her were that her grief felt like an earthquake. The initial blow devastated everything in its path. You grouped together, trying to recover and move on, even if it meant you’d lost the things most important to you. But when you least expected it, an aftershock would hit. It might be days, it might be months or years. Maggie knew without a doubt now, that whenever those tremors did hit she would not be alone and she would survive them.” – Maggie from Beautiful Goodbye by Nancy Runstedler, page 82
Beautiful Goodbye by Nancy Runstedler is published by Dundurn Press, (2013).
Broken by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry
Summary: Ash’s life is changing as her father has proposed to his girlfriend Ella, and her daughters, Julia and Katie, are about to move in. Feeling ignored as engagement party and wedding plans start flying, tension builds within Ash coming out in the most unexpected way. Events conspire to place Ash in a Cinderella-esque position, but as she changes herself to win back her father’s attention, she realises the enviable lives of her new step-sisters are not as perfect as they seem. The answer lies in Ash having the confidence to be herself, and finding the ability to be honest about what she needs to fit into their new family.
Number of Pages: 165
Age Range: 14-16
Review: With the twist of being a modern-day Cinderella tale, Ash lives the reality of gaining a new step-mother and two step-sisters years after her mother dies. Though her step-mother seems like a princess herself, and her daughters appear both perfect and, at times, evil, Ash finds herself lagging behind with her dyed hair and relaxed fashion sense. Her share of her father’s attention seems to be dwindling quickly, leaving her full of angst over the lack of attention.
But instead of a fairy godmother, Ash gains the ability to break glass with her mind. As her anger and frustration grow, glass keeps shattering around her. For a time she tries to keep things under wraps by changing her appearance and attempting to be who she thinks her father would want her to be, but Harvey-Fitzhenry leaves her reader with the positive message that being honest and being yourself is ultimately the best course of action.
I’ve read Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry (although it’s under Alyxandra Harvey) as well, and what I like best about her writing are the spunky characters and wonderful friendships she creates. Mouse continually supported Ash, getting her into trouble at times but always being honest with her about her choices. Together, they were just fun to read about.
It’s a lighter read because of the length, although it does cover more serious themes, and I would recommend it for female teen readers.
Memorable Quotes:
“In the old stories, magic seems so simple.
It’s just another part of the pattern, like rain or birthday presents. Simple. A spell for sleep, feathers that transform you into a bird, red shoes that won’t stop dancing.
And there are always warnings.
If you’re paying attention.” – Ash from Broken by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry, page 52
“She wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t the only one who was a little broken, a little chipped.” – Ash from Broken by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry, page 151
“I stared harder. I knew I could do this. I just had to find my calm centre. I couldn’t allow myself to get all bruised and shaken by every thought and emotion. And I couldn’t repress everything until it just burst out of me. I imagined the thick gooey grout, smearing it with a paste knife, setting tiny glass pieces in just the right order, building the vase up out of nothing, then wiping the grout away so nothing held it together.” – Ash from Broken by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry, page 153
“I’d have to talk to Dad in the morning. I had been angry with him for letting me get lost in the shuffle. For accepting me only when I wasn’t myself anymore. Maybe her would listen now, mostly because I wasn’t going to let him ignore me. And I wasn’t going to be anyone other than myself, not ever again, not for anyone.” – Ash from Broken by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry, page 165
Broken by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry is published by Tradewind Books, (2008).
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Stowaway in the White Hurricane by Barbara Aggerholm
Summary: Tired of being known as a landlubber and driven by concern for her father, Lucy follows her instincts and stows away on the cargo ship he works on during his last cargo run of the season, leaving a note of explanation behind for her mother. Her instincts prove terribly right when a hurricane arises just as Lucy’s dad has a heart attack. With her quick thinking and help from Rachel, the ship’s cook, as well as Rip, a secret stowaway dog, Lucy faces the sinking of the ship, rescues her father, and survives the most legendary storm of 1913. After it’s all over, Lucy’s short haircut and pants get her mistaken for a boy, and her mother is heartbroken when she told that both Lucy and her father have been lost.
Number of Pages: 111
Age Range: 12-14
Review: Lucy’s father is a sailor, making money by doing cargo runs from Cleveland to Kincardine. The last run of the season comes in November, a time generally acknowledged by sailors to be the most dangerous as winter weather sets in. This time, Lucy has a gut feeling from watching her parents that her father should not be making the trip, but when he decides to because of the cash bonus he has been promised, Lucy stows away on the ship to look after him.
Turns out her father is having heart problems, and when the Great Storm of 1913 hits, Lucy’s father has a heart attack and collapses. Without Lucy’s assistance, her father would have gone down with the ship, but instead they are rescued along with Rachel, the ship’s cook.
Lucy is a feisty character determined not to let the conventions of others bring her down. She likes to run, and dislikes anything that hinders her from running as fast as she can, including long hair and wearing dresses. Her short hair and father’s pants allow her to sneak onto the ship unnoticed, followed by a stray dog she names Rip, and together they become heroes. All of this is done despite the fact Lucy has previously been afraid to sail at all.
Aggerholm’s story features many undercurrents: Lucy’s dad’s health issues, the pressure on sailors to make the last cargo run of the season under great personal risk, ship captain’s deliberate ignoring of adverse weather warnings and gut feelings of sailors who should be making the trip. At times I wanted to yell at the man who had to have his champagne because it felt so elitist that a cargo ship would be chartered to bring it to him.
My favourite characters were Lucy and Rip, because their quick thinking in the storm saved lives. Instead of being overwhelmed and needing to be cared for, they take charge and rescue others. This theme continues after the storm ends as Rachel is left alone and Lucy and her family take her in. Lucy is a thoughtful character, and I found myself wishing Aggerholm’s book was longer because I wanted to know more about her and whether her father would recover.
Stowaway in the White Hurricane lies at the edge of teen, but with its historical content and inspiring role models, I think it works for both pre-teen and early teen readers.
Memorable Quotes:
“Tom had no way of knowing that as he slept, a deadly drama was playing itself out on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. A collision of storm systems was about to raise havoc on the Great Lakes, producing hail, snow, sleet and hurricane-force winds.
Boats would be attacked by winds whipping up to 90 miles an hour. Fast and furious waves would tower more than 35 feet high. One minute, winds would blow from one direction while the lake would come crashing from another direction. Thick ice on pilothouse windows and the long decks would drag the huge lake boats under as though they were pieces of driftwood.
It would be a violent storm unlike anything sailors had ever seen on the Great Lakes. When it was over, 250 men and women would be dead, 12 ships lost and at least 25 more boats seriously damaged.
Later, survivors would call it ‘White Hurricane.’ Newspaper headlines would scream about ‘The Great Storm of 1913.’
And it was headed Tom’s way.” – from Stowaway in the White Hurricane by Barbara Aggerholm, pages 40-41
Stowaway in the White Hurricane by Barbara Aggerholm is published by The Brucedale Press, (2013).
Wake by Robert J. Sawyer
Summary: Fifteen year-old Caitlin has been blind since birth, but after a move to Waterloo, Ontario for her dad’s job, she receives an email from a Japanese scientist named Dr. Kuroda, who thinks he can restore her sight. The installation of this device has unintended side effects as instead of being able to see the world around her, Caitlin is able to see the World Wide Web. The device interpreting the signals coming through her visual cortex becomes a conduit for a growing web consciousness, and Caitlin is the first to realise there is something out there. Drawing inspiration from Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan, Caitlin educates the presence she originally calls Phantom, gaining her sight after a software upgrade and having to learn how to visually read herself. Her openness and determination give the presence a solid start, birthing a new life form into the world.
Number of Pages: 354
Age Range: 16-18
Review: If author Cory Doctorow’s books are a teen’s guide to the technological present, then Robert J. Sawyer’s books are the guide for our technological future.
Sawyer is normally an adult science fiction writer, but his World Wide Web (WWW) series features main character Caitlin, a fifteen year-old girl journeying from blindness to sight literally and metaphorically. While the first book is more technical and textbook-like in nature, the second and third are quite insightful about Caitlin’s experiences, Webmind’s development, and the world’s reaction to both.
There’s a lot going on in Wake that I haven’t covered in the summary; namely Hobo’s story, the atrocity in China as an outbreak of bird flu threatens the country, and Caitlin’s reading choices. All share a theme of change and emerging consciousness as Sawyer recounts our human history of becoming aware compared with that of Hobo’s and Webmind’s. I love the connection with Helen Keller’s story, and Sawyer’s subtle clues that more people will be afraid than accepting of these new sources of intelligence.
I count Sawyer’s book as teen because if Phantom (aka Webmind) had almost any other mentor besides a teenage girl used to thinking outside the box, the reaction would have been one of fear instead of acceptance and help. Caitlin is a a very open and intelligent character who has personal experience with exclusion which informs her choices and helps aid Webmind’s birth. Growing up blind and transitioning to sight as well as living with an autistic father have contributed greatly to making her this way.
I’ve read Sawyer’s entire WWW series out of order, which I think actually works better for teen readers. If you’re adult reader, read the trilogy in order. But if you’re a teen, start with the second book, Watch, because while Wake is excellent, it is more of a novel long introduction. The real action starts in Watch which works well because it is also a stand alone novel. Nothing will be lost on the reader if they haven’t read Wake first, and going back to find out how everything started will be all the more satisfying.
Recommended for teen science fiction lovers.
Memorable Quotes:
“When they’d received the Lawgiver statue, Shoshana had sought out the original five ‘Planet of the Apes’ films. The statue appeared only in the first two (althought the Lawgiver was a character in the fifth film, played by none other than John Huston). But it was the third film that had put Shoshana on the edge of her seat as she watched it on DVD in her cramped apartment.
In it, a talking female chimpanzee was to be sterilized, if not outright murdered, along with her chimp husband. The president of the United States, played by that guy who’d been Commodore Decker on the original ‘Star Trek,’ said to his science advisor, played by Victor from the ‘Y&R,’ ‘Now, what do you expect me and the United Nations, though not necessarily in that order, to do about it? Alter what you believe to be the future by slaughtering two innocents, or rather three, now that one of them is pregnant? Herod tried that, and Christ survived.’
And the science advisor had said, absolutely cold-bloodedly, ‘Herod lacked out facilities.'” – Reflection on the Planet of the Apes movies from Wake by Robert J. Sawyer, page 137
“Caitlin thought again about her father, so inaccessible, so cold, so trapped in his own realm. She now had her wondrous eyePod that let her overcome her inborn limitations – but there was no comparable device for autism; he was still stuck in his own kind of dark. She didn’t know how to reach out to him, and she had even less of an idea how to reach out to this strange lurking other.
Still, she did know one thing: if she tried and failed with the other, it couldn’t possibly hurt as much.” – Caitlin from Wake by Robert J. Sawyer, page 288
“As a bright red apple filled her screen a though crossed her mind that made her smile: she was indeed offering up the fruit of the tree of knowledge to the innocent phantom. Of course, that hadn’t gone so well the last time – but, then again, Eve had lacked her facilities…” – Caitlin from Wake by Robert J. Sawyer, page 317
Wake by Robert J. Sawyer is published by Viking Canada, (2009).
The Unwritten Girl by James Bow
Summary: When Rosemary stops reading yet another fiction book, the characters in the stories she has discarded fight back by kidnapping her brother, Theo, and holding him hostage in the book world. With Puck as her guide, Rosemary and her new friend Peter go after him, making their way through challenge after challenge before they reach the villain and figure out what they need to do to rescue Theo. Along the way they learn about the characteristics of good story-telling, and enjoy revisiting previously read books. Confronting Marjorie, the mastermind behind the kidnapping, reveals if Rosemary finishes what she starts, a happy ending might not be out of reach.
Number of Pages: 205
Age Range: 12-13
Review: With shades of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series and Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, An Unwritten Girl by James Bow explores the power of fictional books while deconstructing their elements. Rosemary is a reader with heart, so affected by the struggles and hardships of the characters she reads about that she stops reading as soon as a book reaches painful moments.
Unfortunately, this leaves the characters in the discarded books stuck on the worst moments of their lives, and when one character thinks Rosemary has gone too far, they band together and kidnap her brother Theo to get her attention.
I like how Bow draws focus to the realness of fictional characters, and the power they have to affect readers as though they actually existed. Reading Bow’s book brings to mind the saying, ‘If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?’ Characters in abandoned books say yes, as Rosemary doesn’t have to be a witness to them being stuck in horrible parts of their narrative for it to happen.
It’s a younger read, and perhaps not teen at all, but I think avid readers will enjoy Bow’s imaginative story.
Memorable Quotes:
“‘We know we can solve mysteries,’ said Eleanor sourly. ‘We’ve solved twenty-three cases, but we want excitement too! We want a thriller! We want bodies!’
‘Why would you want such a thing?’ asked Puck.
‘We get all the boring stuff because we’re children,’ said Nicholas.
‘Everybody else has bodies,’ said Eleanor. ‘Look.’ She motioned them to the next compartment.
Rosemary looked in through the glass partition. She covered her mouth.
Inside, a body lay in the centre of the compartment, laced with stab wounds, some glancing, some deep. His dead eyes stared and his mouth lolled open. Around him, four people shifted in their seats as a bald, round headed detective fiddled with his handkerchief before launching into his theory of how the murder happened.
‘We can solve mysteries as well as the grown-ups,’ said Eleanor. She cast a glance inside. ‘If you want my opinion on this one, all of them did it. But do we get asked? No. And why? Because we don’t have foreign accents or smoke pipes, and why should we? We’re from Kennebunkport and our parents won’t let us take up smoking!'” – Eleanor from The Unwritten Girl by James Bow, pages 137-138
“‘Stop it!’ Rosemary burst into tears. ‘Don’t you care about these people? Don’t you have any idea how they suffered?’
Peter frowned. ‘Rosemary, they’re just characters!’
‘There is nothing ‘just’ about being a character!’ Rosemary yelled. ‘Characters are born, they grow old, they fall in love, and they die! We are born, we grow old, we fall in love, and we die! What’s the difference?’
‘B-but Rosemary,’ said Peter, ‘they’re not people!’
‘To me they are! I can feel them!’
Puck took Rosemary’s hand gently and pulled her away from the compartment. ‘I have always wondered why Rosemary could not finish most of her books,’ he said.” – Conversation between Rosemary, Peter and Puck from The Unwritten Girl by James Bow, pages 140-141
“Rosemary stopped. ‘I don’t need you!’
‘Certainly you do. Where would you be without me?’
‘A lot happier!’ said Peter.
‘Are you sure about that? Are you really sure? Imagine, for a moment, a world without villains. Would you remember Robin Hood without the Sheriff? Superman in a perfect world? Behind every great hero is a great villain. Holmes had Moriarty. King Arthur had Morgaine. These legends would be nothing without their enemies.'” – Conversation between Rosemary, Peter and Professor Em from The Unwritten Girl by James Bow, pages 153-154
“‘You ran away!’ There was a world of contempt in Marjorie’s voice. ‘Do you know what happens when the story stops? Imagine what it’s like when everything’s against you, and it keeps getting worse! Imagine what it’s like when life and death come down to a single choice in a single moment. Then imagine that when that moment comes … everything stops.’
Marjorie struggled to get her breathing under control. She couldn’t. Her voice rose in pitch. ‘And you’re trapped. Trapped in the worst moment of your life, with release so close but coming no closer. Can you imagine that? Can you, dear reader? Can you?'” – Marjorie from The Unwritten Girl by James Bow, page 186
The Unwritten Girl by James Bow is published by Dundurn Press, (2006).
About Amy
Amy Mathers has been passionate about reading from a very young age, and hopes others will share her enthusiasm for funding a teen book award. Read more Follow Amy
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