Hey Dad! by Brian Doyle
Summary: Thirteen year-old Megan is less than enthusiastic about her upcoming cross-Canada family road trip. Stuck in the backseat of a car with her younger brother and experiencing humiliation after humiliation when it comes to her father’s actions, Meghan starts planning her escape. When an opportunity presents itself she takes it, but the consequences of her decision cause her to see her father in a different way. Gradually Megan begins to realise that she won’t have her father forever, and his birthday celebration makes her determined to appreciate what she has.
Number of Pages: 85
Age Range: 12-13
Review: You know, I’m not really sure I would call this a teen book. At first, I thought it was too young. Meghan is a young thirteen year-old irritated by the thought of spending her vacation on a family road trip. While it inevitably isn’t as bad as she expects in some ways, but worse in others, Meghan explores the idea of running away from the trip to get some space, especially from her father. Better suited for pre-teen readers I thought.
But then I got to the last sentence, and I was mystified. Suddenly I felt as if I had jumped past the teen years completely, and that perhaps all along my narrator had been a middle-aged woman who had recently lost her father. Because the last sentence contains such wistful nostalgia, the whole story morphed into an adult book for me.
As a piece of nostalgic writing, Hey, Dad! is quietly beautiful. I learned things about Canada I never knew, and Doyle captures the essence of the family road trip experience so well that the book transported me back to the road trips of my childhood. I’ve labelled it as being for twelve to thirteen year olds, but I really think this book would be best enjoyed by people my age and older, reliving the memories of youth.
Memorable Quotes:
“Restaurant food wasn’t nearly as good as food you cooked yourself outside where everybody pitched in like a family team. When everybody helped with the food it tasted better and it was better for you. Also, it was better to be in the outdoors, in the countryside. You’d see more and get a better idea of what Canada was really like. You’d get to talk to other travelers, picnickers and campers on the way and you’d get a feel for each province as you went.” – Megan from Hey, Dad! by Brian Doyle, page 12
“Funny how songs can remind you of things that happened a long time ago. Songs are the best things of all for reminding you of stuff. And smells too. One time a man came over to our place and sat in the kitchen smoking his pipe. The smell of his pipe reminded me exactly of my grandfather who died. I could almost see Grandpa sitting there in the kitchen if I let my eyes go half shut.” – Megan from Hey, Dad! by Brian Doyle, page 16
Hey, Dad! by Brian Doyle is published by Groundwood Books (1978).
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Catching a Sorcerer by Sara Walker
Summary: Fifteen year-old Melantha Caldwell is caught between magical and human worlds. After her mother’s death, she lives with her grandmother, trying her best to live a normal teenage life. When the Council that oversees the magical world asks for Melantha’s help to find her mother’s killer, Melantha is left to decide if she wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and be a secret agent for the Council or not. But all is not as it seems as the adults in Melantha’s life have many secrets, and Melantha is left to piece together the truth of her parents, her status as a blood turner and the mysterious nature of the magical world, all while trying to hold on to her new boyfriend Rory.
Number of Pages: 191
Age Range: 14-16
Review: Melantha has a lot on her plate for your average fifteen year-old. Both of her parents are dead and her grandmother practically has her under lock and key to prevent her from getting hurt. Melantha comes from a long line of witches, or turners as they are called in Sara Walker’s “Catching a Sorcerer” and her sixteenth birthday means her powers will become full-fledged.
I admit I had trouble keeping up with the magical side of the book. I didn’t quite understand all of the different types of turners and the significance of magic being about to choose you. Melantha’s grandmother tries her best to keep her from making friends so they can’t be used against her, but it seems to me if Melantha had been raised more in the magical world she could have had the friends she always wanted. Because by the end of the book she has a bunch of new friends in Paul, Ethelwulf, and Rhiannon.
I couldn’t tell you what exactly a focus is, or why Gerrard could use his son’s power but only until he turned sixteen because he wasn’t a blood turner. And I don’t understand why Paul’s brother Vincent died either. I think because Paul was a blood turner and Vincent was not, but if they were twins I don’t know why they didn’t have the same kind of magic.
What I did like was Melantha’s sense of humour. From her initial comments of about a summoning spell not being an adequate cell phone substitution to being able to recognize the ridiculous elements in her adventure, I truly enjoyed her wit. Also, Paul as the cricket/guide with his snarky comments and his mysterious past wasn’t bad either.
In the end, it is Melantha’s character and her take on her experiences that carry the book. She ends up realising that while she isn’t a typical teen, she does have a lot of people who cared about her and being a witch might not be as bad as she thought it would. I wish the adults had been able to trust her more with the truth, because I thought she could have handled it. I understood her desire to live a normal life, and also why it was impossible at the same time. She is a character I would like to read more about, and I hope in Walker’s sequel that Melantha gets a boyfriend with magical powers so she doesn’t have to hide who she is.
Memorable Quotes:
“Maybe that’s all you wanted to do. What did he know about what I wanted? What did anyone know about what I wanted? I didn’t want this job. It was forced on me. I didn’t want magic. I was born with it. Nobody ever asked me what I wanted.
I wanted a normal life. No spell-turners. No elves. No ogres. No magic. A normal life with normal friends. I wanted a best friend. I wanted a boyfriend. I didn’t want to worry about what I could and couldn’t say to them. I didn’t want magic to ruin my friendships.
What did they know about what I wanted?” Melantha from Catching a Sorcerer by Sara Walker, page 95
“Gardening was never a pastime of my mother’s. She preferred reading to most everything. My father’s time in the outdoors amounted to little more than cutting the grass every week. So to be here, up against a gnome wielding a pickaxe in one hand and ball-peen hammer in the other, with only a shovel and electrical cord in defence, was an entirely new experience for me.” – Melantha from Catching a Sorcerer by Sara Walker, page 166
Catching a Sorcerer by Sara Walker is published by Smashwords (2013).
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Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat
Summary: When the potato blight hits Ireland in the 1800s, Kit Byrne’s family loses their livelihood. As a result Kit’s Da is forced to go to England in search of work, and Kit’s family nearly starves as they try to survive. Living under an ambivalent land owner and a militant middle manager named Mr. Lynch, Kit’s anger toward them grows as the blight is used to evict several people and take advantage of them. After tragedy personally strikes her family, Kit takes matters into her own hands, seeking revenge for the wrongs committed against her family and community.
Number of Pages: 279
Age Range: 13-15
Review: An engaging, fast-paced read, Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat provides readers with a memorable heroine in Kit Byrne. She’s tough and head-strong, and willing to take decisive action to ensure her family’s survival when needed.
But she also has a vulnerable side. Kit is in love with Tom Lynch, the middle manager’s son, and continues to hope that he will grow up and become his own man although he lets her down again and again. I was so disappointed in Tom even though I read the sequel, Wild Geese, first and I know things turn out well for Kit romantically speaking. In retrospect, I suppose though that Tom’s act of warning Kit about her family being evicted took as just as much courage for him to do as Kit’s planning to kill Mr. Lynch did. Different characters, different perspectives and challenges.
I learned a lot about Ireland’s potato famine and landlord system and I enjoyed Kit’s journey. It’s easy to see why Greener Grass was shortlisted for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People.
Memorable Quotes:
“We danced for ages, oblivious to the pain in our sides and our feet. The band carried us from one dance to another like a ship on the sea, slow and gentle one minute and rocking and heaving the next. We danced them all.” – Kit from Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat, page 54
“‘Some things we will never know for sure, Kathleen. We just have to keep believing in our hopes. For without hope, we’ve nothing.'” – Moira, Kit’s mother from Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat, pages 96-97
“‘It’s not her fault,’ I said, surprising the both of us. ‘I mean, she’s lost her husband and two sons, and now her home. How many parts of yourself can you lose before you’ve nothing left but emptiness?’
The question hung in the cold night air. For neither of us had an answer.” – Kit from Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat, page 137
“‘Your mother was the only woman I knew who could sow hope in a barren field and share the fruit of it with everyone.’ Lizzie said, as she held me at arm’s length and smiled with pride. ‘She had the gift of hope and you have it, too. Guard those seeds well and your life will yield wondrous things. I promise you.'” – Lizzie from Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat, page 235
Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat is published by Red Deer Press (2008).
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Lean Mean Machines by Michele Marineau
Summary: Jeremy is a teen with a good head on his shoulders, but if there is one thing he doesn’t understand it is girls and their moods. When Laure starts at his school, Jeremy is drawn to her, first by humiliation and then by her mysterious nature. Laure’s hiding what she considers to be a shameful secret, and Jeremy becomes determined to figure it out. Their friendship helps Laure see life in a new light, but an unintended side effect is the alienation of Jeremy’s best friend Tanya. If Jeremy doesn’t learn to understand girls and their moods fast, he’s going to lose her.
Number of Pages: 123
Age Range: 14-16
Review: Besides being a bit confused by the title since bicycles only served to be a comparison to the complicated nature of women, I thought this was a solid read. Laure is adjusting to major life changes when she starts a new school, and she’s doing her best to keep her past from catching up with her. But her fear of the past is so overwhelming that it gives others control of Laure and puts her in a compromising situation.
Jeremy, with his logical focus on bicycle maintenance, ends up being a good influence on Laure. He helps her face her demons, and in the process learns that girls may be more complicated than bikes, but they are certainly worth the trouble. For a teenage boy, Jeremy has a remarkably well-balanced grip on reality and knows what is really important in life. He was definitely my favourite character and I loved reading about his large family.
Once again, Michèle Marineau digs deep to explore the questions of life, but this time through teen angst over relationships and reputations. Laure takes time to become a likable character but she does eventually, helping Jeremy realise what is right in front of him.
I’d recommend this book for younger to mid teens.
Memorable Quotes:
“‘For everyone concerned,’ he’d said with a straight face. Better for everyone concerned. Laure felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. Not for me! she wanted to scream. Not for me. For you, for you and your family, maybe, for your own well-being. But don’t tell me this is better for me. Don’t ever tell me that.” – Laure from Lean Mean Machines by Michèle Marineau, pages 24-25
“She hates herself for being so weak and passive, and she curses her lack of resolve. But she endures Christian, despite her revulsion.
She just can’t stand him, any part of him. His odor turns her stomach, his voice grates on her ears, his hands and his lips repel her. The minute he touches her, she can feel herself stiffen. She would like to snap shut like a shell, plunge inside herself, dissolve from the outside in until there’s nothing left of her on the surface, nothing for Christian to hold onto.” – Laure from Lean Mean Machines by Michèle Marineau, pages 42-43
“At the moment, I felt a great, a huge, an extraordinary affection for bikes. Unlike girls, bikes don’t get moods.” – Jeremy from Lean Mean Machines by Michèle Marineau, page 51
“After all, I said to myself, a mystery is like a mechanical problem with a bike. No matter how complex the problem, there’s always some solution. You have to examine the problem, there’s always some solution. You have to examine the parts separately, understand each one’s role and the relationships between them. Each part has to be in its place. Together the different parts form a perfectly fitted, smooth-running whole. Together they make sense. The solution may not always be obvious, but there always is a solution if you take a patient and logical enough approach. Always.” – Jeremy from Lean Mean Machines by Michèle Marineau, page 64
“There have been times when I wanted to trade families. Or wished my parents were more ambitious, wealthier. Less ordinary. Or that our life was more exciting.
That evening though, I felt a rush of love for my ordinary parents and our unexciting life. An honest life full of love is not that bad after all.” – Jeremy from Lean Mean Machines by Michèle Marineau, page 83
“‘I know it won’t be easy. When I start thinking about all the potential problems, I have a tendency to panic. Then I tell myself things can’t get worse than they are right now. They can’t get worse than everything we’ve been through these past few months. I also tell myself that we are rich, Laure, so rich when you think about it. We’re alive, we’re healthy. We’re together, we love each other, weh ave all kinds of talent and energy. And we’re not alone.'” – Laure’s mother from Lean Mean Machines by Michèle Marineau, pages 119-120
Lean Mean Machines by Michèle Marineau is published by Red Deer Press (1998, translated into English by Susan Ouriou in 2000).
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Desperate Freedom by Melinda Cochrane
Summary: Life in Grey Bay, Newfoundland is harsh and unyielding, but Rachel is determined to save up her money, get a scholarship and go away to school to become a teacher. Rachel and her friends Rick, Johnny and Patty all have different reasons to feel the future is bleak, but Rachel’s friends try to hide their hopelessness in drugs and sex. When Johnny, the leader of their group, suggests a suicide pact and Rachel’s careful plans for her future unravel, Rachel desperately looks for hope and a way to save all of her friends from the pact.
Number of Pages: 82
Age Range: 16-18
Review: A complex novella dealing with hopelessness, mental illness and substance abuse, Desperate Freedom by Melinda Cochrane is not the easiest read. I loved how she was able to capture in her characters dialogue the lilt of Newfoundland speech though.
Rachel is caught by circumstance, but she sees a way out. Her hope and plans for the future separate her from her friends, and also serve to alienate them from her. Johnny, Rick, and Patty can sense that she is different from them, and for Johnny it is enough to want to destroy her spirit by bringing her down to his level.
With Rachel’s mother and her mental illness, wanting to keep Rachel in her place is a common theme. Something about her dreaming about a better life is threatening, because to some it feels like a judgement on their own lives. Although both characters who felt that way were influenced by mental illness and/or drugs. And even though there are reasons why Rachel should discount their opinions of her, she can’t entirely, because she feels responsible for everything that happens.
I respected Rachel as a character because achieving her dreams isn’t the most important thing to her. She’s determined to get what she wants, but it has to be done in a way that doesn’t take advantage of others. Even when those close to her don’t have her best interests in mind, she remains loyal to them.
The end of the story brings death, but also hope. There are people who believe in Rachel, and, on her own terms, she will persevere. It’s an intense, but worthwhile read of a teen who has the grit to forge a new life for herself. Definitely for older teen readers.
Memorable Quotes:
“‘We see’s it, we always did, like you’re famous already, you got this way of making life seem possible, we just see’s it as wanting oblivion, that’s why we smokes this shit.’
I wish they’d stop saying that to me. I held my stomach.
‘I just wants to leave is all, it’s not special, it’s wanting something more.'” – conversation between Rick and Rachel from Desperate Freedom by Melinda Cochrane, page 33
“It was about a mile walk to the makeshift cabin we made together. The trees filled in around us as we made our way through a narrow opening leading us to it. All we heard were birds, the movement of small animals, and a steady stream of water directing itself to the ocean. We were surrounded by forest in Grey Bay. I didn’t talk when we walked through the woods. I never did. For some reason it made me feel as if god was her with us. Johnny said god didn’t exist, but I thought something did, something bigger than here. I looked at the fir trees and they swayed with the sound of the ocean behind them. They were dancing together hand in hand.” – Rachel from Desperate Freedom by Melinda Cochrane, page 55
“I didn’t lift my head. The things making me want to leave were the things I couldn’t change. The only way out for me was through school and I knew it even at my age. I always knew it for some reason. Teachers seemed so much smarter than everyone else in Grey Bay and I wanted to be like them.” – Rachel from Desperate Freedom by Melinda Cochrane, page 57
Desperate Freedom by Melinda Cochrane is published by Brian Wrixon Books (2013).
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Maybe Never, Maybe Now by Kimberly Joy Peters
Summary: When Caitlyn’s friend Ashley has to back out of student exchange to Quebec, Caitlyn takes her place for a chance at a fresh start. Still getting over an abusive relationship with Tyler and adjusting to life with a new baby sister and a step-father, Caitlyn’s having trouble making decisions and feeling confident. A visit to a fortune teller starts her on the path of reading her horoscope and looking for signs that she’s making the right choices, but a new relationship with Conner and a unexpected letter challenge her to start thinking for herself again.
Number of Pages: 173
Age Range: 13-14
Review: Despite Caitlyn’s troubling past, she comes off as younger than her sixteen years. Kimberly Joy Peters continues Caitlyn’s journey from Painting Caitlyn with Maybe Never, Maybe Now, providing her readers with a gentle story of learning to trust yourself and embracing love again after being hurt. The best part is that Peters is not just talking about romantic love, she is also talking about familial love. Caitlyn is confronted with the need for second chances with her father, and with herself.
Caitlyn’s character is refreshing because even with everything that has happened, she isn’t bitter. She’s definitely uncertain and lacking confidence, but bit by bit Caitlyn grows into a young woman who is able to forgive herself and take chances. Connor is the perfect boyfriend after Tyler because he has been Caitlyn’s friend for a long time and he is very understanding of her need to take things slow.
I enjoyed Caitlyn’s trip to Quebec and her life with Mireille’s family. Sharing Mireille’s siblings and parents opens up a new world for Caitlyn, and I love how she describes it as missing a part of a rainbow. Mireille is a great character with a lot of spunk, and her family is equally endearing.
This is a read for younger female teen readers, but one they will definitely enjoy. Caitlyn’s growth turns her into someone readers can really look up to.
Memorable Quotes:
“I also might have recognized that second chances are so much more fragile than firsts. Because even if you’re lucky enough to get a second chance, you already understand how badly things can turn out. You start to realize how much more it’s going to hurt if everything somehow goes wrong again. And if you don’t believe, deep down, that you really deserve that second chance, the very idea of one can be paralyzing.” – Caitlyn from Maybe Never, Maybe Now by Kimberly Joy Peters, page 7
“There is a moment before you begin a painting when the canvas is fresh and unmarked, the brushes are clean and you know in your mind’s eye exactly how you want it to turn out. And when everything goes perfectly, when you capture what you’ve envisioned, there is no better feeling.
But sometimes, after you start, your brush slips, or the colors you mixed aren’t right, or the perspective becomes distorted. Then, you have to decide whether you can work with what you’ve got and find a way to see it through, or whether it’s always going to feel like a disappointment because it didn’t turn out the way you had anticipated.” – Caitlyn from Maybe Never, Maybe Now by Kimberly Joy Peters, pages 90-91
“Sometimes you do have to take chances. And sometimes you just have to protect yourself.” – Caitlyn from Maybe Never, Maybe Now by Kimberly Joy Peters, page 96
“‘Fantastique?’ Sébastien asked, at the bottom.
‘Oui. Fantastique!’ I replied. I started up a bigger hill, knowing that it would take courage to make decisions when I couldn’t predict how fast life would go, or what might be around the corner. But I was confident, now, that that was where I’d find the best surprises.” – Caitlyn from Maybe Never, Maybe Now by Kimberly Joy Peters, page 159
Maybe Never, Maybe Now by Kimberly Joy Peters is published by Lobster Press (2010).
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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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