Janey’s Girl by Gayle Friesen
Summary: Travelling from Toronto, Ontario to Smallwood, British Columbia to visit her grandmother is a long trip, especially when Claire does not have a clear picture of what she’s heading into. Suddenly she finds herself in a small town where everyone knows her history except her, and she is known simply as Janey’s girl. Trying to uncover the secrets her mother has been keeping her whole life, Claire stumbles upon the father she never knew, and must confront the existence of a half-brother who needs her help. If she can put aside her mother’s pain and her own, she has the chance to stop family patterns from repeating and save a life in the process.
Number of Pages: 222
Age Range: 13-14
Review: When family issues are unresolved, they always seem to find a way to affect future generations. In Claire’s case, with her mother Jane to see her grandmother pops the isolated bubble they’ve been living in across the country, and reveals Jane has been keeping many, many secrets.
Except secrets are hard to keep in a small town environment. Thus Claire learns quickly that the father she believes abandoned her is actually her grandmother’s neighbour, and his spirited son is her half-brother. Though Jane is only returning to the place she grew up after her father has died, Claire pieces together the complicated nature of their relationship and how it has affected Jane in the long term. There are many hurts that Jane is hanging onto, and keeping these secrets from her daughter has turned her into exactly the person she resented: her father.
What I love though is Gayle Friesen’s distinction between mother and daughter. Jane took everything to heart and was so angry with her father over his constant restrictions that she moved a great distance away to raise Claire on her own. Mac, her best friend, decides he doesn’t want to leave town when Jane finds out she’s pregnant, contributing to her hurt and pain and also strengthening her resolve.
But what Jane doesn’t realise is when she struggles so hard to protect her own daughter from the evils of the world by not telling her things, she is doing exactly what her father did to her. She becomes much like the man she couldn’t understand and grew to hate, and when Claire finds out all of the truths that have been kept from her all these years, she is in danger of following in her mother’s footsteps.
Thankfully though, Claire takes a different path. As Jane observes, Claire is somehow able to let go of everything that has gone before, and puts her own feelings aside to help her half-brother when needed. She doesn’t hold a grudge, instead she embraces her family as they are and tries her best to do right by them.
There’s a little romance along the way, but mostly it’s an enlightening look at a complicated mother/daughter relationship.
Quotes:
“I play a quick staccato piece to keep my feelings in check. There’s no point in getting angry. Anger makes you ask questions. Anger sets up expectations and demands to know the truth. And I know from experience that this is impossible.” – Claire from Janey’s Girl by Gayle Friesen, page 25
“‘And then there was the piano.’
‘Piano?’
‘I loved it, Claire.’ Her voice is so low I have to concentrate to make out the words. ‘Almost more than anything. I think it was a way for me to say the things I didn’t even know I was feeling. It was my voice.’ She looks away.” – Conversation about music between Jane and Claire from Janey’s Girl by Gayle Friesen, page 125
“Jack and Gran move back to the house. My mother cries for a long time. Slow, deep sobs at first, and then a stillness. We just stand there. She doesn’t try to break away; there’s no twitchiness in her. Nothing. Just stillness. That’s when I know that things are going to be different.
We walk back to the house arm in arm. She goes to the music room, removes a heavy green book from the piano bench and places it on the polished music stand.
The house is filled with music. She plays slowly, lovingly. And the music is sacred.” – Claire from Janey’s Girl by Gayle Friesen, page 222
Janey’s Girl by Gayle Friesen is published by Kids Can Press, (1998).
Me, Myself and Ike by K.L. Denman
Summary: After a five thousand year-old ice man named Ötzi is found in Europe, Kit and his friend Ike are fascinated by how his mummified body and tools act as a time capsule from the distant past. When Ike suggests Kit should become a frozen man himself and a time capsule for the future, Kit agrees, and together they make plans of what should be included with his body to provide others with an accurate glimpse of life during Kit’s time. But as their plan gets closer to fruition, Kit’s behaviour becomes more and more erratic putting his concerned family on alert. As they struggle to figure out how to help him, Kit and Ike move ahead with their plan, encountering unexpected results.
Number of Pages: 192
Age Range: 15-17
Review: In a story about one teen’s unwitting experience with mental illness, Kit and his friend Ike decide following in the footsteps of ice man Ötzi to become a human time capsule for the future is a good idea. Obsessed with providing a window into the past through the items he carries and his written manifesto, Kit also follows Ike’s lead by including drugs and condoms on his person for people to discover in the future.
It’s not an easy story to read because of the subject matter but it’s also one you won’t be able to put down thanks to good pacing and engaging writing. Reading about Kit’s increasing paranoia, delusions and plans to commit suicide in a way he views as altruistic is gut-wrenching at times. Knowing Kit is completely unaware of the cognitive distortions he is experiencing is even more difficult, because he is a focussed and generally likeable character. What’s amazing about this book is K.L. Denman’s exquisite job of portraying all aspects of Kit’s experience. Her writing shows her reader exactly what is going through Kit’s mind, his logic and reasoning, the concern of his family and his downward spiral into mania that reveals itself most acutely in the statements he writes for his manifesto.
I have a lot of respect for Denman as a writer because it’s clear how hard she worked to make each detail authentic. One of my memorable quotes is from Kit’s statement on Reality, written just before he went to climb the mountain, and copying it out required my full attention thanks to its lack of punctuation, specific errors and intentionally capitalized letters. What appears sloppy is actually genius on Denman’s part and very demonstrative of Kit’s mental state.
The scene that struck me most though both times I read it was when Fred, Kit’s brother, realises what is exactly going on in Kit’s mind. It’s shocking and sad, and Fred feels the sorrow immediately when he understands at last. Denman’s portrait of a family struggling to figure out what is going on with their son and brother is informative and emotional, even though the reader is removed from it since the book is told from Kit’s perspective.
All in all, it’s an important work of fiction and I would recommend it not only to mid to older teen readers, but also to those who are looking to get a insider perspective on mental illness.
Memorable Quotes:
“The enormity of this realization washes over me in cold waves. It’s down to just me, Kit Latimer. Maybe Ike too, but that’s another thing; I haven’t heard from Ike since the day we took the Blackberry. Maybe he was caught and I’m on my own.
It’s too much. I can’t so it. Only maybe it’s like Frodo in ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ He didn’t want to be a ring bearer, but it was his appointed task and he had to do it. I have to do this.” – Kit from Me, Myself and Ike by K.L. Denman, page 131
“Maybe this. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .reality is what we think it is
And it’s different for everyone and nobody can say their reality is better than soMeone elses because how know??????????? And if a person went to heaven then their heaven just exactly what they want with the right birds and plants and Maybe their old dog We had dog naMed Harry and he shed everywhere so MoM never wanted to get another one after died and she went to work and didn’t have time to clean I loved harry and get to see hiM again in My heaven which is close now and has My younger self in it because i get to choose what i coMe back as when not the tiMe of this when he never knew he couldn’t do anything that he had awful destiny to freeze death alone because soMeone has to do it iMportant” – section from Kit’s manifesto on Reality from Me, Myself and Ike by K.L. Denman, pages 152-153
“As I researched schizophrenia and worked through the creation of this story, I developed an ever deeper sympathy for those with mental illness. It was often emotionally exhausting for me to continue imagining what my character was experiencing, and if it is hard to imagine, I believe it must be incredibly stressful and harsh to live with. It is my hope that we all come to a greater understanding of mental illnesses and do our utmost as individuals and as a society to treat the afflicted among us with compassion.” – K.L. Denman in her Author’s Note from Me, Myself and Ike by K.L. Denman
Me, Myself and Ike by K.L. Denman is published by Orca Books, (2009).
Lost Goat Lane by Rosa Jordan
Summary: Thirteen year-old Kate lives with her two brothers and mother on a farm. With a father who has left them to pursue a career in race car mechanics, everyone on the farm is working to hold things together as a couple mortgage payments slip by unpaid. Kate’s mother is working seven days a week at a dairy farm to make ends meet, and Kate is left to take care of her younger brother Chip while her older brother Justin considers running away. When the Walters come into their lives thanks to Sugar the goat’s need for companionship, everything starts to change. It’s a challenge for everyone involved to learn how to trust and ignore their prejudgements, but as they do they form friendships and gain family they never expected.
Number of Pages: 197
Age Range: 11-13
Review: In a story reminiscent of the works of Betsy Byers and Virginia Hamilton, Rosa Jordan’s Lost Goat Lane captures the uncertainty that can come from financial insecurity. Living in Florida, Kate’s family deals with alligators, a sense of shame over the possibility of losing their farm, and a community that prejudges people based on their financial income and the colour of their skin.
Jordan weaves a touching tale about a family in turmoil. Intentionally isolating themselves, Kate’s mother is struggling to keep their family home from being repossessed by the bank. To save money there are no new clothes, all food comes from their garden and goat and other luxuries like Christmas presents are just that, luxuries. Responsibility falls on Kate to keep things together at home while her mother works, and although she and her older brother work together not having a parent around does get them into trouble at times. I wanted to cry right at the beginning with the scene with the alligator. I knew something bad was going to happen but I just didn’t know what.
I love how the story is about connecting though. An incident with Kate’s goat introduces her and her brothers to the Walters, neighbours they never got to know before because of prejudgements made by both families. As the friendships between the two families develop, Kate’s mother reacts badly at first, all but forbidding her children to go over to the Walters’ place. Over time though, conflicts are resolved and friends become family.
Though Kate’s mother works constantly, she remains a strong parent who cares about her children and sets boundaries when needed. Although she tells them about the financial troubles they are facing, she also reassures them she will work it out and keeps her promise.
My favourite parts involved the goats, Sugar and Billy. Their actions made me laugh and I absolutely loved how things ended with Sugar.
Jordan’s book has a sequel, and I eagerly look forward to getting back into the world of Kate and her brothers for another story.
Memorable Quotes:
“That’s when it occurred to Kate that maybe Booker could help explain something she couldn’t get straight in her head.
‘I was thinking about how people prejudge other people. That’s the same as prejudice, right?’
He looked hard at Kate. ‘You worried about somebody around here being prejudiced?’
‘Not exactly.’ Kate hugged her new jacket close to her chest. ‘Just wondering how you keep from having ideas about somebody when you first meet them. And if you do have ideas, like you think this person is, well, something you don’t like, is that prejudice?’
‘Could be,’ Booker agreed.
‘But you can’t help thinking something,’ Kate pointed out. ‘Does that mean everybody’s prejudiced?'” – Conversation between Kate and Booker from Lost Goat Lane by Rosa Jordan, page 195
“‘The problem wasn’t the prejudging, because like you say, everybody probably does a little prejudging, even when they’re not meaning to. It was not giving the boy a chance, that’s what made one coach what you’d call prejudiced. But the other coach, she did give the boy a chance, and when she saw she was wrong, she right away changed her mind.'” – Booker explaining the difference between prejudging and prejudice to Kate from Lost Goat Lane by Rosa Jordan, page 196
Lost Goat Lane by Rosa Jordan is published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, (2004).
Anywhere but Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Summary: After his mother dies and Cole and his father are left with only each other, life in the small town of Webster becomes unbearable. Cole breaks up with his girlfriend Lauren for shaky reasons and plots his escape to film school in Vancouver, British Columbia. If he can just escape getting caught in the web of Webster, Cole believes he’ll have a better life. But as his connections with family and friends become more numerous and complicated, leaving might not be as easy as he first believes it will. As Cole is confronted with some hard decisions about his future, he starts to view where he lives in a new light.
Number of Pages: 309
Age Range: 15-17
Review: I feel like I’ve typed out a good portion of Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi in the Memorable Quotes section, but my favourite part of this book is Cole’s voice and there were just so many great examples of it. I like how he thinks, his witty sense of humour and his ability to change when needed.
And though I didn’t quote it, what touched me most was how Cole’s perspective adapted throughout the novel. His scene with Lauren at the hospital was especially poignant as he realises the dreams he has for himself can become different dreams and still be satisfying in their own way. And when those new dreams don’t turn out, he’s a bit surprised because it hurts more than he expected.
I’m being intentionally vague because while Cole didn’t figure out an important plot aspect for quite sometime, I did, but I don’t want to ruin the potential surprise for Kyi’s readers.
The theme of Kyi’s book, an exploration of the binds of small town life,is interesting because I think a large part of Cole’s desire to get away has to do with his profound sense of grief over his mother’s death. If she isn’t there anymore, he doesn’t want to be there either. Cole’s story is about his journey through grief, and learning to recognize what he still has even though his mother is gone. The town truly is a web of support for him in the end.
While a bit far-fetched in some areas, overall it was an engaging read with wonderful characters. Cole finds that the web he thought was trapping him is actually a safety net, made up of many, many people who care about him.
This is Kyi’s debut teen book and I’m looking forward to reading more by her in the future.
Memorable Quotes:
“The words came flying out of my mouth without my permission. My mind doesn’t seem connected to my tongue tonight. Maybe I have one of those brain injuries that knocks out your ability to edit your thoughts. Or Tourette’s syndrome. That’s probably it. I have sudden-onset Tourette’s.” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, page 62
“There are other things that don’t get said aloud. We never said ‘you’re dying’ or ‘terminal cancer’ or ‘when you’re dead.’ Soon the doctors were saying ‘palliative,’ and I knew that meant ‘dying,’ but I still never said it, and neither did Mom. Maybe Mom and Dad said it when they were together and I wasn’t there. I doubt it. Why say what you already know?” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, page 63
“‘Why would it bother me?’ Of course it’ll bother me. I feel like my brother just asked if he could have sex with my sister. Which they may as well do with me in the room because I’ve known them both so long that I can imagine every minute of it. The way Greg will lay on the moves. The way Lauren will laugh with the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth.
I shudder, trying to shake away the images before they go too far.” – Cole reflecting on his best friend Greg asking if he can go out with Lauren, Cole’s ex-girlfriend from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, pages 145-146
“It’s quite possible that I’ve been sucked into a bleak foreign film and I can’t read the subtitles. And those award-winning European movies that end up in North American theaters – they never seem to end well.” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, page 210
“I feel as if Hannah stole her. I mean, I know that woman is not my mom. She’s just someone I met in a supermarket. It doesn’t matter, though. I still feel as if I had a grocery store guardian angel, a spirit guide of chicken roasting, and now Hannah’s taken her away.” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi page 217
“Do you believe in heaven? That’s all I wanted to ask. You’d think, after the doctors tell you there are only a few weeks left, that you would say anything and ask everything. It’s not like that, though. Impending death doesn’t open the Hoover Dam of communication skills. My thoughts didn’t come gushing out like cold, fresh drinking water. They still stuck at the back of my throat like old sludge.” – Cole reflecting on things unsaid when his mother was dying from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, pages 221-222
“I blink on command and obediently follow a penlight with my eyes. The whole time, I’m cataloging people who have messed up. There’s Lauren, obviously. Trying to seem in control when, really, she’s never been more confused. And Hannah, with her oh-so-casual act when she desperately wants to fit in. There are more. Lex. Greg’s mom. Greg’s dad.
My dad.
Maybe he fell into a metaphorical tree well when Mom died and he’s still trying to pull himself out. I assumed he had some sort of master plan, even if it was to become a committed drunk. But no, he’s been flailing around like the rest of us, searching for footholds.” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, pages 258-259
“Seems like life doesn’t have a documentary ending. In fact, it’s possible that my bleak film, bundled into its manila envelope, has entirely the wrong conclusion. It turns out that Webster isn’t necessarily the problem and escaping isn’t the answer. In reality, things are messier.” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, page 294
“I shake my head. You think as your world is heading to hell, some people are going to hold it together. The ones who are older than you, and bigger than you, and presumably smarter than you. When they climb into the handbasket too, it’s seriously concerning. Who would have thought that a pregnant stripper would be the one to get my dad back on his feet?” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, page 302
“If I could tweak the focus, see their eyes, maybe I could tell what kind of film they’re living. Or maybe not, even then. Sometimes you don’t understand what those around you are going through, even if you eat cereal with them every morning or pass by their locker every afternoon.” – Cole from Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, page 308
Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyi is published by Simon Pulse, (2013).
Morven and the Horse Clan by Luanne Armstrong
Summary: A years-long drought in the land of Morven’s people forces them to leave their home to find a new place to live with water. But leaving begins an unforeseen chain of events that will change their tribe forever. Morven, who has always been a bit of an outsider in her clan finds her place outside gender norms and among wild horses who live near by. Able to tame a black stallion, Morven introduces her people to a new way of life that involves caring for animals and letting horses do work that the women used to do. While searching for a new home they encounter other peoples with different ideas about how to live, and when those ideas conflict enemies are made and the warring begins.
Number of Pages: 173
Age Range: 12-14
Review: Similar to Dawn Rider by Jan Hudson, Morven and the Horse Clan by Luanne Armstrong explores one young woman’s journey to be true to herself in the midst of strong gender roles. Expected to grow up and have a family of her own, Morven is drawn to hunting and animals instead. She doesn’t feel the pull to get married and have children and finds solace when she encounters a group of wild horses displaced by her tribe as they seek a new place to settle in the face of an intense drought.
Being able to learn to communicate with the horses and ride them intimidates her clan further, but ultimately their path is changed as a result. For Morven it’s a journey of self-discovery. Plagued by uncertainty about her place in the clan, Morven isn’t sure if she would rather be alone living with her animal friends or supporting her tribe and family.
Over the course of the book though, certain ideas are revealed. Living off the land at the mercy of weather and animal migration is challenging, and highlights how everything is connected. I was also intrigued by the Kazaan tribe because I wondered how they learned the concept of ownership and entitlement. When Kai tries to proposition Morven and she rebuffs him with physical violence, he becomes angry because he feels he should be able to have her if he wants to. Unfortunately this perceived humiliation is what fuels his interest in war, but I like how Morven has her time alone where she struggles over everything that has happened and emerges as a future shaman leader of her people.
I think it’s the start of a series, and Morven is certainly a strong character to read about.
Memorable Quotes:
“After a while, I sat up. I suddenly realized that sitting on his back was a lot like dancing, that I could balance there and let my body move with his. I was dancing with the thunder, dancing with the clouds, the lightning. I spread my arms, clung with my legs. I was flying with the wind.” – Morven from Morven and the Horse Clan by Luanne Armstrong, page 25
“But later that night, Lani and I talked it over. It was clear to us that the people of Kazaan had a strange attachment to bowls and blankets and digging sticks, as if they were children or mothers or lovers. We tried to understand it. We were the strangers here. But no matter how many ways we turned this idea over and examined it, it made no sense.” – Morven from Morven and the Horse Clan by Luanne Armstrong, page 93
“‘Sometimes it flows easily; sometimes it curls in on itself. Sometimes it is blocked and it changes course and flows another way. You change the water’s flow, my daughter. You brought a new thing into the world, and no one knew how to think about this thing. Some people thought one way about it, some people another, according to their natures. You did no wrong. It is hard for people to change.'” – Morven from Morven and the Horse Clan by Luanne Armstrong, page 142
Morven and the Horse Clan by Luanne Armstrong is published by Great Plains Teen Fiction, (2013).
A Bushel of Light by Troon Harrison
Summary: Born with a twin, Maggie is devastated when she and her sister Thomasina are separated after the deaths of both of their parents. Maggie is sent overseas to Canada, while Thomasina gets to stay with their father’s elderly aunt. Believing for years that there was something more desirable about Thomasina and horrible about herself that caused her to be sent away, Maggie is torn but wants to see her sister, especially after she starts having vivid dreams about finding her. Unexpected news reveals Thomasina is not as far away as Maggie originally thought, but untangling herself from her current living situation to go and find her takes time and some ingenuity.
Number of Pages: 244
Age Range: 11-13
Review: Troon Harrison’s book itself is a bushel of light. Her writing and descriptive talents are gorgeous, and though I only picked out three memorable quotes, the whole book is one because it is so vividly beautiful.
At the heart is the story of twin sisters separated in childhood. One is sent from England to Canada, and the other stays with an elderly relative. A Bushel of Light is told from Maggie’s perspective, the twin who was sent away to live in a foreign country all alone. With a pioneering spirit, Maggie makes her way despite being plagued by self-doubt over why she was sent away instead of her sister, and her constant feeling of missing her other half. Just fourteen years old, Maggie works on a farm dealing with an entitled son who pushes her around, a farmer’s wife who is severely depressed, and a young girl named Lizzy whom Maggie is all but a mother to.
When she starts dreaming about Thomasina, she knows she has to find her again. Believing she is still in England, Maggie starts plotting on how she can make her way back over there. After a few run away attempts, Maggie finds her chance to escape actually lies in doing what she knows is best for the family she lives with. She doesn’t always like them, but she still has their best interests at heart.
I loved gaining perspective on how powerful a twin relationship is, as well as learning more about the reality for Barnardo orphans. It’s easy to see why Maggie was so eager to get away and go after her sister, and I was happy with how things turned out.
It’s a younger read for pre to very early teen readers, and it’s a lovely one.
Memorable Quotes:
“If I didn’t get answers to these questions, I would never be happy. Even though I had wide open spaces and maple trees on drumlins, even though I had learned how to do a hundred things on the farm, like driving horses and growing flowers, unless I found Thomasina, I would never be happy. I would only be half a person, even here. Even in this country I loved and didn’t want to leave. And had no money to leave. First I had to find some money, and then I had to go and find Thomasina. Or all my life I would carry her memory in my bones, like a pain, and I would have a box in my mind with the lid shut tight. And I would dream about her face at the window.” – Maggie from A Bushel of Light by Troon Harrison, page 55
“I couldn’t imagine him being like Harold. Maybe there was more to it than luck and fairness, I thought. Maybe people could decide for themselves how they wanted to act in life. I wondered about Thomasina, about what kind of a person she had turned into from living with an old lady at Nancledra. If she was hot tempered. What kind of things made her laugh. If she liked flowers.” – Maggie from A Bushel of Light by Troon Harrison, page 148
“I kept think about the past being like a place you could never return to, no matter how hard you tried. Kathleen could never be that person beside the lake again, that girl in her old album. Thomasina and I could never be those little girls who had run on the beach in St. Ives. I tried to imagine what it would be like, when we met each other . . . I hoped we could be friends.” – Maggie from A Bushel of Light by Troon Harrison, page 139
A Bushel of Light by Troon Harrison is published by Stoddart Kids, (2000).
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
Sponsors
