The Ecological Buffalo: On the Trail of a Keystone Speciesby Wes Olson and Johane Janelle
Published by University of Regina Press
Review by Madonna Hamel$39.95 ISBN 9780889778719 As a child Wes Olson knew he would dedicate his life to learning everything he could about the buffalo and as an adult there is no bison-related question you can throw at him to stump him. I’ve tried. He carries his childhood glee for his subject into every project he approaches, and never is that more evident than in The Ecological Buffalo: On The Trail of a Keystone Species. As he writes in the introduction: “For more than thirty years, Johane and I have been captivated by all things buffalo.” The Ecological Buffalo is a look at the animals and species with whom the bison share their space and time. The term “keystone” refers to the integral role bison play in keeping others species alive. Take for example, bison poop. Once bison digest grass they deposit buffalo chips that contain insects and those insects feed a variety of birds like woodpeckers who in turn create cavities in trees for creatures like squirrels who create dung for beetles and so on. This book not only celebrates…

Gabrielle Rougeby Maureen UlrichPublished by Flatlands PressReview by Sally Meadows$21.99 ISBN 9781778296505 Full confession: alternate historical fantasy novels for young adults is not a genre I typically reach for. But when the opportunity came up to review Maureen Ulrich’s Gabrielle Rouge (Book 2 in the Winds of Change series), I jumped at it after reviewing and enjoying her middle years’ book Kimeto’s Journey, about an 11-year-old African boy who has an extraordinary adventure. The fact that Ulrich has published in multiple genres, for different age groups, attests to her skills as a writer, and I, as a reader, am all in on her writing journey. At the beginning of Gabrielle Rouge, 16-year-old, flame-haired Gabrielle is returning home from the riots in Andwarf. Accompanied by Thomas, the young blacksmith who has pledged to serve her as the prospective incoming leader of the town of Lille after the untimely death of her war-hero father, and with her brother out of the picture, Gabrielle will need all the support she can get. It doesn’t take long for our female protagonist to declare her intentions to the townspeople; and just as quickly, she is met with both quiet and outright opposition. The remainder of…

The Dark Unicornby Edward WillettPublished by Endless Sky BooksReview by Toby A. Welch  $19.99 ISBN 9781989398951 I wasn’t surprised to learn that The Dark Unicorn was a finalist in the Children’s Literature category in the 1999 Saskatchewan Book Awards. This fantastical story about a young man’s quest to save the world from destruction is hard to put down! While some readers may consider this book a bit dark, I was uplifted by the underlying thread of hope that runs through it. The story focuses on Nels, a flutist in a theatre group who is gifted a carved unicorn with a magical power – the ability to save the Wall, the only barrier standing between him and an enemy bent on wiping out life as he knows it. His journey with the unicorn is an intriguing one.  My favourite character in the story is a scrappy young pickpocket named Dart. He and Nels team up in the mission to protect their world and he is the perfect sidekick. Dart has a huge secret, takes risks without hesitation, and gives as good as he gets while defending his people. For readers, Dart is a gift for our imaginations as his story arc is fascinating.  While The…

The Chorus Beneath Our Feetby Melanie SchnellPublished by Radiant PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$25.00 ISBN 9781998926329 Regina writer Melanie Schnell’s debut novel, While the Sun is Above Us, earned her the Saskatchewan First Book Award and The City of Regina Award at the 2013 Saskatchewan Book Awards, and I expect her recently released second novel, The Chorus Beneath Our Feet, will also garner attention, particularly for its ambitious plot. Schnell’s braided several surprisingly disparate elements and parallelled the relationships between two sets of siblings in this crime story set in “Ravenwood,” Alberta. The first brother and sister were among the 100,000 Barnardo’s Homes’ children shipped from England to Canada to labour on farms between 1869 – 1948. These 100,000 “home children” were ripped from their families and treated extremely poorly in Canada. Ravenwood rumours suggest that the bodies of these separated siblings are buried beneath the massive oak tree (the “Harron Tree”) in the city’s central park. A local construction company is razing the tree for the construction of a mall, and protesters are rallying around the stately oak. The second set of siblings are Jes, an army Sargeant who’s returned home after eight years in Afghanistan—he’s accompanying his fellow…