We Want You to Know :Kids Talk About Bullying by Deborah Ellis Published by Coteau Books Review by Donna Gudjonson $14.95 ISBN 978-1-55050-463-7 All of us have experienced some form of bullying at some time in our lives. Recently this problem has come under the spotlight with cyber-bullying being blamed for several suicides of young people. Internationally acclaimed author Deborah Ellis has compiled the stories of students between the ages of nine and nineteen and gives an in-depth insight into this problem. The stories are candid and give voice to what is really happening in schools to our kids. Each story describes the experience of the person being bullied, how they felt, and what they did to cope. At the end of each story there are discussion questions to promote awareness and empathy. As I read the stories I was drawn back to my own childhood memories of being bullied and excluded by my cousin. We were close in age and in the same grade all through school in a small town. On many occasions she coerced the other girls to shun me. When I finally talked to my mother about it she helped me to find a solution. I…

Ice Storm by Penny Draper Published by Coteau Books for Kids Review by Donna Gudjonson ISBN 13:9781550504514 Twelve year old girls have complicated lives at the best of times, but for two cousins in Quebec during the devastating ice storm of January1998 everything most certainly changes without warning. Alice, a talented young figure skater from Montreal, finds herself stranded at home all alone during the first days of the crisis. She must quickly learn some grown up skills in order to survive in the cold and dark during the extended power outage caused by the storm. Later she heroically saves the life of one of her neighbours and finds ways to help out at the crowded shelter where she must wait out the storm. Sophie, her country cousin, finds herself pitching in to keep her family and their dairy cows from perishing in the extreme conditions and must function like an adult in a very difficult situation. Both girls’ priorities will be changed forever after the experience. The story begins just before the storm hits to give a snapshot of normal life for the two girls. Then as quickly as the storm front rolls in, the reader is taken through…

The Strength of Women, Ahkameyimowak by Priscilla Settee Published by Coteau Books Reviewed by Donna Gudjonson $19.95 ISBN 13:9781550504569 Author Priscilla Settee is an Aboriginal scholar, educator, writer, and activist in Saskatchewan. In her book The Strength of Women she unfolds a collection of spellbinding stories told by fifteen Aboriginal women who have all struggled through great adversity to become unsung heroes, role models, activists, educators, artists and spiritual healers. The stories are presented in five categories: Beginnings, Work, Art, Spirit and Community. Though each story is unique there are underlying threads of injustice, racism, abuse, sexism and hardship seasoned with happier memories and anecdotes. As the book flows on we see how each woman’s path is shaped by her experiences. I found the first stories to be the most enlightening yet sorrowful to read but I found myself drawn deeply into each woman’s life and because it is written in her own voice and dialect it was like hearing her tell the story in person. The women spoke of how racism, poverty, violence and substance abuse affected their own families and communities. Each storyteller speaks of a personal struggle and a turning point when an opportunity presented itself to…