The Sailor and the Christmas Trees: A True Story by Deana Driver Illustrated by Catherine Folnovic Published by DriverWorks Ink Review by Keith Foster $14.95 ISBN 978-192757002-9 Although a prolific writer with five books and more than 2,000 articles in Canadian newspapers and magazines to her credit, this is Deana Driver’s first children’s book. It is a true story, told in simple language a child can easily understand. The story revolves around John Hanlon, a wireless operator in the Royal Canadian Navy in World War II. His ship, HMCS (His Majesty’s Canadian Ship) Royalmount, was protecting convoys bringing supplies to Britain. Knowing that on the return trip he would be at sea on Christmas Day, Hanlon and three other sailors cut down a few evergreen trees to decorate their frigate. When they found out that another ship was carrying children to safety in Canada, they got close enough to shoot a line across it. One of the trees was then pulled over. “Those children’s eyes were so big as they watched that tree bobbing along the line from our ship to theirs,” Hanlon recalled. “Those children started cheering.” Fifty years later, at a reunion in Calgary, Hanlon met a woman…

Redcoats and Renegades By Barry McDivitt Published by Thistledown Press Review by Hannah Muhajarine ISBN 978-1-897235-97-3 Barry McDivitt’s young adult novel Redcoats and Renegades is a tale of thrilling adventure, made all the more interesting because it is based on true events. It follows the story of Hamlet Hamlin, who claims to be the first person the Mounties ever arrested. As a young pickpocket, Hamlet falls under the ‘renegades’ side of the title, but ends up joining the Mounties, semi-voluntarily, on their march West. At the time of this story-the early 1870s-the North West Mounted Police was still young. It was created after the purchase of the Northwest Territories from the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Mounties were charged with protecting the First Nations people from American whiskey and fur traders, and at the same time establishing a stronger Canadian presence in the newly-acquired land. The Mounties faced opposition not just from the Americans, but from Sioux and Blackfoot as well. Many characters, Hamlet included, express their doubt in the ability of the Mounties to bring order to the lawless West, expecting them to be massacred instead. Hamlet’s perspective is fresh and entertaining. He sees the ridiculousness of some of the…

The Piper of Shadonia by Linda Smith Published by Coteau Books Review by Tavish Bell $14.95 ISBN 9781550505160 The Piper of Shadonia by Linda Smith is an excellent book for teenage readers who like adventure and fiction. When I first got this book, I was dubious. “I’m supposed to read a book about songs and music?” I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, since I prefer books laden with adventure. I was wrong. The Piper of Shadonia is about a boy who gets a pipe with magical powers. It starts out amazing and ends with tons of fun. Linda Smith’s story is good all the way through and hooks you on the very first page. You will never get bored of this book. In fact, you won’t want to put it down. Ever. The Piper of Shadonia has a wonderful storyline and Linda Smith has a great, engaging writing style. The characters are very interesting; each one is unique. The book presents an interesting way of looking at things. I found that when I read it for the first time, the message seemed to be “you don’t have to be a big, buff, tough, warrior to be powerful.” That message…

Odd Ball by Arthur John Stewart Published by Thistledown Press Review by Jessica Bickford $12.95 978-1-897235-88-1 Central Middle School is in dire straights in Arthur John Stewart’s first novel, Odd Ball, and no one knows just how to fix it. The students the book follows are all from different family situations, have different friends, and all want something different out of their middle school experience. Kevin just doesn’t want people calling him a geek (he thinks he isn’t, he can talk to girls); Jobbi, a recent immigrant from a small town in Latvia, doesn’t want to get beaten up every day for the way he talks; Paula wants to be noticed; and Stephanie wants everything to be like it was last year – fun. Odd Ball skips around all of these (and a few other) characters’ lives, all detailing what it is like to be in middle school and unhappy. Everyone wants change, but who will step up and demand it from themselves and from everyone around them? The students find it hard to be different when doing so makes you the target for some harsh bullies, and sometimes even harsher families. Jobbi earns some respect when he joins the…

Ghosts of Government House by Judith Silverthorne Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Jessica Bickford $9.95 978-1-894431-63-7 Ghosts of Government House follows Sam and J.J., two young girls living in Regina, as they explore an integral building in this city’s history. Most people who have lived in Regina for a while will have probably been to Government House at some point, whether for tea, a tour, or any of the special events throughout the year. It is a special place, made even more special by the supposed haunting. Sam and J.J. make repeated visits to Government House trying to find out just who (or what) might be making mysterious things happen in the historical building. With the help of tour guides, the commissionaire, and Grandma Louise, the girls must prove to Sam’s older brother Gabe that the ghosts are real, or be forced to stay inside and out of trouble for two whole weeks! But the girls get even more than they imagined when they manage to not only see, but talk to some of the ghosts haunting the rooms and hallways of Government House. Grandma Louise helps the girls to overcome their fears, both about the ghosts…

Twelve by J.L. Kiunga Published by First Choice Books Review by Jennifer Barrett $16 ISBN 978-1-926747-18-7 Georgie Christmas has not had an easy life. In 15 short years, he has had to deal with his father’s suicide and the removal of his alcoholic mother from their home. It is not surprising then, that he struggles with low self-confidence, and becomes a target for bullies in small-town Saskatchewan. Jessica Kiunga’s Twelve follows Georgie Christmas as he tries to salvage the reputation of his family name in the face of gossip. Members of a local “gang” made up of some of the town’s hockey players constantly follow Georgie and regularly beat him up. To make matters worse, his older brother moves out, leaving Georgie alone to look after their younger sister. It is only after all this defeat that there is a glimmer of hope, but it doesn’t come from where you might expect; it’s a mysterious invitation to an underground boxing gym. Despite being terrified of his own shadow, Georgie accepts the invitation and squeaks his way into the gym. As he learns how to fight, his self-confidence improves, his life improves, and he learns that not everyone in town will judge him…

The Adventures of Caraway Kim…Right Wing by Don Truckey Published by Thistledown Press Review by Kim McCullough $10.95 ISBN 978-1-897235-43-0 Set in the dead of a 1960s Alberta winter, The Adventures of Caraway Kim…Right Wing is the story of eleven-year-old Kim and his race to become Top Scorer of the Caraway hockey team. Kim was first introduced in author Don Truckey’s first ‘Caraway Kim’ novel for middle years readers: The Adventures of Caraway Kim…Southpaw, published in 2005. To win the title of Top Scorer, Kim he has to beat Brad Rooks, the local troublemaker. The boys’ rivalry continues off-ice, forcing Kim to confront his own sense of right and wrong, as well as stand up for himself against Brad’s overbearing ways. In Kim, Truckey continues to follow a likeable young hero who makes realistic choices. Truckey’s clear rendering of a time he calls “before now” makes life in the 1960s come alive. Young hockey fans interested in the old days of the Original Six will be thrilled with the detailed descriptions of the difficulties players faced back in those days: the rough ice; the biting cold; and the thin, not-so-protective equipment that left heads, knees and throats vulnerable to injury….

Anton by Dale Eisler Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Kris Brandhagen $22.95 ISBN 978-1-894431-46-0 Dale Eisler’s Anton is a perfect marriage of insight and history. The writing is intelligent; addressing the problems of memory, physical memory, exile, extreme circumstances and lack of geographical identity using the conventions of autobiography. The story of Anton and his best friend is well designed, intensely layered, a refreshing mix of show and tell. Such rich detail! As a reader, I felt as if Eisler reached into my mind and revealed that I already know the universal human truth. The narrator, Anton, is Eisler’s grandfather, as a four-year-old boy whose first memory is seeing his mother cry, and thus crying too. When his mother picks him up, he “remember[s] the smell of her dress like it was yesterday. We always washed our clothes in a large wooden tub in the backyard and used lye soap that smelled like lemon. Mom’s dress smelled like lemon that morning”. The writing is tidy, sensual; as a reader not only can I see, but I can taste, smell, touch. This also, being the first day Anton retains in memory, is what he refers to as the…

Draco’s Child by Sharon Plumb Published by Thistledown Press Review by Sharon Adam $14.95 ISBN 9781897235706 This is a story of space pioneers who have been settled on an alien planet. They have encountered many hardships, including the loss of several of their members and the companion ship that was part of the settlement plan. Through trial and error, the members of the settlers try to adapt to the harsh realities of their new environment. Life is difficult and the settlers are not well. Then they are visited by the “star child”. Varia and her father are distrustful of the star child and refuse to drink his star water, even though all the other settlers drink and seem to recover from the various symptoms that have plagued them since their arrival. As the settlers improve, they begin to change physically and seem to be adapting to the planet that they now inhabit. Varia remains suspicious of the star child and deliberately tries to thwart the plans that the rest of the community has so trustingly embraced. She wanders into a cave where she discovers a wondrous stone that turns out to be an egg. Her decision to hatch the egg,…

Fishtailing by Wendy Phillips Published by Coteau Books Review by Shelley A. Leedahl $14.95 ISBN 978-1-55050-411-8 Fishtailing, the new genre-hybridized book for teens by Richmond, BC writer Wendy Phillips, is 196 pages long but takes precious little time to read. A drama that reads like a novel written in poems, the book’s über-quick pacing, innovative structure, disparate adolescent characters and bold themes combine to create a literary experience highly-suited for teenagers. The story braids the inner hopes, fears and traumas of four central characters: edgy Natalie, who’s been transferred to her new school due to “some difficulty with peer relationships” at her former school; Tricia, who feels invisible within a blended family, struggles with her Japanese\Canadian ethnicity, and is drawn toward friendship with Natalie; Miguel, who’s fled the violence of Central America with his uncle and cousin, reads Neruda, and is haunted by images of his mother’s murder; and Kyle – the most interesting of the four seniors – who works in his father’s garage, writes the best poetry, and plays his guitar with grease-stained fingers. We also hear from Mrs. Farr, an overwhelmed English teacher who encourages the students to write poetry but challenges them over the merest hint…