Every Day

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. 

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Every day, A has to figure out how far away he is from Rhiannon, and how he can get to see her.  And each time they meet, A is someone different.   He's the same inside, but his body can be female or male, fat or thin, healthy or unhealthy, light skin or dark skin.  He might be blind, speak Chinese or have to walk with crutches. The only thing he knows for sure is that he will always wake up in a body that is close to his age (16yrs). 

Each chapter deals with A waking up in a different place, in a different body.  The first thing A does is access memories of the person's life.  Are they happy, sad, suicidal, angry, timid ? How do they feel about their family and friends?  What's going on in their life today, that he has to know about? Do they have a test at school,  do they have a boyfriend or girlfriend, do they have access to a car?    Because each chapter deals with a full day, I was very aware of the impermanence of A's life. Sometimes, when his "host body" was in a dysfunctional and unhappy family, it was a relief to know he would be leaving that house.  But other times, it was heartbreaking to know that A would never experience living with the same people for more than a day.   No one would know his past. In fact, A could only live with others in the present.  There was no one he could share the past or future with.  This was an unbearable fact, once he fell in love with Rhiannon.

I had so many questions after reading this book.  What do other people's lives teach you? If A could choose to actually live any of those people's lives, which one would he choose?  Could you really love someone who changes every day?  Sure, they might be the same on the inside - but is that really enough? What is it that you love about someone?  What kind of changes could you handle in someone that you love?  A never messed up the person's life.  He really respected what was going on for them, and wanted to leave the person's life the way he entered it.  How hard would it be to not interfere, especially if you thought it would help?

This is one of my favourite novels of 2012.  It's about selflessness, courage and heartbreak.  The ultimate love story! Gr 8+


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The Midnight Palace

Set in Calcutta in the 1930s, The Midnight Palace begins on a dark night when an English lieutenant fights to save newborn twins Ben and Sheere from an unthinkable threat. Despite monsoon-force rains and terrible danger lurking around every street corner, the young lieutenant manages to get them to safety, but not without losing his own life.

The two babies are left with their grandmother, who quickly decides that the twins must be separated for their own safety. So she keeps the girl (Sheree) with her, and delivers the baby boy (Ben) to St Patrick's orphanage, which is run by an old friend. She leaves the boy there with
a letter, which explains the danger of revealing the boy's identity. The man who murdered his parents is searching for the twins, determined to murder them and all their descendants. He visits the orphanage but the director keeps his promise and the mysterious dark stranger promises  he will return in sixteen years, when the orphans leave to start their adult life.

Years later, on the eve of Ben's 16th birthday, Sheree and Ben meet and finally discover they are twins. With the help of his 7 friends, Ben and Sheree must face and battle the evil villain that has been waiting to destroy them. Ben and his friends belong to a secret organization called The Chowbar Society. They have had a pact to learn about the world and protect each other until death.

I really enjoyed the tension and dark mystery surrounding the villain. It wasn't totally predictable, and I appreciated the ending because it wasn't tidy. I also liked the voice of the narrator, who was one of the Chowbar Society members. The members were interesting - an artist, a smart girl, a brainiac, the quiet nervous boy... they only had each other at the orphanage, so they were a family. And they were fiercely loyal and protective of each other, but not without their flaws.

This is great storytelling for readers who enjoy dark mysteries with a supernatural touch.

The Kite Runner Graphic Novel

The Kite Runner is a powerful story about the friendship between Amir and Hassan, two very different boys, growing up together in Kabul in the 1970s.  Hassan was the son of Amir’s father’s servant.  Even though he was illiterate and poor, Hassan was a true best friend to Amir.And he was an amazing kite runner.   He always defended Amir, encouraged him and never resented his family’s wealth and position in society.  But when something horrible happens to Hassan, Amir turns his back on his friend.

The Kite Runner has touched millions of readers through its story of two boyhood friends torn apart by situation and war.   The original novel is such a deep exploration of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption , that I really wondered if this format would work. 

 I think this adaptation makes it more accessible for struggling readers, and it does cover all of the important pieces of the plot.  Even though there isn’t enough room to really illustrate the depth of the characters, the framework for discussion is there.  I read the original story and loved it.  This graphic novel reminded me about all of the parts I loved in the novel.  And I really liked the illustrations. 

I think this graphic novel deserves a place in all high school libraries.

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Blank Confession

Shayne Blank walks into the police station and confesses to having killed someone.  How could this quiet, unassuming new kid in town be a murderer? The other kids don't understand him. He's not afraid of anything. He seems too smart. And his background doesn't add up.

This is a compelling mystery from the National Book Award winner Pete Hautman.  As I was reading this novel, I couldn’t help think about Robert Cormier’s Rag and Bone Shop.  In Rag and Bone, a young girl was murdered, and the town brought in a high profile, ambitious interrogator who had a perfect record in getting confessions from criminals.  In Pete Hautman’s “Blank Confession”, the confession comes voluntarily from Shayne, who tells his story to Detective Rawls, a tired detective who has his own baggage.  

There are so many good themes explored in this short novel – bullying, drug dealers, self-esteem and truth.  The story alternates between the detective’s point of view and Mikey’s point of view.  Mikey is the smallest kid in his class. He’s a suit-wearing grade eleven student, who is always bullied, and who Shayne ends up defending.  Mikey’s sister hangs out with a tough crowd, and when one of her friends gives Mikey a bag of drugs for safekeeping, Mikey throws it away.  And that’s when the trouble starts.  

This is a great page-turner and a quick read.  Intermediate students will enjoy the richly drawn characters, and the twists and turns in this fast-paced murder mystery.

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Wonder

 “I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.”

August Pullman, also known as Auggie, is a 10yr old boy who has a severe facial disformity, which has prevented him from going to a mainstream school – until now.  Auggie doesn’t want to go to school, but his mother is determined that he should try before he reaches middle school.  How can Auggie fit into this new school, when kids stare, whisper about him, or try to avoid looking at him?  Even though he’s used to people’s reaction to him, he still wants them to see that inside, he’s just the same as they are. 

Auggie has a loving family and a good sense of humour.  But that’s not always enough to get through the day without feeling like you’d rather be invisible.  There was so much I loved about this book.  I loved the authentic characters – his classmates and family, who were flawed, but went through a change.  I love the changes that Auggie went through too.  I love how the author told the story through the perspective of several characters.  I loved his English teacher who gave the class a precept for each month of the year.  I love the main precept which was “choose to be kinder than necessary”. 

 I read most of this novel on the Polar Bear Express train on my way to Moosonee.   Luckily (and I’m not exaggerating) everyone on that train was sleeping.  I say lucky, because I cried through most of the second half of this novel.  There were so many lines that I wanted to write down as I was reading this. “Wonder” is my favourite novel so far, for 2012.  Buy this one. You won’t be disappointed.  I will be re-reading this one for sure!

Reviewed by Maria Martella.

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Ship Breaker

In a futuristic world, Nailer, a teenage boy works stripping grounded ships of copper wiring to make quota for his harsh employer .  His employer is his father, an abusive and unpredictable man.  But when he and his friend Pima come across a clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, he must make a very important decision.  This ship could set him up for life.  If he and Pima strip the ship before anyone else finds it, they’ll be very rich.  But there’s a problem.  A very beautiful and wealthy girl (a swank) is trapped on the ship.  Should Nailer rescue her and face an uncertain future (possibly even a better future), or should he let her die and take what he can from the ship, securing his financial situation forever?

This is a fast-paced thriller set in a believable future, where oil is scarce and life is harsh.  Nailer is a very likeable character who works hard and believes in loyalty.  Although his mother is gone and he can’t count on his father, Nailer has some true friends . His co-worker Pima, and her mother Sadna have always been there for him, even taking him in at night when he needed to get away from his addict father.  I really cared about Nailer and his friends and couldn't wait to see what the outcome of his big decision would be. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.  Nailer lives in a dangerous world of drowned cities, where genetically engineered “half-men” are created to be loyal to their owners, and survival depends on so many unpredictable situations and who you know.   A National Book Award Finalist, and A Michael L. Printz Award Winner.   I highly recommend this for intermediate students. 

Rust: A Visitor in the Field

Royden Lepp's debut graphic novel will entice all ages.                                                          

Ever since his father left to fight in the war, Roman Taylor has had to work hard to keep the family farm going.  But things change when Jet Jones, a boy with a jet pack, crashes into their barn.  Where did he come from?   And why is there a giant machine chasing him?  Roman grabs his motorcycle and rescues Jet, but mostly it’s because he wants to harness the machine’s power.  If he can find the source of that power, he’ll be able to take care of the farm, without relying on his little brother (who needs to be in school), or Jet.  But the reason the machine exists in the first place, is a much more serious matter. 

When this book arrived, I was drawn to its beautiful binding and sepia-toned illustration plate on the front cover.  The rust coloured cover and even the weight of the book in my hand just felt so perfect.  And the gorgeous illustrations on the end pages are the kind of details book-lovers appreciate. 

The story starts out on a battlefield 48 years ago, where human soldiers face a giant clanky walking machine and mechanical soldiers.  After this prologue, the story takes us to the present, where we meet Roman Taylor and his family.  I loved so much about this graphic novel.  Besides the gorgeous cover and book design, the story itself raised a lot of questions about the machines, Jet’s purpose, where Roman’s dad is now, and the secret war fought with technology.  But hopefully I won’t have to wait long for the sequel.  This first book ends with a preview of the next volume Rust : Secrets of the Cell, which is due in May 2012.   The illustrations are stunning and I can’t believe this is Royden Lepp’s first graphic novel.  And hurray, he’s Canadian!  This is a great book for grades 7-9.

Reviewed by Maria Martella.

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