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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Irises

Kate and Mary are sisters who have a lot to deal with.  Their father, the minister of the church has just died, their mother is in a permanent vegetative state, and Kate and Mary’s relationship is strained.  Kate dreams of going to Stanford to become a doctor, but now that her father is gone, she can’t bear to leave her younger sister to take care of her mother.  Mary just wants to stay home and paint, and believes her mother will one day wake up.

As if that’s not enough to handle, there are also three young men who complicate the sisters’ lives.  Kate’s boyfriend Simon offers her marriage and security.  Mary is attracted to Marcos, but she’s afraid of his involvement in a gang.  And Andy is the new pastor who Kate seems to be falling in love with. 

This is beautiful coming-of-age story that explores end-of-life choices, ambitions, love and the sacrifices we make for those we love.   I think Francisco X. Stork is a great author who really understands the complexities of human behavior and relationships.  His characters are mulit-dimensional and I really felt connected to all these wonderful characters.  

Great for grades 9-12.

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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Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Delilah Hannaford seems to be in a slump. She used to be a good student, but lately she’s feeling out of sync with her life. Her boyfriend isn’t really a great choice. Her mother is a workaholic, and emotionally absent . When her grandmother dies, Del, her mom and her Aunt Rachel immediately travel to Red Ralls VT, her mom’s small hometown, a place they don’t talk about and haven’t been to for many years. Del wonders why her mother and her grandmother fought, after her other aunt (Aunt Stephanie) died. Why won’t her mother talk about it? Then she finds her Aunt Stephanie’s diary, and decides to keep it to herself. As she reads about her aunt’s relationships and secrets, and especially her depression, Del worries about the same thing happening to her. 

When Del’s mother decides they need to stay for the entire summer, to get the house ready to sell, Del doesn’t know if she can handle it. But there are a couple of things that help Del cope; one of them is Rickie, the boy she used to play with during her childhood summers at her grandmother’s house. Now her feelings for Rickie have changed, and the attraction is mutual. But there seems to be another girl in his life and Del starts to feel that maybe she’s misinterpreted Patrick’s affection for her. Is Emma just his friend or something more? Del has lots of things to work out, and in the end she comes to a better understanding of her aunts and mother, and of herself. Del was a bit self-absorbed and whiny, but I think that’s typical for most teenage girls… especially when it comes to romance. I think this book will appeal to girls in grade 7-10.

Reviewed by Maria Martella.

Review: Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

“It’s our bad luck to have teachers in this world, but since we’re stuck with them, the best we can do is hope to get a brand-new one instead of a mean old fart. New teachers don’t know the rules, so you can get away with things the old-timers would squash you for.” This opening line is spoken by Peter, the prankster of his grade five class. There’s also Jessica, the new girl, who always has a book in her hand; Luke, who loves school and gets all As; Alexia, the gossip and troublemaker who starts girl wars; Jeffrey, who hates school; Danielle who doesn’t know how to stand up for herself; and Anna , the outcast– no one ever goes to her house after school.

But when they do get a new teacher(Mr. Terupt), they soon realize he’s not your average rookie. At first they don’t know what to make of Mr. Terupt. He doesn’t let them get away with much, but he still makes the classroom a fun place to be. He has rules, but they seem much easier to follow. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the seven students. And then one day, an accident happens that changes everything. 

This book really reminded me about some of the special teachers I’ve known in my life. What made Mr. Terupt so special? I love how he handled the students. He was respectful, even when he was disciplining. He knew how to empower the students so they could help themselves. He made learning fun. He even made math fun! He had a good sense of humour. We can’t know what happens each day before and after our students come to school, but it’s good to know that teachers like Mr. Terupt are there for them. We all know teachers like this. This book is great for grades 4-6, and will lead to some good discussions.

Reviewed by Maria Martella.