Review: Shannen and the Dream for a School by Janet Wilson

How can there still be children in Canada, who have to fight for a proper school, in the year 2011? This is the true story of Shannen Koostachin, and her friends who live in Attawapiskat, a Cree community on the coast of James Bay. Twenty years earlier, a fuel spill resulted in the closure of their school, forcing the children to attend schools in portables. The portables were so cold that the students often couldn’t take their mittens or jackets off, even in gym class. The government had promised to build a new school, but ten years later that promise was still unfulfilled. 

Shannen Koostachin was a remarkable girl who decided to do something about this terrible injustice. She and her classmates decided to take a trip to Ottawa, where Shannen made a passionate speech to the politicians. She urged them to take care of First Nations children, not just in Attawapiskat, but in every community where children were attending a proper school. They made a YouTube video about their situation. And they received support from children who lived thousands of miles away. 

This is another important title in the “A Kids’ Power Book” series, published by Second Story Press. It includes an epilogue, historical notes, timeline, glossary and a glossary of Cree words. “Shannen and the Dream for a School” is a moving and hopeful story about children making a difference. Like all the books in this series, after reading this story and seeing all the photos, I felt a strong connection with the children and their community.

In 2010 Shannen was killed in a car accident, so she never saw her dream of a new school come to fruition. She was 15 years old. Shannen believed that she and her friends could make a difference, and her dream continues today. This is a must-have book for every school library.

Reviewed by Maria Martella.

Review: Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate is the wood-carver’s daughter, and right from the beginning of this story, you know her life is going to be difficult. Her father dies, leaving her alone and even though Kate herself has an incredible talent as a wood-carver, the wood guild sends another carver to take over the shop. People in the village are dying from a mysterious sickness, and Kate is suspected of witchcraft, because her carvings reveal uncomfortable secrets about people. So off she goes, to find another place to live, with her cat Taggle, her only friend.

Then she meets Linay, a stranger who promises her he’ll grant her a wish if she gives him her shadow. She does so reluctantly, but it comes at a high price. Eventually she realizes that Linay has something to do with the sickness that is spreading from village to village, and she must try to stop him.

This book won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for 2011, and I can see why. There is so much going on in this story – themes of courage, abandonment and belonging.  Although she has some flaws, Kate is not plain at all. Her determination, and true heart make her the perfect heroine. She really wants to find a place where she fits in, and gets close when she joins a group of Roamers, who see value in magic in her carvings. The Roamers are also despised people, and move around a lot. For the first time, she starts to feel like she’s part of a family. But the problem of being suspected of witchcraft follows her, and puts these new friends in danger. I love the dark mysterious characters, and the fears that Kate overcomes. And I especially love her cat Taggle, a funny sarcastic and arrogant cat who cares so much about Kate that he risks his own life to save her.

This is a great original story, and I hope to see more from this author. She has the magic touch.

Order Plain Kate from www.tinlids.ca today.

Reviewed by Maria Martella.

Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

“It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” Every year, at the start of November in a town called Thisby, riders race their water horses in the sand by the sea and cliffs. It’s a dangerous race because the water horses are not ordinary horses; they come from the sea, they are vicious, unpredictable and they have a taste for flesh.

Nineteen-year-old Sean Kendrick knows this only too well. He’s won the races three times, and is determined to win again. If he wins, he’ll be able to buy Corr, the water horse he is riding in the race. Sean works for a hard man named Malvern, who owns most of the water horses. Although he won’t admit it, he needs Sean to keep the water horses calm and safe. No one can handle the horses like Sean – he’s got a powerful and unusual gift – like a horse whisperer extraordinaire.Then there’s Kate Connolly, also known as Puck. There has never been a girl rider in this race, but even though the people in Thisby are against it, Puck is determined to compete and win. She needs to win to save her family home. And she intends to ride her own mare, Dove.

I have to be honest - I don’t know if I would have bothered reading this book if I just thought it was about a horse race. But it was highly recommended by my amazing friend and publisher rep Janet(who is always right on), and it’s written my Maggie Steifvater - two great reasons to try it.  And I wasn't disappointed!

The story is told from Sean and Puck’s point of view in alternating chapters. Sean was quiet and mystical. I felt like he came from the sea, just like the horses he loved so much. I loved Puck’s determination and how straight-forward she was. A romance develops between them, but it’s a quiet, gentle whisper kind of romance (not the helpless and nauseating kind). Both characters were strong , imperfect, and very likeable.

I was glad the author didn't just turn this into a romance. The characters were strong, but so was the setting - the sea, the cliffs, the cold harsh weather, and the danger of these powerful water horses who were almost impossible to ride.  I loved the mythical quality of this story.  It's so much more than a horse race! This story is about family, courage, and the sacrifice one makes for what they love and believe in. Beautifully written.

Order The Scorpio Races from www.tinlids.ca today.

Reviewed by Maria Martella.

The Electrician and Children's Books

One of the thousands of things I learned from my old boss Hy Sarick, (from my Children’s Book Store days), is that you should always replace your light bulbs as soon as they go out. For those of you who have been to Tinlids, you know that that’s not such an easy task. Our ceilings are about 50 feet high, and the lights are those long fluorescent tubes that don’t even fit in my car. But Hy Sarick said “if someone comes into your store and sees those burnt out lights, they’ll think they’re in a dump. “ In fact the first time he came to see my store, I saw him look up. And then he pointed. Up . At the burnt-out light. And shook his head. I of course made some excuse about not having a ladder high enough, but the damage was done.

This week I called my fabulous landlord who sent Giovanni the electrician, and his son ( I can’t remember his name). Anyway, Giovanni is quite the character and will talk to me (actually to anyone , I’m sure) about any topic you can think of. So today, while his son was high up on the ladder, Giovanni was in the Science section, looking at a book on butterflies. As I walked by, he turned to me and said “you know, these are children’s books, but look at me – I’m reading this and I’m still learning something. I know a lot about butterflies already, but it’s never too late to learn more. Did you know the tent caterpillar can be very destructive? I don’t kill them though. I don’t kill anything because I’m a gardener and I figure if God put the spiders there, and the bees , well that means they have a job to do… “ Then he told me about his neighbor who was always spraying chemicals on his lawn to keep it green. And chemicals on his plum tree to keep the worms away… and he went on about this for a bit and talked about nature getting even.

I could have listened to Giovanni all day. First of all, he has the same Italian accent my dad had, so I felt l was related to him….. and secondly, he seemed so taken by the books. He was also really really passionate about electricityand told me all about ballasts and how well made they were - “we replace some ballasts that are 40 years old. Do you know how solid these ballasts are? Feel the weight of this. There’s copper wire in there and lots of good material that we should be re-using. But they sell them to China because we don’t have a good environmental program to support the re-cylcling of this material…..” he was so animated in everything he talked about, from his stories of Italy, to the environment , healthy food, and the future of China.

Like many days, I'm reminded today of how books bring us together. Giovanni dreams of writing his stories down, and especially his invention ideas, that no one has thought of yet.  But he's too busy .   He said to me “you can learn everything I’m talking about , from all these books you’re selling. “ Like I didn’t know this already. But I just smiled and thanked him. Until, just as he was leaving, he stopped, looked up and said “but really, you should always replace your lights right away. Or else the customers will think this is a dump”. True story. Next time I’ll video tape him to prove it.

--Maria Martella