All Sleek and Skimming

May 1, 2006
Gr 9 Up -These 22 stories by Canadian authors are invariably tender and true to life. In both Tim Wynne-Jones -s -Dawn - and Joe Ollmann -s graphic story -Giant Strawberry Funland, - two boys with dysfunctional families find solace from their troubles with girls who introduce them to music as escape and comfort. Issues of life and death are contemplated in James Heneghan -s -The Legacy, - in which Danny -s father is murdered in war-savaged Ireland, and in the moving -Rock Paper Scissors - by Susan Kernohan, in which Russ and his dimwitted pregnant girlfriend must decide if they -re capable of raising a baby. Finding happiness in spite of loneliness is a central theme in Ania Szado -s -Camping at Wal-mart, - in which Evelyn -s dreams of modeling and unpredictable friendships keep her afloat amid her nomadic lifestyle with her grandmother. Other notable stories in the rich collection include Madeleine Thien -s -Alchemy, - in which Miriam struggles to understand and defend her friend who has run away from a family whose dark secret is well kept, and the comical graphic story -Paul in the Metro - by Michel Rabagliati, in which the narrator reflects on the nature of his teenage shenanigans when left to his own devices. The selections -ranging from lighthearted to mysterious to tragic -are well crafted and worth the read. And while they have all been previously published, together they create a well-rounded portrait of teenage life told through authentic voices." -Jane Cronkhite, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2006
Gr. 10-12. Mixing excerpts from novels and previously published short stories, these 22 selections, mostly by Canadian writers, tend toward the dark and angst-ridden side of life. Approaches and themes vary widely: there are two stories told in graphic novel-style panels (Michel Rabagliati's "Paul in the Metro" and Joe Ollmann's "Giant Strawberry Funland"); there are gay teens (Diana Aspin's "The Art of Embalming" and Ivan E. Coyote's "The Cat Came Back"); in other entries, readers will encounter sex, teen pregnancy, divorce, incest, murder, and disfigurement. Janet McNaughton's "Piglet" reminds how easy it is to jump to conclusions about single teen mothers. Tim Wynne-Jones' tender story "Dawn" features a teen with an orange mohawk who consoles a distraught boy with a tape of New Age music. Chosen with an eye to building a bridge between young adult and adult fiction, these tales limn the mundane horror of adolescence in ways that frequently jolt expectations.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)