The Review Zone
Books for Young Adults
(and those who think young)
A warning: there aren't any bad reviews on this page. Because of time constraints in my life (So many books, so little time) I make it a strict policy to not finish any books that I'm not enjoying, so therefore I don't review "bad" books. You'll also notice logos from a variety of booksellers. I don't endorse any of them, but I do make a percentage if you choose to order from them (Canadians may prefer Indigo because they're in Canuck dollars--just click on the logo below). So order the books through the internet if you want. Or check them out at your local store. Or visit your local library, it's a cool place to go.
The Young Merlin Trilogy:
Book 1: Passager
Book 2: Hobby
Book 3: Merlin
Jane Yolen
Scholastic
With this trilogy for middle readers, Jane Yolen is at the height of her literary powers. She recreates the life of Merlin the magician; from an outcast child to King Arthur's closest advisor and wizard. Merlin, of course, has been named after a falcon and the trilogy follows three falcon-phases in Merlin's life: Passager, Hobby, and Merlin. I won't explain these stages (Yolen does it ten times better than I ever could), but Merlin's life echoes these stages as he goes from a child who has forgotten all language and is chased by a pack of wild dogs to a young adult who is just beginning to grasp his powers and his destiny. These books, though only weighing in at 90 or so pages each, pack a wallop; they're written with care and attention to detail and with symbolic depth. There are moments of pure beauty in the text. Young readers will be entertained by this trilogy, but adults will be enchanted. Any fan of the Arthurian legends or fantasy in general would find The Young Merlin Trilogy a welcome addition to their collection.
Order online from Amazon.com or Indigo.ca
Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone
J.K. Rowling
Bloomsbury
Okay, how do you review a phenomenom? Or, even harder, how do you ignore it? I was forced to pick up the first Harry Potter book because everyone else had it and was talking about it. And I do work in this young adult writing business, so I made an attempt to keep up with the trends. I opened the book expecting to dislike it (after all, how can anything good become so popular?) and instead found myself enchanted. Here was a story that took me back to the dreaming days of my childhood, to the days when I read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles or Tolkien's Lord of the Rings for the first time and literally lived every moment. Harry Potter doesn't equal these stories (it's impossible to bump childhood favorites from their pedastel), but it does come close. The world of Potter is fully-realized, the book moves at a headlong pace, and it has that wonderful "British" feel to it. The characters are a little thin in places, but it is a plot/goal oriented novel, so that can be forgiven. It's greatest strength is Rowling's use of language. I guess I just have one thing to figure out: how do you jump on the bandwagon without being run over by it?
Order online from Amazon.com or Indigo.ca
Out of The Dark
Welwyn Wilton Katz
Groundwood Books
The story of Ben Elliot, a boy who has just moved to L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. This is the site of the first Viking landing in North America. Katz weaves a moving tale about a son who is grieving the tragic loss of his mother and somehow, mystically reliving the lives of those first Norse settlers. The language and culture of Newfoundland shines through in every paragraph of this novel. This is a great read for anyone who's interested in Viking history.
Order online from Amazon.com or Indigo.ca
The Third Magic
Welwyn Wilton Katz
Groundwood Books
A truly wonderful fantasy novel that retells the story of King Arthur. It won the Governor General's award and highly deserved it. It takes place on another world, Nwn. Morgan Lefevre is magically transported to this world and must help a boy named Arddu gain possession of an ancient sword of the third magic. It's a very compelling read.
Order online from Amazon.com or
Indigo.ca
Sabriel
Garth Nix
HarperCollins
I'm usually not one to heap tons of praise on a book, but I'm willing to go out, borrow a tractor, and heap bucketfulls of praise on this book. I really did not want to set it down. Nix weaves a compelling story of Sabriel, a girl who is trying to fill her magician father's role in the world. A wonderful fantasy novel set in a fully realized world, peopled by interesting characters.
Order online from Amazon.com or
Indigo.ca
Dragonfire
Karleen Bradford
HarperCollins
A fantasy story about a boy who lives in our world, but must go back to his own world to fight the Usurper. This is the first in a series of novels, but it's also a self-contained book (so you don't have to read all the books to make sense of the story). It's well written and moves from one world to another in fine fashion and features quite the interesting duel at the end. Karleen Bradford is well known for her historical novels of the Crusades, this is her first foray into fantasy fiction.
Order online from Amazon.com or
Indigo.ca
The Tuesday Cafe
Don Trembath
Orca Books
You see, Harper Winslow is this boy who's been told by a juvenile court judge to write a 2000 word essay. Why? Because Harper almost started the school on fire. So he goes to The Tuesday Cafe, which is a writing class and he begins to really learn what life is all about. This is a wonderful little story about a misfit who learns the power of writing and understanding one's self. A well written first novel that is, in many ways, about the act of writing itself.
Order online from Amazon.com or
Indigo.ca
Kootenay Kidnapper
Eric Wilson
HarperCollins
If you want action -- you've got it. Kootenay Kidnapper is one of a series of Tom Austen mystery books written by Eric Wilson. And these books are doing well ... over a million copies have been sold. In this book, Tom Austen must figure out who is kidnapping children in the mountains of British Columbia. This is a quick, easy read.
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Indigo.ca
Riding Planet Earth
Shelley Leedahl
Roussan
Ringo Warren has just moved to Saskatoon and has his hands full trying to keep control of his love life, to avoid the local bully and ignore his deliquent sister. Oh, did I mention that Ringo gets advice from a voice inside his own head that speaks to him with an English accent? This is well written, with an intriguing main character. It's not Sweet Valley High! Written by a Saskatoon writer (Saskatoon is my home town, so I tend to brag about other Saskatoon writers).
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Indigo.ca
Yuletide Blues
Rod Macintyre
Thistledown Press
The story of a boy and the piano he doesn't want to play. Jaw (it's his nickname for having a large jaw) is a misfit who struggles against the will of his parents. He's a wonderful character and he plays hockey, too (after all this is a Canadian story). Set in Saskatoon and quite a good read. Rod is another talented Saskatoon writer.
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Indigo.ca
This Can't be Happening at Mcdonald Hall
Gordon Korman
Scholastic
Every writer and reader of YA fiction should read this book. Not because it's the best book in Korman's long career, but because it's the first. And he wrote it when he was twelve years old. Many publishers publish books by kids because it's a great media bonanza -- Korman was one of the few child prodigies who turned out to be a prolific and talented writer. In this first book he introduces Bruno and Boots, two smart alecky kids who get into loads of trouble through the course of the novel. The plot is simple. Bruno and Boots get into trouble. Bruno and Boots find a clever way to get out of trouble. But the fun is in the humour and the light-heartedness of the book. Korman obviously liked these two characters because he went on to write several more books based at Mcdonald Hall.
Order online from Amazon.com or
Indigo.ca
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