Hardy, Melissa. Geomancer’s Compass.

Hardy, Melissa.   Geomancer’s Compass.    Tundra Books      2012  254p  $17.95  978-1-77049-292-9       ms/hs  Supernatural      VG-BN

When Miranda’s grandmother dies, she inherits the “geomancer’s compass”, a mystical device that will aid her in removing the curse that has caused much strife and dysfunction within her family.  Through this device and its mystical powers, the author examines a Chinese-American family, its familial expectations and its traditional values as it moves forward into the future.  This well-written novel demonstrates that the relationships Miranda develops with her cousin and deceased grandfather allow her to find herself.  In many ways this is a coming-of-age novel with serious, mystical overtones.  The characters are fleshed out and the plot moves quickly.  Teenage girls and boys alike will become engrossed in the mystery, action and fantasy.  This book was a one-sitting read; I couldn’t put it down.           

Magic – Fiction, Fantasy – Fiction                       --Lynn Fisher    

Buffie, Margaret. Winter Shadows.

Buffie, Margaret.  Winter Shadows.  Tundra Books      327p  $11.95     

978-1-77049-358-2    2012           ms/hs       VG          Historical Fiction

Two young women, separated by time but bound together by similar difficulties and circumstances, find each other through a diary that has been hidden for 150 years.  Both modern-day Cass and nineteenth-century Beatrice struggle with “wicked” stepmothers who are making their lives very difficult.  When the story begins, Cass is still mourning the death of her mother and fighting the interference of her new stepmother in her relationship with her father, as did Beatrice so long before.  When Cass discovers that she can communicate with Beatrice through Beatrice’s diary, the girls form a bond and are able to offer advice to one another that will make their lives more bearable.  This coping mechanism will allow each girl to progress to the best of her abilities and come to grips with the changes in their family dynamics.  The story is told in alternating chapters and offers engaging, well-written historical fiction with excellent characterizations and a well-paced plot. It also offers a unique look of nineteenth-century Canadian life and the difficulties of intermarriage between English and First Nation peoples.

                 

Canada–Fiction, Time travel–Fiction, Mixed marriages–Fiction                                                                             --Susan Ogintz

Carroll, Lewis. The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits.

Carroll, Lewis.   The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits.  Tundra Books   unp  $17.95  978-1-77049-407-7     2012      all ages    VG-BN   Poetry

This whimsical poem takes the reader on a nautical hunt for the mythical Snark.  It is difficult to determine the audience that Carroll had in mind when he penned the poem “The Hunting of the Snark,” despite the fact that he dedicated the book to a “Dear Child”.  There are no young characters, and the rather dark tale ends unhappily.  Still, fans of whimsy will rejoice at Oleg Lipchenko’s elaborately and richly detailed illustrations of Lewis Carroll’s classic nonsense poem.

The poem offers much fodder for analysis and speculation, featuring a motley crew gathered onboard ship to embark on a manic voyage to find the mysterious, elusive Snark.  Savvy readers will note that the ten-member crew all have descriptions that begin with the letter B.  “The Hunting of the Snark” introduces fantastical creatures while revisiting others, such as the Bandersnatch from “Jabberwocky,” and reveals new portmanteau words, including “Snark,” which has since made its way into the English lexicon. 

The poem itself, now in the public domain, is available in a variety of formats and has even been made into a musical of the same title.  Thus, it is Oleg Lipchenko’s illustrations that make this slender volume stand out from other versions.  A comparison of these illustrations with those in the  first edition shows some overlap in style, and it is clear that Lipchenko devoted a lot of time to analyzing the poem.  His understanding of the verses is evident in the details.  Sepia tones offer the illusion that this is an ancient, fantastical history.  Each illustration is a window into the lore of a long-forgotten voyage into strange lands.

The crew studies a map of the Ocean (a blank sheet of paper) to guide the hunting party to its destination.  The Baker’s uncle admonishes him that if the Snark is a Boojum, then “you will softly and suddenly vanish away, and never be met with again”.  In true thriller fashion, the group ignores the Uncle’s warning and divides up to search out the Snark.  Each chapter explores the outcome; for example, the Barrister sinks into a nightmare, and the Banker goes insane after a wild animal’s attack.  When the Baker calls out that he has found a Snark and the others arrive, the Baker has mysteriously disappeared in the meantime.

Lipchenko’s darkly humorous drawings bring Carroll’s fantasy to life. The Hunting of the Snark is the second Lewis Carroll book he has illustrated for Tundra.  (The first was Alice in Wonderland, which was endorsed by the Lewis Carroll Society.  In a December 7, 2010, online interview with www.openbooktoronto.com, just as Lipchenko was beginning to create the illustrations for Snark, he stated that his intention was to “force a child’s perspective of the illustrations, to make the book picturesque and attractive”.  He added, “This Lewis Carroll poem is a surreal epic about seeking something highly desirable, and what it could turn into if one finds it.  It is an unusual and mind-twisting tale and one of the most original works in English literature. I don’t wish to retell the whole story in this interview; I just recommend everybody to read it.”

Nonsense verses, English                              --Hilary Welliver

Nielsen, Susin. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen.

Nielsen, Susin.   The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen.  Tundra Books  243p     $17.95  978-1-77049-372-8     2012  ms      VG-BN       Realistic Fiction

There is no doubt about it: Susin Nielsen can write a novel that pulls at one’s heart strings, thanks to her characters, who are realistic, and her plot, which is eerily contemporary.  In this case, she creates Henry, a boy who has his life dramatically and tragically changed by the actions of his brother Jesse.  Bullied to the extreme, Jesse picks up his father’s hunting rifle, goes to school, kills his torturer, and then fires on himself.  Moving on in their current location is impossible for Henry’s family.  His mother ends up institutionalized for a mental breakdown, and Henry and his father must cope on their own after moving away.  Their new apartment is stark, Henry’s new psychiatrist is lacking, and Henry’s adjustment to his new school is slow and painful.  Instructed to write down his thoughts, Henry turns this into a “telling” of the events that led up to the tragedy that will impact him forever.  Henry is quite a character, and when he turns robotic in his actions and accusations, he is downright comical.  He is also tragic; one can feel his raw pain. 

Along the way, Henry and his father find a new life, new friends and a new relationship with Mother.  Coming together once again as a family is not the most important part of the plot.  Instead, Henry learns to fight against a new bully before things escalate to destruction.  He finds support from his friends, from the victim’s sister and from the school community in his new life.   This book provides bullied children with hope that there is a solution to the problem; in addition, it shows young readers that one can move forward after a tragedy.  The story of a family and how it copes following a school shooting needs to be told, and Henry does a stellar job of sharing the confusion, devastation and near demise of his family and of himself.  There are two errors to note:  on page 50, Legos should be capitalized, and on page 67, Gene Roddenberry’s name is misspelled.

           

School Violence–Fiction, Suicide–Fiction, Bullying–Fiction

                                                        --Martha Squaresky

Higgins, Jane. The Bridge.

Higgins, Jane.  The Bridge.   Tundra Books  341p  $19.99   978-1-77049-437-4  2012
hs   VG          Fantasy    

This thrilling futuristic adventure novel is sure to please teens and young adult readers.  Fans captivated by the exciting new television series Revolution will surely enjoy this book, as it contains many of the same suspenseful elements and characteristics of the popular program.

Sure-to-be-recruited Nik is passed over when selections are made for the Internal Security and Intelligence Services, leaving everyone stupefied. Then the high school is bombed and good friend Sol goes missing.  Nik goes on the run with Sol’s sister and crosses the bridge in search of him.  This action reveals many answers to many questions Nik had always been afraid to ask.

Jane Higgins has created an exciting adventure novel that combines action and survival in a futuristic world with friendship, loyalty and courage. This novel is sure to engage readers, with its fast plot and interesting, complex characters.

Survival–Fiction                                     --Virginia McGarvey

Hodge, Deborah. Rescuing the Children.

Hodge, Deborah.   Rescuing the Children.  Tundra Books  60p   $17.95    978-1-77049-256-9 2012  ms   E-BN        History     

This insightful book presents primary-source information about the Holocaust.  Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, more than 1.5 million were children.  The Kindertransport succeeded in rescuing nearly ten thousand children from the clutches of the Nazis.  It began after Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, in November 1938, and lasted until the formal start of the war.  The idea of the Kindertransport was proposed by a delegation of British Jewish leaders and members of the Society of Friends who requested their government offer sanctuary to Jewish children under the age of seventeen. 

Well researched and well presented, Rescuing the Children provides an excellent look at one of mankind's darkest periods.  It begins with a brief explanation of the rise of Hitler and his plans to annihilate the Jewish people and discusses the Kindertransport through first-person accounts of eight still-living children who escaped.  The difficulties and struggles that these children experienced in leaving their families and going to a strange place are not minimized but explained in context.  The author continues with a description of the children’s trips by train and boat, their lives in England during and after the war, and their ultimate discovery that most of their families had perished in the concentration camps.  The book also contains brief biographies of several of the Righteous who helped these children.  Hodge offers the information in a well-balanced, succinct, and lucid manner.  The writing is clear and concise, presenting the topic through both primary sources and narrative accounts.  The text is enhanced by the inclusion of black-and-white photographs and documents, colorful quilted squares representing the children, and maps.  The book ends with a glossary, a timeline, a bibliography of books and Internet addresses, and an index.

Kindertransport                                             --Susan Ogintz