Out Of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper

Eleven-year-old Melody Brooks is on summer vacation which means she and her four-year-old sister Penny spend most of their days at their neighbour, Mrs. V's, short for Violet Valencia.  At the end of school, all everyone is talking about is going to summer camps: rock climbing camp, and even mermaid camp. Melody wondered if there were even camps for kids like her so with the help of the local librarian, Mr. Francisco, she's been able to find a nearby camp that might just work. 

When Melody's mother, who is a nurse, arrives home, Melody using her Medi-Talker which she calls Elvira, tells her mother that she wants to go to summer camp. The Medi-Talker allows Melody to communicate with her family and those around her. When she shows her mom the information on Green Glades Therapeutic Recreational Camp, her mom and Mrs. V just seem like they might be on board. 

The camp offers four girls per cabin with their own individual counselor, boating, hiking, swimming and nightly campfires along with ziplining and even horseback riding! Although it's late June and there are only a few spots left, Melody's mother downloads all the paperwork for the camp and they send off the application. 

However the next day, they receive a reply that all the spots are taken and that Melody has been placed on a waiting list. This is devastating to Melody whose heart was set on attending the camp. But  then a few days later, with a sudden cancellation, Melody finds herself headed to Camp Green Glades facing a whole new set of experiences she never, ever imagined.

 

There are numerous shopping trips to buy new shorts, Nikes and jeans. Finally, Sunday morning arrives, and Melody along with her four-year-old sister Penny, and her parents make the two hour drive to the camp. On the way Melody begins experiencing panic and doubts about attending camp. When they arrive, Melody and her family are greeted by Cassie, the camp's director and given a tour by Melody's camp counselor, Trinity.  Melody's still not certain she wants to stay but as the day goes on, that uncertainty changes into a determination to meet this new challenge head-on!

Discussion

Out Of My Heart is the sequel to Draper's popular novel, Out Of My Mind, about a young girl with cerebral palsy. In this story Melody is beginning to grow up and wants to have the same life experiences as her peers. One of those experiences is going to summer camp.

Melody overcomes her fears and not only participates fully in all the activities in the camp, but she also has her first crush, and even manages to survive a ride on a runaway horse! Draper details all of these experiences in a day by day account that is both interesting, but at times tedious too. But in reading through all that Melody experiences at camp, we see a young girl on the verge of her teen years, who is both intelligent and courageous. 

Green Glades offers Melody the chance to make real friends for the first time in her life and for people to see the real Melody, to see past her disability and to what she can do. One night Melody reflects on the atmosphere of the camp. "And that made me think about how here at camp, no one was doing what so many people I've met seem to do. Lots of folks still have a tendency to just look at me from the outside. They notice the wheelchair and the head wobbling and the fact that my hands just can't hold still. I drool sometimes -- which, yes, is totally embarrassing. Folks don't often look deep enough to see the kid who knows the names of every single bone in the human body. I'm almost twelve, but I read on a twelfth-grade level." 

When Melody makes a close friend in Noah Abercrombie, she tells him "I'd give anything for people to see me first, not my chair, and to do more stuff on my own, like hanging out with my best friend...if I had one."  She discovers that she does have a best friend in Noah who holds her hand. To that end the camp gives Melody and the other campers the chance to "fit in". Whether it was sitting around the campfire or playing in the park Melody finds herself and the other campers as "insiders instead of the outsiders for a change."

Camp widens Melody's perspective, showing her the possibilities to be independent. She and the other girls in her group, Jocelyn, Athena and Karyn assert a bit of that independence when they ask their counselors to be able to spend time alone together. And when she returns home, she's determined to see if she can make better playgrounds in her town for kids like her.

Overall, Out Of My Heart is a fitting conclusion to Melody's story from Out Of My Mind. Some of the musical references are dated and young readers may not relate to them. Tweens today are into Instagram and Twitch and prefer rap and would probably relate more to superheroes. It's likely kids like Melody, Noah and Jocelyn would have similar interests. It's also difficult to believe that someone like Melody would never have been in a pool, especially given that her mother is a nurse. Physical therapy in a pool would probably be something a child with cerebral palsy would definitely have experienced, particularly by the age of eleven.

Despite these obvious inconsistencies, Draper has crafted a lovable heroine whose determination to become the master of her own life will resonate with young tweens. Out of My Heart encourages everyone to really see the person behind whatever physical, mental or emotional challenge they may have.

Book Details:

Out Of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper
Toronto: A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book     2021
342 pp.

A Struggle For Hope by Carol Matas

Ruth Mendenberg is safe now - at least from the Nazis. She survived the Holocaust and after leaving the displaced persons camp in Germany, returned to Poland. When she went to her Uncle Moishe's home, she found his maid living there, wearing her mother's dress and pearls. 

A man named Saul asked Ruth to help a group of Jewish children in Poland travel to Palestine. Believing everyone in her family dead, Ruth agreed and so she made the dangerous trip through Europe, without identity papers or permission, to cross into each country. In Italy they were taken aboard a boat and it was on this boat that Ruth found her brother Simon.  

It is May, 1948 and Ben-Gurion has just declared the land they are living on in Palestine to be the new country of Israel. Ruth is living in Kibbutz David along with Simon. When she first arrived at the kibbutz, she, Simon and her boyfriend Ziv joined the Haganah, the underground Jewish defense force.  Ruth is recovering from an injured arm and Zvi from injuries from a land mine.

Their kibbutz is under siege by Arab soldiers and to calm the children, Ruth is asked to tell a story. While she is doing this, one mother, Aviva realizes her five year old daughter, Batya is missing. After a brief search, Batya is found in the garden, shot in the stomach by a sniper. Ruth decides to risk rushing Batya by jeep out of the kibbutz to a hospital. With Zvi driving, Ruth holding Batya and Aviva manning a gun they race long.  Aviva is shot dead by a sniper but they make it to the hospital.  Batya's life is saved and she begins to recover.

When Simon comes to visit Ruth, Zvi and Batya at the hospital, he tells them that Kibbutz David is holding their position but that many kibbutziim are in trouble. Simon has come to determine if Ruth is well enough to go to the Syrian front to help Kibbutz Degania which is under siege. She is sent to Kibbutz Degania, where she and Zvi dig trenches. When they are attacked by Syrian tanks, Ruth and Zvi throw Molotov cocktails and set a tank on fire leading to the Syrians retreating. While their actions help save the kibbutz, both Ruth and Zvi are back in hospital. 

Simon tells them that the two Israeli factions, the Haganah led by David Ben-Gurion and the Irgun led by Menachim Begin are in conflict over an incoming shipment of arms. Even Simon who joined the Irgun and Zvi who belongs to the Haganah can't agree as to what should happen to the arms. During the ceasefire with the Arabs, the ship, the Altalena arrives with more refugees from Europe and the weapons. But suddenly the two Jewish factions fire on one another and Simon is seriously injured. Although his life is saved, the loss of his leg triggers the haunting memories Ruth has kept buried for so long. The memories of a loss so great that she loses all hope for the future.

Discussion

A Struggle For Hope is a thought-provoking short novel for middle grade readers set in 1948 in the newly formed state of Israel. As the title indicates, the main character, seventeen-year-old Ruth Mendenberg is struggling to recover a sense of hope in her life. A survivor of the brutality of Auschwitz, she has been struggling to deal with the loss of her friend Lotte, who saved her life in the camp, and the ongoing war in Israel that she is now a part of. The novel deals with not only the theme of hope, but the existence of evil in the world.

The novel consists of three parts; Part One is set in Israel from May to June, 1948,  Part Two covers Ruth and Lotte's experiences in Auschwitz from 1943 until the end of the war, and Part Three resumes the story in Israel, June 1948. An Epilogue set in Israel, 1958 provides the satisfying ending to Ruth's story.

Matas explores several relevant and timely themes in A Struggle For Hope, the most interesting being the one of evil in the world. In the kibbutz in Israel, Ruth, her brother Simon, and her boyfriend Zvi discuss the existence of God based on the horrendous evil they have all confronted as Jews during the Holocaust. Three years later, Ruth continues to struggle to understand what happened to her. "Why did they do it? How could they do it? Why did so-called good, ordinary people let them do it? How could God let is happen? Does he exist? And if he does, does he care, even a little bit?"

Simon believes that God wants people to behave a certain way, but Zvi doesn't believe in God at all. "Any god that would murder millions because they didn't pray enough or follow his stupid rules is a cruel and vindictive god," says Zvi." However, Ruth suggests that maybe God couldn't do anything because of free will. "If he makes us do thing we would just be puppets." She tells Zvi, "...why would God create a world where men can be so evil and in fact where evil can thrive?"  Ruth then goes on to explain what Lotte told her while they were in the concentration camp - that people freely chose Hitler because they wanted to make their lives better. The problem is people, not God.

In Part Two, a flashback to Ruth's time in Auschwitz, we learn that she was helped by an older girl named Lotte Rosenthal. Lotte tries to explain to Ruth how things got to the point where the Nazis are now murdering millions of people. Lotte explains this to Ruth because if she survives she wants her to make sure this never happens again. Lotte explains that Hitler succeeded because "he  repeated a lie over and over and over again. At first, people knew the things he said weren't true. But they got tired of correcting him over and over again, and they became confused too. What was a lie and what was the truth? You never knew with him. And then it didn't matter because it became too dangerous to correct him. And then people simply began to believe the lies..."

At the end of the novel, Ruth tells Zvi she desires real peace. Remembering Nazi Germany she states, "...I want us all to be better Zvi. I never want us to be small or little or mean. I want peace,...Real peace, except not at any price. Not at the price of giving in to our leaders if they are wrong. We could easily go down the wrong path here, in our new land, if we aren't careful."  He tells Ruth that they can "choose to make ourselves better. We can be the hope." The hope is that in remembering how Nazi Germany happened, we can make the choice to never allow it to happen again.

A Struggle For Hope is set in the aftermath of World War II in the newly created state of Israel. It's likely most young readers may not have the background knowledge to appreciate the setting of the novel or the events of the War of Independence in the Middle East. Matas does offer some background information in her Afterword. A map of the newly formed state of Israel would have been helpful for her readers to help them situation the events in the novel.

A Struggle For Hope is another well-written novel by Carol Matas and is highly recommended for middle grade students. Matas, who was born and lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba is known for incorporating important issues into her novels. 

Book Details:

A Struggle For Hope by Carol Matas
Toronto: Scholastic Canada Ltd.  2021
186 pp.

Amelia and Me by Heather Stemp

It is predawn, on an August morning, in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, 1931. Twelve-year-old Ginny Ross quietly slips out of bed, dresses and manages to sneak out of her home through the basement without waking her mom, six-year-old brother Billy, Nana and Papa. Ginny, along with her cousin Pat Cron and her best friend Jennie Mae Stevenson are headed to Harbour Grace airstrip to see the City of New York take off. 

The plane, with pilot Mr. George Brown and owner Mr. Henry Mears had landed the previous afternoon on a stopover before continuing their planned flight around the world. The Harbour Grace Standard reported that their journey would continue this morning with their departure at seven a.m. but Ginny overheard Uncle Harry, the airport supervisor telling Papa that they actually planned to leave before dawn.

The three girls run to the airfield where Pat tells them the City of New York with be the ninth plane to fly from Harbour Grace across the Atlantic. Jennie, whose father is the night watchman for the airport, wants them to get to her dad's shack. If they are found around the plane or on the runway, she's afraid her father will get in trouble. But as Jennie is leading Pat and Ginny to the shack, Ginny breaks away and runs over to the plane. Once in the plane, she slips into the pilot's seat, pretending she's flying over Harbour Grace. However, her daydream abruptly ends when Brown, Mears and Uncle Harry are driven to the plane by Mr. Stevenson. When Mr. Stevenson leaves, Ginny overhears the men arguing. 

George Brown believes the strong wind makes an early morning takeoff risky but Henry Mears wants the speed record. Mears puts his dog Tailwind into the plane and the three men walk to the end of the runway. Ginny jumps out of the plane but badly injures her right knee when she bangs it against the edge of the wheel cover. Ginny is seen limping away into the rocks by Mr. Mears but she is able to hide from him. They decide to go ahead with the flight but disaster strikes when the plane crashes into the rocks. 

Ginny is horrified and tries to run to help but collapses on the runway. Thankfully both men are saved, but Tailwind is not found. While Uncle Harry gets the car to pick up the two injured men, Ginny limps home. There, Llewellyn Crane, who works for Ginny's Papa in the store, helps her upstairs. Papa carries her to Doc Cron's to get stitches. At the doctor's office, Ginny tells Mr. Mears she wants to be a pilot but he is dismissive, telling her flying is not for girls. Then, seeing her split knee, Mears becomes angry, suggesting that Ginny is to blame for the crash. Both Mr. Brown and Uncle Harry try to convince him otherwise but Mr. Mears decides to speak with the constable.

After Doc Cron stitches Ginny's knee, she has to deal with her mom's anger at being at the airfield. Ginny's mom believes that planes are for men only. Pat visits Ginny while she's resting in bed and shows her a piece of metal she's found from the wreck of the City of New York plane. They look over her scrapbook of Amelia Earhart, who Ginny finds thrilling.

When Ginny receives a letter from Jennie Mae telling her that her actions at the airfield may cost her father his job, she gets Llew to take her in his wagon pulled by his black Labrador to see the constable at the jail. At the jail Ginny appeals to Constable Watts telling him she didn't cause the crash and that Mr. Stevenson didn't know she was at the airfield or in the plane. As they are leaving the jail, Llew tells Ginny about the one hundred dollar reward to find Mr. Mears' dog Tailwind. Ginny is certain she knows where the dog might be and she has Llew take her to the rocky area near the airfield. There they find Tailwind and return to the Stevenson's farm to show Jennie. They also learn that her father has been exonerated in the crash. At the Archibald Hotel, Jennie Mae, Llew and Ginny present Mr. Mears with his dog. Ginny splits the reward three ways, so they each receive thirty-five dollars.

At home, Ginny gives some of her money to Papa to help pay for a shipment from Bowring Brothers. This leaves her with ten dollars to put towards her future flying lessons. But suddenly her mother grabs the money, telling Ginny it will do fine for new material for winter coats. Stunned at her mother's meanness, Ginny becomes even more determined to take flying lessons.

To that end, later that night Ginny decides to write Amelia Earhart to ask for her help. She confides that like her, she wants to be a pilot and that she needs to plan to take lessons. To get around her mother's antagonism towards planes and flying, Ginny uses Uncle Harry's address as the return address. 

As her leg heals, Ginny faces more challenges both at school where she experiences bullying and at home regarding her desire to become a pilot. Her mother is determined to stop Ginny from pursuing her dream of flying. But the more Ginny's mother attempts to thwart her daughter's dream, the more determined Ginny becomes. Eventually Ginny makes a drastic choice that ultimately helps her achieve what she most needs: the support of Amelia Earhart and a future as a pilot. Even more, Ginny is a small part of  Amelia Earhart's historic milestone in women's aviation!

Discussion

Amelia and Me is a fictional story based on some of the real life experiences of author Heather Stemp's family. Ginny Ross, the main character in the novel was Heather Stemp's aunt while Billy Ross was her father. Papa (Joseph Ross) and Nana (Ross) were Heather's great-grandparents who owned a household goods store in Harbour Grace. As in the novel, Uncle Harry Archibald was the real life supervisor of the Harbour Grace airstrip and Aunt Rose Archibald owned the Archibald Hotel where pilots and newspaper reporters often stayed. As in the novel, Ginny Ross really did meet Amelia Earhart prior to her transatlantic flight where she landed in Ireland.

Using family members, and the setting of Harbour Grace, Stemp weaves an engaging story about a young girl determined to follow Amelia Earhart's trailblazing path and become a female pilot. Twelve-year-old Ginny Ross is determined to forge her own path and become an aviatrix. Ginny believes her draw towards flying may be due partly to the fact that a plane offers her a place where she feels she finally belongs. But Ginny also wonders if maybe her attraction to flying is because she's looking for something she can excel at.

 

This sets up a source of conflict between Ginny and her mother who believes planes are for men and who doesn't understand Ginny's obsession with planes. After a fight at school when Ginny wins the reward money for finding Tailwind, Ginny's mother is so furious she tells her she won't be seeing her friends and must only go to school. When her mother discovers Amelia Earhart's letter she destroys it and tells Ginny she will no longer be attending school but instead will be working full time. In her letter to Ginny, Amelia had advised her to finish school first before taking flying lessons. Not finishing school means an end to the possibility of becoming a pilot. So Ginny, in a show of grit and determination, runs away to Boston to find Amelia Earhart. Eventually, upon her return home, Ginny confronts her mother about her plan to become a pilot. Her mother tells Ginny that she doesn't believe she has what it takes and that she will fail. Where Ginny sees possibilities, her mother sees failure. Even meeting Amelia Earhart doesn't really change Ginny's mom's perspective. It is only after Amelia's successful transatlantic flight that Ginny's mother reveals her fear of losing her daughter. When Ginny outlines her plans and offers to help support their family, only then does her mother begin to relent.

 

Heather Stemp has crafted an interesting story with an endearing heroine, that is true to the Depression-era. The author incorporates many historical facts about life in the Dominion of Newfoundland (before it became a province of Canada) as well as during the Depression, that readers will find interesting. The novel also captures some of the interest that was so prevalent surrounding the exploits of Amelia Earhart as well as the interest generally in aviation during this era. Ginny's determination to follow a different path than that of her grandmother and mother, was part of the trend of young women working to forge new opportunities for themselves: to be better educated, to do the same things men were doing and to break free of the social and family expectations about what was proper for a young woman.

Amelia and Me is the first book in the Ginny Ross series. Stemp has included many photographs of the real-life people and places in the story, as well as a map of Harbour Grace and a Glossary of terms and words used in the  novel. 

Book Details:

Amelia and Me by Heather Stemp
Halifax, NS:  Nimbus Publishing Ltd.    2020
238 pp.

The Wolf Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)

In the month of May, during the Lasa'yanja, the Budding Trees and Blooming Flowers Moon, plants are blooming and spring is beginning to take hold. During this time, many animals are giving birth. The Now Gibuu, the wolf mother has recently given birth to six new wolf pups. One of the wolf pups is black with a tiny white strip above her left eye.

By the time of the Lasa maa'y, the Gathering and Preparing Berries Moon, the wolf pups are now travelling with their family, hunting gax, the rabbit. The black pup aggressively pushes to the front of the other pups to get the meat she loves. 

After two years of growing, hunting and learning from her pack, it is time for the black wolf to leave and find her own group and become a Nox Gibuu or wolf mother.

During the time of Lasa gangwiikw, The Groundhog Hunting Moon, there is plenty of prey for the black wolf, especially the well fed groundhogs, as she seeks out a new home.

In November, during Lasa gwineekxw, the Getting-Used-To-Cold Moon, the black wolf approaches a group of wolves she has been following for some days. One of the wolves, a grey female is wary of the strange black wolf but eventually submits, rolling over on her back. The black wolf is now the leader of this group of wolves.

By January, Nox Gibuu is bonding with a strong male wolf with grey fur. Soon the wolf mother will be able to begin her new family.

The arrival of  spring, Nox Gibuu's third Lasa 'yanja is heralded by the birth of her first litter of five pups. There are now ten animals in the pack. Nox Gibuu has made a good start for the future of the wolves in her ecosystem.

Discussion

The Wolf Mother is part of the Mothers of Xsan series written by award-winning storyteller and artist Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) from the Gitxsan Nation in the Northwest Interior of British Columbia. As Gyetxw mentions in his note "The Gitxsan" at the back of the book, the territory of the Gitxsan encompasses the headwaters of Xsan or its colonial name, the Skeena River.   The Gitxsan Nation is a strong matrilineal society, meaning that "all rights, priviliges, names and stories come from the mothers". There are four clan that make up the Gitxsan Nation, the Lax Seel (Frog), Lax Gibuu (Wolf), Lax Skiik (Eagle), and Gisghaast (Fireweed).  The Mothers of Xsan series include The Sockeye, The Wolf, The Grizzly and the Frog, fitting nicely with three of the Gitxsan clans. 

Like other books in the series, The Wolf Mother offers young readers the story of the life cycle of the animal in the title, in this case the grey wolf. The Wolf Mother blends biology and Indigenous knowledge and culture, showing how the natural world and the human world share similar practices. For example Gyetxw mentions how both wolf packs and the Gitxsan people share the responsibility of raising the young, teaching them the skills they need to know to survive.

Beyond the life cycle of the wolf, readers will also learn the importance of the wolf in the ecosystem in the Gitxsan Nation territory and Gyetxw also points out how the wolf should not be considered a feared predator but in reality are "...some of the most loving and caring beings."

Gyetxw also incorporates some of the Gitxsan language into his text such as gal ts'ap (village), gibuu (wolf).  The author also uses terms that are familiar to the Gitxsan to describe the world around them. The months of the year are defined by the names the Gitxsan have for each lunar cycle. For example, the moon in May is very appropriately called Budding Trees and Blooming Flowers Moon or Lasa 'yanja.  To make the text more understandable to younger readers, more difficult words and terms are highlighted in separate boxes where a definition is provided. 

Accompanying the descriptive text is the colourful artwork of Metis illustrator Natasha Donovan who incorporates many beautiful indigenous motifs into her work. This artwork really enhances the story being told. Overall, this graphic series is very well done, the artwork outstanding and the information presented in an appealing and engaging way.

The Mothers of Xsan series is highly recommended for students interested in wildlife.

Book Details:

The Wolf Mother by Hetxw'ms Geytxw (Brett D. Huson)
Winnipeg, Manitoba: Highwater Press      2021

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

It's April 10, 1912 and Valora Luck is waiting at the first class gangway to board the White Star's newest ocean line, Titanic. Valora's former employer, Mrs. Sloane had secretly purchased the tickets for them without telling her grasping son and his wife. However, she died suddenly over a week ago and Valora's here now, taking her place.

Dressed in one of Mrs. Sloane's traveling suits, Valora is determined to board Titanic to find and reunite with her twin brother Jamie Luck. He is one of seven Chinese men from the Atlantic Steam Company being transported to Cuba to take on a new job.

Despite her ticket, Valora is refused entry because she is half Chinese. The Chinese Exclusion Act bars Chinese from entering America. Valora lies and tells the officer her lady is expecting her, but to no avail.

Undaunted, Valora manages to board Titanic by hiding underneath a Renault being hoisted into the ship's hold. When Valora is seen climbing out of the hold by a crewman, she is reported to Officer Merry. Luckily she is saved by a Miss Hart who distracts the officer, allowing Valora to concentrate on finding Jamie.

Valora knows from the late Mrs. Sloane's list of passengers, that Mr. Albert Ankeny Stewart, part owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus is on board. Her plan is to find Jamie, convince him to do the routine they choregraphed with Ba months ago for Mr. Stewart and get hired.

Valora is able to find Jamie's cabin, but the Chinese sailors don't trust her and offer no help. However, as she wanders through the ship, Valora stumbles upon Jamie who she finds helping Miss Charlotte Fine with her poodle. Jamie is with two young Chinese boys, Olly and Wink and a young Chinese man, Chow Bo Wah who works as a fireman on Titanic. Valora tells Jamie about her plan for them to go to New York and become circus performers by impressing Mr. Stewart. But Jamie isn't interested and he reminds Valora that he doesn't want to go to America and that it's illegal for them to do so.

Jamie's attitude makes Valora angry but determined. Tired, she makes her way to B-Deck and when confusion arises over the room that Mrs. Sloane would have occupied, Valora is offered a beautiful stateroom after identifying herself as Mrs. Amberly Sloane. With Mrs. Sloane's dress and her face covered by a veil of bees lace, Valora has created the perfect disguise.

As the ship leaves Cherbourg, Valora finds herself settling into her new role when April Hart knocks on her door. April knows who she is and makes Valora the offer of having her wear her own creations from House of July, her haute couture fashion label. At first she refuses but April reveals that she knows exactly who Valora is and suggests they can help each other. She tells Valora she could be the "Merry Widow" and "the mysterious woman in mourning" and that she can help her hide in first class. Valora agrees to model April's outfits in exchange for her finding out about Mr.Stewart. Now all she needs to do is convince Jamie to perform their act for Mr. Stewart so they can start their new life in America. 

Discussion

With Luck of the Titanic, New York Times best-selling author Stacey Lee has crafted another riveting novel for teen readers. She has taken the well known and much written about historical event of the sinking in 1912 of the White Star ocean liner, Titanic and focused in on the little known fact that there were eight Chinese passengers on board the ship. Six of the Chinese survived and sadly these men were shamed for surviving. 

With this detail as her foundation, Lee has created a believable and moving story. The challenge, when using a historical event like the Titanic in which the outcome is well known, is to write a good, plausible story with believable fictional characters whose fate is not known to the reader. Lee accomplishes this remarkably well. Also, as she notes in her Author's Further Note at the back, "The challenge of writing historical fiction lies in creating a fictional story within the confines of the historical record without doing to much damage in the process." Lee has remained faithful to the events of the Titanic disaster while also educating her readers on the discrimination so prevalent against the Chinese, that there was a specific law barring them from entering America and that their efforts to survive the disaster were considered dishonourable and shameful.

In Luck of the Titanic, the main character, Valora Luck is posing as her recently deceased employer, the wealthy Mrs. Amberly Sloane. Valora initially planned to board Titanic as Mrs. Sloane's maid but when that attempt fails she manages to sneak onto the ship - perhaps the most implausible part of the entire story. Her goal is to find her brother Jamie whom she knows is on the ship working on the boilers. Valora wants to go to America and begin a new life there as a circus performer and part of the act she and her brother developed as Valor and Virtue. Jamie is simply not interested in Valora's idea, although he eventually decides to help her. Their plans are never realized as the ship strikes the iceberg and begins to sink. 

However, before the tragedy, Valora comes to realize that what she thinks is best for her might not be the right thing for Jamie. This realization in the cabin of Mr. Stewart of Ringling Bros. comes at the exact moment the Titanic strikes the iceberg. "Life is a balancing act, and the better you get a juggling, the better you get at living. But juggling is not an act of holding tight. It's an act of letting go -- of giving the people you love the time and space to find their own orbit. And it's an act of catching. I'll always be there for Jamie, just as he'll always be there for me." And so Valora makes a deal that works for both her and Jamie, giving him the freedom to live his life as he chooses, not as she wishes. And as it turns out that is for the best as the tragedy of the sinking unfolds.

One contentious detail in the novel is whether Valora would be able to move so easily about on Titanic between first class and the quarters where the Chinese crew are housed. Lee does add a touch of realism to this as Valora's true identity is eventually revealed.

Lee also makes use of considerable foreshadowing in the novel through Valora's dreams and also with the gift of the carved whale that Bo gives Valora. When questioned as to why a whale, Bo tells her, "A whale rules the sea. It goes where it wants without fear. And if troubled, it can become a bird --he flaps his hands, his long fingers moving gracefully -- "beating wings hard enough to stir up the sea. It means being in control of your destiny."

The novel's gorgeous cover is sure to draw readers in but Titanic is so overdone in novels, that the theme may be off putting for some readers. Those that do take up the challenge however, will find an enjoyable, well-crafted story with a very bittersweet ending. The novel includes a List of Characters in her novel and maps of the layout of the R.M.S. Titanic. 

Book Details:

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons        2021
366 pp.

Flip! How The Frisbee Took Flight by Margaret Muirhead

Flip! uncovers the story behind the invention of the Frisbee.

One story is that the Frisbee originated out of Yale University. Joseph P. Frisbie whose father was a baker,  delivered desserts to the university.  The left-over tin pie plates, stamped Frisbie's Pies were soon being tossed around on campus by students!

In 1937, Fred Morrison and his girlfriend Lu were in the backyard of his home in Southern California after a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Someone picked up a tin popcorn lid and began flipping it through the air. This was so much fun that Fred and Lu became hooked on flipping their tin lid around until it became too dented to use. So they switched to pie plates and then cake pans! Fred and Lu had never heard of the Frisbie Pie plates but one day they would!

Later, while Fred and Lu were playing with their plate on the beach in California, another beach goer offered to buy it from Fred for a quarter. Fred realized he was on to something. Soon his new business venture of selling pans at parks and beaches allowed him to buy an engagement ring for Lu and in 1939 they were married.

With World War II, Fred enlisted as an Army Air Corps pilot but he continued to think about the "flying cake-pans". The post-war years saw intense public interest in unidentified flying objects, UFOs because of the reports of an alien aircraft crashing at Roswell, New Mexico. This got Fred thinking about how he might connect his "flying cake-pans" to the UFOs!

He decided to make his cake pans out of light, brightly coloured plastic and with help and financial backing of a friend, Warren Franscioni,  renamed them The Amazing Flyin-Saucer. He thought he had a hit, but the plastic was brittle in cold temperatures, meaning the flyin-saucers broke.

In 1955, Fred remarketed his product as the Pluto Platters, this time made out of a more pliable material. With the help of Lu, he sold them at fairs, dressed in a spacesuit costume. The success of the Pluto Platters captured the interest of Wham-O, a California toy company. They bought the rights to the design with the intent of marketing them all over the country.

But when they got to the New England area, they noticed that students there were already playing with discs but they called them Frisbies. Wham-O decided to change the name of their discs to Frisbees and the rest is history!

Discussion

Who knew the strange and convoluted history of the Frisbee, that plastic disc you can toss around? In this enjoyable picture book, Margaret Muirhead tells the story of how the Frisbee came to be with a delightful touch of humour. 

Although several people appeared to have the idea of tossing a plate or pan around for fun, it was, as Muirhead suggests in her Author's Note at the back, Fred Morrison's entrepreneurial spirit that took an neat idea and made it into a business. It is this quality that Muirhead highlights in her book, that persistence can pay off.

Helping the story along are the colourful, humorous 1950's and 1960's retro artwork, by illustrator, Adam Gustavson.

Book Details

Flip! How The Frisbee Took Flight by Margaret Muirhead
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.  

Finding Narnia: The Story of C.S. Lewis and His Brother by Caroline McAlister

Jack and Warnie were two brothers who were very different.  Jack used his imagination to create new worlds while Warnie preferred to create worlds that were like the real world and how it worked. Warnie would pretend to be an Indian raja whose world was like the real world with trains. Jack pretended he was a brave knight in a world ruled by a mouse king.

Despite their differences the two brothers were close and spent time playing together, often in each other's worlds.

When they moved to a new house, the two brothers discovered an old wardrobe in a room next to the attic. It smelled strongly of moth balls. Jack wondered, as he felt into the deep, large wardrobe, if it had no end!

When Jack and Warnie's mother became very ill, the two boys created their own imaginary world which they called Boxen. The brothers each created specific parts of Boxen's kingdom.

Sadly their mother died, leading their father to send them away to boarding school in England. Jack didn't like his time in England. Instead of being able to read, he spent much time working on math problems. When war came, both Jack and Warnie enlisted but were sent to separate regiments. After the war, while Warnie stayed with the army, Jack gave lectures as a teacher at Oxford. 

When Warnie retired from the army, he came to live with Jack in a spacious house that contained the same wardrobe from their home in Ireland, years ago.

When a second war broke out, the English sent their children to the countryside to be safe. To help the displaced children, Jack and Warnie took in two girls. One day while exploring their new home, the two girls found the wardrobe and wondered, "What was on the other side of the door?"

So did Jack! Soon his imagination was filed with ideas: a lamppost, a faun, two boys and two girls who entered a strange world through a wardrobe, a place covered in snow called Narnia and a white witch.

Discussion

Most readers know C.S. Lewis for his Chronicles of Narnia series or his many books exploring Christian and philosophical ideas including The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity.  In Finding Narnia, McAlister provides young readers with the background story of Lewis and how his love of imagination created one of the world's most beloved stories. 

Born Clive Staples Lewis in 1898, he adopted the name of Jacksie after the death of his beloved dog of the same name. Eventually that would be shortened to Jack. His older brother Warren Hamilton Lewis (Warnie) was Jack's best friend and childhood playmate.

As a child Jack loved fantasy and especially loved Beatrix Potter's stories. With Warnie he created a fantasy world called Boxen that featured talking animals but also Warnie's technology.  As a teenager, he read Norse and Greek mythology as well as Irish mythology. This love of fantasy and mythology led him to become a Fellow and Tutor of English Literature at Magdalen College. In 1954 he became the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Magdalen College at Cambridge University. 

Eventually, Jack would meet J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Hobbit and creator of the Lord of the Rings saga and the world of Middle Earth. Jack, along with Warnie were members of a literary group called The Inklings that met at Oxford. Tolkien was to be a profound influence on Jack, helping him to rediscover Christianity and inspiring Jack to further develop his Narnia world. This is the one very important influence lacking in McAlister's account: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien's friendship was to result in two of the most important works of fiction written in the 20th century.

McAlister's picture book provides readers with the integral points about Jack and Warnie; their deep friendship that bound the two brothers together and their creativity and imagination that led Jack to write the Narnia stories. However, in her Author's Note, McAlister fleshes out the story of Jack and Warnie Lewis's lives in more detail, offering readers

McAlister's biography is illustrated with the watercolor artwork of Jessica Lanan. A unique feature of this picture book biography is the comprehensive Illustrator's Note at the back in which Lanan goes through each illustration and explains specific details. For example, on pages eight and nine, the famous wardrobe that inspired the magical wardrobe in the Narnia chronicles is portrayed. Lanan writes that although, "It is darker in color than I have depicted here, ...I tried to be true to the size and decoration of the original."

Finding Narnia is a great addition to any unit on C.S. Lewis and for those who are reading the Narnia Chronicles and may want to learn something about the author and how his imaginary world came to be.

Book Details:

Finding Narnia: The Story of C.S. Lewis and His Brother by Caroline McAlister
New York: Roaring Book Press     2019
39 pp.

Orca Rescue! The True Story of an Orphaned Orca Named Springer by Donna Sandstrom

It is January 2002 and a little whale is sighted by the quartermaster on the Vashon Ferry. He called Donna's friend, Mark Sears and told him there was a young orca swimming nearby and it appeared to be alone. Orcas normally live in pods which are tightly bonded families led by a female. Although the quartermaster was a reliable whale spotter, Mark wondered if the animal he had seen was a Dall's porpoise. Out on the water, Mark spotted the little whale but because it's skin was gray, lumpy and blotchy, he had trouble finding the characteristic white marking, called a saddle patch, behind the dorsal fin. After watching the whale rub against a tree stump in the water, Mark was able to identify the whale as a two-year-old female orca. He wondered why she was in the area and alone without her pod.

Soon many government scientists came out to view the orca which had settled into the area just north of Vashon Island. Mark was able to lure the young orca to the boat by waving a stick. When he threw the stick she would play with it. 

One day Donna went out with Mark to view the orca. She played with the stick after Donna threw it to her.

Recordings made by researchers discovered that the young orca made a call used only by a northern resident orca pod called the A4s. Each resident pod has its own unique call. This discovery was made in the 1980s by marine biologist John Ford. 

The A4 pod had its matriarch (A10) and her young calf were killed in Johnstone Strait by a fisherman. A10 had two daughters, Kelsey and Yakat. The young orca call had to come from one of these families.

This information spread quickly, leading to researchers to check to see if any calves were missing from Kelsey or Yakat's pods. They discovered that one of Kelsey's daughters, Sutlej and her new calf, Springer were missing when their orca pod returned to Johnstone Strait in 2001. A Canadian researcher was able to identify the lone young orca as Springer from a photo taken in Seattle. After finding more pictures of Springer throughout the year, researchers were able to piece together that Springer survived the death of her mother and had joined another pod, following them south. She eventually ended up in Puget Sound near Seattle. It was determined that Springer was a northern resident orca whose mother had died but whose grandmother and great-aunt and cousins were still alive in Canada.

The question Donna and others had was, What should they do, if anything? In the Pacific Northwest there are three groups of orcas: Resident orcas, Biggs orcas and Offshore orcas. Resident orcas such as Springer, eat fish and normally live in large pods led by a matriarch. The northern resident orcas live around the north end of Vancouver Island and along the coast of British Columbia. So Springer was lost, far from her northern pod, stranded in the United States. She would need the help of humans to be reunited with her pod.

A team comprised of scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in Canada and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was formed to see if they could help the young orca. What followed was an amazing bit of collaboration that gave scientists new information on orcas and may help scientists save the southern resident orcas which are very endangered.

Discussion

Orca Rescue! is the fascinating first person account of the first and only successful orca reunion in history by Donna Sandstrom, an American citizen who participated in the rescue. Donna grew up in California where she often saw whales and dolphins. She became interested in orcas when she moved to Seattle. Dreams about orcas, led her to begin researching these cetaceans which are not whales but part of the dolphin family. After seeing a presentation by researcher Paul Spong on whales in Hawai'i, Donna convinced him to come to Seattle to give a talk there for the newly formed Orca Alliance. At the presentation Donna also met Mark Sears, a part-time whale researcher who photographs whales for identification and who also records whale behaviours. 

In 2002 with the appearance of Springer in the Seattle area, Donna became involved as a citizen participant. How the team of Americans and Canadians worked together to rescue, heal and relocate the young orca is vividly told in Orca Rescue! Sandstrom includes detailed information about orcas at critical points in the narrative. There is information on orcas, also called killer whales, including a map that outlines the range of the different ecotypes of orcas. Other information explains orca culture, the orca capture culture that developed in the 1960's, photographs of Springer beginning when she was a young orca with her mother Sutlej to her most recent sightings in 2020 and a chart of the matrilines (showing Springer's family). 

The watercolour illustrations by artist Sarah Burwash accompany this uplifting story of the rescue and rehabilitation of a young orca. Orca Rescue! demonstrates that we all have a part in caring for our world and the animals with whom we share our planet. It is a testament to what can be accomplished if we work together. As Donna Sandstrom states, everyone had an important part to play in saving Springer, from the worker who first spotted her to the First Nations peoples who sang to her as she was released in Dong Chong Bay. We can change past practices as we learn more about the animals of the ocean and we can learn from our mistakes, to make the world a healthier, more balanced place for future generations.

Book Details:

Orca Rescue!  The True Story of an Orphaned Orca Named Springer by Donna Sandstrom
Toronto: Kids Can Press    2021
142 pp.

Sisters of the Wolf by Patricia Miller-Schroeder

Sisters of the Wolf is a novel set forty thousand years ago in Ice Age Europe and tells the story of two young girls who flee a common adversary, while struggling to survive a journey to safety. The story is told using two narrators, Keena, a Neanderthal (Krag) girl and Shinoni, a Cro Magnon (Kula) girl.

The story opens with Keena watching over the small children in her group's mountain camp. Keena's father Atuk is with the other hunters looking to kill the beast that has been terrorizing their band. Her four-year-old brother, Tat is not interested in staying close and wants to explore. With the sudden wind shift, Keena smells death and yells to the children to run to the safety of their cave. Tat however is following a hare into the tall grass and before she can react, the lion bursts out of the forest edge, snatching him away. Later that night, safe in their cave, the entrance protected by fire, Keena's mother Ubra tells her Tat's death is not her fault.

The next morning most of the Krags are reluctant to leave the shelter of their cave. However, Atuk walks out, telling Keena they need to hunt down the beast killing them and bring in food before the snow arrives. While the women roast deer meat on a hearth outside the cave, Atuk gathers the men and boys who will hunt the lion. The hunters will use heavy spears with sharp stone blades to kill the lion. One of the boys who will be helping is Sate's son, Kreel, whom Keena has played with through their childhood.Kreel has just killed an ibex and Gorda tells her that Kreel will soon have his own hearth. 

Sabra, a Kula hunter who has spent time with Keena's group tells them that the Kula's would never try to kill the lion with spears as they would have to get too close to the lion and risk injury or death. He suggests they use a small spear and the stick he has to throw it. He offers to show them how to make these.

However, their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Haken, Ubra's brother and Keena's uncle and his band of hunters. They look fearsome with black patterns painted on their cheeks and brow ridges and bear and wolf teeth in necklaces and in their hair.Haken has a vivid red scar across one side of his face. Ubra, tells Keena to take the children back to the cave but she doesn't do this. Atuk tells Sabra he must leave before he is seen by Haken, who hates Kulas. Atuk tells Sabra he cares for no one and kills anyone who gets in his way, including Krags and Kulas. Because of this he sends Kreel and Sabra into the forest, telling them to return to Sabra's camp.

Haken tells Atuk and Ubra that he brings furs in exchange for females. He tells them that the brown devils have stolen their food and their young ones starve. They need females, like Keena, whom he singles out,  to give them more young who will grow into hunters. Atuk tells Haken that they have no females to spare and they do not need furs. Haken, knowing that the lion is terrorizing Atuk's group, offers to kill the lion in exchange for females of his choice. To Keena's horror, her father reluctantly agrees.

Haken and his band of hunters return, bringing with them the body of the dead lion. In payment he takes Keena, and two other women from Atuk's group.

Meanwhile in the Spirit Quest cave in the valley below Keena's group, Shinoni of the Kula people has been seeking her spirit guide, something only boys do. She awakens to find a large grey wof at the entrance of the cave. She has spent two days in the cave where she has scratched drawings of animals into the dirt around her. On the other side of the flames and smoke, a large grey wolf paces. With the shouts of her father, the wolf leaves. Her father, Shazur tells her they have been searching for her and were worried when they saw the Strange Ones hunting close by. Shinoni tells her father she is on a spirit quest but her father admonishes her, telling Shinoni that she will find her spirit guide at the women's celebration.

At Shinoni's camp, the men have been gone to look for a cave for their group to winter in. Shinoni has been collecting reeds with another Kula girl, Wenzel and Etak who is pregnant. When Etak asks if they can stay in the sacred cave during the winter, Grandmother Reza scolds her, telling her this would dishonour the animal spirits and make their hunts fail. 

This doesn't stop Shinoni from entering the sacred cave where she watches her father, Shazur paint on the walls. Despite hiding her presence, Shazur knows she's been in the cave and he admonishes her. Shinoni tells him that she wants to honour the animal spirits. He decides to take her back to the cave to ask forgiveness of the animal spirits and allows Shinoni to paint on the walls.

Shinoni helps her grandmother Reza carry reeds back to their skin shelter. Both Shazur and Reza feel danger is near. Shazur gives Shinoni a beautifully crafted flint knife while Reza encourages her to go into the forest to look for the medicine plants.

Suddenly their camp is attacked by the Strange Ones or Krags, who kill almost everyone including Shinoni's father. Reza tells Shinoni to run and hide in the forest which she does but she is soon surrounded by a large grey wolf and her pack. To protect herself, she hides in a tree, but she is discovered by Haken and his group after they settle beneath the tree to examine their spoils of the raid. Shinoni finds herself captive in Haken's cave along with a girl of the Strange Ones.

Keena who speaks Kula, tells Shinoni that Haken wants to know the hunting magic her people use. Although Shinoni doesn't know this magic, on the advice of Keena, she tells him about the sacred cave and how to use her father's amulet.

Shinoni cuts herself free and informs Keena that she intends to escape. Keena decides to help and with a bit of ingenuity on Keena's part the two girls head out, with Haken in pursuit. Can they outwit the brutal Haken and his band of hunters while travelling north to Keena's homeland?

Discussion

Sisters of the Wolf  tells the quest of two prehistoric girls, to escape the man hunting them and find safety. One girl is a Neanderthal, while the other is a more advanced Cro-Magnon. 

Neanderthals or Homo neanderthalenis are our closest extinct human relative. They are believed to have emerged around 400,000 years ago and lived in Europe and southwestern and central Asia. Although we Homo sapiens share a common ancestor with Neatherthals, they are not considered a step in the evolution towards modern man, but were a dead end. They became extinct, losing out to the smarter Cro-Magnon humans who lived alongside them.  

The name Neanderthals means "humans from the Neander Valley" in Germany where fossil skeletal remains were first found. Neanderthals had short stocky bodies with short lower legs and arms. They had a broad face with a large nose, possibly and adaptation to living in colder, drier climates, and a prominent brow ridge.They ate large amounts of meat but also consumed plants and fungi.

Neanderthals were very intelligent and were skilled tool makers. They made wooded spears and flint hand axes. They developed what is called the Levallois technique for tool making: they would fashion a preshaped piece of stone to carry with them, later making the finished tool. Neanderthals are considered to have been specialized seasonal hunters, hunting big game like bison, mammoths and reindeer at close range.

These early humans lived in shelters and made clothing. There is evidence that they were able to fashion loose-fitting clothing using animal tissue to bind pieces of skin together. They also made primitive jewelry out of animal teeth and ivory. Neanderthals also cared for the sick and deliberately buried their dead in marked graves.

Neanderthals likely went extinct because they were replaced by the Cro-Magnon humans, now referred to as Early Modern humans who lived in the Upper Paleolithic period from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago. Cro-Magnon humans are named after discoveries near Cro-Magnon near the town of Les Eyzies-de-Tayae in southwestern France.  The Cro-Magnon's were powerfully built and taller than Neanderthals. They had a prominent chin and a flat forehead. Like Neanderthals, they buried their dead. Artifacts show that they carved statuettes, made cave paintings and other high quality art. 

In Sisters of the Wolf, Miller-Schroeder effectively portrays not only the prehistoric setting but also the early humans who lived during this time. The author highlights some of the differences between these two groups of humans. For example, Shinoni, who is Cro-Magnon and more advanced than Keena, offers to show her how to sew her leggings together to make clothing that fits better and is warmer while Sabra, a Cro-Magnon who is living with the Atuk's Neanderthal group offers to teach the hunters how to make a stick that will allow them to throw a spear farther.

Sisters of the Wolf is essentially a story of two early humans who form a sister bond that allows them to defeat a common enemy. As they journey back to the safety of Keena's group, both Shinoni and Keena combine their skills to survive during the harsh Ice Age winter and to outwit the brutal Neanderthal hunter, Haken. Along the way they are helped by a wolf which Shinoni calls Tewa and which she believes is her spirit guide.  It is theorized that our domestic dogs originated from grey wolves that gradually became domesticated. In Sisters of the Wolf, Miller-Schroeder incorporates this theory into her story with the appearance of Tewa, a wolf that protects the girls, even providing them with meat along their journey.

Although Keena and Shinoni are two very different humans, they learn to work together, and develop a bond that leads to trust. Both are shown to be resourceful and resilient, qualities necessary to survive in a harsh world. They show compassion towards those in need, helping the sick and burying the dead as best they can. It's evident the author has done considerable research for the novel, as many details about life during this era have been woven into the story.

In her very detailed Author's Note,  in which she reviews some of the information known about Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon humans, Miller-Schroeder writes, "Sisters of the Wolf incorporates many of the most recent discoveries about our ancestors into its storyline. Since it is a work of fiction, it imagines what the interactions and relationships of Keena, Shinoni, and the other characters would have been like, and it lets us look into the lives of our ancient ancestors."

Sisters of the Wolf is an engaging novel, unique in its Ice Age setting and its early human characters. The story feels realistic and offers readers the opportunity to imagine what life may have been like for our ancestors during the harsh Ice Age. It's nice to see writers considering other periods of history as possibilities for young readers.

Book Details:

Sisters of the Wolf by Patricia Miller-Schroeder
Toronto: Dundurn Press    2021
318 pp.