The Look by Sophia Bennett

Seventeen year old Ava and fifteen year old Ted (Edwina) Trout are sisters. One Saturday as Ava and Ted are busking on Carnaby Street in the heart of London's West End, Ted is approached by Simon, a modelling agency scout. Simon shocks Ted by telling her that she is "amazing" and she should consider modelling. Ted is stunned because Ava is the looker, and she is only tall and skinny.

Ava and Ted dismiss Simon as a scammer and think nothing more of it. Meanwhile, in the weeks following this incident, Ava is diagnosed with Stage 2B Hodgkins disease. When Ted, Ava, and their parents attend a consultants meeting at the hospital regarding Ava's treatment, Ted finds an article about the agency, Model City, that Simon worked for,  indicating that they are legitimate. Ted doesn't want to be a model and doesn't think she has "the look" but her sister Ava convinces her to at least check out the agency.

So one day after a trip to the hospital, Ava pushes Ted to go to Model City where she learns that their interest in her is legit. Model City is run by Cassandra Spoke. During her initial visit to Model City, Ted meets Cassandra's son, Nick, whom she dubs, "Nightmare Boy". After a photo shoot, Ted is signed on with the agency and is sent to go-sees where she attempts to get "optioned" for modelling work. During this time, Ted meets Nick several times, and her opinion of him changes drastically. Although he seems cynical and disinterested, Ted learns that he is a gifted photographer who has been jilted by one of his mother's beautiful models. Ted's first stint into the modelling business doesn't really work out and she decides to give it up and focus on the beginning of school and on her sister getting well.

During this time Ava begins her grueling regimen of six chemo treatments for lymphoma. As Ava's chemo treatment progresses, she begins to experience the expected side effects of nausea and fatigue. When she begins to lose her hair, Ted takes Ava to the salon that did her makeover for the modelling agency and they get their heads shaved. As Ava's treatment has not been entirely successful she is now scheduled for a round of radiation treatment.

Nick has inspired Ted to try her hand at photography and when she tells him that modelling didn't work out, he seems very supportive of her decision to get out of modelling. However, Ted's life takes an abrupt turnabout when the eccentric, hyper Tina di Gabbia "discovers" her on the street one day. Tina has the ability to make things happen for Ted whom she claims she will make into the next supermodel. After a brief photography session with Tina, Ted lands a shoot for a perfume ad that will jump start her career. Ted must travel to Manhattan for the shoot. But when she discovers what is expected of her, Ted comes to realize that things are not as they appear and she learns about what she truly values in life.

The Look is a thoughtful novel that asks the reader to consider some rather important questions about friendship and about what really matters in life. Although the world of modelling is explored, and there is some discussion of cancer, really The Look is about one girl's journey of self-discovery and about learning what really matters to her. Readers may find the pacing in the middle of the novel when Ted leaves modelling and nothing much is happening with Ava, to be a bit slow. However, their patience will be rewarded later on as the story lines converge.

At the beginning of the novel, Ted is rather insecure about who she is and how she looks. She's 5 feet 11 inches, which is tall for a girl and she is known as "Freaky Friday" by a boy she crushes on but has no chance of getting. For Ted, modelling becomes her chance to show her schoolmates that she is beautiful and accepted. But if she's seeking affirmation from the modelling world, Ted finds everything but that when she overhears a designer describing her as being "very nothing". Ted soon discovers that in the world of modelling where "the look" is everything, appearances can be very deceiving. Despite this, as she models, Ted begins to uncover a hidden strength she didn't know she had.

The juxtaposition of the world of cancer treatment with the world of high fashion in the end helps Ted discover what really matters in her life. Bennett effectively contrasts Ted's superficial world of gold tinted hair and spa-treated skin and hands, with Ava's world where hair falls out in clumps and hands and arms are bruised from IV lines. This contrast is very well demonstrated by the character, Nick Spoke, who falls for a incredibly beautiful model, Scheherazade, who treats Nick badly. Outward beauty is not always a sign of inner goodness. Bennett is careful not to demonize all the characters in the modelling world. Both Frankie and Cassandra help Ted and demonstrate that they truly care about her.

The author does a great job of developing the relationship between the two sisters, Ted and Ava, who aren't very close at the beginning of the novel. Ava is very beautiful and has a boyfriend whom she adores. She's always been the older sister giving advice to Ted. But her cancer diagnoses causes her to doubt that her boyfriend Jesse, will remain in the relationship. Now the tables are turned as Ava seeks comfort and support more and more from Ted. Ava reaches out to Ted more as the novel progresses, first sharing her clothing and make-up, and eventually her innermost feelings too. Bennett's novel is filled with some truly touching moments, such as when Ava and Ted get their heads shaved. So that the novel doesn't become too bogged down with its heavy subjects, Bennett writes with a touch of humour and manages to weave two lovely romantic threads into the storyline that end happily.

The characters in The Look are all very different and quite interesting, with the author doing an excellent job of developing each through the use of dialogue. From the brooding, cynical Nick Spoke, to the manipulative Tina di Gaggia, to Ted and Ava's mechanically inept, caring and patient father, Stephen Trout, all the characters are well drawn.

Bennett touches on a few other issues in the novel including, the notion that beauty is defined by tall thin girls and that a growing teen girl needs to watch every bite she eats for fear of becoming obese. Nothing is ever handled in a heavy manner, just presented in a way that makes the reader stop and think.

Readers wanting something fresh and different from the dystopian trilogies dominating YA fiction these days, will enjoy The Look.


Book Details:
The Look by Sophia Bennett
New York: Chicken House        2013
327 pp.

Looking For Me by Betsy R. Rosenthal

Looking For Me is a delightful novel in verse written for young readers by picture book author, Betsy R. Rosenthal. Rosenthal brings to life the story of her mother, Edith Paul, using both free and rhyming verse, as she tries to understand her place in the world.

The novel opens in 1936, when Edith is eleven years old, the fourth child in a Jewish family with twelve children who live in Baltimore. There are six boys and six girls in Edith's family. Edith's six grade teacher, Miss Connelly asks her students to write a poem about their families. Edith writes her poem, which is quite long due to the large number of family members including everyone but herself. When Miss Connelly questions Edith as to why she left herself out of the poem, Edith states, "Because,... I don't know who I am in my big family." Miss Connelly asks Edith to go home and think about who she is. Edith spends the next year attempting to answer that very important question.

We follow her on her journey through the year as Edith tries to understand the many things that happen to her and her family. She discovers that she's a "good little mother" to her younger siblings, but not a dancer. Just as her grandmother experienced discrimination when she lived in Russia, so too does Edith even in America.

Edith takes us through Rosh Hashanah, a school spelling bee, her 12th birthday, Christmas, and the death of a younger brother. With twelve children  in the family, there's bound to be plenty of drama and disaster. From peanut butter bombs to BB pellet holes in the walls, Edith's family life is anything but boring. There are good family times, and some very sad times too. And Edith, typical of most young adolescents, struggles to understand her parents. She thinks her father doesn't like children, and watches her mother grieve over the death of her brother.

At the end of the novel, with a little bit of encouragement from her teacher, Miss Connelly, Edith has decided who she is and what she wants for her life.

Discussion

This lovely short novel was very touching. I could relate to the stories Edith told because my parents grew up during the same era and like Edith's family, both my mother and father's families also suffered the loss of a child. The poem, I Wonder What It Would Be Like, is about sleeping in a bed with two other children, something very common during the early part of the last century. The poem, Always One More, talks about how Edith's large family is like the wooden nesting dolls where there's always one more inside!

The back of the book has a short Author's Note about the author's mother, Edith Paul, as well as some family pictures. This would make a great book for a Mother-Daughter book club.

Book Details:
Looking For Me ... in this great big family.  by Betsy R. Rosenthal
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company      2012
172 pp.

Slated by Teri Terry

Terri Terry's debut novel, Slated, is set in 2054, in London which is ruled by the Central Coalition. The Coalition government came into power after  a devastating economic collapse in the 2020's and demonstrations and terrorist acts committed by students. The Coalition is the product of  the merging of two sides; the Law and Order movement which became the Lorders and the Freedom UK which wanted to rehabilitate young criminals. When the ability to erase memories was discovered, the two groups merged, resulting in a country ruled by the Lorders.

Sixteen year old Kyla has been "Slated" - that is, her memory wiped clean. Like every Slated person, Kyla is forced to wear a Levo device on her wrist. The Levo interacts with a chip implanted in the Slated teen's brain, detecting their mood. When mood levels are either extremely low or high, the wearer receives a zap that causes them to black out or have seizures. Any attempts to remove the Levo result in death. Slated teens can only have the Levo removed when they turn twenty-one.

After being Slated, teens are kept in hospital for six months where they are re-educated before being released to live with a brand new family. Kyla's new mom is Sandra Armstrong-Davis, whose father William Adam M. Armstrong eliminated the gangs threatening British society in the 2020's. Sandra's parents were killed in an act of terrorism. Kyla's new dad, David Davis, seems very kindly at first but Kyla soon grows suspicious of him. Her new older sister is nineteen year old Amy, who has a boyfriend, Jazz.

Kyla attends Lord William's School with her sister Amy who is behind a grade after being Slated. Kyla is tested and is put at grade level, something that is also very unusual. During this time Kyla is being watched over by several people called "Watchers" including Mrs. Ali who follows Kyla around at school.

Kyla has no idea why she was Slated. Although she's been told that all her memories and her personality have been wiped clean, Kyla knows that she is different. She's has been experiencing nightmares, which kept her hospitalized an extra three months, post-Slating. These nightmares seem to contain information from her life prior to Slating, although Kyla can't be certain. Kyla also discovers that she can draw using her left hand, and that she remembers how to drive. She also notices that when she gets angry, her Levo does not seem to work. Kyla wants to know why she was Slated and she wants to know who her family was before. Did they not want her? Do they know what has happened to her. The story that Slated tells is of Kyla's journey of self-discovery and truth.

Shortly after arriving home, Kyla meets Ben Nix at a group therapy meeting for Slateds. Ben also attends the same high school with Kyla, where he is in some of her classes. Ben encourages her to come running with him and Kyla discovers that running counters the affect of the Levo, allowing both of them to be more like their real selves. Kyla finds herself attracted to tall, handsome Ben but thinks that maybe another Slated girl, Tori is his girlfriend. Kyla like all Slateds has been told to stay away from boys until she is twenty-one.

When Tori goes missing, Ben learns, to Kyla's horror, that she was "returned" like an old pair of shoes. Soon Ben and Kyla discover that not only are Slated teens disappearing, but also Naturals too. Then Kyla witnesses Phoebe, a Natural who has been bullying Kyla,  being removed from school by the Lorders. Shortly after this, her beloved art teacher, Mr. Gianelli is also taken away by Lorders in front of the entire school.

Kyla is taken by Jazz to meet Mac, a twenty-something who has access to a computer. He tells Kyla about the many websites which parents and family are using in an attempt to locate missing children. From Mac's search, Kyla discovers the truth about her identity, but few clues to her past. Who was she? Why was she Slated?

Later Kyla takes Ben to meet Mac who introduces them to Aiden. Aiden works for MIA = Missing In Action, trying to locate people who were taken illegally by the government. They want to identify these missing people so they can expose the government and stop it. Some missing people are taken to be Slated. Some are taken by AGT (Anti-Government Terrorists) to try to disable or remove their Levos. This latter idea becomes very attractive to Ben. After an incident in which his Levo prevents him from protecting Kayla, he becomes obsessed with removing it - an act that could result in his death.

As more of her past reveals itself to Kyla and as she is confronted by someone from her past, Kyla must make the decision to either stay in the present and live her life as it is, or confront who she was in the past and perhaps return to that life. Kyla doesn't want to go back to her past but will she have a choice?

Slated is a good novel with a well developed storyline that holds the reader's interest to the very end. Kyla and Ben live in what is essentially a totalitarian society, where any resistance to authority is now useless. What was initially a technique developed to rehabilitate criminals, is now one used to control anyone who resists the authority of the state. When Mr. Gianelli protests, in a very mild way, the disappearance of Phoebe by drawing her portrait in art class, he finds himself carted off by the Lorders. Kyla finds herself watched constantly and repeatedly warned by Mrs. Ali that she is in danger of being "returned" when she asks questions. How better to put down opposition than by wiping your opponent's memory clean. How easy to prevent any sort of rebellion against what is happening by forcing these "rehabilitated" young people to wear a device that shocks them should they experience depression or anger? Terry has created a future world that is entirely believable and possible - a police state based on events which are all too common today - economic collapse and widespread anger.

As Kyla learns more about her new world, she realizes that she will need to learn how to live according to the Lorders rules. Even with her doctor, Dr. Lysander, who invented Slating, Kayla knows Lysander will recognize when she is lying so she must be careful to tell only part of the truth and never reveal all of it. It a psychological game of cat and mouse even though Lysander seems to suggest to Kyla that she is on her side.

Terry does a great job of portraying how Kyla's relationship with her new mother blossoms and how the initial impression of her new parents and of  Dr. Lysander gradually change thoughout the novel. At first her dad seems kind and warm, while her mother earns the nickname "dragon lady". However, it is her mother who saves her life when things go terribly wrong with Ben  while her father threatens her if she doesn't conform.

There's a touch of romance between Ben and Kyla that is sweet and filled with many tender moments. Kyla is still haunted by what she thinks is Ben's love for Tori. For the most part Ben is a rather boring character until the very end of the novel,  when he chooses a drastic course of action. His plainness is explained by the Levo toning him down so that we don't see the real Ben until he starts taking medication that counters the effect of the Levo.

The cliff-hanger at the end means we have to wait until the next book, Fractured, is published in  September, 2013!

Book Details:
Slated by Teri Terry
New York: Nancy Paulsen Books       2012
346 pp.

DVD Movie: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Part 1

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of three film adaptations by New Zealand producer, Peter Jackson, of J.R. Tolkien's novel, The Hobbit . Tolkien's novel is about a young  hobbit who undertakes a journey with dwarves to help them reclaim their lost kingdom. The novel, The Hobbit or There And Back Again, is considered a classic children's novel and it was so successful that Tolkien's publisher requested a sequel.

The story centers around a reserved, quiet-loving hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who goes on an epic quest with thirteen dwarves to help them reclaim their lost kingdom beneath Erebor,  the Lonely Mountain. The movie opens when Bilbo is tricked by Gandalf the Grey into hosting a dinner for thirteen dwarves, who include Thorin Oakenshield and his company. Thorin is set upon reclaiming his lost kingdom under the Lonely Mountain, which was destroyed during his grandfather, Thror's reign. Thorin wants to reclaim Erebor from Smaug the Golden, the great dragon who drove the dwarves from their city long ago. Smaug lies sleeping in The Great Hall beneath the Lonely Mountain, guarding a magnificent treasure of gold.

Gandalf, the Grey decides to help Thorin in his epic quest by organizing a sort of dinner party at the home of Bilbo and by suggesting that they use Bilbo as a burglar. The plan is to sneak into the Lonely Mountain through a secret door for which Gandalf has the secret key.

At first Bilbo doesn't want to participate, but eventually he joins the dwarves. The first part of their journey sees them encounter man-eating trolls who try to steal their ponies and doing battle with orcs and wargs. Inevitably, the group is led by Gandalf to Rivendell where they meet with the Elven master, Elrond and tell him of their quest. Also summoned is Sarumon the White, leader of the Wizards who is skeptical of Gandalf's warning about a rise of evil in Mirkwood, and Galadriel who listens carefully to Gandalf. Elrond  counsels against the dwarves journey but Gandalf is worried that if Smaug is not destroyed he will be used by Sauron to great harm.

Elrond takes the map that Gandalf gave Thorin and by the crescent moon tells them that the ancient runes on the map reveal that they will only find the door to the mountains on a certain night -Durin's Day when the setting sun and the last moon of autumn are both seen in the sky. The light on that day will reveal the key hole to open the door.

Against the advice of Elrond not to continue their journey, the dwarves set out once again, meeting the boulder-throwing stone giants, and eventually being captured by the orcs and taken deep into the mountains. Bilbo becomes separated from his comrades and meets Gollum who wants to eat him. But in a fight with an orc, Gollum loses a beautiful golden ring which Bilbo finds.  He tries to keep it a secret from Gollum but Gollum soon suspects that the hobbit has his precious magical ring and becomes enraged. While Gandalf helps the dwarves to escape the goblin king, Bilbo outwits Gollum and using the ring manages to barely escape the mountains and the orcs. The movie ends with the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf being brought to safety by the eagles.

Discussion

The Hobbit, like the Lord of the Rings series, is beautifully filmed, with an eye to detail, excellent casting, lots of special effects, and some revisions that make the overall story more cinematically workable. Filmed on location in New Zealand, there are the usual panoramic shots similar to those Jackson used to such great effect in Lord of the Rings. Martin Freeman makes an excellent, believable younger Bilbo Baggins. Richard Armitage of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South fame, manages to look sexy in his role as the fierce, prickly, Dwarf prince Thorin. Ian McKellan returns as Gandalf, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel and Elijah Wood as Frodo.

There's been some discussion about Jackson "stretching" The Hobbit into three films, but making the novel into three movies is possible because Jackson has worked information from the appendices of the Lord of the Rings into the film. These appendices fill the reader in on the entire history of Middle Earth through the different ages, relate the history of the kings and rulers of  Middle Earth, as well as  the re-emergence of Sauron. So Peter Jackson uses this extra information to develop the backstory of the rise of Sauron which occurs at the same time as the Hobbit. This will make the entire Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films more understandable to the viewer who might not have read the books and more complete to those who have.

Many sequences in the movie are well done. When Bilbo meets Gollum, the ensuing riddle contest by the underground pool is typically conniving and traitorous since we know Gollum has no intention of showing Bilbo the way out. But when he discovers his precious ring missing, and Bilbo discovers the secret of the ring, forces are set in motion that affect the whole of Middle Earth.

The scenes with flighty, scatterbrained Radagast the Brown are predictably hilarious, providing necessary comic relief as we learn that something dark has awakened in Mirkwood. The necromancer, who is later revealed to be Sauron, has established himself in the ruins of Dol Guldur. In the film, Radagast, reading the signs of an evil presence, travels to Dol Guldur and flees in terror to warn Gandalf about the evil presence there.

Although this adaptation is generally faithful to the novel so far, Jackson has taken some artistic license with the storyline. The Great White Orc, Azog, was actually slain by the dwarve, Dain Ironfoot, Nain's son during the final battle in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.  However, including Azog is cinematic license used to create dramatic tension, developing the conflict between the dwarves and orcs who are out to claim their realm. 

Jackson filmed the movie in 3D using Red Epic cameras at 48 frames per second (the usual is 24 frames per second). Unlike his Lord of the Rings movies, The Hobbit was filmed using digital cameras. Many of the orcs will have computer generated faces instead of wearing make-up and prosthetics. The props were created by Weta Workshop.

Fans of J.R. Tolkien may or may not love the movie, as Peter Jackson doesn't follow The Hobbit story exactly. But perhaps the best thing is that it might spur some younger viewers to read the book. The next movie, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is due out December 13, 2013.

The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist

Veronika lives with three other girls on an isolated island, along with Irene and Robbert who take care of them. Veronika, Caroline, Isobel, and Eleanor are all very different looking girls but are also very much the same. Veronika's hair is red, while Caroline has brown hair, Isobel is blond, and Eleanor's hair is black. All four have been on the island as long as they can remember. They have been told by Irene and Robbert that they are orphans and that their parents died in the same plane accident on a nearby island.

The girls are woken every morning by Irene from a dreamless sleep and after breakfast go for walks around the island. At first, all would go on the same walk but gradually Irene would teach them to go for walks by themselves and explore their surroundings.

One evening after a severe storm, Irene and the four girls go for a walk along the beach. Veronika discovers a girl face down in the grass near the bush. It is immediately apparent to the four girls that this girl is not like them. Seriously injured, the girl is taken to their classroom and is treated for her injuries. Veronika and the rest of the girls are told to stay away from this girl but eventually the girl, whose name is May and the four island girls meet. May is horrified by what they are and is angry and mean to them.

As Veronika tells her story, we learn what the four girls are, and that they are basically hiding from the world on this island. This makes May's leaving the island and impossibility because Irene and Robbert are fearful that she will tell others what she saw on the island. However, they may be too late to save their precious experiment on a hidden island, regardless of what they decide about May.

Gordon Dahlquist is a playwright and novelist and has indicated that this book began as a libretto for an opera many years ago! Told in Veronika's simple, direct voice, Dahlquist effectively captures the isolated and strange life of these unique four girls. Very quickly, the reader understands just what the four girls are and how they are experiencing the world around them.

However, using Veronika as a narrator is also the main difficulty with this novel. We are see the world through Veronika's eyes and therefore, we have a very limited understanding of what is going on, since Veronika's existence is so narrow. This means the reader knows only what Veronika knows. Initially, this sets up the mystery of who or what Veronika and the girls are but this is quickly resolved by the end of the first chapter (and unfortunately, is given away by the cover of the novel). This then leads into a second problem of how everyone will react to the appearance of May and how the problem of May will be resolved. However, the appearance and resolution of a third problem, that of the appearance of more people to their secret island,  is a muted experience for the reader because we experience it through Veronika who is in hiding. This all makes for a disappointing ending.

Dahlquist gives us hints at what the outside world is like when May tells the girls that people hate them and that they are destroyed.

"'I didn't know anything,' said May. 'I'd only heard, but hearing isn't real -- and everyone knows not to trust it. and nothing like that -- like you -- is tolerated, not any more,not in any towns. ...."

This leads us to understand that Irene and Robbert came to the island to escape harm and to continue their experiment unmolested.

May is a disappointing character as she is never truly developed - again likely because we are viewing her through the eyes of Veronika. The same applies to Robbert who just seems to be a filler character.

The cover will lead many readers to pick up the novel, but most will be disappointed with the storyline, the lack of character development and the hanging ending.

Book Details:
The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist
Toronto: Dutton Books    2013
230 pp.

Lindsey Lost by Suzanne Marie Phillips

"Nothing.  I know nothing. It's like yesterday never was."

Lindsey Lost is a suspenseful, murder mystery novel that keeps readers guessing right to the very end. The story is told over 12 days, beginning January 11, 2011 and running to January 23, 2011. The story revolves around a brother and sister, both of whom are high-performing athletes.

Micah Hamilton throws a fastball in excess of ninety miles per hour, earning him the nickname, "Comet". He is hoping to get into a good school and make the major league. Micah's girlfriend, Vivian Nguyen, is the "real deal". She keeps him anchored and they are very close. Vivian's mom died two years ago.

His older sister, Lindsey Michelle Hamilton is an outstanding track athlete who has run the mile in 4:18 and who has her sights set on the London Olympics. Lindsay placed at Nationals last year with a great time that threatens other top runners. Her dream is to place at Nationals and make the Olympic team for the 2012 London Olympics. Because Lindsey has been so focused on her athletics, she only started dating last year. Her first boyfriend was Jonas, a football player, on whom Lindsey had a big crush.But the relationship didn't last and now she's dating Micah's friend, Reed, who is obsessed with her.

Lindsey's longtime coach, Kelly, can help her achieve that dream. Kelly herself was an Olympian who placed fourth in the mile at Athens and she's hoping to follow Lindsey into a top track school. But, it turns out that Kelly and Lindsey have a major conflict over just how that dream will be achieved. Kelly wants Lindsey to attend UCLA, Kelly's alma mater, but Lindsey has other dreams too. After her track career, she wants to be a marine biologist studying sea turtles and she therefore, wants to go to USC which has an underwater lab.

Lindsey is in her senior year and this time of the year is her off-season. But things haven't been going well for Lindsey lately. For one thing, during the past two weeks, Lindsey finds that she has been slowing down and that she seems to be in a slump in her training. She doesn't know why, but she figures it's better to have the slump now than sometime in the next year when she can't afford to perform poorly. In addition to this stress, Micah notices that Lindsey is not getting along with Kelly. They argue

When Micah wakes up on January 13, on the living room couch, he learns that Lindsey has gone missing. He remembers that the previous night, January 12, his parents went looking for Lindsey when she did not return home from school. Micah does not remember anything that happened on January 12. He doesn't remember being with Lindsey and he doesn't remember what happened to her. His father, a doctor, tells him that this can be quite common in people who have experienced a terrible trauma and that his memory might return. Or it might not.

A search through the orchard that Micah and Lindsey often passed through on their way home from school results in the discovery of Lindsey's body. A missing person's investigation has now become one for murder. As Micah struggles to piece together the missing day, the list of suspects grows. But only Micah has the pieces to the puzzle that will solve Lindsey's murder.

Phillips builds suspense throughout novel using Micah as an unreliable narrator and what he reveals about Lindsey's relationships with each of the main characters. This is done sometimes by how they react to Lindsey's death and at other times by what is revealed about their relationship with her. For example, Micah's father becomes a suspect by the way he suggests that Micah might never get his memory back. He urges Micah not to talk to anyone else about his memories and to come to him first. This leads the reader to question whether he is trying to protect Micah or whether he is hiding something.

Likewise, Lindsey's conflicts with both Kelly and Reed also indicate a possible motive for murder. Even Micah is a suspect, based on what he can remember from that day and the evidence that the detectives collect from the murder scene.

This short novel will appeal to reluctant readers who enjoy mystery novels. The beautiful cover is a wonderful incentive to pick up the novel and check it out!

Book Details:
Lindsey Lost by Suzanne Marie Phillips
New York: Viking     2012
208 pp.

Easter Icons

"Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!"

As is often the case, art mimics life. Easter is the most important feast in the liturgical year for Catholics and Christians so it's not surprising that some of the world's most beautiful artwork has its basis in religious practice. Icons are probably one of my favourite types of art because of their unique style in portraying religious subjects. Icons are painted images of important religious figures such as Christ, angels and saints, and the devil. They also can portray biblical scenes, the parables of Christ and famous feast days. Like most religious art icons serve many purposes; they beautify churches and religious buildings, aid us in prayer, instruct us in the faith, and encourage the practice of virtue. You can read more about this on the Functions of Icons webpage.


One last note. I have chosen to write about icons today because they are an art form that has helped me in the practice of my faith. However, Orthodox Christians will not be celebrating Easter this Sunday, March 31,  with the Roman Rite church. For Orthodox Christians, their season of Lent is just beginning, and Easter will celebrated May 5 this year. This is because the Roman Catholic Church follows the Gregorian calendar which the Orthodox Church does not. Most Orthodox Churches use the Julian Calendar.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

This short novel in verse tells the unfortunate adventure of little Mavis Betterly after she is abandoned on the Kansas prairie. After their wheat crop fails and the Betterly's are financially strapped, May is taken by her father to the Oblinger homestead 15 miles west to stay until Christmas. For helping Mrs. Oblinger, who is a new bride and who hasn't adapted well to prairie life, she will earn some money for her family. May doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to leave her home and give up schooling.

Around my finger
I twist a blade of grass
It's what I've always wanted,
to contribute,
but not this way.
If I leave,
schooling is as good as finished.
Come Christmas I'll be home
but even farther behind.

When she arrives at the Oblinger's soddy, it's quite obvious to May that Mrs. Oblinger hates living on the prairie, despite her kindly husband's efforts. One day Mrs. Oblinger dresses up, saddles her horse on the pretense of going for a long ride on the prairie, only to never return. When May and Mr. Oblinger find her note, he sets off in pursuit of his wife. Not surprisingly, he doesn't return either and May is left alone on the prairie to fend for herself.

At first May revels in her new found freedom. There is no one to tell her to do chores, when to eat or sleep. She enjoys the lovely fall weather but soon May is filled with fear. The appearance of a wolf at the soddy and her loneliness lead her to attempt to walk home but she soon understands the futility of this. May realizes that she is stuck at the soddy until her father comes for her in December. As she struggles to survive on the remaining food stores left in the Oblinger's sod home, May reminisces about her time at school and her struggles to read. The reader comes to understand that May has a reading disability and that she has been labelled as stupid by the new Teacher. But May's response to her difficult situation is anything but stupid and she shows herself to be a resourceful, brave young girl.

Readers will enjoy Caroline Starr Rose's spirited heroine who loves the wide open prairie. Readers will be touched by May's struggle to learn how to read and how this difficulty can be so tied up in self esteem. May knows she isn't stupid but she is soon labelled as such and humiliated in front of the entire class. The author has created an interesting storyline filled with suspense and the poetry is short and tight, perfect for young readers to try a novel in verse. We eventually learn how May came to have her nickname, May B. and what happened that caused May B to be abandoned by the Oblingers.


Book Review:
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
New York: Schwartz & Wade Books     2012
231 pp.

Carl Bloch, Painter of Christ's Life and Passion

Carl Bloch is a Danish painter well known for his exquisite religious paintings. Bloch was born in 1843 in Copenhagen, Denmark. His parents were like most of any era, they were not keen on him studying art and hoped that he might become an officer in the Navy. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Art where is artwork garnered him a silver medal and eventually the opportunity to travel and study art. In the 1850's Bloch was able to travel to many European countries. The work of Rembrandt was a major influence on his art and this is very evident in his pictures.

Bloch received a commission to paint the life of Christ from J.C. Jacobsen who was a brewer. This project took him fourteen years and had a great impact on him both personally and artistically. Bloch was commissioned to paint 23 pictures for the Praying Chamber. He also painted eight altar pieces during his lifetime. His pictures of Christ are considered among the best ever painted and are my personal favourites. I enjoy Bloch's paintings because they make Christ more personal and are helpful for meditation.

The ones I love the best are those of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.In this image below of Christ with the soldier, Bloch captures the hatred and insolence of the soldier as he mocks Christ crowned with thorns.


Christ's crucifixion and his burial capture the horror of these moments, Mary prostrate at the foot of the cross, while John weeps inconsolably.

These paintings deal with Christ resurrected and when he meets the apostles on the road to Emaus.

In addition to his religious paintings, Bloch also painted landscapes and portraits. However, second only to his religious paintings were his beautiful etchings which captured the deep emotions of the passion of Christ. Among his most moving is the etching of Peter weeping over his denial of Christ.

Bloch died in 1890 of cancer.

The Darkest MInds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds is a fascinating science fiction novel, with a very unique premise. After the prologue set in the present, the novel opens by backtracking to when Ruby was ten years old. All around her, her classmates and friends are sickening and dying with what was first called Everhart's Disease but which eventually came to be known as IAAN - Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration. Children first began getting sick when Ruby was in Grade 4 and her first experience of it was seeing her classmate, Grace, drop dead in class.

But Ruby soon discovers that the adults, including her parents are terrified of the children who have not sickened and died. So terrified in fact, that the surviving children have been sent to special "rehabilitation" camps like Thurmond, located somewhere in Virginia. These camps are guarded by special armed forces known as PSI Forces but they do not rehabilitate.

Once there, the children are examined and undergo a CT scan to check their brains. They are then classified according to their special abilities into various categories; Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Red. Blues have telekenetic abilities, while Oranges can manipulate other peoples minds. Ruby sees this for herself when she arrives at the camp and a 13-year-old Orange causes an army officer to kill herself. When she sees how the yellow, oranges and reds are treated, she knows she cannot be classified as an Orange, so she manipulates the doctor who examines her and she is classified as a Green.

Eventually however, the scientists discover that some Yellows, Oranges and Reds have managed to escape detection. At Thurmond, the Calm Control, a special auditory signal designed to control the children, is changed to expose those children who have hidden their abilities. Ruby is one of these children and she is discovered through her serious adverse reaction to the CC signal. However, to her disbelief and great fear, a doctor, Cate Begbie surreptitiously slips her a note telling her to do exactly what she asks so as to save her life.

Ruby does what Cate asks and she is rescued from Thurmond. But when she meets Cate's boyfriend/partner Rob and she inadvertently touches him, she learns that he is not what he seems to be. Ruby decides that she needs to part ways with Cate and Rob and that happens sooner than she expects. While in the convenience store, she catches a young girl scavenging in the ruins and gives chase. When Ruby hears Cate and Rob searching for her she makes the decision to follow the girl into the van being driven by two other young people; eighteen-year-old Liam and his partner Chubs, who are both Blue,  while the little girl Suzume (Zu) is a Yellow who wears yellow gloves to protect others from her touch. Fear of being abandoned, once again leads Ruby into lying and she tells Liam and Chubs that she is a Green.

Shortly after picking up Ruby, the group finds themselves being pursued by Cate and later on by PSI Forces, as well as a skip tracer named Lady Jane whom Liam had a run-in with earlier. Driving in a battered black van Liam calls Black Betty, they flee from one town to the next in a game of cat and mouse. Their overall goal is to find a mysterious, hidden community of children and young people called East River. East River is run by a young person named Skip Kid who supposedly has repeatedly escaped the authorities, and offers children with special abilities a safe haven. The three of them, along with Zu want to find East River, contact their parents and hopefully go home. Ruby also wants to learn how to control her abilities so that she can live without the fear of harming people. As things are now, she must avoid all human contact.

However, when the four stumble across a group from East River and are taken there, Ruby is shocked to learn who Slip Kid is. The identity of Slip Kid is foreshadowed earlier in the novel, when Ruby was still an inmate at Thurmond. Very quickly she, Liam, and Chubs come to realize that East River is nothing like what they hoped. And Slip Kid even more so. Chubs even suggests that they have left behind one type of camp for another. Eventually, their confrontation with Slip Kid turns deadly leading Ruby to make some very difficult choices.

Discussion

In The Darkest Minds, Alexandra Bracken has crafted a remarkable tale, managing to create realistic characters and place them in heart-pounding situations that keep the reader craving more. The story is told in Ruby's voice which is authentic, making the reader feel every one of Ruby's fears and emotions. Ruby is a caring girl, who fully believes she is a monster. She knows what she is capable of, something readers don't know until more than halfway through the novel. As Ruby matures, she wants to understand how to control her unique abilities, rather than using them to harm people. She doesn't understand why other Oranges have done terrible things, whether they were this way before or  became what they are because of how they were treated. One of the great strengths of this novel is how Ruby begins to quickly mature throughout the story. Slip Kid, although a cruel and manipulative person, manages to teach Ruby something about her abilities and she begins to understand how she might survive in her "brave new world" without losing who she is.

In addition to the suspense, Bracken has added a developing romance between Liam and Ruby. This romantic element is filled with a great deal of angst however, because Ruby is afraid that her touch might hurt Liam. Nevertheless, the two manage to develop a deep friendship and it is this friendship that results in Ruby making the shocking decision she does at the end of the novel.

Perhaps more significant is the wonderful, pure friendship that eventually develops between Ruby and Chubs who is skeptical of Ruby the moment he encounters her. This leads to an element of conflict between the two, because Chubs intuitively knows she's hiding something and thinks she's a danger to their group. This conflict continues throughout most of the novel but is resolved near the end.

One of the interesting features of this novel is the author's use of the novel, Watership Down by Richard Adams. In this novel, a small group of rabbits living in southern England have their own culture. One of the rabbits, Fiver, has a vision in which he sees their home destroyed. Unable to convince the other rabbits to seek safety, Fiver, along with a group of rabbits leaves their warren to find a new home. When their warren is destroyed, they look for a new home and settle in Watership Down. But Watership Down is not ideal and problems ensue. They have no does and send representatives to another warren called Efrafa. However, they soon learn that Efrafa is a rigidly controlled warren where there are few freedoms. Some of the does however, do wish to leave the tyranny of Efrafa and they are helped by Hazel, Fiver's brother and the other rabbits. This results in a great conflict between the two warrens and an epic battle.

Ruby has read Watership Down and Chubs is reading it when they are traveling around in Black Betty. What happened in Watership Down is similar to what is happening in Ruby's life and she can relate to the rabbit's situation in the novel. Like Efrafa, East River was supposed to be a haven for the Psi children. Instead, it is ruled by the cruel Clancy Gray, who considers Oranges to be above everyone else. But Ruby knows that "by cunning and full of tricks" she can preserve a part of who she is and she can survive.

The Darkest Minds has a great cover that readers won't understand until they get a little ways into the novel. And the title is a reference to the mind of those labelled as Oranges, as it becomes evident that these young people have the superior capability to manipulate others - leading to the possibility of great abuse and tyranny. In other words, they have the darkest minds. The symbol on the cover is not a trident but is in fact the Greek letter Psi (φ) done in orange and yellow.

There's no other way to describe this book than awesome. It is in the same league as The Hunger Games, well written, good plot development and a kicker of an ending. The next book, Never Fade, will be published Fall 2013.

Book Details:
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
New York: Hyperion 2013
488 pp.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

Hattie Big Sky is a well-written novel that might be overlooked because of its generic historical fiction cover.  This young adult novel offers readers a delicious dose of the pioneer spirit set during the last year of World War I. Those who enjoyed the Laura Ingalls saga in Little House on the Prairie will certainly enjoy Hattie Big Sky and the recent sequel, Hattie Ever After.

It is December 1917. Sixteen year old Hattie Inez Brooks lives with her Aunt Ivy and Uncle Holt in Arlington, Iowa. Hattie lost both her parents when she was very young; her father was a miner who died from lung disease and her mother died a few years later from a fever. After her Mama died, her Aunt Seah took her in and was very loving towards her. But after Aunt Seah became too elderly to care for Hattie, she was passed from one relative to the next until she ended up in the home of her distant cousin, Uncle Holt. Aunt Ivy was not happy about this and now that Hattie is sixteen, she wants her to move out and work.

Hattie has a good friend in Charlie Hawley, a boy who stuck up for her, walked her to and from school every day. He also taught her how to throw a baseball properly and gave her a cat named Mr. Whiskers. Charlie enlisted in October and now in December is on his way to England and eventually to France. Although Hattie, along with the rest of the town believes Charlie is sweet on Mildred Powell, she decides to write him. When Charlie left for war, Hattie gave him a "wishing rock". 

One day Hattie receives a letter informing her that her Uncle Chester has bequeathed her his 320 acre land claim in Montana. The letter was written by Chester's neighbour, Perilee Meuller, who writes to tell Hattie that if she wants to come out to claim the land, they will help her. Knowing she has no future in Iowa in home where she is not loved,  Hattie decides to take a chance and move to Montana. So in January of 1918, she and Mr. Whiskers take the Great Northern Railway to Wolf Point, Montana. There she is met by Perliee Meuller and her husband, Karl, as well as Perilee's children, eight year old Chase, six year old Mattie and the baby, Fern. In Wolf Point, Hattie learns that in order to "prove up" on the claim, she must set 480 rods of fence and cultivate 40 acres of land by November 1918. She has no idea how she will accomplish this but Hattie decides that she needs to go to Montana because all her life she has been Hattie Here-and-There. Montana offers her the chance to have a real home of her own.

The Meuller's drive her out to the claim the next day, and Hattie is dismayed by what she sees. The house is a mere shack set in the middle of a vast tract of land and sky. While winter sets in, Hattie gradually adapts to the homesteading life, making good friends with Perilee and Karl, Rooster Jim a crochety, bad-smelling old friend of Chester's, and Leafie Purvis, an older woman who makes a living training horses.

Another person Hattie encounters is the handsome Traft Martin, a young man who runs his family's ranch, The Tipped M, which is the largest ranch in the area and which butts up against the northeast boundary of Hattie's claim. Traft is attracted to Hattie and tries to court her, but she isn't fooled by his good looks. It soon turns out that he has more than just courting on his mind. She also discovers that despite his winsome smile, Traft has a darker side. When Traft and those on the Council of Defense begin singling out Americans of German descent, Hattie refuses to follow along and break ties with the Meullers even after she is threatened by Traft. Tragedy follows tragedy but Hattie remains strong, faithful to those who have helped her, and learns about herself and life. Although Hattie works hard on her claim can she succeed in spite of bad weather, little money, and a rancher trying to steal her claim?

Discussion

In Hattie Big Sky, author Kirby Larson has crafted a truly delightful story that engages the reader right from the beginning. Hattie is a strong heroine, determined to make her way in the world, despite terrible odds in a troubling time. She remains true to herself when she stands up, at great personal risk, for those who are being unjustly attacked only because they come from a country that America is at war with. In this way, Hattie demonstrates that she is maturing into a principled adult who knows what she believes in and acts on those beliefs.

Hattie's story is told in a strong first person narrative but also includes the letters she writes to Charlie and Uncle Holt as well as her submissions about homesteading to the Arlington News. This allows us to know something about Charlie and to see how both Charlie and Hattie change over the year. Charlie's view of the war changes in that time. At first he brags about killing Germans, but later on when his best friend is killed, he realizes that killing another person is nothing to brag about. In Hattie's case, she came out to Montana to find a home for herself, but instead found friends who were as good as family. Initially she was only concerned about herself, but as she matures, she begins to develop a concern for those around her.

Many of the characters in the book are memorable, from Rooster Jim with his wild ways, to Perilee and Karl, the stoic couple who help Hattie and who are attacked because Karl is German. Traft Martin, who at first seems like a potential love interest, is revealed as a complex character. Even the animals have interesting personalities as evidenced by the hilarious descriptions of Hattie's cow, Violet, and the three hens she gets from Rooster Jim.

Hattie Big Sky is a wonderful novel about the meaning of friendship and loyalty, finding your place in the world and coming of age.

Larson indicates that many of the events in the novel actually happened. It was her great-grandmother Hattie Inez Brooks Wright who homesteaded in Montana. While doing her research on homesteading during World War I, Larson realized that anti-German sentiment was very common during this time period and therefore, needed to be part of the story.

Book Details:
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
New York: Delacorte Press 2006
289 pp.

The Monster's Monster by Patrick McDonnell

Three little monsters, Grouch, Grump, and Little Gloom 'n Doom are bad, bad, bad. But they can't decide who is the baddest of all, so instead they decide to build their own very monster. This monster will be the baddest ever. But to their surprise, he doesn't tramp through town and countryside terrorizing people. Instead, Monster is gentle and grateful, not at all what they were aiming for! McDonnell's delightful rhyme is a lesson in gratitude for little people -- and big people too. Illustrations and text seamlessly go together to make a truly delightful book for ages 3 to 6.

McDonnell is the author of the acclaimed comic strip, MUTTS and also author of numerous children's picture books. He began writing picture books in 2005, with the publication of his first book, The Gift of Nothing, which was a New York Times bestseller. This marked the beginning of some very engaging books which McDonnell has written since then.
You can check out Patrick McDonnell's website at Mutts.

Book Details:
The Monster's Monster by Patrick McDonnell
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers    2012
40 pp.