If you throw a graphic novel in with a bunch of books with words in it, do you really think the majority of kids will pick anything else?  It was a decent book with a good plot, but come on….

So, for 2010-2011, the Surrey Schools’ Book of the Year Nominees are:

• Cyberia / Chris Lynch  (160 pages, Science Fiction)
• Dreamcatcher / Stella Calahasen (96 pages, Realistic Fiction, Aboriginal)
• Frozen in Time / Ali Sparkes (336 pages, Science Fiction)
• How to Steal a Dog / Barbara O’Connor (192 pages, Realistic Fiction)
• Lemonade War / Jacqueline Davies (192 pages, Realistic Fiction)
• London Eye Mystery / Siobhan Dowd (136 pages, Realistic Fiction)
• Lost Riders / Elizabeth Laird (304 pages, Realistic Fiction)
• The Magic Half / Annie Barrows (224 pages, Fantasy)
• Safe as Houses / Eric Walters (160 pages, Historical Fiction)
• The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook / Eleanor Davis (154 pages, Science Fiction, Mystery, Graphic Novel)

Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to read these, although I enjoyed the London Eye Mystery last spring.  I do think the larger books will have fewer readers, and fewer votes because of it. Frozen in Time does sound interesting, so I may have to pick that one up sometime.

For more information:  http://surreybooks.co.nr/

Sadly, as you get to know the characters, tragedy befalls them, and they must learn to cope.  This book has a lot of emotion and was really hard to put down.  It hits all the right points to make this a strong story about compassion, understanding, and how important certain people can be in your life.

Highly recommended: Ages 14 and up

Objectionable material:  drug use, drug overdose, domestic violence, mention of sex

For more information about the author:  http://thetaratracks.com/

After skimming the inside cover, San Diego caught my eye.  Having lived there, I was excited about the potential of this book.  If I’d read the entire blurb carefully, I would have realized this book was not for me.  The story expects you to check your reality at the door.  I found it too girly and contrived, trying hard to be a book that 10 – 13 year old girls would like — lots of boy crushing and obsession, some shopping, and mostly stereotypical girly behavior, including lengthy descriptions of outfits.

Sherry, a middle school girl from Phoenix goes to San Diego for Spring Break while her father and stepmother go on their honeymoon.  Sherry’s mother, a ghost, asks for her help to solve a mystery in San Diego in order to further her career in the Academy of Spirits. Adventure, conflict and comedy ensue in Sherry’s pursuit to solve the mystery.

Responsible parents are absent in this story where the main character, Sherry, spends most of her time traipsing around the Wild Animal Park and the Hotel Del in Coronado with her 13-year old friend Junie and Junie’s 17-year old boy-crazy cousin, Amber.  The reality that a 13-year old would be allowed to sneak off the tour train at the Wild Animal Park, get a job working for an evil chef, or be allowed to go places with complete strangers is not something most parents would allow.  It’s also hard to believe Sherry’s dead mother would ask her to put herself in jeopardy by helping her solve a mystery so that her mother could further her ghostly career.  Other characters such as the evil chef and the arthritic old people are very stereotypes and lack originality.

I did enjoy a few things from this book:  Sherry’s dead grandfather has been reincarnated as a wren that warbles garbled advice, and some of the humor in the book is pretty funny.  For example, I laughed when Sherry summoned her mother by the aroma of coffee, in particular, when she begged for a bucket of coffee at the Wild Animal Park on her first visit.

Recommended for:  extremely girly tweens (10-13)

Objectionable material: some kissing between Sherry and Josh

I enjoyed the well-researched historical perspective of the novel.  The speech was very authentic and added flavour.  The characters were well developed, and I actually enjoyed Nate Fowler’s view of the world.  Women, as in the historical time period, play small parts in the novel; however, the tawdry women of the bawdy houses in Covent Garden are mentioned frequently, but mostly in a negative context.I found the ending a little too Walt Disney, but I did think the choice Kit made in the end was the right one.  Teen boys who love historical fiction will enjoy this book.  I think it may be a hard sell to everyone else.  However, it does give a great perspective on the harshness of life in the seventeenth century.

Questionable material:  streetwalkers, subtle mentions of erections, sex, venereal disease, theft

Gr. 7 and up

• Champ by Marcia Jones
• The Gypsy Crown by Kate Forsyth
• How to Save Your Tail by Mary Hanson
• Ivan the Terrible by Anne Fine
• Listen! by Stephanie Tolan
• Out on a Limb by Gail Banning
• Pete’s Gold by Luanne Armstrong
• Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale
• The Talent Thief by Alex Williams
• The Vampire’s Visit by David Poulsen

After reading all of the above books, and wondering why some of them were even included, I believe the winner will be:

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale

Why?

Because it is a graphic novel, appealing to both boys and girls, with bright, colorful illustrations and a fast-paced plot.  Last year’s winner, The Stonekeeper (Amulet, Book 1) was also a graphic novel.  This is definitely the genre of choice these days.

Who should win and why?

The Gypsy Crown by Kate Forsyth was a solid and exciting adventure novel, well written with short, exciting chapters, but students might find reading 432 pages a bit daunting, particularly when they know they have to read at least five of the ten nominated books.

Alternate winner?

Champ by Marcia Jones might win since it’s a thinner quick read with a positive message for both boys and girls. Oh, and animals are great, even if they have three legs.

Again, after reading all of the above books, I have to wonder why the powers that be don’t just narrow it down a bit more.  Some of these books don’t stand out, others are too gender-specific to get a fair amount of votes. I would like to see more Surrey Teacher-Librarians nominate more titles for consideration and review recommended books prior to their official nomination.  I get the feeling only one or two people are submitting titles out of desperation.  Limit it to five books people, and I think more students will read!

So now we have to wait until June 2010 to get the results.  I’ll report back then.

The book is full of wonderful imagery and a story that is exciting and new.  I really enjoyed reading about all the magical creations – glass balls that can cause lightning or tsunamis, mechanical animals that communicate with their masters, even the magical fingers that Neel possesses.

Recommended:  Gr. 4 – 8

Objectionable materials:  Mikal, Petra’s father, has his eyes surgically removed and bandaged.  The evil Prince is cruel and violent, but none of the violence is overly graphic.

For more information: http://www.marierutkoski.com/

Our unnamed character keeps an audio diary, as he thinks a written diary is for girls.  His entries are usually short, oblivious, and hilarious. I am in awe of the author, Maureen Fergus, for getting into the true head of a teenage boy who’s all about food, money, girls, and porn (or at least the pursuit of porn without being caught by his mom).

Our hero and his family move from Saskatchewan to Winnipeg, Manitoba to run their grandma’s failing House of Toilets in an area of the city that has become rundown and frequented by homeless people.  Our hero’s mom forces him to help out at Jerry’s soup kitchen when another one of his dumb plots fails.

Everything our hero does seems to backfire.  A Halloween prank goes awry when a house is damaged and a bowling ball bag is encrusted with dog poop (forgotten when the prank goes wrong). When he must take Ukrainian dancing and his partner finds him utterly useless, he tells everyone that she’s been giving him hickeys, even though he’s been doing it with the vacuum cleaner.

When the city threatens to shut the soup kitchen, our hero reluctantly becomes a supporter to keep it open.  Our hero somehow manages to do enough wrong things to make it right in the end.

I don’t know how this author managed to get into the mindset of a teenage boy, but the result is perfection.  This book, despite some its mature themes, resonates well and maintains humor throughout.  It’s been days since I read it, and I’m still shaking my head and laughing at the character (I wish he had a name!)

Oh, and one final thought:  this book does not sound like a Canadian book – Americans, please pick it up and read it!  Teens anywhere can relate to our reluctant hero!

Highly recommended:  Gr. 7 and up

Objectionable material:  boys read porn magazines, talk about sex and girls

For more information:

Sample chapter:  Exploits of a Reluctant … Chapter 1

Grace feels awkward about her changing body. There are a lot of shedding references which symbolize her growth, but it also gives us some practical background on her chosen pets. Her friend Cathy, boy and make-up crazy, tries to make Grace more like her, but Grace is comfortable enough in her own skin to realize who she is, and with whom she wants to hang out.

I really enjoyed this unconventional female character who loves lizards and doesn’t want to grow up and turn out like everyone else.

Girls will enjoy Lizard Love, with a great message that says being different is okay.

Recommended: Gr. 5-8

Objectionable material: puberty, breasts, menstruation, lizards and snakes mating.

For more information: http://wendytownsendwriter.com/books-by-wendy-townsend.html

12-year old Rapunzel lives a charmed life in a grand villa surrounded by high walls.  Mother Gothel warns her about looking outside the walls, but she does it anyway and sees a world around her that is bleak, industrial, and depressing – a far cry from her sheltered paradise.  Rapunzel encounters her real mother, a worker in the mines. Mother Gothel throws her mother in jail and sends Rapunzel to live in a very tall tree in the woods until she changes her ways, something Rapunzel refuses to do. Four years pass in the tree. Rapunzel learns what she can and finds practical uses for her long braided hair.

One day, she finally escapes from the tree and meets up with a wanted outlaw named Jack.  Working as a team, they avoid capture (although Rapunzel is the one with the brawn and Jack is the one getting all the credit!). As they travel through the wild west, they visit some strange and interesting towns, including one where some Scandinavian villagers fish with mining picks.  This absurd idea made me laugh.  Rapunzel and Jack return to Mother Gothel’s to set things right and show that teamwork and fairness are better than black magic.

Girls and boys will enjoy Rapunzel’s Revenge.  Although the illustrations are not always flattering, the story and humor will keep the reader entertained to the end.

Recommended:  Gr. 3 – 7

For more information: http://www.squeetus.com/stage/main.html

Cressida is a talented teen who sings beautifully.  She and her brother Adam, whom she considers utterly talentless, are invited to the “Festival of Youthful Genius” by a man named Fortescue, who turns out to be the evil villain.  He has befriended a strange creature with an amazing ability to extract talent and save it to an orb. Fortescue plans to use this to become powerful.  Adam seems to be the only one who realizes this and wants to do something about it.  When Cressida’s singing talent is stolen by the creature, Adam plans to get it back.

With the help of female race car driver, Amy, and famous tracker, Saul, both of whom have also lost their talents, they attempt to catch up with Fortescue to get their talents back.  There is no depth to Amy and Saul’s characters, and Amy’s tough “American speak” is quite grating.

The plot involves breaking into Fortescue’s secret lair and saving Adam, who may possess a talent after all.  The book is set up for a sequel, as the villain escapes, and the creature is potentially trapped.  Cressida and Adam seem to come to some understanding, but it’s not the usually warm, fuzzy “I love my sibling and he’s worthy” kind of feeling; instead it seems rather stand-offish.

For me, this book took too long to read.  I actually went out of my way to find other things to do than read this book. The idea was great, but the story needs better, deeper characters.  I thought it was just me, but when I conferred with another teacher-librarian, she agreed that this book was hard to like, and couldn’t figure out how it got nominated for the Surrey Schools’ Book of the Year.

I did like the last chapter which builds on the character of the creature.  It’s just too bad that the potential came so late in the story.

Reading level:  Grade 5-7

Objectionable material:  Fortescue says “damn” often.