Kittenpie Reads KidLit

by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Amal is a pretty average girl living in Australia, though she is pretty new at her snooty prep school, and it's a bit strange after being at a school that was rooted in the Muslim community for years. Despite wanting to blend in at McLean, she decides over the holidays to start wearing the hijab as a step farther into living her faith as a fuller part of her life. This is not met without resistance, let's just say...

Her parents, to begin with, are concerned about the opposition they fear she will encounter, and worry that it may hold her back because of how she will be perceived by others. Their worries aren't unfounded, and she does indeed encounter some nasty moments along the way. Her principal is not on board, to begin with, though her parents convince her to allow the addition to the school uniform.

Her own biggest worries come with her return to school and the dog-eat-dog social world of high school. For one thing, she is already a target of mean girl Tia and her friends. For another, she has a major crush on school cutie Adam. She has some rock-solid friends, but they do have some issues of their own that they are wrestling with, making Amal's struggles to fit in as an identifiably Muslim girl in a very white school only one of the issues that this book covers.

Amal is smart and sassy, and determined not to be defined or limited by people's perceptions. She sets out to inform the people who make clueless comments about the differences and similarities between Islam and other major religions, and to point out stereotypes and assumptions where they rear their ugly heads. She wins some people over this way - including Adam, who suddenly presents a new problem, when she realizes that what part of her wants, another part does not, for she is level-headed enough to remember that her religious beliefs about intimacy are more important to her than what her heart is telling her she wants with him.

In the end, the book sets out to expose and correct a lot of ignorant beliefs and assumptions, and does a fine job of it. The characters are likeable, and have the reader with them the whole way. And best of all, the author manages to make several good points, and make them strongly, without sacrificing any of the fun in this moving book about growing up Muslim in Australia to her message.

Labels: 2005, family, friendship, girly, good stuff, growing up, issues, set abroad, teen

by Patricia McCormick

A book about a girl tricked into leaving her parents and sold into human slavery in the sex trade is, as you might imagine, not a topic for the young or faint of heart. This definitely belongs in the teen range with its content, though I do think an older child, say a grade 6 with some sophisticated reading habits, could handle it, because while Lakshmi is in a horrific situation, the writing of it is handled gently.

The story is told slowly, so that the circumstances that led to her mother allowing her to leave the home become clear, and the mother is not painted as someone who has easily abandoned her child to the mercy of others. The manipulations used by the various traders along the way are revealed, so the reader can see how people are tricked by them. Lakshmi's introduction into the sex trade, even, is handled carefully, never using shock value or graphic description, but couching it more in the language of the child the Lakshmi is, since she is telling her own story here.

This is a worthwhile read for an older child or a teen who can handle it, who is interested in what is happening in the wider world, because this is very real, but of course, it is a topic that makes this book one to recommend carefully to the right child. for all that I picked it up worried that I would be horrified, I was pleased to find that McCormick has managed admirably the tricky balance of cushioning the brutality and horror without downplaying the truth of what happens to girls in this situation.

Labels: 2006, good stuff, growing up, issues, middle grades, set abroad, teen

by Eric Walters

Eric Walters, it seems, is finding his niche in writing sensitive takes on major disasters and making a plausible story of one family's experience in that setting. He takes that same direction here, writing the story of a family vacation in Phuket, Thailand, that is turned quite literally on its head with the massive tsunami that wreaked havoc on the Indian Ocean in December 2004.

The writing is believable, and while he does take on some difficult moments, he carefully treads the line between allowing some of the tragedy to occur, making the story truer to life, versus bringing too much to his main characters, which the reader has come to know. It's a balance, and mostly he does it well, though I do sometimes think the happy ending is not always the best for the story.

Walters' level of detail is strong, and he has clearly done his research, both in how tsunamis happen and in what it was like that day, as he writes compelling description that meshes with what video and photos of the day show, as well.

If you have a child who is fascinated by disasters or wants something with a little true-to-life action and danger, this would fit the bill nicely.

Labels: 2009, action/adventure, Canadian, family, growing up, lukewarm, middle grades, Publisher Reviews, set abroad, siblings

Dodsworth in New York
Dodsworth in Paris

by Tim Egan

This pair of cute, quirky books about Dodsworth and his friend's duck and their travels is a great addition to the Beginning to Read level of short, simpler books.

Start with New York - order matters here, as they set out on their adventures and we see that the duck is along for the trip because a) he stows away in Dodsworth's luggage and b) Dodsworth feels responsible for getting his friend's duck back home safely to him. Which means that his time in New York is mostly spent chasing the crazy fowl around the city and seeing sites incidentally along the way.


Which is also sort of how he gets to Paris - he and the duck were about to get on a train back home (having let his friend know they were okay), when he spots the duck boarding a boat, follows him, and finds the boat pulling away, Paris-bound.

In Paris, though, he and the duck make their peace, and manage to have a good trip together, even though the duck can't seem to help but get into trouble. By the end, all is right again, and they board a hot air balloon - which seems to be headed for England. I smell another installment!

These are great fun, a little offbeat, and especially suited for a kid who is curious about the world or likes a little adventure. They're going on the reading pile here, without question.

Labels: 2007, 2008, action/adventure, early chapters, friendship, good stuff, set abroad

When her mother returns from a new tomb in Egypt with a spectacular artifact, Theo can tell right away it's cursed like crazy, as well as being precious. Before she can try to clear away its magic, though, it is stolen. Trying to get it back leads her into dangerous territory, despite the two allies she has picked up on the way, and brings her to the offices of Lord Wigmere and his secret society dedicated to the protection of artifacts within Britain. He is impressed with her natural abilities, and enlists her aid in recapturing the stolen Heart of Egypt returning it to its tomb in order to stave off plagues and perils that could topple the entire nation. In doing this, though, she must also evade the Serpents of Chaos society, who have big plans for that artifact, and won't take kindly to being thwarted.


Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris


Once again, a rousing tale of near misses, sneaking messages, precious artifacts, crazy curses, and wild adventure - I devoured this book in a mere couple of days, which is pretty impressively riveting for a slow reader like myself.

Labels: 2008, action/adventure, family, growing up, historical fiction, loved it, middle grades, set abroad, witches and wizards

His dad is in a panic, and no one seems to be making any progress, so knowing that they have solved puzzles together before, his dad asks Tommy and Petra to come and help figure out what could have happened, along with an older neighbour who had played a key part in an earlier mystery.

There is a little less puzzle-solving and a little more on-foot discovery here, but the relationships between the kids are still really well-drawn, and the emphasis on how inspiring art and ideas can be is as strong as ever, even leading each of the trio to start seeing patterns in words and numbers the way the others do. I love that about these books, that these kids are smart and quirky without being painted as hopeless geeks, and that their interests are not only useful tools, but also fun ways to look at what is around them.

Labels: 2008, friendship, good stuff, middle grades, set abroad, suspense

by Kim Kane

Olive is an odd-looking young girl who lives with a single mom who is single-mindedly chasing a career goal, and putting in too many hours to really be there for Olive at the moment. She doesn't quite fit in among the ruthless social structure at her girls' school, either, but has a best friend who shares her love of long baths, dress-up, and good snacks. The friend helps, gives her someone with whom to stave off the lonely hours, and a sense of belonging. So when her friend falls prey to the lure of the popular girls and is eager to be brought into their fold even at the expense of her friendship with Olive, Olive is cut adrift.

With too many free hours to start contemplating life, Olive's ever-present curiosity about her father grows unbounded. He is know to her only known by name and old stories of how the family lived as hippies when she was a baby, plus one old photo, so there is plenty of scope for her imaginings. And then one day, the day she is dealt the final parting insult by her former best friend and the top girls, she discovers her twin. Pip.

This twin moves in with her, goes to school with her, provides her with company, and eggs her on, getting her to do some things she wouldn't do on her own, and even getting her into some small trouble at school. (The twin, it is never explicitly said, is imaginary.) In fact, the twin so emboldens Olive that the two of them together hatch a plan to find their father, using clues to figure out last place he was known to be and plotting out how to get there.

And they do it. They skip school, lie to their mother, and board a train for a town a little ways away down the coast of Autralia. What they find, though, is not what Olive dreams of, but a man who has built a life with no room in it for her. The book ends with Olive having the answers she needs to move forward, even if they are not as she hoped - realistic, yet not depressing, for other things have turned up well in the meantime.

Her mother's aspiration has been met, and she will have more time, as well as seeing how desperately Olive needs her around. Olive has found a new friend at school during all of this, a girl with similar sense of humour and lack of interest in the school's hierarchy, so she can let Pip fade away, disappearing from her mirror and leaving her one.

The language in this book is lovely, capturing the beauty of the wild coastline and a less-structured life with a strong sense of the wistful. Longing is palpable, befitting Olive's emotional state through most of the book. And as someone who had her own unanswered questions about her absent father at this same age, I know it to be true. In fact, I had a friend with whom I plotted a trip out west to my father's last-known whereabouts as well - but it's a longer trip than Olive made, and my friend and I just plotted and dreamed, both too practical to really convince ourselves to go. Still, I know the pull of wanting to just know, and I found it pitched well here.

And for concerned parents - the dangers inherent in such a trip are not ignored by Olive entirely. She has been focused on the puzzle and the planning, not thinking of that until she has set out, but when she starts to think of that and second-guess her decision on the way, it seems too late to turn back, and she goes ahead, cautiously.

I found this book haunting and lovely, yet grounded in emotions that I recognized - a read for a thoughtful child, or one a little more mature.

Labels: 2009, family, friendship, growing up, issues, loved it, middle grades, Publisher Reviews, set abroad

by John Van de Ruit.

Spud is the nickname granted to the 13-year-old John Milton, new arrival at boarding school, who has not yet reached puberty. While this is a source of some embarrassment, it also grants him the most beautiful voice in school, his ticket to stardom in the school play and among the girls joining his school to perform it. Besides this ongoing internal struggle, though, he has plenty of other things to deal with, for he is, as he frequently notes, surrounded by lunacy. His family is completely bonkers and embarrass him at school funtions frequently, though they seem favourites among the faculty. He finds some friends among the teachers, too, though they are rife with their own issues and quirks. And finally, he resides in a dorm that becomes known over the year as "The Crazy Eight."

The Crazy Eight are a pretty motley cast of characters, each with a nickname and his own oddity. There are, for example, Gecko, the sickly one; Fatty, the great eater; Mad Dog, the hunter; Rambo, the macho man; and RainMan, the demented one. There are ferocious rivalries with other boys that lead to occasionally vicious pranks, there are school traditions like birthday hazing to keep up with, and there are Rambo's own invented challenges, like the night swim which leads to disaster not once but twice. All this makes for one heck of a crazy school year, but one in which Spud learns a lot, grows a lot, and though his voice doesn't crack yet by the end, he is a whole lot closer to becoming the man he wants to be.

The book has heart and hilarity in equal measure, and had me often enough laughing out loud like a loon on the subway. If you like a good laugh and you don't mind the looks you get from the other transit riders when you crack up, I'd recommend this one, for certain.

Labels: 2007, growing up, humour, loved it, set abroad, teen

Labels: 2006, historical fiction, lukewarm, set abroad, teen

by Allan Stratton. Michael Printz honour book (the teen equivalent of a Newbery honour).

I had heard a lot of buzz around this one, and sometimes that ruins a book (or movie, for that matter) for me. But I was also expecting something heavier, something less optimistic, so the turn for the positive was a nice surprise.

Essentially, this is a book about Africa, about the stories of family breakdown, of the way young girls can become used and abused so easily, about the destructive powers of gossip, and, mostly, about the deep and terrifying impact of AIDS in Africa. Chanda's family is doing well, until her father is killed in a mine explosion, after which her mother finds herself with another man, who they leave after he rapes Chanda. Her next partner leaves them somewhat better off, leaving his house to Chanda's mother when he dies, but the last man, Jonah, runs around and brings home the dreaded disease to Chanda's mother before he leaves and then dies himself. Chanda's friend Esther, having lost her parents, is also at risk, having started to sell her young body in an attempt to earn enough to bring together her siblings again. By the end, Chanda's mother is sick and leaves her to care for her siblings. Chanda goes after her, and finds her dying alone, of AIDS. She decides at this point that she is sick of the shame and knows that she and her mother have nothing to be embarrassed about. She brings her mother home to die with her family around her. With the house and her siblings left to her care, she invites her friend to bring her siblings and live with them, too, sharing chores and the safety of their own home and scorning the gossip that has spread about Esther. When Esther tests positive, Chanda continues to hold her head high, going to the clinic with her in support, despite what people may say. Indeed, her attitude changes the opinion of the neighbour gossip, who gets off her high horse and throws her own weight behind Chanda in the end.

There is a lot here about how superstition and ignorance and fear of people's talk contribute to the spread of both disease and refusal to deal with it. Close to the end, Chanda and her friend go to a clinic, having decided they were sick of the shame and the stigma, and they see a sign: Everyone is either infected or affected. The virus' impact runs deep, not only killing thousands so that new graveyards are full almost before they are opened, but isolating and dividing, as the stigma and fear is enormous.

I love that this book, despite taking on a serious and tragic story, one all too common, manages to end on a lovely note. Not a light, everything's-going-to-be-just-fine note, which wouldn't work, but a hopeful note, with a heroine who finds a way to do what she knows to be right, a way to cope and go on, a way to work towards a future for herself and those she loves. I'm a sucker for an optimist, and I love a strong, pragmatic main character, so this just worked for me.

Labels: 2004, good stuff, issues, set abroad, teen