Book Scavenger

Book Scavenger

By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Imagine a scavenger hunt that involves deciphering secret codes and following clues that could take you all over the city – any city.  Now imagine that the prizes you are seeking are all books.  You can even hide your own books and leave clues for other players.  This is the game of Book Scavenger, and 12-year-old Emily is an avid player.

Emily’s family prides itself on moving to a new city and state every couple of years.  Never having established herself in one place, Emily doesn’t have any friends, but she loves to play Book Scavenger.  When she moves to San Francisco and meets James, a puzzle-loving computer guy, Emily feels she has met a kindred spirit.  

But cracking codes and tracking down books take on a kind of urgency after Garrison Griswold, creator of Book Scavenger, is mugged in a BART (subway) station.  When Emily and James find the book he left behind – The Gold-Bug by Edgar Allen Poe – they discover Griswold’s newly invented game.  Emily is more than excited to begin solving the mystery of The Gold-Bug, but she doesn’t expect to be followed by some very shady characters.  It seems Griswold’s game will lead to treasure, and some people will do anything to find it.

Book Scavenger is a child’s dream: mystery, adventure, codes and ciphers, secret treasure and friendship abound.  The love of books is what spurs Emily on in this can’t-put-it-down thrill-ride through San Francisco.  Any child who loves books will adore Book Scavenger as much as I did! 

Highly recommended. Grades 4-7.

Any Questions?

Any Questions?

By Marie-Louise Gay

A thought-provoking release from Marie-Louise Gay, this picturebook aims to not only answer questions but more importantly, encourage children to keep asking questions. Often children will express an interest in where stories come from and how a book is made, and Gay inspires children to capture their imaginations on paper. Through a creative tag-team approach, author and characters work together on writing and illustrating a story.

Marie-Louise Gay has doodled, collaged, and painted words and pictures including, but not limited to, her Stella and Sam characters, snails, penguins sledding, cats riding on paper airplanes, and mushroom-devouring beasts. The large format provides the audience with lots of space to appreciate the beasts, giants and elephants. Gay has made an enjoyable collection of illustrations. The different fonts, speech bubbles and energy make Any Questions? a truly fun book to read.

Spirit Bear

Spirit Bear

By Jennifer Harrington, illustrated by Michael Arnott

Annuk is a baby bear, born to a black bear mother.  Deep in the Great Bear Rainforest, Annuk discovers that he is special; unlike his siblings, Annuk is a white “Spirit Bear”.  His mother tells him that one day, he will “catch more salmon than any bear in the forest.”

While fishing in the river, Annuk becomes separated from his family. Despite being a young bear, he must navigate the wilderness and both friends and foes to find his way home.  Encountering a series of animals along the way, Annuk leads us through the diversity of a British Columbia forest.  Foxes, wolves, turtles, eagles, whales and wolverines abound.

 

Spirit Bear is the archetypal story of a child who has lost his mother and must face dangerous odds to find her again.  This is the child’s survival story, where separation from the parent is a terrifying prospect.  But Annuk is clever, and demonstrates that he, like all children, has the internal resources to persevere.

This book is also a celebration of the diversity of the British Columbia forests, raising environmental awareness and drawing attention to the Gitga’at people.  After the story, Harrington has included some information about the Gitga’at First Nation, explaining its people’s belief that “the spirit bear has supernatural powers, and that it is the guardian of the rainforest.”

Award-winning illustrator Michael Arnott also emphasizes the diversity of the rainforest with his brightly coloured illustrations.  A member of the Batchewana First Nation of Northern Ontario, Arnott’s love of nature shines through.

The book also contains information about the Spirit Bear Teachers’ Package, which will be of interest to those bringing First Nations and environmental concerns into their classrooms.

This picture book will appeal to 4-8 year olds.

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak

By Robert Beatty

Serafina is a 12-year-old girl who lives in the grand Biltmore Estate in 1899.  Owned by the famous Vanderbilt family, the house itself is beautiful and vast, almost a castle.  The grounds are lovely, manicured, and surrounded by forest.  But Serafina is not a rich girl or even a servant.  She lives hidden in the basement with her father, the workman who keeps the new-fangled electric lights running.

Serafina and her pa have lived in the basement for 12 years. She is an expert at hiding, prowling the estate at night when everyone is asleep.  She is a hunter, mostly of rats and mice, which she catches with her bare hands.  Like other hunters, she knows how to stay silent and watchful, observing the residents and guests of Biltmore in all their finery.

Like other hunters she is also drawn to the forest, but forbidden to enter.  The forest is full of dangerous beasts, possibly demons, and many other things both “dark and bright”.  Yet the forest holds an allure that she cannot explain.

One night in the basement, Serafina hears the unusual sounds of people descending the stairs; no one at Biltmore ever comes to the basement at night!  As they approach, Serafina realizes that a young girl is being chased by a man, who is trying to assure her that she will not be hurt.  Closer and closer they come, and Serafina watches the terrifying ordeal.  The man is wearing a black cloak, and when he finally gets his hands on the screaming girl, he wraps his cloak around her and poof!  She disappears.

Is the girl dead?  Has he somehow consumed her, body and soul? 

Intent on solving this mystery, Serafina becomes bolder, roaming the house during the day.  A pall is cast over Biltmore as children begin to disappear.  Search parties are organized to no avail.  Serafina wants to help, but who would believe the things she saw?

Finally, hungry for a friend and confidante, Serafina allows herself to be seen by Braden Vanderbilt, a boy of her age who is always accompanied by his fiercely loyal Doberman, Gidean.  Braden is lonely as well and a friendship begins to blossom.  Together, Serafina and Braden embark on a grim adventure to save the disappearing children from the Man in the Black Cloak, and to make the adults understand that the culprit may not be of this world.

 

Serafina and the Black Cloak is suspenseful throughout.  The beautiful finery of Biltmore is contrasted with the dark and unknown forest.  Animals such as Gidean feature prominently in the story; both Braden and Serafina are able to communicate with animals on a deep level, hence their affinity for each other.

The book also features elements of the supernatural, as magical forces shape the actions of some of the characters.  But fantasy mixes with realism in this novel, making the fantastic all the more believable.  

Serafina and the Black Cloak will appeal to those who love fantasy, mystery and adventure, but it can be quite scary at times.  The notion of children being kidnapped or possibly killed is a central feature of the novel, and should not be discounted.  This novel is recommended for grades 5-8, but especially for children who enjoy a bit of a scare.

 

The Swallow: A Ghost Story

The Swallow

By Charis Cotter

Polly is an awkward and lonely girl with a big family – too big in her estimation.  There are so many kids that her parents barely notice Polly.  Even her own bedroom, which has always been her sanctuary, has now been invaded by baby Sarah, with whom Polly must share a room.  But Polly has an inner life that she relishes; she loves to read ghost stories and is constantly on the lookout for real ghosts.  Living right outside the cemetery only encourages her; surely she will see a ghost one day!

Rose is friendless as well but when it comes to family, her problems are the opposite of Polly’s.  She has only her mother and father, who are never home, and Kendrick the housekeeper, who resents her.  Her house is big and empty – except for the ghosts.  Rose has a gift, if you can call it that: she sees ghosts everywhere.  Moving in next to the graveyard has only made it worse, of course.  The ghosts all seem to want her help, but all she wants is to escape them.

Polly and Rose, both seeking a place to hide, make their way into their attics.  When Polly hears a voice in the attached house next door she is sure her wish to see a ghost is finally coming true.  In fact it is Rose, in her very own attic, who fulfills another of Polly’s wishes: to have a friend.

Both girls embark on an adventure to discover Rose’s family secrets, including why she is being haunted by Winnifred, an aunt who died many years ago.  Winnifred threatens to kill Polly, and Rose is desperate to keep her safe.  Readers will be shocked when the ghost mystery is finally solved and the truth about the girls is revealed.

Set in Toronto in 1963, The Swallow has a dark and overcast feel.  Each section begins with an excerpt from a classic “ghostly” poem.  Spooky and sometimes spine-tingling, this book is just right for those who like a little scare.  Curl up in your bed on a rainy day and enjoy!

Where Are You Going Baby Lincoln?

Where Are You Going Baby Lincoln?

By Kate DiCamillo

In the third installment in the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, Baby Lincoln is feeling stifled by her older sister Eugenia.  Having been bossed around by the rule-bound Eugenia all her life, Baby Lincoln decides she must go on a “necessary journey”, although she does not know where.

Baby buys a train ticket to the only place she can afford – Fluxom --  and embarks.  On the train, she meets a series of people who change her life.  There’s a man in an enormous fur hat who introduces Baby to the joy of comics, a form of literature that Eugenia believes is a colossal waste of time.  There’s Sheila Marsden, who shares her bag of jellybeans and asks for Baby’s real name.  (Imagine – her real name is Lucille!)  And there’s little George, a young boy traveling alone.  Baby tells him a story and earns a friend for life.

Baby is learning that she doesn’t have to live life by Eugenia’s rules, but she desperately misses her sister.  Just as she starts to feel lonely, she arrives in Fluxom.  To her surprise, Eugenia is waiting for her!  Reunited, they return to Mercy Watson’s house for some toast with a great deal of butter on it.

Playful, fun and heartwarming, this story is a great read-aloud and perfect for new chapter book readers.