Holes by Louis Sachar

Plot: Stanley Yelnats has been accused of a crime he didn’t commit – he blames the curse inherited from his no-good-dirty-pig-stealing great-great-grand-father – and is sent to a boy’s detention center at Camp Green Lake. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake, only poisonous creatures and holes, countless holes. Every day each of the boys must dig a hole exactly 5 feet wide and 5 feet deep. Stanley soon begins to suspect that the digging is more than a punishment, that the warden is looking for something and he is determined to find it first.

It’s hard to believe that someone could write a thoughtful, engaging and funny novel about digging holes in the desert but Sachar has more than succeeded. I had so much fun reading this novel.

The characters really bring the story together, each is more quirky than the last: from the seed chewing Mr. Sir to Stanley’s shoe recycling father and all the detained boys in between. Some like the warden and Mr. Sir seem one-dimentionally villainous at first but even they have intriguing – if nasty – facets to them. Most interesting to me was Zero, one of the other “campers”, who speaks little and who is assumed to be stupid – and treated as such – but who becomes Stanley’s closest friend and ally. He has a tragic past and surprising courage. Stanley, meanwhile, grows a great deal over the course of the novel: he finds strength, confidence and beats the curse that has weighed on his family for generations.

Weaved deftly into the narrative are the fascinating stories of Stanley’s no-good-dirty-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather (that is just so much fun to say ), his unlucky great-grand-father and the tragic female bandit Kissing Kate Barlow. The ways in which these stories tie in with the present day narrative have something of destiny about them; they also offer a satisfying sense of redemption and justice.

The short chapters and the dark humour makes this great for reluctant readers but there is something for everyone to enjoy, and to think about.

Holes was made into a movie in 2003. I haven’t seen it yet so I can’t comment on the adaptation but you can watch the trailer below :

2013 (#)

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Plot: One night Sophie awakens during the witching hour and sees a giant wandering the streets. He kidnaps her and takes her to the land of the giants. But her captor, the Big Friendly Giant, means her no harm. Together they hatch a plan to stop the nine nasty giants that he shares his homeland with from eating any more humans.

The more Dahl I read, the more I wish I could have met the man just once. He strikes me as someone quite imaginative with a wicked sense of humour.

The BFG is full of humour, magic and silly word games. The BFG’s references to ridiculous things like “human beans” and “whizzpopping” had me in stitches. And I for one will be crying out “deliver us from weasels” at every possible opportunity. I should have been horrified by his description of the taste of humans all over the world (which border on the offensive: the Greeks are greasy apparently >_<), but even that brought a smile to my lips.

The fantastical elements – horrible man-eating giants and dream catching – are quite fun and I love that the little orphan Sophie defeats the giants through courage and cleverness. I’ll let you discover how she does it on your own. I’ll finish with a mention of the queen’s butler because he’s so very good under pressure.

This is probably one of my favorite Dahl books, right up there with Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was well constructed and just plain fun. I’m quickly running out of Dahl to read but look for Danny the champion of the World (which I have heard Kenneth Oppel call his favorite children’s book) and The Witches in the near future.

2013 (#)

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Plot: Jonas lives in a perfectly ordered society. Everyone knows the rules and their place in the world. But when Jonas turns twelve, he is not given an assignment like the other new twelves: instead he is singled out to become the new Receiver of Memory. It will be his job to hold all the memories, feelings and experiences that the community has sacrificed in the pursuit of peace and harmony. But learning the truth will force Jonas to confront all he was raised to believe.

I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without reading this YA classic. I’m probably not the first person who has told you this, but you should read Lowry’s novel if you have any interest in utopia stories. It is a wonderful example of good intentions creating a terrible authoritarian regime. And Lowry makes it feel real, like it could happen.

The chapters are quick and the story engaging (though not action-packed in the way people have come to expect of distopian YA). I found myself frantically turning pages, reeling with every reveal along with Jonas. The dawning understanding of how the community literally sees the world was a shock to me, though not the worst one. Watching Jonas learn and struggle with new truths is the real interest of the book.

The ending is a little open; some might be unsatisfied with this but it suits the book. Lowry doesn’t give any easy answers. She doesn’t tell us whether Jonas made the right choice, between peace and freedom, but allows us to come to our own conclusion. But for those who want to discover Jonas’ fate, there is hope, however: Lowry has written three companion novels, Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son.

2013 (#)

Comics and manga of the week (91 & 92)

Billy Bat, volume 6 (French) by Naoki Urasawa

Comic artist Kevin Yamagata finally meets Lee Harvey Oswald, who has been haunting his visions. Someone is after both men and it is hinted that Kevin’s death could trigger the end of the world. We also meet a new character visited by the mysterious bat. With every volume the stakes in Urasawa’s strange suspense series rise. I never know what to expect. I can just keep reading. Urasawa may be a genius.

La Corda d‘Oro, volume 17 by Yuki Kure

• This volume marks the end of Kure’s sweet, though not particularly innovative, musically-themed harem series. Kahoko continues to struggle with her violin skills – or lack thereof – with her characteristic perseverance while the boys must make serious decisions about their futures. She also finally comes to understand her feelings for the cold violin prodigy, Len. The conclusion to their romance doesn’t feel very satisfying but maybe I’m just bitter because Kazuki was my favorite of the boys. He doesn’t get enough love. My taste in boys aside, it is a nice ending to a pleasant series.

Comics and manga of the week (90)

Love so Life, volume 4 (French) by Kaede Kouchi

• Shiharu has been caring for M. Matsunaga’s infant niece and nephew for some time, but now the uncle is sick and needs her help. Things aren’t going well at school either: some jealous girls have started to bully Shiharu and her best friend. We also learn about her life and relationship with fellow orphan, Nao. Honestly, though it’s not likely, I hope she ends up with Nao; I have a soft spot for sweet, awkward guys like him. There is nothing surprising about this manga but it is nice and sweet.

Master Keaton, volume 1 (French) by Naoki Urasawa

• Taichi Hiragi Keaton is an unusual man: half-English and half-Japanese, he studied at Oxford, was an instructor for the S.A.S. and now works as an archeology professor in a small Japanese university. But he has another job as an investigator for a large insurance firm which leads him on some incredible adventures. Keaton is basically McGyver meets Indiana Jones. I might be in love. Add to this Urasawa’s incredible skill for suspense and pacing, this is a a series not to be missed.

Comics and manga of the week (88 & 89)

Aozora Yell, volume 1 (French) by Kazune Kawahara

• This is a sweet, inspiring manga about a girl who wants to join her new school’s famous marching band. She is timid and no one seems to think she can succeed but she’s determined and she has the support of one of the baseball players, met by chance on her first day. Tsubasa and Yamada, the main characters are sweet, positive and a bit naive. They are absolutely adorable together. I can’t wait to see how their romance develops. A cute new series by the author of Koko Debut.

Happy, volume 14 (French) by Naoki Urasawa

• Miyuki has made it to Wimbleton and she faces to of her toughest opponents: Wendy Palmer and the machiavellic Choko Ryugasaki. But her concentration is at it’s best; nothing can distract her… except the knowledge that her family in Japan are being held by Yakuza. This is great volume and it’s a pleasure to finally see Choko get hers. There is only one more volume left. Tension is high and I really, really want Sakurada to win Miyuki’s heart. What can I say, I like the underdog.

When We Wake by Karen Healey

Plot: In 2027 Tegan Oglietti was 17 years old, in love and protesting for a better future. Then she was killed by a bullet intended for the Prime Minister. She awakens nearly 100 years later in a military facility. Everyone she has ever known and loved is dead and the future is a far different place. Some things have improved but she is disappointed to discover that prejudice, injustice and environmental disasters persist. And she quickly begins to suspect that the military’s reasons for reviving her may not be as innocent and altruistic as they claim. This story is her account of what really happened to her and what she discovered.

I’m a huge Karen Healey fan. She writes fascinating, complex and diverse YA fiction that really speaks to me. You can read my ravings about Guardian of the Dead and The Shattering. So naturally, I was very excited about her new novel and I started it as soon as I could get my hands on it. It’s the first book in the last two months that I read in a day.

When We Wake is quite different than Healey’s two first books. For one it is science fiction, not fantasy. While this allows her to explore some fascinating issues and technology, I do miss the mythology that infuses her other books. But it’s not fair to compare it to something that it’s not; it accomplishes its own goals quite well. Healey constructs a believable future with its own problems, social and environmental, and with characters that are the product of this environment. It also poses a difficult moral questions: what sacrifices are acceptable in order to preserve the human race? what does the revival of the dead imply about the immortal soul?

Tegan is an interesting character. She is not exceptional at anything (though she has a passion for music, the Beatles in particular, and urban exploring) but that doesn’t make her a poor hero, if anything it makes her a better one. One quote captures it perfectly: “Talent is great but persistence is totally underrated.” p 49. But what really pleases the academic in me is that her narrative is essentially a performance: she is telling the world her story, to win them over. Every time she says that she is going to tell the whole truth this time, doubts rose up within me. I like Tegan, but is her story really the truth? We’ll never know for sure. And she is not the only interesting one. As usual, Healey creates a racially, sexually and religiously diverse cast: there are muslims, christians, heterosexual, homosexual and transsexual characters from a variety of backgrounds. They have dreams, motivations and problems that sometimes mesh with Tegan’s and some times really don’t. I could list what I loved about each of them but that would take me all day.

But it is an idea novel. It didn’t work for me as a thriller; I was never biting my nails or truly concerned for Tegan’s safety. This is not necessarily a problem, there was more than enough to hold my interest in the characters, technologies and social issues. I was engaged throughout, I simply wasn’t afraid. My other mild dissatisfaction comes from the ending. Nothing is truly resolved at the end: we do not know the ultimate fate of Tegan and her friends and we do not know if her recording has the intended effect. And this is not because there will be a sequel. The ending is purposefully open, I assume to make us think. But I still would have liked a little closure.

For another interesting cryo-stasis story, check out A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan.

2013 (#23)

Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam

Plot: Percival Chen is the headmaster of a prestigious English academy in Cholon, the chinese district of Saigon, in the 1960s. He has thrived through several violent changes in government thanks to some contacts and many well-placed bribes and ignores the troubles of his adopted country in favour of gambling and women. But when his son Dai Jai gets in trouble with the authorities, his contacts and his money are not enough to save him: the only solution is to send him away. In his loneliness, he meets Jacqueline and takes her as his lover. His life seems perfect for a while but soon war and politics begin encroaching on his life again and he is forced to face some very difficult truths.

And now for something completely different. I don’t read a lot of literary fiction these days (though telling me it’s historical and takes place in Asia always helps) but my friends recommended this book for our book club. It was a finalist for the Governor General’s award and has been getting some pretty good buzz, which is promising. But Lam is a doctor and his first book was non-fiction so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I apologize to Lam right now for having any doubts: his prose is gorgeous and his pacing is perfect. This is a little gem of a book and it offers a very different look at the Vietnam War.

I really got caught up in the story. At times I was yelling at the book, or rather at Percival… which quite upset my cat who shares his name. It was actually rather upsetting to me, though not in the way you might imagine. Lam takes on some very difficult issues: torture, cruelty, hopelessness, oppression, senseless deaths… there’s more than enough to make a person uncomfortable, even a little ill. But it was Percival that had me on edge. He makes terrible choices: he’s a gambler and a womanizer, he is proud, inflexible and often thoughtless, he repeats all his father’s mistakes. And time and again it turns out ok. I kept waiting for the worst to happen, for the hammer to finally drop. And then it didn’t. This terrible thing that I knew would have to happen eventually (because who ever heard of a happy story about the Vietnam War?) was just hovering over me and it was starting to stress me out. I think I know what it must have felt like to be Percival’s friend Mak, who is constantly cleaning up his messes. The other characters, like Mak but also Percival’s ex-wife Cecilia and his lover Jacqueline, elicited a lot more sympathy from me. If you don’t feel like crying at the end, you may be a monster. Just saying.

You may have noticed if you’ve followed my blog for a while, but I love unreliable narrators and Percival definitely fits into that category. He doesn’t understand or willfully ignores what is truly going on and who the people around him are. This is unsympathetic at first and heart breakingly tragic toward the end. But what is amazing is that Lam is able to reveal things about the other characters, to flesh them out and suggest different view points, in spite of Percival’s blindness. For example, though Percival rarely describes his ex-wife as anything but a spoiled temptress and a shrew, it is not hard to understand why she does the things she does and to feel bad for the fate she has been handed. But the character that most tugged on my heart strings was Jacqueline: half-French and half-Vietnamese, living on her own and doing what she must to survive in a society where she is both a figure of desire and disgust.

Meanwhile the descriptions are lush and detailed. And there is so much rich history skillfully woven into the story. It was like being there… which was another slightly uncomfortable feeling.

This is not an easy book but, in spite of and because of this, I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to discuss it with my friends!

2013 (#22)

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Plot: Charlotte Kinder is still heartbroken over her divorce, disappointed by a string of bad dates and struggling to relate to her kids when she finds out about Pembrooke Park: a unique Jane Austen-themed retreat in Britain. Guests dress and live in regency style and flirt with handsome actors. But though she comes to Pembrooke Park to escape her troubles, she encounters many new intrigues both romantic and criminal. She must become the heroine of her tale in order to uncover the truth and find new love.

I’m a huge Jane Austen fan and Hale’s first Austenland novel made me dream and wish for a vacation at Pembrooke Park. I mean, seriously, period costumes and flirting with charming, attractive men? Yes, please! This companion novel was definitely not a hard sell. And it turns out that it was even better than the first. Midnight in Austenland awoke both the romantic and the detective in me.

If the first novel had something of Pride and Prejudice about it, this one draws more from Northanger Abbey. Hale takes us beyond flirtation, romance and inner turmoil to actual mystery and gothic horror. There are disappearances, mysterious rooms, secrets and dark broody men. It was all deliciously eerie and quite a pleasure to unravel. Meanwhile the romance itself defied expectations. Charlotte is not actually open to romance: she still feels married and gentleman assigned to her, Mr. Mallery, scares her as often as he intrigues her. That doesn’t mean that the novel doesn’t have it’s share of hot scenes, but I promise that the resolution will surprise you.

Charlotte really appealed to me as a main character. The opening line – “No one who knew Charlotte Constance Kinder since her youth would suppose her to be born a heroine.” – immediately caught my attention. It is true, Charlotte is practical, hard working, self-effacing and not particularly romantic. Not the qualities of a romantic heroine. But she is intelligent and observant, and kind in spite of her current difficulties in her personal life. She learns to see and understand her fellow inhabitants at Pemberly Park in a way Jane from the first book never did. I was really rooting for her by the end and wanted nothing more than for her to find happiness. I also appreciated that though this is primarily a romance, a lot of attention is given to the relationships between the women.

You can read the two novels separately and in any order (though I highly recommend reading both!) but if you start with Austenland, you will recognize a few returning characters including the proprietress, her husband and, over the top permanent visitor, Miss Charming. As far as I can tell, there are no current plans for a third Austenland novel – why not?! – but we still have the movie to look forward to!

2013 (#21)

How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell

Plot: Hiccup has caught a dragon – though a relatively useless one – and is officially a member of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. But this is only the start of his troubles. Now he must train to be a true pirate and the first step is sword fighting at sea. Hiccup is certain that this is where he will finally prove himself a worthy heir to his father, the chief. While he is dreadfully wrong, the treasure of Grimbear the Grisly, a battle of wits against Alvin the Treacherous and a fight against a rare and dangerous dragon may be the first steps toward becoming the great viking hero he is destined to be.

Like the first book in the series, How to Train You Dragon, this novel is just plain fun. It is full of potty humour, silly names and ludicrous situations that are sure to have any young boy – or your humble reviewer, who admits to a similar level of maturity – in stitches. The Hooligans’ stupidity is only matched by Hiccup’s clumsiness. He really is a terrible hero, with a lazy, proud dragon as ordinary as he is. He isn’t even particularly brave. But he prevails in the end through cleverness, friendship and luck. We know that Hiccup will win in the end – these are, after all, the memoirs of the great viking hero and dragon whisperer – but Cowell always surprises me pleasantly with the cleverness of the endings.

I also love the illustrations. They look like a kid drew them in pencil, which is really half their charm. They also really highlight the text’s humour. You can get a good laugh just out of flipping through the pages. These combined with the constant action, irreverent jokes and playful use of fonts (which REALLY make me want to read the text aloud) will make it a great read for reluctant readers too.

If I have one complaint, it’s that there are no significant female characters in the series, at all. (To be technically correct, two of the dragons are female but that doesn’t count). I’m used to – though still disappointed by – novels targeted at boys that only have one token female character. This is beyond disappointing. And I don’t want to hear the “historical accuracy” argument: if there can be such a great variety of dragons, there can be a few female vikings. Hopefully there will be in one of the future novels.

But despite these reservations, I can’t deny enjoying this series. Having read two of the books now, the movie version doesn’t even tempt me. It seems to have removed everything that was charming about the series in order to offer a more conventional tale. If I’m wrong, please let me know. Meanwhile I’ll be moving on to the third book, How to Speak Dragonese, which promises to be just as entertaining as the first two.

2013 (#20)