Kamara, Mariatu, and Susan McClelland.  The Bite of the Mango.  Buffalo:  Annick Press, 2008.

Mariatu Kamara has gone through more tests of courage and heartache than most.  Growing up in Sierra Leone, Mariatu’s journey to Canada started the day that rebels savagely cut of her hands.  Searching for help, Mariatu ends up in Freetown, where she meets people that help her reach beyond her pain to find hope in new beginnings.

Written in a story format, The Bite of the Mango is a compelling read.  The suffering and trauma that some children and young adults experience in other areas of the world is astounding.  The Bite of the Mango certainly opened my eyes.

Clare, Cassandra.  City of Bones.  Toronto:  Simon Pulse, 2007.

Clary Fray has always considered herself normal.  Raised by her mother, and told that her father died before she was born, Clary never thought to question what her mother told her.  Soon, however, everything she has ever known comes in to question when she witnesses strange teenagers commit murder right before her eyes – and no one else can see them. Pulled into New York City’s underworld of demons and demon killers, Clary must try to find out what her mother has hidden from her for her entire life.

Witty and with a fresh take on fantasy, City of Bones offers readers a fast paced plot in a book seriously hard to put down!

Resau, Laura.  Red Glass.  New York:  Delacorte, 2009.

Sophie, a bit of a hypochondriac,  has always been an only child.  When her family takes in Pablo, a six year old survivor of an illegal border crossing that took the life of both of his parents, she suddenly finds that she likes being an older sister.  After a year, Pablo begins to talk and reveals the name of his village in Mexico.  Soon Sophie’s parents arrange for Pablo to visit what is left of his family; where he must decide whether to stay with Sophie’s family or to move back to his village permanently.

A nice little coming of age story.  Resau creates a plausible plot with quirky characters.  She blends adventure with the right amount of emotional trauma to create a believability in both her characters and their reactions to their surroundings.  Very readable!

Alexie, Sherman.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007.

Dreaming is as close as Junior thinks he can get to a better life.  When his geometry teacher convinces him that the road to a better life starts by going to an all white, middle class, school in a neighbouring town, Junior is unsure.

Charming and seriously funny,  Alexie hooks his readers with his poignant style and his mixture of serious issues and witty writing.  His portrayal of Junior is so convincing it is hard to believe that True Diary is his first venture into YA fiction.  Filled with memorable quotes and quirky illustrations,(provided by Ellen Forney)The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian deserves all the praise given.

Hosseini, Khaled.  A Thousand Splendid Suns.  Toronto:  Penguin, 2007.

Two women; one motherless and a bastard child of a rich man, the other loved by her educated father but invisible to her mother, will soon find a commonality neither of them could have imagined.

Heartbreakingly beautiful, Hosseini will move you to tears with his clear description of a war torn country through the eyes of two women.  Indescribably absorbing and powerful, A Thousand Splendid Suns is an unforgettable read.

Setterfield, Diane.  The Thirteenth Tale.  N.p.:  Anchor, 2007.

When Margaret Lea receives a letter from renowned author Vida Winter, she is flabbergasted.  Not only has she met the author, she has never even read any of her novels.  Strictly a fan of “the classics,” Margaret never attempted to read any contemporary fiction at all.  Soon though, Margaret realizes that it is not fiction behind the reason Vida Winter sent for her, but fact.  Illusive descriptions of Vida Winters life have been gathered by many reporters over the years, but it is Lea that Winters chooses to write the truth of her past – proving that sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.

The Thirteenth Tale is aptly described as a love letter to reading.  Vivid descriptions bring the landscape of England to life.  One can almost feel the wind lashing the rain into the windows as the mists settle in over the moors.  Setterfield’s characters are realistically human, deeply flawed, but with the ability to love.  Page after page of relishing mystery, suspenseful plot, and enough foreshadowing to keep you guessing, The Thirteenth Tale is a book above many.

Kneece, Mark and Julie Collins-Rousseau.  Trailers.  NBM:  New York, 2005.

Trailers is about, well, trailers.  Also, murder, deception, love, drugs, family, and the fight of one teenage boy who would probably give anything to be from a “normal” family.

When Josh comes home to find his mother’s boyfriend murdered by her hand, he must try to hide the body from the police and his three younger siblings.  Trailers mixes a strange blend of harsh life with that of a budding romance, as Josh’s friend Michelle tries to understand his reality, one filled with expletives, hard people, and a family trying to keep it all together.

Stassen. Deogratias: a tale of Rwanda. Trans. by Alexis Siegel. First Second, New York: 2006.

In this short but powerful graphic novel, Stassen brings to our attention the life of a young Rwanda teen and his contemporaries as they are forced to live through and try to understand a tragic period in human history; the Rwandan Genocide.

Deogratias is a exceptionally illustrated and well-written novel dealing with a complicated and heart breaking subject. Memorable for both the tale told and the images left, I would recommend this for ages high school and up.

Well, after months of not blogging, I am pleased to be back at it.  I have probably read 50 or so books in the past year that I didn’t get the chance to write about, but as the book I just read taught me  – one must live in the present!

Niffenegger, Audrey.  The Time Traveler’s Wife.  Toronto:  Vintage, 2004.

A story like no other, The Time Traveler’s Wife melds science fiction with truly memorable characters and a passionate love story with genius and flare.  As Henry experiences time travel again and again after the ripe age of five, he leaves all romantic notions of his impossible gift/curse behind.  Unable to control when or where in time he travels, he is often left to thievery and deceit to cover his disappearance in one time and appearance in another. If he is lucky, he finds himself visiting with a younger/older version of himself, his future wife Clare, or even his dead mother.  Unfortunately just as often he is left unknowing where or in what year he has landed in.

Clare is six when she meets Henry for the first time; he is thirty six.  As an older Henry continues to visit Clare throughout her present, a bond forms between the two of them.  Traveling from a future time when they are married, it is hard for Henry to avoid shaping Clare’s future.  As their love grows, Clare is torn by the idea that she must wait to meet Henry in his present before they can start their life together.  Clare’s perseverance is rewarded though, her and Henry fall even more deeply in love; she is happy.  Soon though, their blissful marriage is plagued by sorrow as they attempt to start the family that Clare so intensely wants.

A refreshing spin on love, The Time Traveler’s Wife was thoroughly engaging from beginning to end.  The empathy Niffengger is able to produce from the reader for the victims of a concept not even based in reality is praise worthy.  Many times reading this book I forgot that time travel was not real, and Henry and Clare only characters in a finely crafted story.

Charbonnier, Rita.  Mozart’s Sister.  Trans. by Ann Goldstein.  New York:  Crown Publishers, 2007.

Nannerl Mozart was only a child when her ambitious father snuck her in to play her music infront of the aristocrats of Salzburg.  Soon however, the child prodigy would be forgotten, her talents surpressed by her father in favour of those of her younger brother Wolfgang.  Forced to hide her compositions from a young age, and even forced to give piano lessons to support her brothers career, Nannerl draws in on herself, becoming surly, and an embarressment to her family.

Although Mozart’s Sister is a work of fiction, the author’s portrayal of Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart seems believable and complete.  Although at times a little heavy, the writing moves forward at a good pace.  Although I believe that more emphasis on some of the background events happening (such an interesting time in Europe) would have made the novel more entertaining, it succeeds at displaying the predomintly emotional journey of a woman lost to history – eternally forgotten in favour to her younger brother.