A GOOD READ by Shannon Ozirny
There's a rumble a-brewin' amongst Tri-City middle schoolers. If you listen closely, you may hear the sounds: the rustling of pages, the scribbling of pens, the hours spent studying and quizzing.
School District 43's annual Battle of the Books is back.
On March 16, dozens of local middle school students will gather at the Inlet Theatre at Port Moody city hall to test their book brainpower. Working in teams, they'll face a barrage of skill-testing questions in a fun and lively competition. They'll be answering questions about six books, all chosen by local teacher-librarians.
And the titles at the centre of this year's battle are truly stellar reads and offer something for readers of all tastes.
Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin is about a 12-year-old autistic boy named Jason. Although Jason's autism may seem to make him an atypical protagonist, his feelings of isolation, dread for PE and wish for a girlfriend are pretty universal. Jason finds solace in writing, posting his stories on an online writing forum. When he strikes up a relationship with PhoenixBird, a female writer on the same site, Jason struggles with the chance to meet her in life. Will she accept him for who he is? Fans of last year's Battle of the Books title, Lauren Tarshis' Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree, and Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will enjoy this smart, poignantly hilarious novel.
Canadian author Deborah Ellis is internationally known for her gutsy, impeccably researched portrayals of children facing unimaginable circumstances. In the The Heaven Shop, Ellis deals with Africa's AIDS pandemic. She tells the story of 13-year-old Binti, a Malawi orphan who is shunned after losing both parents to AIDS. Yes, the subject matter is heavy but Ellis is a deft writer, telling an authentic story without sensationalizing the issue or including needlessly graphic details. Ellis is so dedicated to the real-life cause behind the book that all royalties from The Heaven Shop go to UNICEF.
Computer-savvy readers will know that the CTRL-Z command can be very useful as it quickly and efficiently undoes your last action. But what if you had a CTRL-Z command for your life? British writer Andrew Norriss explores the notion of making (and undoing) mistakes in the third Battle of the Books title, CTRL-Z. When Alex receives a magical laptop from his Grandfather John, he finds that using its CTRL-Z key has some major real-life consequences.
Set in Long Island in 1967, The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt tells the story of Holling Hoodhood, a Grade 7 boy desperately trying to stay out of trouble. This is harder than it sounds as Holling has to deal with a bully, a hatred for Shakespeare and his father's high expectations. Full of multi-dimensional characters and subtle humour, this realistic novel will appeal to the thoughtful readers who appreciate nuance and subtlety over vampire battles and wizard duels.
Scott Westerfeld is one of the most popular authors writing for young adults today, so it's no wonder that his book, Uglies, is part of this year's battle. The first instalment in a series, Uglies is set in a dystopian world where teenagers have an operation to "turn pretty" at the age of 16. Tally Youngblood is looking forward to joining The Pretties on her 16th birthday until her best friend runs away to join a rebel faction of teens who refuse the operation. The oppressive government forces Tally to make a very tough a choice: turn in her rebel best friend or remain an Ugly for the rest of her life. If the premise isn't enough to intrigue readers, the book's first sentence will do the job: "The early summer sky was the colour of cat vomit."
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp is a thrilling, pulsating adventure mixing Arthurian legend and motorcycles. Fifteen-year-old Arthur gets pulled into his uncle's get-rich-quick scheme - a plan to steal a valuable artifact for some fast cash. But when Arthur discovers the artifact is actually the sword of Excalibur, things get dangerous, deadly and downright entertaining. This fast-paced fare will appeal especially to boys who usually find themselves bored with more traditional adventures stories.
Whether middle school is a distant (or very distant) memory, these books are worth a read for anyone aged 12 and older. Find them - and countless other winning titles - at your local public library.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published every Wednesday. Shannon Ozirny is acting head of youth services at Port Moody Public Library.
