In living colour

A Mango-Shaped Space
by Wendy Mass


Thirteen-year-old Mia Winchell has always seen colors in sounds, numbers, and letters, a fact she has kept secret since she was eight. She had always assumed that other people had the same ability, and was embarrassed when she discovered the truth. Even now, she still remembers the teasing. However, when Mia fails two math quizzes, she realizes that she needs help. Her parents don't understand, and makes her see a doctor. That's when Mia learns that her condition has a name: synesthesia. From then on, she's obsessed with connecting with other synesthetes and trying new experiences. This distances her from her friends and it takes the death of her cat to make her more aware of those around her. 

Mia's description of the vivid world she sees, filled with streaks of color, is fascinating. Even acupuncture creates a personal light show:

Tiny gray balls float in front of my eyes. ... [They] turn silver, bright silver, and there are swirls of yellow mixed in. The needle goes in my other earlobe, and small bubbles, like multicolored marbles, enter from the left and zoom in front of my face ... The bubbles are now undulating and forming the most incredible streaks of color.

A very interesting coming-of-age novel that will have readers wishing that they had synesthesia too.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast: The Only One Who Didn't Run Away
by Wendy Mass


Mass has created a refreshing and entirely different take on the standard Beauty and the Beast tale in this thoroughly entertaining book. In her version, Beauty isn't quite as beautiful as her name would suggest, and Riley is a prince who would much rather study science than rule. Fortunately, the future king will be his elder brother Alexander, who's taller, more athletic, and more attractive to girls. Beauty also has an older sister who is prettier and gentler than she. Clarissa, however, is easily distracted.

Made destitute after their house burns down and their father's business falters, Beauty is forced to find a job. She finds work in an apothecary shop, but shortly after, agrees to help a young girl find her mother. As for Riley, he and his family have an unfortunate encounter with a witch, who turns him into the Beast and makes his family invisible. This causes a lot of bickering, for the king and Alexander are practical jokers, and their antics are quite exasperating for the beleaguered queen. Especially when the king stops wearing clothes. 

Funny and irreverent, with believable characters and a more realistic plot (even if it is a fairy tale), this is an enjoyable romp that girls and boys will definitely fall for. They'll also want to check out the other books in the Twice Upon A Time series: Rapunzel: The One With All the Hairand Sleeping Beauty: The One Who Took the Really Long Nap.

Living with ADHD

Rainy
by Sis Deans



Rainy is nervous about attending summer camp. She's never been away from her family before and she doesn't know what to without them. They help make sure that she doesn't run off, lose her things, or lose focus the way she usually does. Her excess energy, seemingly random thoughts and sometimes shocking outbursts exhaust both her cabin mates and her camp counselors. At first, you wonder if they even know that Rainy has ADHD. Things improve when Rainy finds sympathetic friends and people who admire her unique abilities. Sports and nature have a calming effect until sad news from home shakes her up. To get over it, Rainy sets off to climb a mountain, not realizing how dangerous that can be.

Author Sis Deans also has ADHD. Growing up in the 1960's, there was no supports or drugs that could have helped her out, but her struggles gave her a tenacity that served her well. No wonder that she was able to create such a likeable, sympathetic character. Rainy's funny observations, especially in her letters home, show a girl who is sensitive, kind, and thoughtful. 

A heart-warming read.


For those living with ADHD, or who want to know more about it, see my blog inquisitive-kids.blogspot.com.

Understanding ADHD

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
by Jack Gantos



Joey Pigza is a bundle of energy. He has great difficulty sitting still, and careens from one calamity to another. His teachers can barely control him, and his mother's patience is at an end. Joey has ADHD and finds life's rules hard to follow. It's even more difficult when adults don't understand his condition. Their well-meaning attempts to rein in his behaviour rarely work, especially when they exclude him from everyday activities. Smart and sensitive, Joey is initially discouraged when he's sent to a special-ed school, but with proper support for a change, and better meds, he's able to make a comeback.

Joey's strong and clear voice provides a good glimpse inside the mind of an ADHD person. He is a very sympathetic hero; his feelings are honest, funny, painful, and courageous. Kids with ADHD and their parents will relate wholeheartedly with Joey's struggles. 


Other titles:

• Joey Pigza Loses Control 
• What Would Joey Pigza Do? 
• I Am Not Joey Pigza

For books that offer help to children struggling with ADHD challenges, see my blog inquisitive-kids.blogspot.com.

Lightning boy

Jolted: Newton Starker's Rules For Survival
by Arthur Slade



Nearly every member of Newton Starker's family has been killed by lightning strikes, including his grandfather, his uncle, and his mother. Except for his ornery great-grandmother Enid, Newton is the last of the Starker line. Understandably, his most important rule of survival is to check the weather constantly. To further improve his chances, he enrolls at the Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival. The Jerry Potts students all carry knives and wear kilts because there's nothing tougher than a Scot in a kilt.

The Academy is strict, though not overly so, and Newton is quite happy there. He'd get on better if he wasn't so self-centred and antisocial. Part of it was his late mother's "no friends" rule, which protects bystanders from second-hand lightning strikes. The other is Newton's high opinion of himself and his determination to out-perform the other students. It puts him into conflict with Violet Quon, whom he believes (falsely, as it turns out) of making his kilt fall down. Only when Violet is injured during the Outdoor Expedition does Newton realize that some of his rules need tweaking. He also gets help from a pig named Josephine.

Flashes of humour and eccentricity abound in this interesting book. Newton is not very likeable at first, but he gradually grows on you. The ending is very satisfying.

Grade six superhero

Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper
by Michael Reisman



Sixth-grader Simon Bloom's superpowers literally fall onto his head. Lured into Dunkerhook Woods by a refreshing Breeze, he inadvertently summons the Teacher's Edition of Physics, a book of mathematical formulae. These formulae allow Simon to bend the laws of physics. By reciting them, he can alter gravity, friction, velocity, and space-time. Soon he's able to float in midair, skate on dirt, and leap over tall buildings. But a book this powerful is coveted by others with malicious intent. With the future of the universe at stake, Simon and his friends must wrack their brains and master the formulae to keep these evil forces at bay. 

Fans of Rick Riordan will love this book. It's packed with all kinds of destructive mayhem, including chases, explosions, and an excellent game of dodgeball. Plus it has kids beating bullies and fighting off grown-ups. Great fun.

Life on the homefront

Flight Of the Tiger Moth
by Mary Woodbury



Jack Waters lives in small town Cairn, Saskatchewan. It's 1943, and a flight training school has been set up nearby. Jack wants to become a fighter pilot but not only is he underage, his poor eyesight prevents him from being accepted. So he works as an aircraft cleaner and mechanic. Secretly, he's been up in the air with his sister's fiancé, Sandy, who teaches him the basics in the bright yellow Tiger Moth. Sandy gets sent to England, where he begins night missions over Europe. Flo, Jack's sister, also heads to England, where she's going to work in a military hospital. Meanwhile Jack makes friends with flight trainees Trevor and Basil. Together, they hang out, swim, and take part in a musical fête.

If all that doesn't sound terribly exciting, it's because the book isn't about the fighting overseas. It's mainly about the effects war has had on the homefront. So it lacks a certain amount of action. Many pages are devoted to Jack's rescue of an abandoned puppy and his overprotective mother's anxieties. Her worries are further exacerbated when Sandy is listed as missing in action, and Flo is injured during a bombing raid. 

Conflicts do arise - between Jack and a local bully, and the town boys and the RAF boys - but they're quickly resolved. Tragedy occurs when Trevor is killed, though the grief is kept short. This is not as callous as it seems; so many fliers were killed in training accidents that people probably became inured to them after a while. The story only picks up when Basil's plane is struck by a goose. That's when Jack overcomes his own fears so that he can fix the plane and fly Basil to safety. 

Overall, Flight of the Tiger Moth is a slow-moving story with a few unresolved plot points. We never learn Sandy's fate, and Flo's few letters are censored (though we're reassured that's she's all right). In the endnotes, the author says she researched war nurses and their experiences, but she doesn't use the information in the story. As for Jack, he's an okay character, but he's mainly an observer, only springing into action in the last two chapters. Since there's 26 chapters, that's a little too late for most readers. At least it ends somewhat happily when Jack gets to keep the dog.

Girl's wish comes true

Last Chance Bay
by Anne Laurel Carter



Meg Christie dreams of flying right out of Cape Breton Island, but she knows it will never come true. Only boys get to fly. There's also a war going on, and all the pilots are in training. Feeling left out, Meg dares to take her brother's place in the coal mine with her father. The experience helps her see that she can do anything, and that being a girl is not so bad after all.

A satisfying, light-hearted, yet moving read. Meg is a likeable character; intelligent, funny, and spirited. The other children are equally well drawn, from the bully, Jason, to Meg's cousin, Caleb, and the residents of Last Chance Bay. They clearly show the hopes and dreams of a mining community.

Inuit ghost stories

The Legend of the Fog


In this traditional Inuit story, a simple walk on the tundra becomes a life or death journey for a man named Quannguaviniq. When he is abducted by a tuurngaq (a giant evil spirit) who wants to eat him for dinner, Quannguaviniq's quick thinking and magic power helps him to escape. The destruction of the tuurngaq's wife releases the first fog over the land.

A mysterious tale with dark, foreboding images.





The Qalupalik


Qalupaliit (pronounced ka-loo-pa-leet) are strange watery beings that can turn into any kind of animal. They like to kidnap children who stray too close to the ice. In this very short story, an orphan scares a qalupalik (ka-loo-pa-lick) away.

Not terribly scary because the qalupalik is stupid and easily tricked. The pictures are much creepier than the words.