On Wings of a Dragon by Cora Taylor

Taylor, C. (2001). On wings of a dragon. Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Summary

A king, manipulated by his queen, rebels and sends out a message for help. A winged woman and a dragon hear his call. In the midst of the kingdom, the queen has ordered all children are conscripted into labor and are forced to report to the palace to serve the kingdom. In an attempt to save two girls, Petaurus and Brede search the palace grounds. Told from all of these character’s varying perspectives, the reader must discover how all of these character’s actions affect each other. Can they come together and save the ones they love?

Advisory Information

-Themes:

a. Unlikely Hero: While I do not want to give away the twist at the end, through a humble background, one character is expected to rise above and lead a nation. It is not necessarily coming-of-age, though because the character remains static, however, we do learn that he/she rises to the occasion.

b. Triumph of Good over Evil: Common in most fantasy novels, the battle between good vs. evil is prevalent throughout this novel.

c. dedication: This novel reinforces the idea that people need to be dedicated and persevere in what is morally right to each individual character. In fact many of the characters in the story embody these points of view.

-Age Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to middle school children aged 12-15. The book’s plot is told in different viewpoints; therefore readers should have more abstract reasoning to be able to follow the changes. However, the writing is not all that complex.

-Other Information:

On Wings of a Dragon was a Canadian Children’s Book Centre “Our Choice” Selection and nominated for the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award in 2002.

Its sequel is entitled On Wings of Evil.

Reaction:

On Wings of a Dragon is an interesting example of fantasy fiction. Told from many different perspectives, the author does an excellent job tying all of the plot lines together. The author’s ability to draw each character makes it easy for the reader to understand each perspective. While some of the characters seem too static, the overall book is entertaining and provides readers with a light-hearted fantasy novel.

The Trolls by Polly Horvath

Horvath, P. (1999). The trolls. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Summary:

Right before Mr. and Mrs. Anderson leave for Paris, their babysitter cancels on them. Unable to find a replacement, Mr. Robbie Anderson is forced to call his sister, Sally, and ask her to drive from Vancouver Island, B.C. to their home in Ohio to watch their children for a week. While there, Aunt Sally tells her brother’s children all about her family history including her uncle who came for two weeks but stayed six years, and their Aunt Marianne who was the “Fat Little Mean Girl.” Following the week’s end, the children learn more about their family history and father, through Aunt Sally’s capitaving tales.

Advisory Information:

Themes:

a. Family Relationships: Whether good or bad, Aunt Sally’s stories describe the family dynamics. Not all of the stories are happy, some are even sad; however, they allow the reader to realize that not every family is perfect. That deaths, estrangements, and even elements of neurosis are a part of every family.

b. Childhood growth: While this book is not necessarily a coming of age story, I do feel that it represents childhood growth, in that the children start to see their father as a person. Through Aunt Sally’s descriptions of her childhood, Melissa, Frank and Amanda are able to view their father as a young boy and compare that description to the father he is now.

c. Importance of Childhood: Throughout the novel, Aunt Sally reminds the reader what Mrs. Anderson had originally planned for the children. These events are structured and seem to be based upon her ideas of how her children should conduct themselves. While Aunt Sally does loosely follow these guidelines, most of the time she is allowing the children to be themselves.

d. In Aunt Sally’s stories, the Canadian landscape is just as important to the plot as the stories themselves. The forest, ocean, and climate are parts of the character of these anecdotes.

Age Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to 2nd to 6th graders. There is some evidence of death and sorrow in the book (an aunt who tells Sally about how cougars ate people she knew, etc.), but overall the story should be easy to read. The word choice is sometimes more difficult, however there is usually an explanation of the word, so intermediate readers should not have an issue with the language.

Other Information:

While this book takes place in Ohio, all of the stories take place in Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Awards include:
•National Book Award Finalist
•Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
•ALA Notable Book
•Riverbank Review Book of Distinction
•Booklist Editor's Choice
•Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
•Horn Book Fanfare
•A Rosie O'Donnell Pick and featured on her television show

Reaction:

I thought that this book was an excellent example of how this particular author views Canadian culture to that of American culture. The novel takes an unbiased approach looking at some of the themes prevalent in Canadian literature such as the landscape and the more realistic view of children making mistakes. She interestingly compares this view to that of American parenting and children. While Frank, Melissa and Amanda are not viewed negatively, they are just perceived differently especially when compared to Aunt Sally’s childhood. While I do not think that young readers will necessarily pick up on this commentary, I do think that they will thoroughly enjoy the stories.

Example of Illustrations:

Retrieved from http://www.pollyhorvath.com/trolls.html

A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson

Pearson, K. (1987). A handful of time. Ontario, Canada: Penguin Books Canada, Limited.

Summary:

Patricia is sent away for the summer to her aunt’s house while her parents settle their separation papers. She initially is hesitant with her relatives, since she is smothered by her aunts and uncles, and held in contempt by her cousins. One day she finds a watch that, when she winds it, takes her back to when her mother was twelve and lived at the lake house. She becomes obsessed with the watch and the past, finding that the past offers better insight to her family than her own interactions with them. When the watch finally breaks, Patricia must act on her own in order to come to terms with her family and her relationship with her mother.

Advisory Information:

-Themes:

a. Coming of Age: Patricia learns to become more self-confident in her own abilities as her knowledge about her family’s past grows.

b. Social Standing: Patricia’s mother, who is a TV Broadcast Journalist, is seen in a different social stratum than her aunts and uncles. Patricia and her cousins are very aware of these differences.

c. Adult treatment of young adults: The way Patricia’s mother was treated by her mother shows the double standard that was prevalent in the 1950s, where girls were expected to act a certain way compared to boys.

d. Family Relationships: Patricia’s parents treat her with a kind of neglect. Perhaps this is due to their separation or it could just be their parenting style. Whereas, Patricia notices that her Aunt and cousins have more of a “traditional” family dynamic.

e. Split Families: Patricia’s parents are separating, so as the reader we are able to see how it affects Patricia’s attitude towards family, her parents, and her own personality. She is constantly trying to hide from others.

Age Recommendation:

This book would be good for older intermediate readers such as 4th to 7th graders. Patricia is twelve in the book. The themes throughout the book are more for older readers who would be able to connect with Patricia’s experiences at the Lake.

Other Information:

Takes place in Toronto and Edmonton.

A Handful of Time was awarded the Canadian Library Association Book-of-the-Year-for-Children Award.

It is Kit Peason's second book.

Reaction:

The book’s portrayal of family relationships was interesting. While Patricia’s parents’ separation is an important issue, the author never overanalyzes Patricia’s feelings and takes a practical view over what kind of impact it will have on Patricia. It seems so straightforward that the reader does not have to make any analysis on character or events. I did, however, think that author did a good job making the ending realistic. While Patricia is more confident about herself, she stays grounded in the fact that she is still unsure what the future may hold for her.

Evil? by Timothy Carter

Carter, T. (2009). Evil?. Woodbury, Minnesota: Flux.

Summary:
When Stuart is caught masturbating in the shower by his younger brother, the entire town begins to ostracize him to the point of violence. Stuart, unbeknownst to most of the town is in communication with the demon Fon Pyre who hesitantly tells Stuart and his friends that the reason for the town’s insanity has to do with the presence of a fallen angel. This angel has greatly disagreed with God’s treatment of humans when it comes to masturbation, and has therefore taken it upon himself to rid the world of masturbators, starting with Stuart. During this time another youth group is invited and their youth leader happens to be another fallen angel. Fights ensue, the towns people realize the errors of their ways, however not enough to stop themselves from killing both fallen angels.

Advisory Information:

-Themes:

a. Religion: The author is especially making a statement about extreme religious conservatism through Stuart’s association with the demon, the Fallen Angels, and finally with the level-headed Priest, Father Reedy.

b. Sexuality: The author looks at homosexuality, coming out, relationships, and other’s reactions.

c. Sexual Acts: Masturbation becomes a focal point in the book’s plot.

d. Identity: Chester, a sometimes friend of Stuart, must come to terms with his sexual identity.

e. Outsmarting Authority: Stuart, Fon Pyre, Chester and Father Reedy must outsmart the Fallen Angel and the rest of the town in order to save Stuart’s life.

f. Adult Mentors: Father Reedy acts as the model to which the author feels an adult mentor should act like. He allows Stuart to makes his own decisions and as a priest, he embodies what Carter feels how religious people should act.

Age Recommendation:

With themes including sexual orientation, examples sexual acts, strong religious ideological debates, and examples of defiance against authority this book is definitely for more mature teens most likely young adults aged 15-18.

Other Information:

Story takes place in a modern day small town near Ontario.

There is adult language in the story.

The book was listed on the ALA's Rainbow List for 2010 which include "recommended titles for youth from birth to age 18 that contain significant and authentic gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer, or questioning (GLBTQ) content." (http://rainbowlist.wordpress.com/rl-2010/)


Reaction:

I really enjoyed reading this book, however I think the absurdity of the plot somewhat weakens the overall message. Since it is so blatantly against extreme religious views, the book almost seems like it’s celebrating some of the supposed “sins” at the expense of religion. Rather than focusing on what the author believes: that people need to lighten up when it comes to religion, the author’s characters become caricatures rather than flesh and blood. Otherwise, teen boys will enjoy the book for its comedic characters, especially Stuart and Fon Pyre, their ability to outsmart the town, and defiance towards authority figures.