Stratford (Ontario) Public Library

The site

This site seemed so promising. OK it’s not super cool but it seemed pretty simple and sleek, but perhaps a little childish. The site covers a broad range of topics: magazines, entertainment, books, sports, online resources, study sites, jobs, college and your library. I was very disappointed to find out that all the pages were just sets of links. There was little original content and some of the links were sort of questionable. I found that the original content that did exist was rather condescending discussing things like how they will work with you if you have fines, or how it’s “HIP” to use the library catalogue.

Audience: 14+ according to website (12+ according to me)
Ranking: 2/5

Flower: a novel

This novel is told from the point of view of three different people. Katie is a young girl in present day Canada who has lost her mother. Her father has recently remarried and is expecting a child with his new wife. Katie is feeling like an outsider in her own home when she is, in her view, shipped off to Halifax to visit her grandparents.

William is Katie’s great-grandfather and another voice in the story. Through conversations with her grandfather and first person retelling we hear the story of how William came to Canada as a Home Child. Lillie the third voice in the story is another Home Child and a spirit who appears to Katie.

This novel introduces us to the story of the Home Children; orphans, paupers and homeless children who were sent from England in the early 1900s promised new families but instead given lives of servitude.

I found the story of the Home Children interesting as it is a part of Canadian history that I had no prior knowledge of. I think that perhaps I would have just preferred to read about William and Lillie rather than Katie. The time lines come together in the end but I was far more interested in the story of the past. I felt that both Katie and William’s characters were less developed than Lillie’s.

Age range: 12-14
Ranking: Quality – 2.5/5 Popularity 2/5

Degrassi – TNG

I have been a pretty big fan of Degrassi since it came on the scene, hands up all of you who saw the “Kids of Degrassi Street”. I have also watched the new Degrassi off and on, especially during the summer when my evenings were often filed with too much TV. Anyway I would like to discuss the 2 episode section that dealt with JT’s exit from the show. For those of you who don’t know JT is the class clown and ex-kids show presenter who I liked as a side character but not much of a main guy. Well that was before he got his girlfriend Liberty, class brainiac and president of everything, pregnant. Liberty basically shut JT out during the pregnancy but they ended up together in the end. Well after a disastrous moving out together financed by the fact that JT stole Oxycodone and sold it to the local drug dealer things went pear-shaped. I don’t know all the details of this because I was back in school. Apparently Liberty gave their son up for adoption and life went on as “usual”? Then JT started dating the new girl, Mia, who had a daughter. So Liberty basically lost it.

In these last two episodes you find out that JT likes Mia, but he still loves Liberty. In fact he is discussing this with his friend, Toby, at an out of control party that was originally for Liberty. JT decides to go after Liberty when she leaves the party but finds some guys from another school peeing on his car. There is a brief tousle during which JT gets stabbed, and of course Liberty finds him. We find out at the hospital that JT is dead. This was almost an anticlimactic ending as CTV felt it necessary to keep telling us that “Degrassi” was going to lose one of it’s own”. As everyone tries to figure out how to mourn JT Toby has to decide what to do with the information about JT’s feelings. The new girl is acting like the widow, Liberty doesn’t seem to be sure how to act. Some bad advice from other Degrassi-ites leads Toby to keep JT’s feelings secret. But as always it comes out eventually and then Liberty can mourn.

I found that the best character development in this story arc took place in Liberty. At the end she seemed to be mourning the loss of JT and their son and perhaps things will go better for her from now on. I have always liked the way that Degrassi deals with realistic if not always real life situations. I found that the dynamic of mourning a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend really interesting. It isn’t something that you think of too often. I guess we only assign the role of widow if people have been together for a significant amount of time. I also liked that once JT’s feelings were out in the open Liberty and Mia can come together more, they could almost share JT. Degrassi is for me the epitome of teen programming. It is all about the teens, unlike the OC. It is pretty much the right balance of serious issues and fluff.

Audience: 13+ (although the earlier episodes would be 10+)
Ranking: Quality 4.5/5 Popularity 5/5

Sticks and Stones

Jujube is a normal high school girl, that is until she goes out to her boyfriend’s car during a dance. “Mr. Warpspeed” tries to get her to do more than she wants, but she says no and they go back in. Jujube finds out that she has been labeled as a slut. Jujube discovers how hard it is to fight against a label, especially since no one is interested in the truth. Jujube and her friend Carlos use an English project about communication to bring to light the hurtful side of gossip, graffiti and labels.

The issues dealt with in this book are universal, as most teens have been labeled as something they are not. Trying to cope with this label is something that many teens struggle with and “Sticks and Stones” actually shows a very positive was to deal with it. The book is well written and enjoyable to read. It was possible to forget that this was supposed to be a hi/lo book as you didn’t notice the simplicity of the writing or storyline at all. I would like to see Orca put out a book about the other side of this story, the pressure on teenage boys to be sexually experienced and brag about it to their friends.

Age range: 12 plus
Ranking: Quality – 4/5 Popularity – 5/5

Zee’s Way

Zee and his friends have it in for the merchants of a local strip mall, but they deserve it. As the “war” between the merchants and the boys escalate Zee decides to graffiti the side of the building. But as an artist Zee decides to paint a door on the wall as well. Although the merchants paint over the graffiti they leave the door. After a few repeats of the tagging Zee gets caught by Mr. Feniuk, who hires him to paint a mural rather than graffiti. As Zee discovers that the merchants aren’t all that bad he and Mr. Feniuk decide that perhaps they can bring the two sides together.

This hi/lo was much slower paced than Death Wind but I still enjoyed it. I felt that the situation that was portrayed was much more realistic and could probably be understood by more teens. Although this book lacks action, Zee’s thoughts and feelings are explored in more depth. I think that perhaps the target audience, teen boys who don’t like to read, may not appreciate this fact. This is not the best hi/lo that I’ve read.

Age range: 14 plus
Ranking: Quality – 2 Popularity – 3

Death Wind

Allie’s parents are fighting all the time, she has failed three of her four classes and she thinks she may be pregnant. To get away from all of this she decides to run away and join her friend Razz on his skateboarding tour. After a few days Allie and Razz return to Barrie, much to Allie’s disappointment. As they arrive back in town it is hit by a tornado. Allie and Razz witness the destruction and Allie must find her parents. Allie realizes that her problems seem small in comparison to the wake of destruction.

Hi/lo books are supposed to be quick and compelling reads that are driven by actions and this is definitely true of Death Wind. The background information is presented in a couple of sentences. The focus is on Allie’s thoughts and feelings. I found that the level of action presented in Death Wind might be seen as unrealistic, although the tornado is based on a real event. The only criticism I have is the way that this book ends. Allie finds her parents alive and well and tells them that she is flunking and possibly pregnant and they decide to rebuild their house and family. Perhaps I just want to hear more, what happens to Allie after the shock of the tornado wears off. Does her family really change?

Age Range: 12 plus
Ranking: Quality – 3 Popularity – 4

The Girl with a Baby

Jane Williams was always the good one in her family. Her family has been going through tough times since her mother’s death from cancer. Her brothers have dropped out of school, her father is often absent and her grandmother, Teh, has had to move in to help out. In the midst of this Jane finds herself pregnant. As the book opens Jane is giving birth to her daughter, Destiny. She had managed to conceal her pregnancy from her whole family. Destiny’s father knew of the pregnancy, but after her birth he moves away and does not keep in touch. Jane must resolve to raise her daughter and keep her family together in the wake of this surprise. When Jane returns to school 6 weeks after the birth of her daughter things get even tougher. She is lucky enough to attend a school with a daycare but she finds that she is now shunned by all of her old friends.

Things come to a head when she decides to audition for the school musical. A talented singer Jane has to decide if she should audition for the lead role, going up against the beautiful head of the drama club. Jane has to struggle with the demands on her time and her lack of self-confidence. Bolstered by her new best-friend, a new girl on the block and the support of her grandmother Jane decides to audition for role of Sandy in Grease. When Jane is the better of the candidates another problem erupts when one of the judges refuses to allow Jane the role because it would reward her and set a bad example for other kids. However Jane does get the role and manages to stay on top of raising her daughter, doing schoolwork and rehearsing for the play. Giving it more depth is the fact that weaved throughout this story the fact that Jane is part Native, her mother Native and her father white. This affects how Jane sees herself and her family, especially as compared to her white middle-class neighbours.

This book is a fantastic insight into the thoughts of a first-time mother, as well as a teenager in a tough situation. It is not a preachy book about the difficulties of being a teen mom; neither does it gloss over the stresses of being a single mother. Jane is a real person and you can understand and empathize with everything she is going through. The relationships are also well presented and realistic. Jane fights with her brothers, her grandmother has difficulties keeping up with everything, her father is flawed. But there is also a great part where Jane’s best-friend Dawna expresses her envy of Jane’s family. Dawna confides in Jane about her family, where she feels like an outsider.

The only facet of the story that I don’t think that the author dealt with enough was the situation surrounding Jane’s first and only sexual experience. From the description of the situation one could say that perhaps she was forced. Not in a brutal way but in that her boyfriend had sex with her despite that she asked that he used a condom and that she asked that he stop. She never physically tried to stop him, and perhaps Jane would not say that she was raped or coerced; more that she did not understand fully what was going on. Perhaps it would not have fit within the story but I think that perhaps it would have been important to discuss in the author’s note.

The experiences of the author bring this book its authenticity. Sylvia Olsen is a white woman who married into the Tsartlip First Nation and she works with First Nations communities. Her daughter also became a mother at 14.

Age range: 13 and up

Ranking: Quality – 5/5 Popularity – 3/5