News from Canada
As has been commented before, we don’t see as much children’s and YA literature from Canada as we would like, so we won’t be too familiar with the category finalists in the Governor General’s Awards announced yesterday. However, if any of these titles are released in Australia they will be worth following up (annotations are from the Awards site):
Alma Fullerton. Libertad.
From the dumps in Guatemala, from the tragic death of a mother rise two boys: Libertad and his little brother, Julio. With only an address on a piece of paper, the boys embark on an incredible journey to find their father in America. Alma Fullerton weaves a story of warmth and caring, dogged determination and the generosity of strangers.
John Ibbitson. The Landing.
Ben Mercer first experiences live classical music as a young boy sitting on his father’s shoulders. From then on, he is hooked, bringing us along on his struggle to play violin. At times the instrument does not
co-operate. There are too many notes on the music sheet. The Landing is a superbly-crafted story by a writer who understands the many stages of an artistic dream.
Dianne Linden. Shimmerdogs.
Mike Hopkins is a boy with his own way of dealing with the world around him – one not always understood or appreciated, even by those who love him dearly. Author Dianne Linden inhabits Mike’s world in a story that is life-affirming without ever being sentimental, that is in equal measures tragic, funny and poignant.
Shenaaz Nanji. Child of Dandelions.
This is a gripping drama about a fascinating fragment of time in history – the expulsion of Indians from Uganda in 1972. Fifteen-year-old Sabine poignantly straddles two worlds – those of the landed Indian gentry and of the native Ugandans amid wrenching turmoil. Quietly and crisply written, all of Nanji’s characters are beautifully realized, morally nuanced and compellingly crafted.
Mariko Tamaki. Skim.
Skim is an audacious and original graphic novel set in a girls’ private school. Skim, a slightly lumpy Kimberly Cameron, stumbles around the edges of cliques, depression, sexuality, suicide, crushes and an achingly ambiguous love. The story is heart-breakingly fresh and, in the end, a small celebration of life.
November 15th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
[...] is growing controversy in Canada about the Governor General’s Awards. Mariko Tamaki has been shortlisted for SKIM, a graphic novel. Fair enough – it’s the first [...]