The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Penelope is Odysseus’ (Homer’s - The Odyssey) faithful wife. She was left alone for 20 years while Odysseus is fighting in the Trojan Wars. In Odysseus’ absence Penelope has to manage the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up a difficult son, face scandalous rumours and she has about 100 suitors who can’t wait to get their hands on her fortune. Penelope tells her story from the grave with her 12 maids as a chorus group behind her. This book is like an action movie or a girl-flick, it's not the greatest nor is it the worse, but it does its job in entertaining people. If you are a fan of Homer’s Odyssey you totally have to pick this book up!

Wild Orchid by Beverley Brenna

Doesn’t it suck when you have to do something you really don’t want to? That’s what happens to Taylor Jan Simon, who is forced to spend the summer with her mom and her new boyfriend in Prince Albert National Park. She really would rather stay at home in Saskatoon, but because she suffers from an autistic condition called Asperger’s Syndrome, she is not allowed to stay on her own.

The book is written in diary format, which makes me feel like I really know Taylor. It’s a really good view on how social situations can be very difficult for someone with autism, because in some ways Taylor is incredibly similar to most teenage girls and in other ways she is exceedingly different.

Three Songs for Courage by Maxine Trottier

This book takes place in a small town on the shores of Lake Erie in 1956. Gordon Westley is 16 years old and if you like Jimmy Dean in Rebel without a Cause, you will probably like Gordon. The summer is looking really good for Gordon, he has his best buddies; a new girlfriend, Mary; and his baby, a 1950 Pontiac named the Chief.

The only problem is Lancer, a bully whose violence follows him everywhere. The summer takes a turn for the worst when Gordon finds his brother dead from a fall down the stairs. He like everyone else assumes it was an accident, until he finds evidence that Lancer was at his home that night. That is when Gordon decides to avenge his brother’s death by murdering Lancer. Is revenge the right path? Will Gordon make the right decision?

The Sundog Season by John Geddes

This is a book full of plot twists. The narrator is a 13 year old boy, who lives in a small, northern Ontario mining town. There are all sorts of interesting characters, like his older sister, an immigrant ice-maker for the hockey rink who lives on a tiny island, his less fortunate friend Mike, his pharmacist father, and some gossipy old ladies.

The book really picks up when the "stranger", Sgt. Martin of the provincial police arrives in town. Everyone is gossiping about why he is in their town. Various rumors abound: some say he is after drug dealers; others claim he has been sent to investigate high-grading (the practice of miners smuggling gold out of the mine to sell on the black market); and some suspect that he is a bad cop who has been sent into exile-because of something involving girls and money.

Are the rumours true? Is gossip good for a community? You decide.

Shattered by Eric Walters

Have you ever left an assignment to the last minute? Well, this is exactly what Ian has done. He has left his social studies assignment to the last minute, now in order to pass his social studies glass he has to do community volunteer service. He chooses to work at a place called, “The Club” because he thinks it sound cool. He can’t believe his rotten luck when the place turns out to be a soup kitchen for the homeless. Not only is that bad, but it is also located in a really sketchy part of town. While he is going to do his first shift, Ian is almost mugged by three teenagers. A really fierce and frightening homeless mans comes to Ian’s defense with a pipe. Later, the same guy shows up at the soup kitchen, and as Ian gets to know him he find out he was a peacekeeper stationed in Rwanda. This book is about learning to get past social discrimination here in our own towns, as well as around the world.

Me and the Blondes by Teresa Toten

Sophie Kandinsky has big secret. Her alcoholic father is in jail for murder (though Sophie thinks he has been unjustly convicted). For a girl who just wants to be adored, it gets rather difficult when people catch wind of her family secret. This time she has moved and is going to a new school and is determined to create a new identity. She attaches herself to a clique of popular girls called, the Blondes. This book is hilarious and has a great way of looking at life when you are a teenager growing up. Even thought the book takes place in the mid’70s, a lot of the stuff Sophie has to deal with in high school is the same as today. It had me laughing out loud!

How to be a Hero on Earth 5

Strange, bizarre and totally weird, is how I would describe this book. 17 year old John Fitzgerald is planning a trip to England to visit his father’s eccentric family. When he falls a sleep on the plane, it slips into another dimension. Later he finds out that it is a hole in the Earth’s ozone layer and it is being run by evil DIMCO agents. This is a fast paced sci-fi adventure that is filled with fifteen hour days, distortion waves and really weird characters! This is a real edge of your set page turner! It kind of reminds me of a futuristic Alice and Wonderland.

What do you think?

Four Steps to Death by John Wilson

This book is about the Battle of Stalingrad that took place in 1942. It is considered one of the bloodiest wars in human history. What I like best about this book is that you see the war through three different sets of eyes. The first is 70 year old Sergei who is telling the story of when he was 8 years old and hiding in a cellar while the war was going on. He would go out at night looking for abandoned food found in buildings and on dead bodies, just hoping to survive the night. Then there is Vasily who is a sniper for the Russian army. He is hoping to rid Russia of the Nazis. There is also Conrad. He is a German tank officer who thinks that Germany’s victory over Russia will be easy, because Stalin’s army is so ill-trained and badly equipped. This book really helped give me a stronger understanding of what happens during a war and how people on both sides and those stuck in the middle cope with the loss of friends and family.

The Bonemender by Holly Bennett

This book is so exciting!

There are really intense battle scenes and some really great heroes. I really liked reading about Gabrielle’s talents as a bonemender. You can totally get into the detailed descriptions of her healing techniques and procedures. I feel really badly that Gabrielle falls in love with one of the Elves, because he can live for 300 years and she would die a long time before him. I hope that the elves and the humans can work out their differences so that they can defeat the Greffaires. Otherwise, it looks like it is the end for all humans and elves.

After by Francis Chalifour

This book started off so sadly I didn’t think I’d be able to read it but am I ever glad I did. It’s about a 15 year old boy named Frances. His father has just committed suicide and this book tells about the year that followed. I felt so sorry for him - lucky for Frances he has a great mother! But imagine what it would be like wondering if you had said or done something differently then maybe a suicide wouldn’t have happened. There are so many books where the main character is thinking about committing suicide it was interesting to read about it from a different perspective. It really helped me to understand what it’s like for someone when a suicide happens to a relative or friend.

Don’t think this book is depressing though – it is a book about hope. I also really liked Frances and was happy that he discovered his own strengths to help him survive the suicide of his father. What did you think?