Review: Crush. Candy.Corpse. by Sylvia McNicoll

I received this ARC from McNicoll’s publisher Lorimer at OLA last month. The book follows high school student Sonja (Sunny) Ehret and she stands trial for manslaughter. Every chapter alternates between last year (Sunny serving volunteers hours on an Alzheimer’s ward), and this year (Sunny’s manslaughter trial). So just how are the two connected? Well you have to pick up this uh-mazing book to find out! I actually read this book in less than a day as I could just not put it down.

Since McNicoll is a Canadian author, I really appreciated the Canadiana infused throughout the book. From the Canadian justice system, to everyone’s favourite-Timmies doughnuts! I especially related to the high school graduation requirement of 40 hours of volunteer work. Rather than having a choice of placement, Sunny is reluctantly sited at an elder care facility called ‘Paradise Manor’. In comparison, I really enjoyed completing my forty hours of volunteer work and hope it remains a requirement for years to come.  However, I think it is crucial that students pick their own placements rather than be forced to be somewhere they don’t want to be.  I chose to volunteer at a wide spread of organizations-including an elderly home!  Due to this experience, I could definitely sympathize with some of the sights and smells Sunny complained about. I wish I thought of making a coffee bean necklace…

I loved how the elderly residents really started to change the way Sunny felt about volunteering at Paradise Manor. Each individual had a unique personality and made me laugh. My favourite was Jeanette with her love of lipstick and how she complimented Sunny on her non-existent fashions. Despite the lighter moments, this book definitely deals with heavy, mature content. I liked how McNicoll was able to describe the devastating disease of Alzheimer’s through Sunny’s class presentation so readers are aware of all that it entails without it feeling too medical or pushed. The book also skims the surface of the euthanasia debate and whether a suffering person with a terminal illness has the right to die on their own terms. It truly is a legitimate concern since the Alzheimer’s rate is likely to skyrocket as baby boomers in Canada age. Hopefully, a treatment or cure can be realized so Alzheimer’s won’t become the defining disease of the Baby Boom Generation.

Look for Crush.Candy.Corpse. at bookstores and libraries March 12, 2012.

Fighting. Friends. Fitting in: The Luck of Jude by Andrew Larsen

At the recent OLA conference, I saw a large line-up to grab a free ARC (advanced reading copy) for Andrew Larsen’s ‘The Luck of Jude’. To my surprise, he was also there to speak to individuals and sign the book. Although we only had a minute, I was able to quickly tell him about a unique program my library offers—a book club for fathers and sons. The content of the book follows a boy in grade four, and I knew this would be an excellent novel for my boys to read (grade three and four). Larsen was impressed with the idea, and signed ‘Good Luck!’ in my copy!

Although The Luck of Jude is a short chapter book (106 pages), it manages to tell an interesting story of grade four student, Jude (yes, named after the Beatles song). The ‘Luck of Jude’ comes from being hit on a head by a chestnut. His friend informs him that being hit in the head by a chestnut means good luck. She then teaches him the game Conkers (attach a string to a chestnut and battle against player to destroy their chestnut). Jude is able to use his new love of the game to relate to the new student in his class.

What I liked about the book:

1)      Throughout the story, the reader learns how much Jude loves lists (as do I). Larsen starts each chapter with a list. For example: Things that help me fall asleep, or Things that bug me about my dad.  These lists are great for grabbing the reader’s attention, and adding visual interest.

2)      It oozes Toronto content–from listing the local parks, to poking fun of Toronto’s beloved Leafs, Larsen makes it known that he is Canadian.

3)      Jude’s Nani (grandma). She teaches Jude to see beyond differences and be a friend. It is an important lesson for all individuals to learn.

4)      Even though I didn’t particularly like the amount of blood and fighting, I liked how Larsen redeemed himself when Jude doesn’t resort to violence after being punched in the face. Hopefully young readers will also realize that violence is not the answer.

5)      I know reluctant readers will love the content. It’s all about fighting, friends and fitting in.  Larsen is able to include all of these aspects in the short, quick read.

Warnings:

-Violence, and a couple of references to ‘ass’ and ‘idiot’.

-After reading this story, I know many kids would love to try playing Conkers. However, it can be a dangerous game! In the past, schools in fear of legal consequences have actually banned the game. I just hope the book doesn’t cause any problems for the local school boards…