Quill and Quire

BOOK REVIEWS

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Raven

By Allison Van Diepen

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: pretty, smart, thoughtful girl meets older, beautiful, preternaturally graceful boy. Cue sparks and adolescent sexual tension. Then the boy reveals The Secret: he’s actually immortal. Cue internal conflict ... Read More »

August 31, 2009

The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19

By Jocelyn Brown

Your basic teen-attitude story in first person, present tense is now tediously commonplace. Nevertheless, there are occasional examples in which a sharp wit, a bitingly ironic voice, sheer quirkiness, and Edmonton – yes, Edmonton – ... Read More »

August 31, 2009

I Spy a Bunny

By Judy Dudar; Richard Rudnicki, illus.

Mandy, a little blonde girl with a jones for colour, goes to see her Aunt Carla for a weekend of fun, sun, and cookies. They head out to White Point Beach in Nova Scotia and ... Read More »

August 31, 2009 | Filed under: Picture Books

Edward and the Eureka Lucky Wish Company

By Barbara Todd; Patricia Storms, illus.

Edward wants to fly more than anything. His dream seems set to come true when he encounters a salesman from the Eureka Lucky Wish Company. (“Buy Two. Get One Free.”) Edward buys three wishes, but, ... Read More »

August 31, 2009 | Filed under: Picture Books

Pounce de Leon

By Tim Wynne-Jones; Alfredo Tapia, illus.

As in his much-loved Zoom series of picture books, Tim Wynne-Jones’s newest, Pounce de Leon, features a cat in the role of explorer-hero. Drawing on the self-contained and introspective “personality” often ascribed to cats, Wynne-Jones ... Read More »

August 31, 2009 | Filed under: Picture Books

Down the Drain

By Robert Munsch; Michael Martchenko, illus.

Robert Munsch has done it again. The prolific storyteller’s latest book keeps up the high standard of silliness we’ve come to expect from Canada’s King of KidLit. The familiar formula of repetition, exaggeration, and humour ... Read More »

August 31, 2009 | Filed under: Picture Books

★ The Queen of Paradise’s Garden

By Andy Jones; Darka Erdelji, illus.

Andy Jones, a founder of the comedy troupe CODCO, retells a traditional Newfoundland tale here, just as he did in 2003’s Hackmatack Award-winning Peg Bearskin. The story features elements in common with many good folk ... Read More »

August 31, 2009 | Filed under: Picture Books

Generation A

By Douglas Coupland

Generation A, Douglas Coupland’s 11th novel, is a great bookend to Generation X, the novel that launched his career. The term “Generation A” was in fact coined by Kurt Vonnegut, but Coupland embraces it and ... Read More »

August 24, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

The Bishop’s Man

By Linden MacIntyre

Father Duncan MacAskill is called The Exorcist. Not in the traditional sense, however: at his bishop’s bidding, he drives out devils of a different sort – priests who molest children. He does not banish the ... Read More »

August 17, 2009 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Papercut Heart: A Book of Zines

By Ian Sullivan Cant

Papercut Heart is a short volume containing nine poems, all of them charmingly illustrated by the author. Most of the text is handwritten, and the result is a pleasant little collection that tackles the usual ... Read More »

August 11, 2009 | Filed under: Graphica

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