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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

History, fiction mix in readable novel

By: Helen Norrie

Posted: 04/20/2009 3:20 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

ONCE again, Vancouver Island author-historian John Wilson has managed to combine history and fiction in a palatable form. Lost in Spain (Key Porter Books, 213 pages, $12 paperback) is set in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

Ted Ryan, a 15-year-old from Salmon Arm, B.C., becomes caught up in the conflict in Spain while searching for his father, who has travelled to Barcelona to meet a member of a Communist organization.

Ted is helped by an attractive Spanish socialist, Dolores, who is anxious to get involved in the fighting. Together they face danger and even death as the fighting rages across Spain.

Wilson, whose previous books have included Germania and The Alchemist's Dream, once again manages to include plenty of historical detail along with suspense and a smattering of romance.

Aimed at ages 11-15, this novel describes a conflict that engaged many Canadians immediately prior to the Second World War.

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Before snowmobiles and snowboards, how did you find excitement in the winter? Toronto's Steve Pitt answers in his novel Faster Than Wind (Dundurn Press, 189 Pages, $12 paperback). You tried iceboating.

In 1906, Bertie McCross is a newspaper boy hawking papers on the streets of Toronto. Trying to escape the infamous Kelly gang, a family of Irish immigrants who demand protection money, he's rescued by Tommy McDonell and Milwaukee Ed, who introduce him to iceboat racing.

When they're joined by an unexpected crew member, Isobel, who can climb a mast "like a monkey," they're ready to challenge any boat in the harbour. But for the big race they need to bury the hatchet and enlist members of the Kelly gang, who turn out to have a softer side.

With plenty of action including a near-death experience in icy water for Bertie, this will appeal to boys 11-15 while making a little-known era of Canadian sports history come alive.

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Sure to be an inspiration for young women, Canadian Girls Who Rocked the World by Vancouver's Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Walrus Books, 120 pages $13, paperback) provides thumbnail sketches and photos of 36 Canadian girls who achieved their dreams.

Divided into five categories (sports, history, arts, science and a general category "great girl achievements"), this packed paperback describes the careers of such disparate achievers as Evelyn Hart, Emily Carr, Silken Laumann and April Lavigne.

One might argue over the choice of the author's selections, and the order of presentation is somewhat random, but this book fulfills a need because, in the Kyi's words, "every girl needs a mentor." Suitable for readers 10 and up.

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Thornhill, Ont., author Deborah Kirbel writes an interesting version of the Romeo and Juliet tale in Mackenzie, Lost and Found (Dundurn Press, 250 pages, $13, paperback). Kerbel sets this teenage romance in Jerusalem, an added bonus as descriptions of the old city abound.

Fifteen-year-old Mackenzie Hill goes unwillingly to Jerusalem with her father, who is doing archeological research after her mother's untimely death.

Left on her own to explore the city, Mackenzie is attracted to Nasic, a Muslim Palestinian boy, who works in a nearby shop. Despite a friend's warning that such a relationship is doomed, Mackenzie and Nasic become close friends.

But there are hidden dangers, including a ring of black market smugglers that Nasic is unwillingly connected to. Mackenzie must choose between her father's reputation and her budding relationship.

A good contemporary tale, with an exceptionally fine setting for 12-15-year-old readers.

Winnipegger Helen Norrie is a former teacher/librarian. Her column appears on the third Sunday of the month.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 20, 2009 B9

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