Fresh perspectives

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This article was published 24/08/2024 (455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s young readers have once again weighed in on the 12 books selected for the Free Press Summer Reading Challenge — and once again, the response has been outstanding.

The Summer Reading Challenge began at the end of June, with participants encouraged to read books selected by McNally Robinson Booksellers in three different age categories (7 to 9 years, 10-12 years and 13 to 15 years). The goal was to read the books with a critical eye and share their thoughts in the form of reviews — what they did and didn’t like, whether the book is recommendation-worthy — and rate the titles out of five stars.

The first set of reviews was published at the end of July (and can be read at wfp.to/CO1), and this second set features some returning reviewers as well as new voices weighing in on Summer Reading Challenge titles. Thanks to all the dedicated readers out there for taking time out of your summer break to chime in with your very thoughtful reviews!

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The Skull

By Jon Klassen

Candlewick Press, 112 pages, $22

The Skull is my favourite book from this contest. I do like long books with lots of words, but I really like the pictures in this book. My favourite part of this book is when Otilla and the skull find the skeleton and push it off the balcony. Later Otilla went and burned the bones and got rid of them in a pit. They didn’t know what it was when they were in bed and heard the noise. It was funny.

I like how Otilla was brave. She was not even scared of a talking skull. I also like how the skull’s name is the skull. Five stars.

★★★★★ out of five stars

— Lilia Day Ambrose, 8

This book is called The Skull. The Book was about a girl called Otilla, she ran away and found a Skull. I liked this book because The Skull was really funny! My conclusion is: I definitely recommend this book for others to read. Oh! And there is nothing I don’t like about this book. I give this book five stars…bye!

★★★★★ out of five stars

— Katja Luque-Reimer, 9

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Who We Are in Real Life

By Victoria Koops

Groundwood Books, 288 pages, $18

Who We Are in Real Life is about a girl named Darcy who moves from the city to the country and is unlike anybody in her new town. Because Darcy has two moms, she and her friend turned boyfriend, Art, fight back against homophobia and bond over Dungeons and Dragons.

The way the author, Victoria Koops, uses text messages and the characters’ DnD campaigns throughout the novel reflects the main story very, very well.

I personally love this book, and even though some parts were pretty dark and depressing, I would recommend it to anyone who is into serious books for older kids, and even adults!

★★★★ out of five stars

— Atticus Penner, 11

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The Puppets of Spelhorst

By Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Julie Morstad

Candlewick Press, 160 pages, $24

The Puppets of Spelhorst was unexpectedly interesting. I like that there’s a story within a story. I also like how most of the characters were puppets and they each had their own conscious minds. The illustrations caught my eye because they were different and cool. I would recommend this book and I would like to read a sequel.

★★★★1/2 out of five stars

— Jacob Burbano McFee, 9

The Puppets of Spellhorst by Kate DiCamillo tells a story about five puppets — a girl, a boy, an owl, a king and a wolf — and how they’re in a story. It begins with an old man buying the puppets, which starts their whole journey. It’s cool how each of the characters has their own story. It’s a bunch of books in one! The author says that it’s a modern fairy tale and I think it has a good moral in it. I give this book five stars because it’s really neat.

★★★★★ out of five stars

—Stephanie Boon, 9

The story is about five different puppets who live in a toy store. There is a king, a wolf, a boy, a girl, and an owl. They talk to each other about adventures, but they can’t go on adventures because they are actually puppets. They get bought from the toy store and then given to two little girls named Emma and Martha. Emma is the sensible one and wants to put on a puppet show. Martha takes the puppets and plays with them but then the puppets get accidentally thrown out or lost. The puppets end up in different places and each puppet has a different adventure before getting back to the room where they started. The puppets meet all kinds of people and animals and learn a lot about themselves. In the end the puppets are all together and Emma and Martha do a puppet show for their family.

I think the story is about finding out who you really are, even if you’re just a puppet. I liked the book because it was funny and a little sad when Emma pulled out the wolf’s teeth and because the puppets were so brave on their adventures. It’s a bit long and I had to read it with my mom and dad to understand some parts.

★★★★ out of five stars

— Rafaela LeGoff, 9

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Alterations

By Ray Xu

Union Square Kids, 240 pages, $20

In Alterations, I personally loved the art. The way the author developed the characters is also really well done. I could relate to the main character, Kevin, because he is in middle school. I liked how the book included pictures and information about food from their culture.

It was also interesting how the book had backstories for some of the characters, like the mom. My favourite part was when they went to the amusement park and Kevin got stuck on the rollercoaster. After that, he became “Wonder Boy.”

It seems like Alterations is made by a professional. This book includes very real situations like stereotypes, bullying, friendships gone wrong and much more. At some points in the book, I couldn’t stop turning the page. I would say that this book is very captivating and very well done.

★★★★★ out of five stars

— Samuel Burbano McFee, 12

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The Secret of the Ravens

By Joanna Cacao

HarperCollins, 272 pages, $20

I read The Secret of the Ravens. I liked how the plot built up and the story unfolded. In the story, a pair of kids are stranded and have nowhere to go. Their parents are gone and they only have each other. At first, they scavenge for garbage to sell, but then the ravens give them quests to find ingredients in exchange for money.

It was great because there was a certain mystery to it with lots of action, adventure, a daring plot, escapes, and magic that brought a “Harry Potter” feel. I give this book four stars.

★★★★ out of five stars

— Alex Neufeld, 9

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Salma Makes a Home

By Danny Ramadan, illustrated by Anna Bron

Annick Press, 120 pages, $10

My favourite part was reading about Salma and her family being together, especially when her Baba (dad) was tucking her into bed at the end.

★★★★★ out of five stars

— Kinley Alexander, 7