Books & Audiobooks
Preteens are a tricky age group when it comes to books. They’ve outgrown the type of books they read when they were younger, but they aren’t quite ready for teen materials. The Forest of Reading program has a category specifically for this age group.
The Red Maple nominees are written by Canadian authors and target the interests of preteens. Here are three of my favourite nominees from this year’s list. (For a full list of nominees scroll below).
The Cricket War
by Tho Pham
Tho loves soccer, climbing Mango trees and cricket fighting. But his parents worry about his future. They know that boys in south Vietnam are conscripted to the communist army. One day Tho comes home to discover his parents plan to smuggle him out of the country. He boards a small, overcrowded boat that will sail across the south China sea. The threat of pirates, storms and starvation looms daily. Tho doesn’t know where he will end up. But he does know he must survive long enough to find freedom.
This is a straightforward story about life in Vietnam after the withdrawal of American troops. It is loosely based on the author’s own dangerous journey across the sea to a refugee camp in the Philippines and eventually to Canada. It is a window into the real-life history of Vietnam refugees fleeing communism from 1975 to the 1990’s.
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The Outsmarters
by Deborah Ellis
Kate lives in a junkyard. Her mother dropped her off one day and never came back. Her Gran took her in and makes a living by selling junk. Life isn’t easy for Kate. She’s angry all the time. She dreams of the day that her mother will return. In the meantime, she opens a philosophy booth to earn money. Customers spin the ‘wheel of wisdom’ to answer their problems. Here Kate learns some unpleasant truths and the secrets her Gran has been hiding.
The story covers some tough topics but offsets it with a blend of humour. Kate is a unique character, wise beyond her years yet still a child who yearns for her mother’s love. She is resilient and has the strength to tackle her problems and create a brighter future for herself.
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Hopeless in Hope
by Wanda John-Kehewin
Eva lives in a town called Hope. Her house is neglected. Her shoes are worn out. She is an easy target for bullies. But she has two-things that make her happy – her four-year old brother and her Nohkum. Even when there is nothing to eat, she can count on Nohkum to make soup from scraps in the fridge. Her mother, Shirley, however, is a different story. She drinks too much and disappears for days. Everything changes when Nohkum ends up in the hospital. Shirley reappears and things fall apart so badly both Eva and her brother end up in foster care.
This is a story of forgiveness. The trauma cause by the residential school system is clearly laid out in this story. Nohkum was taken from her family at a young age. Disconnected from her Cree heritage, she grows up in a residential school. Her struggles get passed on to Shirley and then ultimately passed on to Eva. With Nohkum’s guidance Eva learns to reconnect with Shirley and mend the distance between them.
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