Library & Literary Miscellany

Montmorency On The Rocks by Eleanor Updale

Following his ignominious rise to the status of gentleman in the series’ first book (Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman (2004)), Montmorency also known as Scarper returns in Montmorency On the Rocks. Montmorency continues to fight against being consumed by Scarper’s proclivities. On a trip with his friend Lord George Fox-Selwyn, Montmorency begins taking a noxious drug. This drug brings Scarper out in full force in near obliteration of all that Montmorency has striven to become. After their return to London, Montmorency continues consuming the drug, or rather, letting the drug consume him: “The drug had long since ceased to bring him happiness, and yet he couldn’t help himself.”

Straits are so dire that Fox-Selwyn decides to help the man who can’t seem to help himself by removing Montmorency away from the prying eyes (and underground temptations) of London society. Fox-Selwyn takes Montmorency, along with his other friend Dr. Farcett, to Scotland.

After Dr. Farcett’s hubris and surgical error caused a patient’s death, he is facing his own demons. However, Dr. Farcett once saved Montmorency’s physical life, and now he is called upon to reach deep and recall his desire for helping make sick people well in order to help Montmorency overcome his substance abuse. In so doing, Dr. Farcett begins to face his past mistakes so that he might embrace his future.

Even as Dr. Farcett helps Montmorency detoxify, the three friends stumble upon another mystery on the island of Tarimond off the Scottish coast. Dr. Farcett’s skills are called upon to uncover why the babies on the island are dying within a few months of their birth. A parallel crisis calls for Montmorency to return to London and apply his  skills of camouflage and subterfuge to the task of finding the bomber that is loose in London. With this charge, Montmorency once again dons his Scarper persona in the heart of London–this time in the service of his country.

Unlike the first book that largely focuses on developing Montmorency’s complex identity, this second book expands to include not only Montmorency’s perspective but also the thoughts, actions, and complex personalities of Lord Fox-Selwyn and Dr. Farcett. Interestingly, Updale employs these three aristocratic characters to showcase the complexity of human nature, the harsher aspects of life for the impoverished, and the colossal inequities among social classes in Victorian England (a la Dickens).

Montmorency: On the Rocks is every bit as thrilling and as full of historical detail, adventure, and intrigue as the first book. Montmorency/Scarper ’s story continues in the third book of this series Montmorency and the Assassins (2006) and the fourth book Montmorency’s Revenge (2007).

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Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale (2004)

“But it is time for you to go. Your possessions will be returned to you downstairs. You have been given the chance of life, 493. I hope you will take the opportunity to make that life one of industry and law-abiding behavior.”

So says the warden to Prisoner 493–also known as Montmorency also known as Scarper. While languishing for three years in the bowels of a Victorian England prison, Montmorency vows to reinvent himself–multiple reinventions really–as a thief, a liar, and a gentleman.

Montmorency’s time in jail is the result of his having been caught as a thief. During his capture, he suffers grievous physical injuries. In fact, Montmorency’s injuries are so grave that an up-and-coming London doctor, Doctor Farcett, is permitted to perform experimental treatments on him.

The treatments save Montmorency’s life and begin to heal of his physical injuries but, simultaneously, they augment his emotional pain over life’s inequities. As a part of his treatments, Montmorency attends meetings of the Scientific Society where he is humiliated as a specimen under examination but also where he learns about the underground sewage system of London. The seeds of a plan for revenge against society’s upper classes begin to sprout.

Montmorency resolves to create dual identities—he will enter London’s underground as Scarper, a sewer navigator who uses the routes to accomplish his thefts and to pave the way for the success of his above-ground persona, Montmorency. Using the goods he attains as Scarper, Montmorency lives the life of a refined gentleman and, in so doing, he defies the seemingly insurmountable Victorian class divisions of his day.

Updale fills her story with secret identities, complex characters, period details, scatological references, daring deeds, narrow escapes, and more vice than virtue. Social and economic disparities drive much of the action–while wealthy gentlemen spend the days at their club, the poorer classes spend the days doing what it takes (legal or no) to survive. Montmorency’s dual identities begin to foster identity confusion, and Montmorency/Scarper finds himself facing choices as to which version of himself he wants to control of his life–the thief, the liar, or the gentleman.

As a work for young adults, Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman is unusual as its characters are not young adults (the same holds true for the subsequent works in the series), and its main character is more antihero than hero. Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman harkens back to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in which one man confronts some unpleasant facts about the conflicting parts of his nature. More modern offerings that contain elements of history, mystery, adventure, and crime in historical England can be found in works by authors such as Chris Priestley, Iain Lawrence, Avi (Traitors Gate), and Paul Bajoria (Printer’s Devil). Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman is the first book in the series starring Montmorency.

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Death Note, Volume 1by Tsugumi Ohba (Author) and Takeshi Obata (Illustrator)

In Death Note, light and dark become confused. Bored-out-of-his-mind Japanese teenager Light Yagami loses his apathy upon picking up the Death Note notebook. The Death Note was dropped into the human world by the equally bored shinigami death god named Ryuk. Ryuk wanted to see what a human would do with the power of the Death Note–the power being the ability to kill any human whose name is written within its pages (see Volume 1 itself for a complete list of rules and regulations for how this is done).

With the power wielded through the Death Note, Light decides to take justice into his own hands and rid the world of evil criminal-by-criminal. As Light sees it, he is “ridding the world of evil and creating a utopia…” over which he will rule. Light has little remorse for those he kills, and he continues to increase his death toll. It’s not long before the authorities become suspicious about the mysterious increase in deaths among the criminal ilk, and Light’s movement of the world toward purported utopia becomes increasingly nefarious as he goes to great lengths to avoid being identified and captured.

The tension rises further still when the authorities hire the renowned-for-his-deeds, anonymous-by-appearance detective “L” to catch the killer of criminals. Light and L begin a battle with each as the other’s nemesis. Each one plans, observes, and re-evaluates next steps based on the actions of the other. Neither one wants to be identified first as being identified would have disastrous repercussions for both of them.

Death Note is a dark and horrifying tale with a main character named Light but lacking itself much light and hope. As for the graphic part of the graphic novel, Ryuk the shinigami’s wide and threatening black mouth and sharp teeth cause chills to run down the spine. Light’s detached, methodical murdering is equally chilling. If the first volume is any indication, themes of the series are going to be morality versus immorality, justice versus injustice, utopia versus dystopia, hero versus monster, good versus evil, courage versus cowardice, and life versus death. Light is an anti-hero that readers will hold their breath for as they wait for him to be caught and then feel conflicted emotions if and when he is.

Death Note is part of the Shonen Jump Advance line, and the series is given a T+ rating (meaning for older teens). For readers who enjoy manga and ethics questions, this may be a series to point them to.

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Beastly by Alex Flinn (2007 hardcover, 2008 paperback)

“What’s going on here?”

“I told you. Comeuppance. You will know what it is like not to be beautiful, to be as ugly on the outside as on the inside. If you learn your lesson well, you may be able to undo my spell. If not, you will live with your punishment forever.”

All his life Kyle Kingsbury has gotten special treatment because he looks good on the outside–physical beauty, wealth, intelligence (albeit frequently not applied to school). When he decides to invite Kendra Hilferty, the new scholarship student at his privileged school to the upcoming dance (as a joke with the intent of humiliating her and not in sincerity mind you), his special treatment works against him. Post-dance humiliation scene, Kendra turns up at Kyle’s house. Kyle quickly discovers Kendra is actually a witch with the power to treat him the way he has treated others most of his life–as less than human–as beasts. She turns him into a beast (the run away screaming, lots of fur and claws kind).

At first Kyle and his famous newscaster father try to “fix” his outer/inner ugliness by pleading with medical specialists to do something, but they plead to no avail. Unfortunately for Kyle, his beastliness is a part of him–a manifestation of who he has been on the inside for many years. Fortunately for Kyle, Kendra saw him perform one kindness the night of the dance when he gave a rose to the ticket taker (neither he or his date found a mere rose worthy), so she gives him a chance: “You’ve lived your life being cruel. But in the hours before your transformation you performed one small kindness. It is because of this one bit of goodness that I see fit to offer you a second chance, because of the rose.”

Since it wasn’t much of a kindness, it isn’t much of a chance, but Kendra does tell Kyle that he has “two years to find someone willing to look beyond your hideousness and see some good in you, something to love. If you will love her in return and if she will kiss you to prove it, the spell will be lifted, and you will be your handsome self again. If not, you’ll stay a beast forever.”

When Kyle’s dad washes his hands of Kyle and ships him off with a housekeeper and a tutor to a house in a more rural locale, Kyle begins to change (some may argue a little too quickly and unrealistically, but change he does). He changes his name (who knew that one meaning for Kyle is “fair and handsome“?) to Adrian, he changes his lifestyle (he takes up gardening and reading as pastimes), and he changes his attitude (adding a dollop of humility and a smattering of empathy and compassion).

He also joins a chat group from which transcripts of the chat sessions are interspersed throughout the story. Joining BeastNYC in the chat room are SilentGirl, Froggie, and GrizzlyGuy. Having creatures from other tales populate the group and share their own worries and woes creates entertaining discussions. These sessions add comic relief and help reveal Kyle/Adrian’s changing attitudes and feelings.

The longer Kyle/Adrian exists as a beast on the outside, the less beastly he becomes on the inside. Of course, there is the whole kidnapping of Lindy (who incidentally was the impetus for his good deed involving the rose), but that’s a necessary plot point paving the way to the inevitable happy ending. After all, it’s going to take a girl awhile to adjust to that much hair on a guy, and he’s only got two years.

As mentioned, it is an inevitably happy ending and a retelling that lacks much in the way of surprise elements and plot deviations, so it may come off to some as a bit predictable. Still, for those who enjoy retellings in general, retellings from new points of view, modernized retellings, and/or for those who enjoy stories with character transformation (physically and attitudinally), then Beastly will be a quick and enjoyable read (it was for me anyway ).

If you’re looking for more, try some Donna Jo Napoli (e.g., Beast (B & B), Zel (Rapunzel)), Robin McKinley (e.g., Rose Daughter (B & B), Beauty (B & B), Deerskin (Donkeyskin), Spindle’s End (Sleeping Beauty)), or Jane Yolen (Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)). Or take a look at Little Willow’s Fairy Tales Retold Booklist which has some useful suggestions for a variety of age groups.

Update: Booklinks Casting a Spell: Fairy Tales in Novel Form (July 2008) offers another list of related-reads

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Bullyville by Francine Prose (2007)

* spoilers appear in the review

“What’s more important even than college,’ Dr. Bratton continued, ‘are the lifelong friendships that Baileywell students form, relationships that are not only sustaining in every way, but are incredibly helpful as our graduates find their path through a world that gets scarier and more threatening every day”

“And what’s most important…is the kind of young men we are graduating. Men who feel sympathy for the underdog. The little guy. Who can see things from the little guy’s point of view. Our hope is that the Baileywell experience will produce the sort of compassionate, feeling, deeply, human men who will lead us into a brighter and more caring future.”

Dr. Bratton (Dr. Bratwurst to Bulleywell insiders) has high hopes for his students. Unfortunately, his sentiments seem to pertain to some alternate universe as they don’t reflect the reality of school life for Baileywell’s students. Just ask Bart Rangely.

Bart’s eighth-grade year at Hillbrook Middle School in northern New Jersey begins just like his previous school years–school’s the place to go to hang out with friends and to fly miles under the radar, just like he likes it. However, flying under the radar becomes impossible after Bart stays home from school sick on 9/11/2001.

On that day, Bart’s father (who has not been home for six months anyway since he left them to live with another woman) goes to work on the ninety-fifth floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. His mother, who works in the North Tower also, remains home to take care of Bart.

When they receive news of his father’s death, Bart’s whole world turns upside down. Not only does he have to deal with the instant fame created by his “saving” his mother’s life; he’s also coping with the death of a father who deserted them before his death. He’s also received a full scholarship to Baileywell. His mother believe this scholarship to be the good coming out of the bad, but Bart’s not so sure.

Bart’s matriculation into Baileywell Prep (better known as Bulleywell but also known as Bullyville or Bullyreallywell) signifies his transition from “Miracle Boy” of 9/11 to “bully-ee.” Bart is assigned Tyro Bergen as his Big Brother, Big Brother like Big Brother in 1984 that is. Tyro’s watching Bart and thinking about Bart for the sole purpose of thinking up new methods of psychological torture to inflict upon him.

Despite Bart’s misery at Bulleywell, he endures because his mother seems so happy that he has such an “opportunity.” She clings to his Baileywell education as if it proves that 09/11 didn’t completely shatter her, her son, and their view of the world and humanity itself. However, when Tyro’s nastiness reaches a new level, Bart snaps and retaliates.

Repercussions ensue for the both Bart and Tyro, and they end up in community service. From there, they both find that outward appearances can be deceiving, that change can be very difficult indeed, and that one’s past impacts one’s future. Bart’s year at Bullyville changes him indelibly, and, as Dr. Bratton envisioned from the get-go, the Baileywell experience helps turn him into “the sort of compassionate, feeling, deeply, human men who will lead us into a brighter and more caring future.”

While the ending felt too neat and jarringly retrospective to me (it wraps up with Bart as a father looking back on his Bulleywell days), on the whole Bullyville creates an emotionally complicated and seemingly realistic picture of an underdog’s life. Bullyville covers what it’s like to be bullied and suggests possible responses of the bully-ee, but also it depicts a young boy’s coming to terms with loss, change, friendship, and his place in this world.

For other YA read-alikes about bullies and bullying that have equally disturbing pictures of bullies, try Brock Cole’s The Goats or Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War. And for even more ideas on this topic at all age levels view the recently posted booklist compiled by Tessa Michaelson and posted at website for the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Thick-skinned, Thin-skinned, The Skin I’m In: Books about Bullying, Teasing, Relational Aggression and School Violence. Does anyone else have any suggestions on this topic or thoughts on Prose’s novel?

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Summer camp anyone? If you aren’t going yourself, then perhaps you might enjoy reading about another’s experience. If so, try Elvin’s summer camp story on for size…

Slot Machine by Chris Lynch (hardcover 1995, softcover 1997, other editions available)

In Chris Lynch’s Slot Machine, portly, uncoordinated Elvin does not fit into any of the typical athletic slots. He has great difficulty discovering where he best fits—bouncing from one slot to another—from football (knocked out), to sick bay, to baseball (kicked out), to sick bay, to wrestling (thrown out), to sick bay, to golf (drinks out), to sick bay, to the Religion Sector (out, out, out). In the end, all that’s left for him, is to become an artist—a poet, in fact. Elvin discovers that traditional sports slots are not the only places where a young man is able to develop his potential and find a place in this world.

Elvin’s narration, being hilarious, poignant, and real, makes it easy to identify with him. His letters to his mother are laugh-out-loud funny and show Elvin’s indomitable spirit–he is not about to let his lack of a well-fitting slot (or his lack of more sick bay cards) get him down. A few noteworthy letter moments (which will be funnier in context, so just go ahead and just pick up the book) include:

• Elvin explaining that he’s at what has been labeled a retreat not a camp (but he’s not sure which dictionary definition of “retreat” applies): “It’s not a camp, it’s a retreat…They may mean definition 3, ‘a place of seclusion or privacy,’ or definition 4, ‘a period of retirement for mediation,’ But since they’ve left it open, I’m going with definition 7, ‘to slope backward’.”

• Elvin explaining why he wishes his mom were at “retreat” undergoing football scrimmages with him: “I wish you were here with me today, shoulder to shoulder, holding that line. Together, we could have done it. As it was, my success was a little spotty.”

• Elvin explaining why he’s writing with his left hand after a football trouncing: “Because that’s the hand that still has two fingers that can curl…There you go, another hidden skill that camp experience has drawn out of me. I was really dogging it back home, wasn’t I? Tomorrow they’re going to have me snag a salmon out of the river with my teeth.”

• Elvin explaining why his mother must come see him on Parents Weekend: “If your family does not show up, you’re put into a group informally known as “The Unloved,” who legend has it, roam around like a pack of wild dingoes all weekend doing unspeakable things to themselves and others.”

In the end, Elvin concludes, “I’m not an athlete,” and he’s okay with that. Readers who find themselves wanting to hear more about Elvin can follow his further adventures in Extreme Elvin and Me, Dead Dad, and Alcatraz. And may everyone have a wonderful summer, whether you’re able to attend a “retreat” or not. Feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts on any of the books about Elvin or if you have other summer camp favorites!

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Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff (2007)

Omnes mundum facimus
(We all make the World)

Omnes mundum facimus is a central belief of the branch of a secret crime-fighting organization known as the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons (nickname: Bad Monkeys). The Bad Monkeys department works alongside other branches of the organization such as the Department for Optimal Utilization of Resources and Personnel (nickname: Cost-Benefits) and the Department of Ubiquitous Intermittent Surveillance (nickname: Panopticon) to expunge evil from the world by whatever means necessary.

Bad Monkeys kicks off with Jane Charlotte, a woman claiming to be a Bad Monkeys operative, narrating her story from within the walls of the psychiatric ward of the Las Vegas Clark County Detention Center. Dr. Vale enters “the nut wing” to interview/interrogate her, ostensibly to determine her sanity. Jane obligingly recounts for him all of her experiences leading up to her present position in the nut wing (in addition to possible insanity, she’s being held for murder).

Jane tells Dr. Vale that her actions with the Bad Monkeys organization have all been for the express purpose of ridding the world of evil. As Bad Monkeys personnel, she has the authority and the intel to eliminate “bad monkeys” who have evaded society’s usual modes of justice.

Jane’s conversation with Dr. Vale shifts back and forth between present day dialogue and flashbacks of Jane’s J.D. (juvenile delinquent) youth. Jane details her life pre-Bad Monkeys as well as her experiences after joining the Bad Monkeys.

As Dr. Vale listens to Jane’s story, he frequently requests clarification and points out incongruities. While Jane always has a ready answer, readers are left to wonder about the veracity of Jane’s tale and about the very existence of the Bad Monkeys organization.

Organization tools such as the N.C. (natural causes) gun nudge the book over into the realm of science fiction, but there’s a great deal of psychological drama and suspense here as well. In a book replete with plot twists and page turning events, just who’s a bad monkey and who’s not Ruff leaves up to debate until the book’s final pages.

Bad Monkeys is an adult book that may well also enthrall many young adults. For those looking for more, there’s always Ruff’s other works and/or the Bad Monkeys super secret website to explore (shhhh…). Or you could try choosing a book from one of the following booklists:

Overbooked: Psychological Suspense Crime Fiction Booklist This list contains “Darkly atmospheric stories, disturbing mind games, engrossing and compelling characters - stories that generate a sense of unease . . .” which seems to aptly match up with the ambience of Bad Monkeys.

Hennepin County Library: A Child’s Look into an Adult World: Quirky Psychological Fiction “This list is made up of books that deal with heavy subjects but are narrated by children, offering a somewhat innocent look at the highs and lows of modern life. If you appreciate a good mystery told from a psychologically unique perspective, some of these books are absolute winners!” (Note: the books on this list are Bad Monkeys read alikes in the sense that they contain psychological drama, but, by and large, they don’t have as much emphasis on the crime and/or suspense aspect).

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Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher (2007)

“And what about you–the rest of you–did you notice the scars you left behind?…No. Probably not…Because most of them you can’t see with the naked eye.”

Clay Jensen, living, and Hannah Baker, recently deceased, narrate Th1rteen R3asons Why. When Clay receives a shoebox-sized package in the mail he opens it to find seven audiotapes. He soon discovers that these audiotapes contain a final message from Hannah Baker narrating the story of why her life ended. She states, “And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.”

Hannah set the ground rules for her listeners: “The rules are pretty simple. There are only two. Rule number one: You listen. Rule number two: You pass it on. Hopefully, neither one will be easy for you.” She also made a second set of tapes which she tells the listeners will be released if they fail to pass the tapes on.

The novel interpolates Hannah taped narration and Clay’s experiences as he listens to it. The two are clearly delineated as Hannah’s narration is italicized and Clay’s thoughts and conversations with other people are in normal font. Hannah also left behind a map that corresponds with the tapes, marking some of the places where the events in her story occurred. Clay follows along with the tapes and journeys to the places marked on the map all in one night as he desperately seeks to understand why he is one of Hannah’s reasons why.

Before her death Hannah made connections–she connected the people and experiences that indelibly marked her life and her reputation with their selfishness, cruelty, voyeurism, ignorance, ineptitude and the like until she began expecting all people to let her down. While Hannah remains ultimately responsible for her decision to commit suicide, thirteen such experiences (as well as indubitably many more that were unconnected and did not make the tapes) helped create her feelings of hopelessness and isolation.

Clay’s a “good” guy with a “good” reputation, and he’s baffled over his inclusion in Hannah’s list of reasons why. While he finds the tapes painful to listen to, listen he does in order to uncover the reason. As Hannah’s thirteen reasons are revealed, Clay experiences unprecedented feelings of anger and loathing for his fellow classmates.

By telling her story, Hannah relates to Clay that “All you really have…is now” when it comes to helping those who are hurting. It becomes clear to him that what’s done has been done; future chances are by no means guaranteed. Clay resolves to be more aware of opportunities to reach out to people he senses are struggling.

Th1rteen R3asons Why endeavors to tap into the human capacity for empathy and to engage us all in considering the influence we have on others’ perceptions of the world and overall mental health. Jay Asher is a member of the Class of 2k7, and Th1rteen R3asons Why is his debut novel. A few other works of young adult fiction that discuss adolescent suicide include Trigger by Susan Vaught, Pitch Black: Color Me Lost by Melody Carlson (Christian fiction), Shooter by Walter Dean Myers, After the death of Anna Gonzales by Terri Fields (Poems), and Tribes by Arthur Slade.

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Deadline by Chris Crutcher (2007)

“I figure if Doc is right about the time I have left, I should wrap up my adolescence in the next few days, get into my early productive stages about the third week of school, go through my midlife crisis during Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, redouble my efforts at productivity and think about my legacy, say, Easter, and start cashing in my 401(k)s a couple weeks before Memorial Day. I don’t have to worry about making enough money to put kids through college so I can focus on the more philosophical elements of my life.”

Ben Wolf may seem to be taking his impending death in an offhand manner, but his deadpan assessment of his last year alive is a coping mechanism. He’s coping with the death sentence handed to him during a routine physical checkup to clear him for his senior year of cross-country. Instead of clearing him, Ben discovers he has a rare, aggressive, fatal blood disease; he begins to take a hard look at his life and to make some changes.

Instead of just going through the days, Ben wants the final year of his life to be meaningful for himself and others. He decides to tell no one that he’s dying. Ben also refuses treatment for, as he puts it, “…without treatment my chances sucked, but with it they still sucked and somehow I knew my chances aren’t about living, they’re about living well.” In this quest to live well, he quits cross-country and joins his brother on the football field, he speaks up for his beliefs (and for Malcom X) in class, and he befriends the town drunk.

Each character in Deadline helps Ben face his forthcoming deadline in his or her own way–his brother Cody as a football teammate and as the Wolf who will carry on, the love of his life Dallas Suzuki as his first, the town drunk Rudy McCoy as the man who teaches him about mistakes and covering up the truth, Coach Banks as his mentor and encourager, and his conversational partner during dreams Hey-Soos as the one who helps him think through the meaning of life and truth. Ben’s cantankerous teacher, Mr. Lambeer, even helps in his own way by forcing Ben to “hijack the curriculum” to speak up for his freedoms and his beliefs.

Deadline mixes levity with gravity. Deadline tackles many weighty themes: secrets, truth, family, mental illness, death, child molestation, and censorship to name a few. As Ben tells us and as we all discover at times, “Planet Earth is a tough town.” But he also shows us that that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of our time in it.

There’s much to appreciate about Deadline. Some readers will appreciate the football action. Some will appreciate the relationships that develop (Particularly poignant, for me, was the relationship of Ben with his brother). Some will appreciate the philosophical aspects. Some will appreciate and admire Ben’s courage. Some will simply appreciate the fact that they’re alive and able to read a book.

Deadline’s plot has similarities with Jenny Downham’s Before I Die in that both stories chronicle the protagonist’s final time on earth. Before I Die mainly focuses on Tessa’s fulfilling her list of personal desires. In Deadline, Ben’s final actions and desires reflect both personal desires and desires to have a lasting positive impact on others. Both stories imagine the almost unimaginable–what would you do or want to do if you knew you were living out your final days?

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The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean (2007)

“The transporter room aboard the starship Enterprise is rubbish in comparison with a little child’s imagination.”

Sym’s fourteen now, but she feels the same way about imagination. After her father’s death, her imagination becomes an even more vigorous coping mechanism, and she brings to life in her mind her deceased Antarctic explorer hero, Captain Titus Oates (Wikipedia entry: Captain Lawrence “Titus” Oates).

When Sym tells her classmates that she’s happy imagining, they label her the mad girl–sad, frigid, and mad. Her response: “So that’s when I sealed myself inside. Laced up the tent, so to speak. Filled the locks with water so that they would freeze. That’s when Titus and I looked at each other and decided we could do without them, as long as we had each other”.

Sym’s got Titus for support but she’s also got her Uncle Victor and her mom. Her Uncle Victor is the one who got Sym hooked on all things Antarctic. When he surprises her with an Antarctic expedition (unbeknownst to her mother), she’s thrilled…at first.

From there, the plot darkens–survival is a constant battle and love and trust are concepts that were left behind in civilization. As Sym puts it, “I felt wiser now. Though sometimes a dose of enlightenment tastes a lot like swallowing bleach.” Sym receives many such doses of enlightenment from the moment she begins traveling with her Uncle, each dose hitting her viscerally and leaving her reeling and feeling utterly alone on the Ice Shelf. The fact that she continues to put one foot in front of the other as the mysteries of her life unravel and lay bear disturbing truths shows admirable strength of character.

The White Darkness stands out as a young adult novel that’s lyrically and inventively written and that crosses multiple genres–adventure, survival, thriller, mystery, psychological fiction, and coming of age. The setting has a prominent role as much of the novel’s action springboards off the physical circumstances. Sym’s internal journey and struggles parallel nicely with the external perils.

It’s a gripping story that includes some historical (mainly about former expeditions to the South Pole) and factual detail (did you know that penguins stink?) along the way. McCaughrean’s remarkable story was recently recognized as such when it won the 2008 Michael L. Printz Award.

Quote to ponder:

“It’s true: Everyone needs a reason to stay alive–someone who justifies your existence. Someone who loves you. Not beyond all reason. Just loves you. Even just shows an interest. Even someone who doesn’t exist, or isn’t yours. No, no! They don’t even have to love you! They just have to be there to love! Target for your arrows. Magnetic Pole to drag on your compass needle and stop it spinning and spinning and tell you where you’re heading and…someone to soak up all the yearning. That’s what I think. That’s what I deduce.”

For readers who enjoy survival stories a few other books to try include the following:

Nonfiction:

• The Coldest March: Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition by Susan Solomon
• The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander
• Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
• Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson
• Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales; Fire Fighters: Stories of Survival from the Front Lines of Firefighting by Clint Willis
• In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
• Survive: Stories of Castaways and Cannibals by Nate Hardcastle (includes fiction and non-fiction)

Fiction:

• Blizzard’s Wake by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Overboard by Elizabeth Fama
• Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Alden Carter
• The Shark Callers by Eric Campbell
• A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
• Wild Man Island by Will Hobbs (and other works by Hobbs)
• The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence (and other works by Lawrence)
• Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
• Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
• Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (and other works by Paulsen)
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy (post-apocalyptic adult fiction)

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