High Praise for Lobster Press YA Novels!

Posing as Ashley, They Called Me Red, and Tin Angel. Critics agree, these three outstanding novels for teen readers are worthy of praise! Here's the latest buzz...

Posing as Ashley - Kimberly Joy Peters
A positive review of Posing as Ashley will appear in the November issue of School Library Journal. The review hails Peters' realistic depiction of various contemporary issues that many teens face today. It goes on to say, "with the same sincerity as Painting Caitlyn, Peters captures the fragility of the teenage soul and creates an honest character in Ashley. Situations such as her parents' divorce, her mom's illness, and a broken heart will resonate with many teens."

Posing as Ashley was also recently reviewed in CM: Canadian Review of Materials, and asserts that "not unlike her companion novel, Painting Caitlyn, [Peters' latest work] is destined to be a popular pick amongst teen girls and will likely hold great appeal for reluctant readers with its focus on modeling." The main character, Ashley, is seen as "an immediately likable protagonist... [who] will resonate with many readers." For the full review, click here.

They Called Me Red - Christina Kilbourne
The October issue of Quill & Quire includes a rave review of They Called Me Red. Reviewer, Sarah Jessop, notes that the plot "...although fictional, could easily have been plucked from today's headlines. Told with compassion and delicacy, the novel centres on a boy who is changed forever after he's sold into the global sex trade." Regarding the novel's subject matter, Jessop clarifies that "Kilbourne artfully depicts the horrors of forced child prostitution without resorting to disturbing specifics. The plot moves at a heart-pounding pace sure to appeal to young adult readers, and yet Kilbourne manages to imbue her characters with both depth and humanity."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials gave They Called Me Red four out of four stars. The review says that "...the best books deal not just with entertainment, but also education, and this is where Kilbourne stands apart from others... she enlightens her readers on facts of life that, while they could be ignored, are important to deal with in terms of our global community... This is a message of both determination and hope which teens need to hear." For the full review, click here.

Tin Angel - Shannon Cowan
Named one of the "Best Books of the Year" by Quill & Quire in 2007, Tin Angel continues receiving praise! This groundbreaking YA novel has been Shortlisted for the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. This award, established in memory of the respected historian and children's author, Geoffrey Bilson, is given annually to the Canadian author of an outstanding work of historical fiction for young people. The winner will be chosen on November 9, 2008.

Tin Angel's nomination received mentions in the Vancouver Sun, the Montreal Gazette, and the Parksville Qualicum Beach News (one of B.C.'s daily community newspapers).

Please join us in congratulating these incredibly talented YA authors!

Celebrating the City of Quebec's 400th with the story of Grosse Île, Island of Hope and Sorrow

by Mahak Jain
Marketing Assistant

I live in Montreal, Quebec and soon we'll be celebrating the City of Quebec's 400th anniversary. Coming from below the border as I do, it seems sort of superficial to enjoy the holiday without a brush-up on Quebec's history. Three jobs in tote, I don't have time to read lengthy history books, and the generic Wikipedia entry is a bit dry. Luckily, author Anne Renaud has made the process simpler for me - and much more interesting.

Island of Hope and Sorrow: The Story of Grosse Île is written for children, focusing on a crucial chapter of Quebec's history. From 1832 to 1937 more than four million people sailed across the Atlantic to the port of Quebec with the dream of starting a new life in the New World. The tiny island of Grosse Île, located fifty kilometers downstream from the port, served as a quarantine station for thousands of these newcomers and Renaud's Island of Hope and Sorrow carefully sketches out the ebbs and flows that make up the history of the island. Stocked with old photographs and etched drawings that re-create the hushed silence of a museum, the book includes brief "history notes" that kept teaching me new things. For example, did you know "doukhobors" are members of a Russian Christian movement or that they refuse to serve in the military because they believe war is wrong?

It's easy to overlook history in the wake of celebration. Renaud's book is most touching because it focuses on bridging the present and past, reminding us that several people ended their journey from Europe to the New World at Grosse Île - and some began a new chapter of their lives at the island. What drew Europeans to come to the New World? How did the island become a quarantine station, a stop-over with houses built for doctors and hospital sheds? Renaud writes how the island was both home and graveyard, both beginning and ending, an island sometimes thriving with people and other times waiting out cold winters for the next batch of immigrants like an animal in hibernation.

The blurbs and photos scattered around the main text were my favorite part of the book. Focusing on incidental memories, like the photograph of an old shoe, covered in dirt and discovered during an archaeological dig, the book returns us to the past, giving an unexpected gift to both children and adults. Children will especially love the miscellaneous facts the book shares - like the notice of rules posted in the cargo holds of ships that begins "STRICTLY FORBIDDEN!" or an image of Canada's first stamp sporting an askance-eyed beaver.

Anne Renaud ends her portrait of a chapter in Quebec's history with a look at Grosse Île in the present - from its transformation during World War II into a research station for biological warfare to the historical landmark it has now become. I am in full agreement with Declan Kelly, Ireland's Ambassador to Canada, when he said:

The story of Grosse Île is one which needs to be re-told to each new generation of children, Irish and Canadian, to enable them to understand where they have come from, and I can think of no better method than a book as interesting and as well written as this...

Even if I wasn't an immigrant myself, I would find it hard-pressed to remain untouched by the story of Grosse Île. Definitely a perfect addition to family reading lists for Canada Day and the upcoming Quebec City celebration.

REVIEW: RIDLEY BLUEFOX AND THE FLYING FISH OF FORTUNE FALLS by Carrie Percy

Ridley Bluefox and the Flying Fish of Fortune Falls
by Carrie Percy

Know a young fan of Indiana Jones? Kids who loved the professor cum treasure hunter of Spielberg fame will lap up this tale of a young explorer travelling to exotic lands in search of wonders.

Laura Dick captures the adventures in store for young hero Ridley Bluefox in her review, available in The Cambridge Times and on the Cambridge Libraries Blog. Here's a blurb:

"Ridley Bluefox is a world famous fisherman and adventure lover. He has been featured on the cover of 14 magazines, traveled all over the world in pursuit of exotic and difficult to catch fish, won many great fishing trophies and is generally up for any kind of adventure – especially those that involve a fishing pole and bait…all this by the tender age of 12. Ridley is overwhelmed with excitement when he hears about the flying fish of Fortune Falls – fish that no one has every caught before."

Ridley travels head-on into danger, armed only with mysterious bait and an ancient map - he faces wild boars, thrashing eels, and dinner-plate sized spiders - but the ultimate challenge is waiting for him at Fortune Falls...definitely an exciting treat for any young reader looking for an adventure!