Becky Citra

Do not be fooled: The publisher’s description of Finding Grace makes it sound like a cross between The Parent Trap and an ABC Afterschool Special that’s relocated to Canada. Nothing could be further from the truth!

As Finding Grace, a nominee for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, is best approached without too much foreknowledge, I don’t want to say too much; however, I will reveal what the publishers did: Hope King discovers on her eleventh birthday that she has a twin show more sister named Grace. A loner, Hope has been secretly writing letters to what she thought was an imaginary friend named Grace. Soon thereafter, Hope devises a plot to try to track down her long-lost sister.

Author Becky Citra imbues her novel with realistic characters, a wonderful feel for the 1950s, and a plot that will have you in suspense until the very last chapter. She deals honestly with the limitations of the era and the hardships that clinical depression can cause. Citra also reminds that, as hard as it is for children to march to their own drummers today, their plight was much, much worse in the conformist 1950s. A delight for children and adults alike. Highly, highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review. show less

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr. is murdered outside a hotel room. Across the continent, a girl is attacked on her way home from school while her twin cowers. Through the contrasts of history, a troubled story is set in motion.

As its title suggests, IF ONLY is a story about struggling with regret and forgiveness. Danny wonders what he might have done differently on the day of the attack and how he might redeem himself in his sister's eyes. Pam wonders how she can face her peers and show more whether she somehow brought the attack on herself. Their injured, out-of-work father seems more inclined to blame them for the attack than to understand their fears, but he too is trying to escape a haunted past. Over several weeks, the twins, their friends, and their families learn to accept what's happened and move forward, as new experiences help Pam and Danny build a wider context for understanding their increasingly adult world.

There are quite a few loose threads at the end of the novel. The social studies teacher who refers to Martin Luther King Jr.'s death never walks on again, the classmate who embarrasses Pam and is then embarrassed in turn disappears, and Danny's vandalism has no follow-up once he starts spending lunch hours in the library. The nasty cleaning women whose daughter spreads terrible rumours about Pam doesn't return to the text, and Hugh's brother Martin and his commune-living hippie friends seem to arrive only to provide Sixties colour. We also never learn why the neighbour, Carol, takes such an interest in Pam's recovery. Similarly, readers may observe many broken, forgotten, or missing objects — such as Pop's World War One medals, the family television, Pam's jigsaw puzzle, and the model plane — being raised but not resolved: an invitation to explicate the text, or just stray details? Then again, in a book whose major theme is that lives are full of secrets, perhaps readers can use these loose threads to extend the narrative in their own imaginations.

The novel does have some intriguing elements. The friendship between Pam and Billie is initially unlikely but eventually feels settled enough to be real. The effect men's violence has on men, as well as on their sisters and daughters, is considered. And women's hair — Pam's hair in particular — becomes a potent, although somewhat problematic, symbol of female self-determination.

On balance, though, the novel's pacing is uneven, and the narrative concentration is by turns suffocatingly focussed then too scattered to draw together the numerous subplot matters and story details. Readers may also find the sudden ending too pat: more like a children's novel than a contemporary YA novel. Still, Citra develops sufficient complexity that close readers are likely to want to discuss the book after reading it, and the setting will allow readers to imagine this violence at a comfortable, yet still identifiable, distance.

I found this novel an imperfect but still worthwhile reading experience. show less

This OLA Forest of Reading Silver Birch nominated title is filled to the brim with magic. It's one of those stories that sparks the imagination and connects to the creativity in the reader. I LOVED it so much and experienced book withdrawal when I was finished. Storytelling, a mysterious castle, a horrible aunt, some new friends, and a whole lot of magic make this book so engaging. You will be hooked from very the beginning. You and your young reader will be inspired to explore creative show more writing, storytelling, and visual arts while reading The Griffin of Darkwood. Citra uses some incredibly descriptive language and you will be immersed into the story. You will be Will Poppy and his friends. You may even begin to crave PB&J. I especially loved how Becky Citra included Mastering the Art of French Cooking to inspire some culinary creativity. This book is a creativity explosion that will leave you wanting to explore your creative side, whatever your interest. Your young readers will love the elements of friendship, adventure, and suspense. Grab this one for your winter holiday reading! show less

Reviewed by Kylie for TeensReadToo.com

Asia, twelve, loves living on the farm in Cold Creek with Ira and Maddy. But when Ira suddenly has a heart attack, her whole world is turned upside down. Asia also doesn't know what to think about the ghost, Miranda, who lives at the old abandoned farm next door.

Now, though, she'll have to leave the only family she's ever known and move to West Vancouver, to the home of her long-lost grandmother.

In West Vancouver, Asia finds out that she has aunts, show more uncles, and last but not least, annoying cousins named Sierra and Ben. The cousins, of course, want to spend all of their time with their "new" cousin. But one day, while leaving the library with Sierra, Asia finds herself looking for the diary of an elderly woman named Mary Wintergreen.

Will the diary reveal a connection between Mary Wintergreen and the ghost, Miranda?

What will happen to Ira, who is still in the hospital?

NEVER TO BE TOLD is an outstanding book! This is a great mystery story with lots of twists and turns. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ghosts or mysteries, because this novel sure does take you on a windy roller-coaster ride! show less