Island Parent February/March 2021

KIDS’READS
’Tween Reads
Friendship, belonging and middle school drama
Middle school isn’t always the easiest time. People
change and friends change with them. For those who
feel like they are being left behind, it can be heartbreaking.
But these preteen years can also be a time where kids
discover the strength within them, just like the characters in the
following books.
In The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster by Cary Fagan
(Penguin, 2019) Hartley Staples is in his final year of middle
school. Things are not going well: his best friend is no longer
Hartley Staples is not the only ’tween to have a friend randomly
decide to abandon them. Delsie has to deal with that too
in Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Nancy Paulson
Books, 2019). The fact that Brandy dumped her for someone
who loves to mock her, might not have bothered Delsie so
much if her two other friends weren’t spending all of their time
getting ready for Annie. Not to mention the fact that being
dumped by someone she thought cares for her, only reminds
her of someone else who left: her mother.
speaking to him, and more importantly, he can’t concentrate on
anything because his older brother ran away. While he’s trying
to grapple with everything going on in his life, he spots a handmade
postcard signed G.O. Soon, Hartley is spending every
chance he gets looking for all of G.O.’s postcards.
This book, which is told from both Hartley and G.O.’s perspectives,
covers a wide variety of struggles that preteens may face
like bullying, losing friends, and life after the loss of a sibling in
an honest and relatable way. The Collected Works also shows
tweens what they can do to make hard situations better even if
they feel broken. For ages 10 to 14.
Christina Van Starkenburg lives
in Victoria with her husband, their two little
boys and their cat Phillip. Her first children’s
book One Tiny Turtle: A Story You Can Colour
was published recently and quickly rose
to its spot as a #1 new release on Amazon.
While Delsie is struggling to figure out what to do without
Brandy, she meets Ronan—the new kid who comes with a
reputation for trouble. Since they’re both misfits, the two begin
spending more time with each other and as they open up about
their struggles they talk about the difference between anger and
sadness, abandonment and love. For ages 8 to 12.
Clan by Sigmund Brouwer (Tundra, 2020) does not take
place in the present. Young Atlatl and the rest of his clan are
working hard to survive during the ice age. However, Atlatl
who was injured when he was a young child often feels like he’s
more of a burden then a help to his clan. Because of his knee he
can’t hunt with the rest of the men and his cousin mercilessly
mocks him for that.
One day when Atlatl is away from camp he encounters an
orphaned saber-tooth cub and he brings it home with him. This
choice, while accepted by some, ultimately leads to Atlatl’s
banishment. However, before he is able to leave, a giant flood
wipes out most of his clan. With only the saber-tooth cat beside
him, Atlatl decides to go and face the gods so he can try and
save what remains of the people who no longer want him. For
ages 8 to 12.
In Emily Windsnap and the Tides of Time by Liz Kessler
24 Island Parent Magazine IslandParent.ca