the Virtual Bookmark

Officially Christmas break for teachers, so why am I blogging?

It is officially Christmas break for teachers. So why am I blogging? Idiot? Grinch? No, I am excited because I subscribe to the Spark newsfeed.

Nora Young of CBC Spark hosts a terrific radio show and podcast. Seth Godin, author, speaker, blogger has just edited an e-book What Matters Now. His books and blog have had a huge impact on my processing the new media world. I have used Dip and Tribes in many ways. (You can download it for free here). Spark is developing a program on the meaning of work and action.

"...Seth sought out over 70 authors and thinkers; they in turn have written short takes aimed at shaking up our assumptions and challenging us to step up to the plate in 2010. It’s a call to work with others, to get past fear and isolation, and embrace the power to change things...."

Seth's new book, Linchpin-are you dispensable. Every TL needs to read it.

Browse his blog posts -subscribe with: RSS feed

ps. I am still trying to work out a potential engagement with Nora for our BCTLA Conference 2010. Wish me luck!

The eBook Challenge-Stew Savard

The eBook Challenge

by Stewart Savard

eLibrarian/eResource Teacher
SD#71 (Comox Valley)

 

ASUS Eee Reader - Image from Wired Magazine

 

In spite of media hype, libraries will not disappear in the next few years.  But eBooks and eBook Readers will challenge the traditional roles and practices of K-12 libraries and the staff who work there.  Librarians need to know what eBooks are, how they may evolve and what eBook Readers are and how this technology may develop.  As important as it may be to stay on top of technological developments, teacher-librarians also need to anticipate some changes in practice that will be required as eBooks and their readers show up in schools.

 

What are eBooks?

 

eBooks are books in a digital form.  eBooks have been around for more than a decade.  The availability of eBooks, like audio books, has been a source of interest for teacher-librarians, but their presence has not yet changed daily operations.  The continued development of devices that ‘read’ eBooks, eBook Readers and changes in the sophistication of eBooks themselves will change that.

 

The first generation of eBooks—novels and some non-fiction material—were one-dimensional:  they lacked sophistication and intelligent operations.  The textual material, that could be found in a traditional novel was presented as a plain computer file.  You could not, for example, pop up a map or photos to enrich a story.  Computers, both desktop and laptop, were the original ‘market’ for most of these eBooks.  Many of the original eBooks were either demonstration projects–not likely to have a large market–or material that was out of copyright, from groups such as Project Gutenberg.

 

Since almost all contemporary books are, in publication form, computer files, some publishers also sold copies of novels in a digital format.  At the same time as these fiction and non-fiction books were being marketed, textbook and magazine publishers also began to offer their materials in a digital format such as a PDF file.   In a school setting, requests for these formats often came from the parents and teachers working with students facing a variety of learning challenges.

 

There have been a number of problems with eBooks.  Essentially these problems break down into two main categories:  format issues and ownership.  As with most new technologies, format[1] has been, and to some extent still is, an issue.  Some eBooks worked on some computers and not on others.  Some school computers had the software needed to read an eBook and some didn’t.  Proprietary, and thus access limiting, formats were initially the norm.  Recently, more widely available formats such as PDF (from Adobe) and ePub have become common.  However, format challenges continue to plague the acceptance of eBooks.  Some publishers have begun to deal with these concerns by providing their works in multiple formats.  However, just as it took more than a decade to work through the VHS vs. Beta videotape and other format wars[2], some challenges remain.  Without regard to the eventual outcome, librarians, support staff, and district technicians will have to gain some level of sophistication in dealing with format issues in order to provide materials to students and teachers in a digital format.  

 

A second major problem with eBooks has been ownership.  A purchase of a traditional book transfers ownership of that copy of a book and the rights to resell it to the purchaser.  Intellectual copyright is retained by author and publisher.  This works well because of the challenges linked to copyright theft—especially with novels.  Digital resources present a very different problem.  The electronic transfer of files is simple and so, threatening to authors and publishers.  Some early eBooks tried to address this with limits around Digital Rights Management: DRM.  Essentially, ‘buyers’ leased an eBook for a fixed term (even though they might not have fully understood that).  At the end of that term their ability to access the eBook was extinguished.  They didn’t own the book.  They couldn’t, in some cases, even transfer the book to another computer (desktop to laptop).  They couldn’t ‘lend’ the book to a friend.  In many cases they couldn’t print pages from a book: such as a map or chart referenced throughout a chapter in that work.  Public libraries, such as the Vancouver Island Regional Library: VIRL, use specialized software to help manage eBook distribution and to retain the digital rights for an author/publisher.  Users must download software, provided by VIRL, onto their computer and then can access a book for a ‘term certain’ period (typically 21 days for a novel) before the file becomes unusable.

 

Limits on ownership of an electronic copy of a book cause other problems.  Will readers want to purchase books that they can’t re-read as they see fit over years and decades?  (Ask readers of the Lord of the Rings series or Robert Munsch books how many times they have read those books.)  Some book owners make way for new material by selling their ‘read’ books to used book stores or by donating books to charities.  eBook ownership, as it moves past the restrictions imposed by DRM schemes, will certainly raise issues related to the transfer of that ownership and the rights of the copyright holders.  Libraries, with their special responsibility to not violate copyright, will have to deal with these issues.  This will be especially true with eTextbooks as they reach the end of a use cycle.[3]

 

In the last year or so, as more eBook readers have come onto the market, textbook publishers have found new ways to market expensive College and University materials for traditional computers and eBook Readers.  New companies, such as CourseSmart, provide students with a way to lease their textbooks as a kind of ‘subscription’.[4]  ‘Subscriptions’ typically last for a semester or academic year and cost 50-60% of a print copy.  CourseSmart materials are available either via an online account or to a specific, and “non-transferable” computer (a laptop for example) or to an eBook Reader or smart phone such as the Blackberry Storm, Apple iPhone or Palm Pre.  Some eTextbooks allow computer versions of their material to print pages or study materials or workbook questions; a function not always allowed, or possible, in other eBook formats.  These kinds of ownership add more complexity to issues of ownership.

 

eBooks will evolve over the next few years.  Some eBooks will continue to be presented in a one-dimensional format.  Novels might remain largely one-dimensional.  Non-fiction material, newspapers and magazines and eTextbooks must evolve if they are to retain value for both the user and seller.  With 50 million K-12 students in the U.S. and another 18 million students at the college level, the textbook market is significant and competitive.  Cash strapped governments at the K-12 level, such as California, are seriously looking at eTextbooks as a way to save money.

 

ARC BC: Accessible Resource Centre British Columbia, from SET BC, is the K-12 educational body with the most experience with digital resources.  Established a little over a year ago, it has begun to collect and distribute digital resources to qualified students throughout the province.  ARC BC also cooperates with a number of similar bodies and agencies across Canada.  The librarians at ARC BC and the digital librarians associated with public libraries in BC have key information and experience in handling, cataloguing, and the distribution of digital resources that can be tapped into by the K-12 system.

 

eTextbook 2

 

Librarians can anticipate a fairly rapid evolution of eTextbooks.  Rather than continuing to be one-dimensional, they will become more sophisticated.  Additional material, which takes full advantage of the technology, can be added with minor increases in the file size of an eTextbook.  eTextbook 2 could contain, for example, a fast slide show of a beating heart or of an engine working—and so give the illusion of animation—without too much difficulty.  eTextbook 2 could contain greatly increased information in the form of glossaries, additional exercises, and even, and this is where teachers might be interested, alternate formats that support different reading and skill levels.  The SFU Museum site “A Journey to a New Land” and the University of Michigan site “Windows to the Universe: The Earth’s Moon” provide Universal Design for Learning: UDL examples of content tailored to users.

 

Independent suppliers of second edition eTextbooks might take this customization a step farther.  It is technically possible for a teacher to select specific chapters from different textbooks in order to compliment their instruction.  This could be done, for example, with the McGraw-Hill Ryerson and Nelson Science 7 textbooks.  Both address the same provincial learning outcomes.  A teacher might prefer the presentation of the Earth Science unit from one publisher and the Chemistry Unit from another.  Independent textbook suppliers, working with both publishers and a school, might sell, on a yearly basis or longer, the rights to different parts of different textbooks to the same school.  (Publishers might find themselves in a situation where they need to update their textbooks on a regular basis in order to be the ‘current’ supplier.  This might have the beneficial effect of allowing mistakes in textbooks to be corrected and new information added with each new sub-edition.)

 

 

eTextbook 3

 

Second edition eTextbooks are also likely to be quickly replaced by multi-dimensional textbooks: eTextbook 3.  Tailored to a student and their teacher, in terms of their reading skills, learning style, teaching style and other preferences, these books can and would be updatable on an ongoing basis.  A student showing mastery of a math topic, might move, in their eTextbook, to a section expanding the breadth or depth of their knowledge, whilst a student struggling with a topic might receive additional help that compliments their needs and strengths.  Advances in a topic, such as Science, could be incorporated into eTextbook 3s on an ongoing basis.  In mid-September 2009, McGraw-Hill announced its version of an eTextbook 3 that allows students to capture audio and video copies of notes and link them to specific sections of the textbook, take quizzes and receive grades and suggestions for further work, and provide teachers with course management tools. 

 

Teachers might find that this kind of smart eTextbook, which need not be platform or publisher dependant, could act as a powerful synthesising agent and knowledge launch pad.  This might bring value to a teaching resource: the traditional textbook, which is frequently underutilized because of its one-dimensional, and quickly outdated, format.  The combination of an adaptable primary information resource with the powerful skill sets that teachers bring to their classroom might result in some significant changes to education. 

 

 

What are eBook Readers?

 

eBook Readers are electronic devices specifically designed to read eBooks.  Typically, they show material using so-called e-paper which allows text to be read, usually in black and white, much like a paper book in direct sunlight.  Text is stable on the screen and is not constantly refreshed.  As a result, battery life can extend for up to a week compared to hours for most laptops.  (Computer-based PDF readers and programs such as the Microsoft Reader can read eBooks on those machines.)

 

Most manufacturers separate eBook readers into 5” and 6” sizes and bigger devices.[5]  Smaller devices, the 5” and 6” readers, are designed primarily for paperback and trade paperback publications.  eBook Readers have been available for about a decade, but have only slowly been accepted by large numbers of users.  Part of the acceptance challenge they have faced has revolved around incompatible formats, limited connectivity, limited tools (so that all a reader could do was show text) and the ownership issues linked to Digital Rights: DRM.  The November 2007 launch of the Amazon Kindle provided a spur to the acceptance of eBook Readers.

 

In the fall and winter of 2009 a number of larger eBook Readers will appear.  These include the Asus Eee Reader, the Amazon KindleDX, the PlasticLogic  reader and Sony’s Daily Edition.  These devices can all present larger books, such as textbooks as well as magazines and newspapers.  Advances in technology continue at a rapid pace. The ASUS device, for example, is a clamshell style which will reportedly have two screens (see photo at beginning of this article) and display colour text.  The two screens will allow it to act like a traditional textbook.  The screens can be used to display different information: a textbook page, for example, and a supportively designed web page.  The Plastic Logic screen is about the size of a MacLean’s magazine and has the same weight as a Seventeen or Transworld Skateboarding magazine and a flexible plastic screen that might provide considerable wear and tear for student users.

 

Built-in and add-on memory cards allow these devices to easily hold all of the textbooks required in K-12 schools and still have room for additional material.  Each wave of readers has had more technological sophistication.  Models out this fall reportedly include tools for user annotation/note taking, limited printing, and the ability to play, through an earphone jack, stored music and audio books as MP3 files.  The ASSU device, raising the stakes, is reported to have a microphone, built in speakers, and a webcam that, via its wireless connection, will allow users to use Skype and similar software.  Most eBook Readers can access resources wirelessly using a combination of Internet and cell phone technology.  (Although this connectivity is still limited in Canada as users of Kindle devices can attest.)

 

Newspapers, such as USA Today and the Financial Times, which will be available on the PlasticLogic Device and magazines, such as Time and the Economist, already available on the Kindle, will be pushing for the kind of technological convergence which brings users to these larger sized products and keeps them there.  A larger screen will allow publishers to integrate advertising into their presentations in ways that attract readers, rather than just taking up critical screen space.  The more users can rely on one device, the more likely that device will be adopted. Increased technology convergence seems likely with each new model.  Thus, an eBook Reader that allows you to read a book, view a GPS map, answer a phone call (via Skype), read and respond to an email, and listen to music or an audio book, and dictate notes for eventual conversion via Speech to Text  software  seems likely in the near future and represents significant challenges for the present manufacturers of some of these separate devices.  The search is on for the value added device that reduces the number of gadgets in our lives.  Manufacturers are all looking for a Goldilocks solution.

 

 

Challenges for K-12 Libraries

 

Like many new software programs and electronic devices the promises are many.  As these two separate technologies continue to advance, greater and greater expectations will be placed on librarians and libraries.  These challenges can be largely summarized in four areas: ethical issues, library planning and operations, content problems, and mechanical problems.

 

Ethical issues abound in the eWorld.  Theft of copyright material is a challenge facing the music industry and so it will be for publishers.  The fact that eBooks and eBook Readers are not likely to appear in large numbers for the 2009-2010 year means that teacher-librarians have the benefit of some time to begin to sort out ethical issues.  While copyright issues are important, social justice issues are, perhaps, more critical.  So the questions begin with: How do we ensure equity, what role do librarians (and our technical advisors) have in ensuring that all school distributed material is legal (that we have purchased what we are distributing), what role do we have to play in ensuring that school devices present, at least in the main memory chips (provided within the machine), only legally purchased material: eBooks, eTextbooks, audio books and music, newspapers, magazines,  where do our ethical responsibilities end, and what powers, if any, do we have to enforce our ethical choices on school supplied machines being used by students. (Can we require them to delete stolen files from eBook Readers we supply?)

 

Planning and operational challenges come in terms of:  who, what, how, and money.  Who within a library, or school system, is going to act as the initially responsible agent?  What service, or services, will a school library provide its users.  Will they, for example, be responsible for just eBooks?  Will eTextbooks be added on?  Will they provide eReaders to staff and students?  (All staff and students?)  Whom will they be responsible for dealing with: publishers, content suppliers, and/or device suppliers?  How will they deal with the simple mechanism of ‘signing out’ an eBook or an eBook Reader?  Where will the money come from and are there assurances that this will be built into the budget of the Education System, a School Board, and a specific Library?

 

Resource management for eBooks and eTextbooks will be a second level of challenge for librarians.  They will need to know  what has been selected (and by whom and from what budget), what they have within their eCollection, in what format (a physical disk or a downloadable file), the number of copies of a resource (from one or two for a novel to potentially hundreds for an eTextbook), the mechanism needed to purchase (lease) more copies, how to deal with Inter-Library Loans (ILL), and how to dispose of surplus to need copies. 

 

Mechanical problems will challenge libraries from the day the first eReader comes into their school.  Questions here include: where is the money for this coming from, who is the supplier, who is responsible for minor challenges, such as battery recharges and “I forgot my eReader at home.  Can I borrow another one?” to who is going to fix eReaders devices, update their firmware and software and the software on school computers that reads eBooks and eTextbooks.  Because eReaders can hold a significant amount of material, another technical question will revolve around where, on a school managed device, the eTextbooks reside.  (Will these be near the core and not easily discarded by a user who feels that their collection of 1950s Mad Magazines is more important than their Science textbook or else a student may report that their “eTextbook didn’t work and couldn’t do their homework.”)

 

 

Challenges for Providers

 

Much of this article deals with the potential of eBooks and eBook Readers.  An August 26, 2009 webinar presented some very interesting information on how these technologies are doing on at least one college campus.  In this webinar, titled “E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities” by Jon T. Rickman and Roger Von Holzen from Northwest Missouri State University, the authors PowerPoint presentation reviewed that school’s decision to invest in both eBooks and eBook Readers for a number of faculty and students during the 2008-2009 academic year.

 

They found that there was a learning curve for which they needed to provide training in order for students and faculty to make effective use of the technology.  Users wanted eBooks/eTextbooks and either the readers or software to support keyword searches and note-taking.  These researchers also found that eReaders captured attention, but did not keep it unless support features, such as “search and annotation”, were built into them.  (This supports the need for devices that provide convergence to the multi-tasking expectations of users.).  Users found that some subject-based eTextbooks were different from others.  eTextbooks, with dense columns of information in tables or charts, often did not display this information as well as text-based material.  (Thus, the need for eTextbook 2 and 3.) 

 

Students and faculty, according to Rickman and Von Holzen, found that, computer-based software readers provided more utility.  On desktop and laptop computers, students could make more use of the material because of built-in search and note-taking functions, but these machines also allowed them to customize page views and to share searchable notes.  (And, of course, students could multi-task and listen to music, e-mail, and be a part of their social network while on their own computer.)

 

Technical issues, while a focus of this article, once resolved behind the scenes and before the experiment began, were negligible.  The researchers reported that:

 

• “The delivery of eTextbooks to students via their notebook computers was a simple and very efficient process
• Students were able to complete the downloading of eTextbooks with little assistance from university support staff
• Several publishers were able to provide enhanced eTextbooks with quizzes and shared notes
• The need for standardized reading features appeared useful as some students used multiple eTextbooks
• Some eTextbook features, if used in the classroom, need additional Wi-Fi connectivity”

 

In summary, based on their experience after one year, students at Northwest Missouri State University found ways to use, and maybe embrace, most eBooks, but eBook Readers still had a way to go.

 

Another challenge for publishers and manufacturers should come in the form of the minimum expectations by the Public School System, for eBooks and eBook Readers in terms of Social Justice.  Several expectations must be met.  First and foremost is that all eBooks must meet the different needs of students with learning challenges.  Thus, an eBook or eBook Reader, without meeting the Text to Speech:  TTS needs of students facing learning challenges should not be considered.  Other tools supporting learning adaptations for students facing visual challenges—such as changeable text size, font, colour/shading (for colour blindness)—must also be built in at a fundamental level, for a product or device to be considered.  With 50 million users, the system has the purchasing muscle to identify and set minimal standards and the system should not forget their responsibilities for meeting these student needs in a rush to new technologies.  A second minimal expectation must deal with the intra-system transferability of materials.  At present, some computer software is only usable within one school in a district.  That must not be allowed to continue with eBooks and their readers, which should be seen as always being open to meet the intra school needs within a purchasing district. 

 

eBooks are here to stay.  We should expect that, as they learn from their experiences, publishers will quickly move their materials from the one-dimensional approach that mirrors traditional print books to more sophisticated and multi-dimensional resources.  eBook Readers, provided they pass the Goldilocks test and provide for individualization, are likely to become more commonly used.  Teacher-librarians have some time to begin to grapple with the issues associated with these technologies.  However, in these tough economic times, where governments are looking to save money, and where media reports of the impact of eBooks may add pressure on authorities to act, Teacher-librarians need to begin to sort out their answers to the challenging questions around planning, resource management, hardware/software problems, and ethics.  Two strong themes running through all of our responses will be:  Do I know enough? and where will the money come from?

 

 

Additional Readings and Links

 

Allen, Nicole. “Course Correction: How Digital Textbooks Are Off Track, and How to Set Them Straight.” PDF download from: Make Textbooks Affordable.org.  Retrieved August 30, 2009.

 

Haywood, Keene.  “Ready of Not, here come the e-textbooks.” New Media Consortium.  Posted August 10, 2009.  Retrieved September 5, 2009.

 

Kenney, Brian.  “As Goes California: A Flawed Initiative Could Become a Fabulous Opportunity”. School Library Journal v.  n. 9,  September, 2009.  Retrieved September 6, 2009.

 

Levin , Tamar. “In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History.”  The New York Times August 8, 2009. Retrieved September 1^st, 2009.

 

Paul, Ryan.  “Study: DRM a major barrier to e-textbook adoption.”  Ars Technica.  Posted August 28, 2008.  Retrieved July 13, 2009.

 

Rickman, Jon T. and Von Holzen, Roger.  “E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities”.  Webinar via Educause.  Retrieved  August 30, 2009.

 

Seidel, Kim.  “Online Textbooks Deliver Timely, Real-World Content.”  Educause Review v. 44 n. 1, January/February 2009. Retrieved September 2^st, 2009.

 

Stewart, Robert.  “Some Thoughts on Free Textbooks.” Educause Review v. 44 n. 1, January/February 2009. Retrieved September 5^st, 2009.

 

Young, Jeffrey R.  “Six Lessons One Campus Learned from E-Textbooks.”  Chronicle of Higher Education.  Posted June 11, 2009.  Retrieved September 2, 2009.

 

 

 

e-Textbooks: Feasible or Futile at aceonlineschools.com.  January 23, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.

 

Flatworld knowledge Home Page (free eTextbooks) Retrieved September 7, 2009.

 

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI

 

Plastic Logic:   http://www.plasticlogic.com

 

Sony eBook Reader: http://www.sonystyle.ca

 

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[1] For a comparison of eBook formats check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_formats or http://www.ebookmall.com/choose-format/

[2] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Format_war for more information on a century and more of format wars.

[3] Some libraries are able to recover some textbook costs by carefully managing the sale of either surplus or ‘no longer in use’ textbooks.  While the sums are seldom large, they can help to cover some costs such as rebinds.

[4] Taylor’s “Principles of Economics: Global Financial Crisis Edition” (978-1439078204) lists for $207.95 on Amazon.com vs. $103.00 for the 180 day subscription at CourseSmart.

[5] For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook_readers

BCTLA Book Reviews-Fall 2009

Staff:

COORDINATOR:

Pat Parker

EDITOR:

Carolyn Cutt

BLOG REVIEWS AT:

F ADD

Adderson, Caroline. Bruno for Real. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. - 64pp. - ISBN 978-1-55469 -023-7 $6.95

This sequel to I, Bruno contains six separate stories in which Bruno, now seven, makes connections between home and the outside world. Bruno’s perceptions and comments may just be cute and adult responses may just be indulgent but the tone of the book is wholesome and kind, and reminds the reader to relax and enjoy witnessing children’s learning. Bruno’s badness extended from printing his name backwards on school work, to eating his dessert first, to putting one foot in the principal’s office at recess.

Each story, besides the illustrated title, has three black and white Illustrations by Helen Flook that match the text with enough added detail to keep the reader’s interest. The stories deal with birthday parties, family camping, swimming lessons and swapping.

Recommended for older Primary / early Intermediate grades.

Reviewed by Marv Worden, retired classroom teacher, SD #68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith

F BRO

Brouwer, Sigmund. Absolute Pressure. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. - 176pp. - ISBN 978-1-55469-130-2 $9.95

Since he was ten Ian has spent summers in Key West, Florida working for his uncle at Gord’s Dive Shop. This year there seem to be some mysterious happenings concerning sunken treasure and three lawyers chartering Gord’s boat overnight every Friday and Saturday. When Gord’s office manager, Sherri, finds that one of the lawyers, and uncle Gord’s employee, Judd Warner, are not using their real names something seems wrong

Some sudden reversals of plot and character behavior keep interest high. Though it is an interesting aspect, not a lot is made of Ian’s neural condition, synesthesia, in which some touches generate colour. Ian tastes blackberries when Sherri comes near.

Three short author’s notes are given: one on synesthesia, two on sunken treasure.

Recommended for Upper Intermediate / Junior Secondary grades

Reviewed by Marv Worden, retired classroom teacher, SD #68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith

F CHO

Choyce, Lesley. Skate Freak. - Orca Book Publishers (Orca currents), 2008.-108 p. - ISBN 978-1-55469-042-8.- $9.95.

The main character, Quinn Dorfman, doesn’t have many things going for him, except his love for skateboarding. The fish plant where his father works has closed down and the family has had to move away from their beloved Willis Harbor by the sea and into the dreadful city. Quinn had been the only and best skateboarder in that town. He thought of himself as the boy with the wings. Now that he is in the city, he finds the skate park populated either by young kids or juveniles. Then there is Hodge, who repeatedly provokes and intimidates Quinn in the bowl and half-pipe as well as at his home. Luckily, at Jerome Randall High there is a girl who also skateboards, is smart and has some sense. Quinn is better able to get through his schooling because of his new-found love for Jasmine. Finally, Quinn realizes that just as he takes charge when he is skateboarding, he must take responsibility for his life if he wants to live it fully. Through skateboarding, he discovers himself.

If the reader is not a skateboarder, some research or assistance may be needed to understand better the many descriptions of the skateboarding scenes in the novel. However, this book would be ideal for the reader who skateboards and sees himself/herself as a bit of a loner or distinct from others. This Orca Currents novel is aimed for reluctant teen readers and recommended for intermediate grades. A free teacher’s guide is available online.

Reviewed by Alexandra Carrea, teacher-librarian, SD#39, Vancouver

F CIT

Citra, Becky. Whiteout. Orca Book publishers, 2009. 112pp. ISBN 9781 551469 083 1 $7.95

Robin’s family is getting together at their ranch for Christmas. Her Auntie Liz and cousin April are driving six hours to the Interior from the city. During their last phone call Robin had begged "You have to come, Aunt Liz, Please, please, please. I’ll never forgive you if you don’t" These words come back to haunt Robin after her Aunt is badly injured in a storm related car accident. While her Aunt recovers April comes to live at the ranch. On other visits April and Robin have been very close and very happy in each other’s company. Now with Aunt Liz so badly hurt their relationship is badly strained.

Molly, Robin’s six year old sister, does not want to be excluded from the older girls’ activities. She tries to prove she is not a little kid by setting off for a wilderness cabin in a bad snowstorm. With no adult at home can the two girls find Molly in time?

Whiteout is Becky Citra’s seventh novel in Orca’s Young Reader Series. In this novel Citra gives us a glimpse into ranch life in B.C.’s Interior. Snow at Christmas, cutting the tree on your own property, but also the dangers of extreme weather conditions. This is an easy to read novel with concise vocabulary, targeting girls 8-11

Recommended Grades 3-5

Reviewed by Gloria Reinheimer, retired TL

F DAH

Daher, Anita. On the Trail of the Bushman. Orca Book Publishers, 2008. – 128pp. – ISBN 978-1-55469-013-8 $7.95

On the Trail of the Bushman is another book in the Junior Canadian Ranger series. Tommy is the main protagonist, with Colly and Jazz also part of the storyline. The setting is the area around Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. The Junior Rangers are having a summer camp but during the first night of the camp there is a serious fire where the cookhouse is demolished and other buildings are damaged. It is thought that perhaps the fire might have started from a discarded pop can magnifying the sun’s heat on the muskeg. Tommy is dismayed that he might have caused the devastating fire from something as simple as tossing a pop can toward a garbage bin and then forgetting to pick it up. Throughout the story Tommy is dealing with his dilemma, should he tell the captain or not?

But life continues as normal as can be at the camp; there are scary stories told around campfires, visits to museums, and horseback rides through mountain trails. The scary stories include the bushman, also known as a Sasquatch or Bigfoot, and another is based on a character that killed his wife’s best friend and took off into the bush, never to be seen again.

These stories and his guilty conscience have affected Tommy, so on a horseback ride he is nervous about sounds and smells. Then, a series of events including a rock slide, vanishing horses, injured leaders and a mystery man living in a cave all contribute to exciting adventures for the Rangers, leading to an exciting conclusion.

There are a series of coincidences that are sometimes too contrived, but young readers probably won’t mind. They will like the page after page of adventure involving the children and a mad man. Of course all ends safely, with a hint of mystery yet to come. And Tommy confesses to what he thinks is his part in the fire.

Recommended for grades 4-6

Reviewed by Pat Parker, Teacher-librarian, SD #73, Kamloops Thompson

F DEN

Denman, K.L. Perfect Revenge. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. - 112pp. - ISBN 978-1-55469-102-9 $9.95

The dialogue of Denman’s characters establishes the shallowness and tenuousness of in-group membership.

When Elizabeth "Liz" Lane is caught in a science test with an answer key given to her by her current arch enemy, she feels as though her world has fallen apart. The freaky geeky new kid from next door, with everything that is not desirable by the in group introduces Lizzie to some "magick" she is learning from her baba. Liz begins to develop empathy... the hard way.

A simple incantation that causes a huge zit on Rachel’s forehead brings Liz a feeling of revenge, until she realizes that she has three, and that every revenge-charged spell will bring the same problem threefold to the spell-caster. Only by concentrating generously on the other person’s higher self, on peace and harmony for her, can changes in relationships be made.

The attractive cover, somewhat like Stella’s weird costuming, is the only illustration.

Recommended for upper Intermediate / Junior Secondary grades.

Reviewed by Marv Worden, retired classroom teacher, SD #68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith

F GOE

Goerzen, Christy. Explore. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. - 112pp. - ISBN

978-1-55469-112pp.- ISBN 978-1-55469-119-7 $9.95

Twelve chapters of fairly large print with an attractive cover and grade 4 Fry readability should appeal to upper intermediate readers, and the plot that has Mike choosing to attend an outdoors wilderness program rather than going into juvenile detention should appeal to those boys who feel rebellious themselves.

\Mike does not like his dad’s constant bill skipping relocation but was almost pulled back into a loser’s life by a bad friendship. Meeting Lisa and finding skills and inner strength gives Mike greater hopes for success in the future.

Even with no illustrations, this book would be a valuable purchase for libraries serving grades 6 to 10 boys.

Recommended for Upper Intermediate / Junior Secondary grades.

Reviewed by Marv Worden, retired classroom teacher, SD #68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith

F GRA

Grant, Vicki, Nine Doors. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. - 112pp. - ISBN 978-1-55469-073-2 $9.95

No one creates more likable, fully rounded characters than Vicki Grant’s protagonists and "good guys". Her central characters are memorable individuals whose comments clearly show their views of the world and the motivations and interconnections between them and their allies.

However, the resolutions of Grant’s plots tend to tax credibility with the ‘bad guys" being either too violent or not credibly able to do the physical feats attributed to them. In this book, three teenagers are captured one at a time and locked in a garage by one woman.

Emery’s friendship with Richard deals excellently with the problem of being manipulated into doing things we don’t want to do. The author meets the adolescent reader’s developing interest in boy-girl relationships with the involvement of Bebi.

Despite the weakness in plot resolution, this book, as any by Vicki Grant, is recommended for purchase by libraries serving intermediate, or junior high students, and especially boys.

Recommended for Intermediate / Junior Secondary grades

Reviewed by Marv Worden, retired classroom teacher, SD #68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith

F JAC

Jackson, Melanie. Queen of Disguises. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. – 164pp. – ISBN 978-1-55469-037-4 $9.95

Queen of Disguises is book six in the Dinah Galloway mystery series. In this instalment, Dinah, whose singing voice has been highlighted in the other books, has been selected as a finalist in the advertising campaign for the 2010 Olympics. Violet Bridey, a protagonist from The Man in the Moonstone, has escaped from prison and is seeking revenge on the person who put her there.

The advertiser had promised his nephew the job, so Dinah and the other finalists are sent to a fitness retreat. Dinah initially withdraws from the competition, as she is insulted that her pudginess is seen as problem. But as Violet Bridey has threatened her, she feels getting away to a retreat would be a safe option. Other children at the wellness retreat are the advertiser’s nephew, Cornwall, and Violet Bridey’s talented niece, Angela Bridey. Strangely, Dinah and Angela become friends, and Dinah tries to adopt Angela’s kind, pleasant demeanour.

A number of hilarious adventures on Salt Spring Island ensue, with a determined Dinah. Her sleuthing continues, as she is determined to prove Violet Bridey is on the island and attempting to harm her. Dinah’s friends, Pantelli, the tree-lover who has a crush on Angela, and Talbot are sent to a science camp nearby and also assist in pursuing Violet.

A plot twist at the end adds an unexpected surprise. At the end of the day, Dinah adopts a calmer personality, learns healthy eating habits, and grows two inches taller, so therefore meets the criteria for the singing gig.

Recommended for grades 5-7.

Reviewed by Pat Parker, Teacher-librarian, SD 73, Kamloops Thompson

 

F HAR

Harvey-Fitzhenry, Alyxandra. Broken. Tradewind Books, 2008. 176p. ISBN 978-1-896580-41-8. Pbk. $12.95

Ash Perrault’s home has been broken by her mother’s death. Though she and her father have since been trying to rebuild it, she believes it is about to suffer further damage from Ella (her father’s girlfriend) who is moving in with her two daughters, Katie and Julia. To Ash, it is beginning to appear as if all these strangers may also stress her union with her father to its breaking point.

The title is not only a reference to Ash’s home but also to the state of her relationships and the theme of glass breaking mysteriously in her presence. Since meeting Ella and her daughters, her bond with her father has felt ready to crack. Seth, the boy at school who has kissed her many times but refuses to call her his girlfriend, offers only half of himself. Even her strongest connection with her best friend, Mouse, who seems to care most competently for her, threatens to shatter when Ash’s very identity fractures in her endeavour to please others around her, others whose expectations of her often fall short of being realistic.

Ash must find a way to reconcile what looks to be her life falling to pieces. By coming to view the recent events in her life as random occurrences rather than as part of a single narrative that confirms her low self-opinion, Ash gains confidence and a sense of control. While expressing her talent for constructing mosaics, she finally finds herself able to arrange not only aspects of her own personality but also some of the characters in her life in ways that feel less oppressive. As a result, she comes to see herself like a mosaic, as a beautiful whole made up of small but essential pieces that she accepts and even likes.

There is much to appreciate in this very timely treatment of a modern situation characterized by the remarriage of a single parent and the effects on the children involved. As well as presenting language with which young people can readily identify, (i.e. texting, e-mailing, on-line chatting), the story offers very genuine and engaging insight into the psyche of a teenage girl and her interpersonal relationships.

Unfortunately, however, the recurrence of glass spontaneously breaking in Ash’s presence seems entirely at odds with this genre of fiction. Since Broken would not be classified as fantasy, this fantastical element draws unnecessary attention to itself. With the author having neglected to create what ought to have been a greater degree of ambiguity, this layer of the story comes across as a heavy-handed endorsement of an extremely specious, metaphysical concept. Moreover, the attempt to weave it into a plot that focuses on such recognizable issues such as family and relationships, appears to be unsuccessful.

Recommended for junior high school students. Reading level: Grades 8-10

Reviewed by: Stefan David Martin, ESL teacher, SD #39, Vancouver

F HEN

Heneghan, James and Norma Charles. Bank Job. Orca Book Publishers, 2009 176 pp. ISBN 1 55143 855 9 $9.95

Nell has lived in many foster homes, as her mentally challenged mother is unable to care for her. Nell ran away from many of them. Now she lives with the Hardy’s and two foster boys named Billy and Tom. Changes in foster care rules compel the Hardy’s to put in a second bathroom that will cost over $10,000. Nell, Tom and Billy do not want to leave. Nell visits her mother, taking a pearl necklace she thinks is valuable. When it is not, the three look for other ways to get the money. Billy convinces Nell and Tom they must get the money by stealing it, just enough to pay for the renovations.

Norma Charles and James Heneghan were inspired to write this story by accounts of three teens that robbed seven banks in the Vancouver area. Both authors have written numerous other books for young people. How three teenagers manage to rob so many banks before capture is an interesting story. The authors could have dealt with the consequences of these crimes in more depth, still a very readable story.

Recommended Grade 4- 7

Reviewed by Gloria Reinheimer, retired teacher-librarian

F MCC

McClintock, Norah. Watch Me. - Orca Book Publishers (Orca currents), 2008. - 94p. - ISBN 978-1-55469-039-8. - $9.95.

This brief novel is extremely well suited to the pre-teen reader or reluctant teen reader. The writing is simple, concise, and clear. The action is fast-paced and will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Katz, the main character, is an adolescent boy who is full of frustration. After his recovery from burns in the hospital, Katz finds it difficult to readjust to school and home. His mother and father soon divorce. His father had caused the house fire that nearly killed them both. But it is Katz who is left disfigured. When he is outside, he always pulls the hood of his sweatshirt up to hide the scars on the side of his face and neck. He had been the hero who went back into the house to save his father. However, in school, he does not feel like the hero. There, he is not permitted to cover up. He also has a slight case of dyslexia, and the school bullies are after him. At home, he can’t get along with his mother’s new boyfriend, Neil, and only his best friend Drew understands him. Everything is as bad as it can be, it can’t seem to get any worse; but it quickly does.

One day in the park, Drew and Katz are throwing a Frisbee around. Drew throws the Frisbee and it ends up hitting an old lady on the head, who then trips and falls to the ground. Instead of helping her up, Katz grabs her purse and runs away with it. Katz and Drew find only a five dollar bill and an old rusty watch in the purse. Later, in detention at school, Katz ends up meeting Jana, the most popular girl. She actually speaks to him, and offers to help him with his math problems. To his great surprise, they start becoming friends. This friendship is soon in jeopardy when Katz learns that Jana’s aunt is in hospital after falling to the ground, and that her purse containing a very special watch was snatched from her.

Highly recommended for the pre-teen or reluctant teen reader.

There is a 7 page Teachers Guide online at www.orcabook.com/client/PDFs/TeacherGuides/Currents/Watchme.pdf which should prove useful to teachers and teacher-librarians.

Reviewed by Alexandra Carrea, teacher-librarian, SD#39 (Vancouver)

 

F MUL

Muller, Rachel Dunstan The Solstice cup Orca Book Publishers 2009 176 pp. ISBN 9781554690176 $9.95

Breanne and Mackenzie are twins, almost 13 years old. They are staying with relatives in Northern Ireland while their Mother is in Belfast with her dying father. This is not their first visit to Ireland. They had been in the country five years before in June. Mackenzie believes they had an encounter with something evil. While trying to run away from this unknown force, Breanne badly injured her ankle. This injury has refused to heal, leaving her with a pronounced limp. She has always blamed her sister for the accident.

Uncle Eamon has many fireside tales about the wee fairy folk, especially now the Winter Solstice is approaching. Winter and Summer solstice are times, he says, when the fairy and real worlds collide. Mackenzie, the more cautious twin sees danger in the bogs. Breanne, however, is determined to search for a gold ring she held then lost five years ago. Is the ring an ancient treasure or a lure to trap humans? Is the underground world they enter all dancing, music and great food or an evil place for humans?

Rachel Dunsten Muller was inspired to write this fantasy novel after living in Northern Ireland in 2001. Breanne’s character is very angry. Mackenzie follows her sister to protect her from herself, but there seems to be little twin empathy or sisterly bonds. There is lots of Celtic mythology, with Pookas, evil fairies and parallel times. This fantasy novel is for the reader who can easily suspend disbelief.

Grade 4-7

Reviewed by Gloria Reinheimer, retired teacher-librarian

F TAT

Tate, Nikki. Venom. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. 168p. ISBN 978-1-55469- 071-8 $9.95

One of the most important things in sixteen-year-old Spencer’s life right now is his job as exercise rider at the stables of Hilltop racetrack. In the early hours of the morning Spencer feels himself becoming in tune with the thoroughbreds as he puts them through their paces around the track, easily communicating human to horse. But Spencer is also concerned about one racehorse in particular, Lord of the Fires. Something seems wrong during their workouts, though Spencer must admit that the horse is still racing well. Nevertheless he is convinced that someone is drugging the horse; but even his friend Em, the stable owner’s niece, cannot be persuaded. What dangers could he face in the tough racetrack community if he speaks up? Dare he risk his job and perhaps his friendship with Em if he is caught searching for more evidence?

This suspense-filled novel gives an inside look at the hard work of racehorse training and the dedicated people behind the scenes. It also deals with Spencer’s family issues and school problems. Written for the ‘Orca Sports Series’, this high-interest mystery moves at a fast pace but the vocabulary is appropriate for the reluctant reader. The characters are well developed and appealing. Containing much food for discussion, this story could be a popular novel study.

This novel is highly recommended for grades 4-7.

Reviewed by Carolyn Cutt, retired teacher-librarian, Vancouver SD #39

F WAL

Walters, Eric. Special Edward. Orca Book Publishers, 2009. 108p. ISBN 978-1-55469-092-3. $9.95

Edward is smart and personable, with a great sense of humour. When it comes to making an effort with his school work, however, he is extremely lazy. He is happy with his 50% average, but when even that is in jeopardy he looks for another easy way out. Learning that special education students, designated exceptional, get more time to write tests and additional support, Edward is convinced he has discovered the perfect scam. All he needs is more time to write tests without studying and his 50% is guaranteed! However to become designated as exceptional proves to be more work than Edward ever expected. Does he really have learning disabilities? Edward learns more about himself as the screening continues.

This story challenges the reader to look at special education from a totally different perspective. Humourously written and fast-paced, it will capture the reader’s interest and imagination. It should also present some interesting topics for classroom discussion. Written as part of the ‘Orca Currents’ series, this novel is recommended for an elementary school library collection.

Reviewed by Carolyn Cutt, retired teacher-librarian, Vancouver SD #39

F WIS

Wishinsky, Frieda. All Aboard. Maple Tree Press, 2008. 84 pp. ISBN 9781 897349 39 7 $7.95

Frieda Wishinsky has written another Canadian Flyer Adventure. Matt and Emily use a wooden train whistle and their inherited sled to travel back to 1885. All they wanted was a ride on an old steam-train, instead they find themselves in the B.C. Rockies hours before the Last Spike Ceremony. They get a glimpse into what life was like for railway workers. Poor accommodation, cold and great danger were part of the job. Matt and Emily also meet some of the men responsible for building the railway that would connect all of Canada: Sanford Fleming, Donald Smith, Van Horne and rail worker, Edward Mallandine.

All Aboard is the ninth book in the Canadian Flyer time travel series. Each adventure tells of a different Canadian historical event at an easy to read level. Also included is a section ‘From the Author’ in which Wishinsky explains further facts. In this book, it is the role of Chinese workers. All Aboard is easy to read Canadian history, especially relevant with a trip to Craiglache on the B.C.-Alberta border

Recommended for grades 2-3.

Reviewed byGloria Reinheimer, retired teacher-librarian

370.92 MEH

Mehlmann, Gloria. Gifted to Learn. The University of Alberta Press, 2008. 325p. ISBN 978-0-88864-498-5. $24.95

This captivating memoir, written by a First Nations woman, tells of her twenty- year career teaching in urban Saskatchewan during the 1960s and ‘70s. Her life and the lives of her students were greatly influenced and affected by the discrimination and abuse that was prevalent during this time. The author’s personal story and that of her students is interwoven to reflect an educational system badly in need of reform. Her many challenges and accomplishments plus the invaluable lessons that she learned from her students, combine to make an informative statement for teachers today.

Beginning with her early teaching experiences, the author tells her story through a selected group of her students over the years of her career. As Mehlmann recalls: "children whose stories taught me about a side of teaching…that says more than university courses are required to elucidate." The text is well written, poignant, reflective and sensitive. Throughout, the author maintains how much she has learned from her students. This is reiterated in her closing comment: "…to become a good teacher, one has to remain a good student. It is a fine way to stay in the company of all who are gifted to learn."

This text should prove interesting and informative for both the experienced teacher and the beginning student.

Highly recommended for adult readers dedicated to education and specialists of Native Studies and Women’s Studies.

Reviewed by Carolyn Cutt, retired teacher-librarian, Vancouver SD #39

372.47 GEA (Professional Collections)

Gear, Adrienne. Nonfiction Reading Power: teaching students how to think while they read all kinds of information. Pembroke Publishers Limited, 2008. - 160pp. - ISBN 978-1-55138-229-6 $24.95

The author, a teacher for nearly 20 years including the last four years as a Literacy Mentor, was amazed to find that 80% of the time spent reading in the real world is reading non-fiction, yet little time had been spent on developing skills in nonfiction reading. This book sets out to counter that imbalance.

Over eight chapters Gear explains how Nonfiction Reading Power pertains to a surprising number of nonfiction forms (recipes, bills, manuals); providing lists of good Nonfiction Read-Alouds and Nonfiction Authors worthy of study. She then goes on to introduce the components of Nonfiction Reading Power:

Zoom-in,

Question/Infer

Determine Importance

Connect

Transform

and provides booklists for 18 Science and Social Studies topics.

Each Chapter from Three to Seven introduces one component i.e. Zooming-In and provides a list of books suitable for the study of Zooming-In as well as masters of student worksheets.

Chapter Eight gives advice on scheduling in two month blocks and includes some sheets to guide the teacher’s year end assessment and evaluation.

This book, rich in resources and clearly organized, is highly recommended for the professional collection of elementary schools, or to classroom resources.

Recommended for Elementary Professional Collections.

Reviewed by Marv Worden, retired classroom teacher, SD #68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith

398.2 PAU

Paulson, Kristoffer F. Scandinavian – American Folk Tales and Fish Stories. Illustrated by Kai Paulson. Mophouse Publishing, 2008. 52p. Illus. ISBN 978-0-9810287-0-5.

Pbk. $16.95

Every country and culture has its’ folk tales, past down through the generations from parents to children. Mainly handed down in the oral tradition, these tales are often embellished, exaggerated and changed throughout the ages. Similar stories are found in many cultures, especially fishing tales. Does a fisherman ever want to give away his fishing spot? ‘Little people’ also abound in folktales, as well as fierce, frightening characters and invisible nuisances.

The text is a collection of Scandinavian folk tales once told orally by the author to his children. Beginning with a fish story, the reader is then introduced to Oskar

(Stonebottom), a troll who dared to pick cloudberries while the sun was out. In the story "Old Hickory Chomper", the reader discovers how this fearful troll gets his ‘granite jaw’. The legend of the ‘Dragedukke’, "the doll who drags things away", is another intriguing story.

This collection is illustrated and published by the author’s son, Kai Paulson, a graphic artist. Each full-page illustration is vibrant, colourful and intriguing, adding fun and imagination to each tale. The reading level is sophisticated, suitable for intermediate readers and up. Written as simple family stories, the style is stilted in sections, but overall these tales should interest young readers. This text would prove useful for a theme of storytelling in the classroom, encouraging students to write stories from their own background and culture. It would also be an interesting addition to an elementary school library’s collection of folktales.

Reviewed by Carolyn Cutt, Teacher-librarian (retired), SD #39 Vancouver

 

578.769 SEP

Sept, J. Duane. The Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life in the Pacific Northwest, Revised Edition. Harbour Publishing, 2009. 224p. ISBN 978-1-55017-453-3 $26.95

The intertidal marine life along the Pacific Northwest Coast is one of the richest in the world. Along these shores it is possible to identify and observe numerous animal and plant species. Whether on a class fieldtrip or a specific biological study, the observer will find this guide an essential resource tool. The introduction begins with a discussion on understanding tides and intertidal habitats, for example, sand beaches, mud flats and rocky shores. Micro habitats are also included, such as; under rocks, tidepools, floating docks and pilings. A magnifying glass is recommended for observation and a camera for records, rather than disturbing the fragile ecosystem or handling the sea creatures.

Appealing, coloured photographs enhance each entry. Full-page photos also introduce each animal or plant species. Notes are included with the entry for further information, as well as description, habitat and range. The final chapter lists "best beachcombing sites in the Pacific Northwest", including photographs, description, location and notes. Scientifically accurate, this guide is easily accessible for the young researcher or casual observer. This text is recommended as a useful reference for both an elementary and secondary school resource centre.

Reviewed by Carolyn Cutt, retired teacher-librarian, Vancouver SD #39

741.5 ODO

O’Donnell, Liam. Soccer Sabotage. Orca Book publishers, 2009 64 pp. ISBN 9781 55143 8849 $9.95

Graphic novel

Nadia’s soccer team has reached the National finals. Instead of playing as a team, the girls have become divas, each trying for individual glory. Helping with the team and narrating the story is Nadia’s younger brother, Devlin, and coach Nate’s son, Stewart. Rising soccer star, Aidan, is coaching an opposing team. He seems to be everywhere, sometimes in places he is not supposed to be. Is he also interested in dating Nadia?

Coach Nate is suddenly injured falling down a flight of stairs just before a playoff game. His duties are taken over by Stewart and Devlin. Stewart is determined to find out what really happened to his Dad. Was he pushed? Who is Mr. Singh and how does he know his father? What is Aidan doing in their dressing room just before player Lisa is injured by a falling object?

Liam O’Donnell and illustrator Mike Deas have created this graphic novel to appeal to both very good and reluctant readers. This easy to read, fast paced novel contains action, mystery, adventure and lots of soccer facts.

Recommended for grades 2-5.

Reviewed by Gloria Reinheimer, retired teacher-librarian

971.009 ARA

Arato, Rona. Courage and Compassion : ten Canadians who made a difference. Maple Tree Press, 2008 96 pp. ISBN 978 1 897349 35 9 $19.95

Courage and Compassion by Rona Arato covers 400 years of Canadian history and profiles 10 Canadians from different eras in our history. Some names are very familiar and others are not. Jeanne Mance moved to the new colony of Montreal and put her nursing skills to work helping both colonists and Aboriginal people. She is credited with starting our first hospital. Josiah Henderson, born a slave in the US, made his way to freedom in Canada. He then became a conductor on the Underground railway helping others escape. He established Dawn community, an area where former slaves could work and own land. Nellie McClung was a famous author and suffragette. Lester B. Pearson won the Nobel Prize for his peace -keeping efforts. He also gave Canada its own flag. Roger Obata felt the Canadian government had done its citizens of Japanese descent a grievous wrong during World war II. Although not evacuated himself, he fought for 41 years for a government apology and compensation. Other notables include June Caldwell, Judy Field Carr, Elijah Harper, Craig Keilburger, and Hannah Taylor.

Rona Arato celebrates ten Canadians by providing in depth coverage of their lives and accomplishments. This book is part of Maple Tree Press’ Wow Canada Series. Historical photos help the reader see into the worlds of these outstanding Canadians. She has covered many years of our history from earliest to modern times and from our older to youngest Canadians who have made a difference. Paperback format makes this a great book to add to a library.

Highly recommended for grades 4-7.

Reviewed by Gloria Reinheimer, retired teacher-librarian

Crossing Genres: Melding of Sci- Fi and Mystery-Savard

Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading

by Stew Savard, eLibrarian,, Comox Valley

Query previous submissions from Stew: http://tinyurl.com/savardarchives

Crossing Genres: The Melding of Science Fiction and Mystery

Many readers are creatures of habit. They read Historical Fiction or Fantasy, Science Fiction or Mystery, but don’t expect them to cross genre. That other genre is not what they read. One aim of this article it to present, from the point of view (POV) of a Science Fiction reader, some Science Fiction and Mystery/Detective crossover novels so that teacher-librarians might tempt some students to open new passages in their reading patterns. This also opens up an opportunity for other Bookmark readers, who come from the POV of Mystery/Detective readers, to identify some novels with Science Fiction elements to encourage more genre blending.

One of Canada’s best Science Fiction writers is Robert Sawyer. He has won the Aurora, Hugo and Nebula awards for Science Fiction. He states that: "Science fiction and mystery have a great deal in common. Both prize the intellectual process of puzzle solving, and both require stories to be plausible and hinge on the way things really do work."

Crossover novels have been around for a long time. It could be argued that, when they were published, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novels and some of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew novels, for a younger audience, with their reference to then cutting edge technologies combined strong elements of Mystery and Science Fiction. In recent years, these kinds of crossover novels have been, perhaps, less common. Fortunately for me, over the last few years I’ve read a stream of crossover novels and begun to ask myself, "What else is out there?"

Some of the mixed genre novels I’ve read include: Halting State by Charles Stross, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (which won the Hugo and Nebula awards for 2009) by Michael Chabon, The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez, Necopath by Eric Brown, The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds, Third Claw of God (from The Andrea Cort series) by Adam-Troy Castro, Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford, Farthing by Jo Walton, and End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood.

From these books I would strongly recommend these three novels: although all are worth consideration.

Halting State, by Stross, is set in the near future in Edinburgh, Scotland. It blends an edgy techno theme with near future geopolitical elements, from a Thomas Friedman style ‘flat world’ in which India and China present grave threats. This might attract both techno readers and those interested in geopolitical thrillers, such as the novels by Tom Clancy and Dan Brown.

The Yiddish Policeman’s Union features the considerable talents of Michael Chabon who has also published contemporary and Historical Fiction novels. Set in Sitka, Alaska this novel is in the style of some of the alternate histories written by Harry Turtledove and S. M. Sterling. In this novel, Jews have been settled after the Second World War, by reluctant agents of the American Government on leased land in Sitka rather than in Israel, which remains under Arab control. With the lease soon to run out, a recent murder can either be pursued or dropped. In the best tradition of the detective novel, Meyer Landsman sets out to solve what will likely be his last case as a police officer. This is a highly recommended read.

The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez is a humorous novel. Mack Megaton drives a Bluestar cab, but would rather be a classical Sam Spade style private investigator. A major problem he faces is that he is a very large robot—actually a modified military robot designed to take over the world by force—but sidetracked into driving a cab. But a robot’s gotta do what a robot’s gotta do. With the help of his sidekicks—a genetically modified and cognitively enhanced gorilla named Jung and the voluptuous, and rich, Lucia Napier, Mack sets off to solve the case of a missing person. Martinez upends every cliché identified with detective novels with twists and turns reminiscent of the works of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams when they set tradition on its head with their quirky and funny Fantasy and Science Fiction writings.

Another form of cross-over writing comes from the blending of Vampire, Mystery and Science Fiction themes. Jes Battis with Night Child, merges CSI style detective themes with the advanced technology found in Science Fiction. Tanya Huff with Smoke and Mirrors, provides an example of this kind of genre fusion.

James Patterson’s Maximum Ride Series, Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider Series, and Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl Series all have elements that allow them to be described as crossing over between Science Fiction and Mystery. Certainly, many students who have enjoyed the different writings of these authors and who are looking for additional suggestions from teacher-librarians might consider dipping their toes into either the more traditional Science Fiction or Mystery genre.

Libraries may already have some crossover material in their collections. Kiln People by David Brin, Carlucci by Richard Paul Russo, the Eve Dallas novels by J.D Robb, Do Androids Dream of Electonic Sheep (which was made into the movie Bladerunner) by Philip K. Dick, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, and The I, Robot series by Isaac Asimov are all examples of crossover novels.

My bias as a fan of Science Fiction shows throughout this article. What is needed is for another Bookmark reader to lay out the path for Mystery and Science Fiction novels that can be used to cross these genre from the other direction. I’m looking forward to your suggestions!

And the Nominees are…

As with every article, here are the nominated books for some of the other yearly Science Fiction and Fantasy awards that are, perhaps, not as well known as the Auroras, Nebulas, and Hugos. Included are the nominated novels for the Sunburst Awards for Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy, the British Science Fiction and, separately awarded, British Fantasy Awards, and the Golden Duck Awards, with an emphasis on Science Fiction for K-12 students.

The eBook Challenge

by Stewart Savard

eLibrarian/eResource Teacher

SD#71 (Comox Valley)

ASUS Eee Reader - Image from Wired Magazine

In spite of media hype, libraries will not disappear in the next few years. But eBooks and eBook Readers will challenge the traditional roles and practices of K-12 libraries and the staff who work there. Librarians need to know what eBooks are, how they may evolve and what eBook Readers are and how this technology may develop. As important as it may be to stay on top of technological developments, teacher-librarians also need to anticipate some changes in practice that will be required as eBooks and their readers show up in schools.

What are eBooks?

eBooks are books in a digital form. eBooks have been around for more than a decade. The availability of eBooks, like audio books, has been a source of interest for teacher-librarians, but their presence has not yet changed daily operations. The continued development of devices that ‘read’ eBooks, eBook Readers and changes in the sophistication of eBooks themselves will change that.

The first generation of eBooks—novels and some non-fiction material—were one-dimensional: they lacked sophistication and intelligent operations. The textual material, that could be found in a traditional novel was presented as a plain computer file. You could not, for example, pop up a map or photos to enrich a story. Computers, both desktop and laptop, were the original ‘market’ for most of these eBooks. Many of the original eBooks were either demonstration projects–not likely to have a large market–or material that was out of copyright, from groups such as Project Gutenberg.

Since almost all contemporary books are, in publication form, computer files, some publishers also sold copies of novels in a digital format. At the same time as these fiction and non-fiction books were being marketed, textbook and magazine publishers also began to offer their materials in a digital format such as a PDF file. In a school setting, requests for these formats often came from the parents and teachers working with students facing a variety of learning challenges.

There have been a number of problems with eBooks. Essentially these problems break down into two main categories: format issues and ownership. As with most new technologies, format[1] has been, and to some extent still is, an issue. Some eBooks worked on some computers and not on others. Some school computers had the software needed to read an eBook and some didn’t. Proprietary, and thus access limiting, formats were initially the norm. Recently, more widely available formats such as PDF (from Adobe) and ePub have become common. However, format challenges continue to plague the acceptance of eBooks. Some publishers have begun to deal with these concerns by providing their works in multiple formats. However, just as it took more than a decade to work through the VHS vs. Beta videotape and other format wars[2], some challenges remain. Without regard to the eventual outcome, librarians, support staff, and district technicians will have to gain some level of sophistication in dealing with format issues in order to provide materials to students and teachers in a digital format.

A second major problem with eBooks has been ownership. A purchase of a traditional book transfers ownership of that copy of a book and the rights to resell it to the purchaser. Intellectual copyright is retained by author and publisher. This works well because of the challenges linked to copyright theft—especially with novels. Digital resources present a very different problem. The electronic transfer of files is simple and so, threatening to authors and publishers. Some early eBooks tried to address this with limits around Digital Rights Management: DRM. Essentially, ‘buyers’ leased an eBook for a fixed term (even though they might not have fully understood that). At the end of that term their ability to access the eBook was extinguished. They didn’t own the book. They couldn’t, in some cases, even transfer the book to another computer (desktop to laptop). They couldn’t ‘lend’ the book to a friend. In many cases they couldn’t print pages from a book: such as a map or chart referenced throughout a chapter in that work. Public libraries, such as the Vancouver Island Regional Library: VIRL, use specialized software to help manage eBook distribution and to retain the digital rights for an author/publisher. Users must download software, provided by VIRL, onto their computer and then can access a book for a ‘term certain’ period (typically 21 days for a novel) before the file becomes unusable.

Limits on ownership of an electronic copy of a book cause other problems. Will readers want to purchase books that they can’t re-read as they see fit over years and decades? (Ask readers of the Lord of the Rings series or Robert Munsch books how many times they have read those books.) Some book owners make way for new material by selling their ‘read’ books to used book stores or by donating books to charities. eBook ownership, as it moves past the restrictions imposed by DRM schemes, will certainly raise issues related to the transfer of that ownership and the rights of the copyright holders. Libraries, with their special responsibility to not violate copyright, will have to deal with these issues. This will be especially true with eTextbooks as they reach the end of a use cycle.[3]

In the last year or so, as more eBook readers have come onto the market, textbook publishers have found new ways to market expensive College and University materials for traditional computers and eBook Readers. New companies, such as CourseSmart, provide students with a way to lease their textbooks as a kind of ‘subscription’.[4] ‘Subscriptions’ typically last for a semester or academic year and cost 50-60% of a print copy. CourseSmart materials are available either via an online account or to a specific, and "non-transferable" computer (a laptop for example) or to an eBook Reader or smart phone such as the Blackberry Storm, Apple iPhone or Palm Pre. Some eTextbooks allow computer versions of their material to print pages or study materials or workbook questions; a function not always allowed, or possible, in other eBook formats. These kinds of ownership add more complexity to issues of ownership.

eBooks will evolve over the next few years. Some eBooks will continue to be presented in a one-dimensional format. Novels might remain largely one-dimensional. Non-fiction material, newspapers and magazines and eTextbooks must evolve if they are to retain value for both the user and seller. With 50 million K-12 students in the U.S. and another 18 million students at the college level, the textbook market is significant and competitive. Cash strapped governments at the K-12 level, such as California, are seriously looking at eTextbooks as a way to save money.

ARC BC: Accessible Resource Centre British Columbia, from SET BC, is the K-12 educational body with the most experience with digital resources. Established a little over a year ago, it has begun to collect and distribute digital resources to qualified students throughout the province. ARC BC also cooperates with a number of similar bodies and agencies across Canada. The librarians at ARC BC and the digital librarians associated with public libraries in BC have key information and experience in handling, cataloguing, and the distribution of digital resources that can be tapped into by the K-12 system.

eTextbook 2

Librarians can anticipate a fairly rapid evolution of eTextbooks. Rather than continuing to be one-dimensional, they will become more sophisticated. Additional material, which takes full advantage of the technology, can be added with minor increases in the file size of an eTextbook. eTextbook 2 could contain, for example, a fast slide show of a beating heart or of an engine working—and so give the illusion of animation—without too much difficulty. eTextbook 2 could contain greatly increased information in the form of glossaries, additional exercises, and even, and this is where teachers might be interested, alternate formats that support different reading and skill levels. The SFU Museum site "A Journey to a New Land" and the University of Michigan site "Windows to the Universe: The Earth’s Moon" provide Universal Design for Learning: UDL examples of content tailored to users.

Independent suppliers of second edition eTextbooks might take this customization a step farther. It is technically possible for a teacher to select specific chapters from different textbooks in order to compliment their instruction. This could be done, for example, with the McGraw-Hill Ryerson and Nelson Science 7 textbooks. Both address the same provincial learning outcomes. A teacher might prefer the presentation of the Earth Science unit from one publisher and the Chemistry Unit from another. Independent textbook suppliers, working with both publishers and a school, might sell, on a yearly basis or longer, the rights to different parts of different textbooks to the same school. (Publishers might find themselves in a situation where they need to update their textbooks on a regular basis in order to be the ‘current’ supplier. This might have the beneficial effect of allowing mistakes in textbooks to be corrected and new information added with each new sub-edition.)

eTextbook 3

Second edition eTextbooks are also likely to be quickly replaced by multi-dimensional textbooks: eTextbook 3. Tailored to a student and their teacher, in terms of their reading skills, learning style, teaching style and other preferences, these books can and would be updatable on an ongoing basis. A student showing mastery of a math topic, might move, in their eTextbook, to a section expanding the breadth or depth of their knowledge, whilst a student struggling with a topic might receive additional help that compliments their needs and strengths. Advances in a topic, such as Science, could be incorporated into eTextbook 3s on an ongoing basis. In mid-September 2009, McGraw-Hill announced its version of an eTextbook 3 that allows students to capture audio and video copies of notes and link them to specific sections of the textbook, take quizzes and receive grades and suggestions for further work, and provide teachers with course management tools.

Teachers might find that this kind of smart eTextbook, which need not be platform or publisher dependant, could act as a powerful synthesising agent and knowledge launch pad. This might bring value to a teaching resource: the traditional textbook, which is frequently underutilized because of its one-dimensional, and quickly outdated, format. The combination of an adaptable primary information resource with the powerful skill sets that teachers bring to their classroom might result in some significant changes to education.

What are eBook Readers?

eBook Readers are electronic devices specifically designed to read eBooks. Typically, they show material using so-called e-paper which allows text to be read, usually in black and white, much like a paper book in direct sunlight. Text is stable on the screen and is not constantly refreshed. As a result, battery life can extend for up to a week compared to hours for most laptops. (Computer-based PDF readers and programs such as the Microsoft Reader can read eBooks on those machines.)

Most manufacturers separate eBook readers into 5" and 6" sizes and bigger devices.[5] Smaller devices, the 5" and 6" readers, are designed primarily for paperback and trade paperback publications. eBook Readers have been available for about a decade, but have only slowly been accepted by large numbers of users. Part of the acceptance challenge they have faced has revolved around incompatible formats, limited connectivity, limited tools (so that all a reader could do was show text) and the ownership issues linked to Digital Rights: DRM. The November 2007 launch of the Amazon Kindle provided a spur to the acceptance of eBook Readers.

In the fall and winter of 2009 a number of larger eBook Readers will appear. These include the Asus Eee Reader, the Amazon KindleDX, the PlasticLogic reader and Sony’s Daily Edition. These devices can all present larger books, such as textbooks as well as magazines and newspapers. Advances in technology continue at a rapid pace. The ASUS device, for example, is a clamshell style which will reportedly have two screens (see photo at beginning of this article) and display colour text. The two screens will allow it to act like a traditional textbook. The screens can be used to display different information: a textbook page, for example, and a supportively designed web page. The Plastic Logic screen is about the size of a MacLean’s magazine and has the same weight as a Seventeen or Transworld Skateboarding magazine and a flexible plastic screen that might provide considerable wear and tear for student users.

Built-in and add-on memory cards allow these devices to easily hold all of the textbooks required in K-12 schools and still have room for additional material. Each wave of readers has had more technological sophistication. Models out this fall reportedly include tools for user annotation/note taking, limited printing, and the ability to play, through an earphone jack, stored music and audio books as MP3 files. The ASSU device, raising the stakes, is reported to have a microphone, built in speakers, and a webcam that, via its wireless connection, will allow users to use Skype and similar software. Most eBook Readers can access resources wirelessly using a combination of Internet and cell phone technology. (Although this connectivity is still limited in Canada as users of Kindle devices can attest.)

Newspapers, such as USA Today and the Financial Times, which will be available on the PlasticLogic Device and magazines, such as Time and the Economist, already available on the Kindle, will be pushing for the kind of technological convergence which brings users to these larger sized products and keeps them there. A larger screen will allow publishers to integrate advertising into their presentations in ways that attract readers, rather than just taking up critical screen space. The more users can rely on one device, the more likely that device will be adopted. Increased technology convergence seems likely with each new model. Thus, an eBook Reader that allows you to read a book, view a GPS map, answer a phone call (via Skype), read and respond to an email, and listen to music or an audio book, and dictate notes for eventual conversion via Speech to Text software seems likely in the near future and represents significant challenges for the present manufacturers of some of these separate devices. The search is on for the value added device that reduces the number of gadgets in our lives. Manufacturers are all looking for a Goldilocks solution.

Challenges for K-12 Libraries

Like many new software programs and electronic devices the promises are many. As these two separate technologies continue to advance, greater and greater expectations will be placed on librarians and libraries. These challenges can be largely summarized in four areas: ethical issues, library planning and operations, content problems, and mechanical problems.

Ethical issues abound in the eWorld. Theft of copyright material is a challenge facing the music industry and so it will be for publishers. The fact that eBooks and eBook Readers are not likely to appear in large numbers for the 2009-2010 year means that teacher-librarians have the benefit of some time to begin to sort out ethical issues. While copyright issues are important, social justice issues are, perhaps, more critical. So the questions begin with: How do we ensure equity, what role do librarians (and our technical advisors) have in ensuring that all school distributed material is legal (that we have purchased what we are distributing), what role do we have to play in ensuring that school devices present, at least in the main memory chips (provided within the machine), only legally purchased material: eBooks, eTextbooks, audio books and music, newspapers, magazines, where do our ethical responsibilities end, and what powers, if any, do we have to enforce our ethical choices on school supplied machines being used by students. (Can we require them to delete stolen files from eBook Readers we supply?)

Planning and operational challenges come in terms of: who, what, how, and money. Who within a library, or school system, is going to act as the initially responsible agent? What service, or services, will a school library provide its users. Will they, for example, be responsible for just eBooks? Will eTextbooks be added on? Will they provide eReaders to staff and students? (All staff and students?) Whom will they be responsible for dealing with: publishers, content suppliers, and/or device suppliers? How will they deal with the simple mechanism of ‘signing out’ an eBook or an eBook Reader? Where will the money come from and are there assurances that this will be built into the budget of the Education System, a School Board, and a specific Library?

Resource management for eBooks and eTextbooks will be a second level of challenge for librarians. They will need to know what has been selected (and by whom and from what budget), what they have within their eCollection, in what format (a physical disk or a downloadable file), the number of copies of a resource (from one or two for a novel to potentially hundreds for an eTextbook), the mechanism needed to purchase (lease) more copies, how to deal with Inter-Library Loans (ILL), and how to dispose of surplus to need copies.

Mechanical problems will challenge libraries from the day the first eReader comes into their school. Questions here include: where is the money for this coming from, who is the supplier, who is responsible for minor challenges, such as battery recharges and "I forgot my eReader at home. Can I borrow another one?" to who is going to fix eReaders devices, update their firmware and software and the software on school computers that reads eBooks and eTextbooks. Because eReaders can hold a significant amount of material, another technical question will revolve around where, on a school managed device, the eTextbooks reside. (Will these be near the core and not easily discarded by a user who feels that their collection of 1950s Mad Magazines is more important than their Science textbook or else a student may report that their "eTextbook didn’t work and couldn’t do their homework.")

Challenges for Providers

Much of this article deals with the potential of eBooks and eBook Readers. An August 26, 2009 webinar presented some very interesting information on how these technologies are doing on at least one college campus. In this webinar, titled "E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities" by Jon T. Rickman and Roger Von Holzen from Northwest Missouri State University, the authors PowerPoint presentation reviewed that school’s decision to invest in both eBooks and eBook Readers for a number of faculty and students during the 2008-2009 academic year.

They found that there was a learning curve for which they needed to provide training in order for students and faculty to make effective use of the technology. Users wanted eBooks/eTextbooks and either the readers or software to support keyword searches and note-taking. These researchers also found that eReaders captured attention, but did not keep it unless support features, such as "search and annotation", were built into them. (This supports the need for devices that provide convergence to the multi-tasking expectations of users.). Users found that some subject-based eTextbooks were different from others. eTextbooks, with dense columns of information in tables or charts, often did not display this information as well as text-based material. (Thus, the need for eTextbook 2 and 3.)

Students and faculty, according to Rickman and Von Holzen, found that, computer-based software readers provided more utility. On desktop and laptop computers, students could make more use of the material because of built-in search and note-taking functions, but these machines also allowed them to customize page views and to share searchable notes. (And, of course, students could multi-task and listen to music, e-mail, and be a part of their social network while on their own computer.)

Technical issues, while a focus of this article, once resolved behind the scenes and before the experiment began, were negligible. The researchers reported that:

* "The delivery of eTextbooks to students via their notebook computers was a simple and very efficient process

* Students were able to complete the downloading of eTextbooks with little assistance from university support staff

* Several publishers were able to provide enhanced eTextbooks with quizzes and shared notes

* The need for standardized reading features appeared useful as some students used multiple eTextbooks

* Some eTextbook features, if used in the classroom, need additional Wi-Fi connectivity"

In summary, based on their experience after one year, students at Northwest Missouri State University found ways to use, and maybe embrace, most eBooks, but eBook Readers still had a way to go.

Another challenge for publishers and manufacturers should come in the form of the minimum expectations by the Public School System, for eBooks and eBook Readers in terms of Social Justice. Several expectations must be met. First and foremost is that all eBooks must meet the different needs of students with learning challenges. Thus, an eBook or eBook Reader, without meeting the Text to Speech: TTS needs of students facing learning challenges should not be considered. Other tools supporting learning adaptations for students facing visual challenges—such as changeable text size, font, colour/shading (for colour blindness)—must also be built in at a fundamental level, for a product or device to be considered. With 50 million users, the system has the purchasing muscle to identify and set minimal standards and the system should not forget their responsibilities for meeting these student needs in a rush to new technologies. A second minimal expectation must deal with the intra-system transferability of materials. At present, some computer software is only usable within one school in a district. That must not be allowed to continue with eBooks and their readers, which should be seen as always being open to meet the intra school needs within a purchasing district.

eBooks are here to stay. We should expect that, as they learn from their experiences, publishers will quickly move their materials from the one-dimensional approach that mirrors traditional print books to more sophisticated and multi-dimensional resources. eBook Readers, provided they pass the Goldilocks test and provide for individualization, are likely to become more commonly used. Teacher-librarians have some time to begin to grapple with the issues associated with these technologies. However, in these tough economic times, where governments are looking to save money, and where media reports of the impact of eBooks may add pressure on authorities to act, Teacher-librarians need to begin to sort out their answers to the challenging questions around planning, resource management, hardware/software problems, and ethics. Two strong themes running through all of our responses will be: Do I know enough? and where will the money come from?

Additional Readings and Links

Allen, Nicole. "Course Correction: How Digital Textbooks Are Off Track, and How to Set Them Straight." PDF download from: Make Textbooks Affordable.org. Retrieved August 30, 2009.

Haywood, Keene. "Ready of Not, here come the e-textbooks." New Media Consortium. Posted August 10, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2009.

Kenney, Brian. "As Goes California: A Flawed Initiative Could Become a Fabulous Opportunity". School Library Journal v. n. 9, September, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.

Levin , Tamar. "In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History." The New York Times August 8, 2009. Retrieved September 1st, 2009.

Paul, Ryan. "Study: DRM a major barrier to e-textbook adoption." Ars Technica. Posted August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2009.

Rickman, Jon T. and Von Holzen, Roger. "E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities". Webinar via Educause. Retrieved August 30, 2009.

Seidel, Kim. "Online Textbooks Deliver Timely, Real-World Content." Educause Review v. 44 n. 1, January/February 2009. Retrieved September 2st, 2009.

Stewart, Robert. "Some Thoughts on Free Textbooks." Educause Review v. 44 n. 1, January/February 2009. Retrieved September 5st, 2009.

Young, Jeffrey R. "Six Lessons One Campus Learned from E-Textbooks." Chronicle of Higher Education. Posted June 11, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2009.

e-Textbooks: Feasible or Futile at aceonlineschools.com. January 23, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.

Flatworld knowledge Home Page (free eTextbooks) Retrieved September 7, 2009.

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI

Plastic Logic: http://www.plasticlogic.com

Sony eBook Reader: http://www.sonystyle.ca

[1] For a comparison of eBook formats check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_formats or http://www.ebookmall.com/choose-format/

[2] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Format_war for more information on a century and more of format wars.

[3] Some libraries are able to recover some textbook costs by carefully managing the sale of either surplus or ‘no longer in use’ textbooks. While the sums are seldom large, they can help to cover some costs such as rebinds.

[4] Taylor’s "Principles of Economics: Global Financial Crisis Edition" (978-1439078204) lists for $207.95 on Amazon.com vs. $103.00 for the 180 day subscription at CourseSmart.

[5] For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook_readers

Recommendation: digital copyright/public domain

Spark 73: Copyright, the public domain, and remix culture

I just listened to CBC Spark archives.  Nora Young's( CBC) podcast has a terrific episode on digital copyright/public domain. An clarifying part for me was the James Boyle segment. He tries to balance intellectual property rights and the public domain (full interview)  I found Boyle's explanation profound. It has made me consider that I need to advocate for sensible copyright laws not just extreme licensing rules or wide open remixing. As we often defend open access to libraries maybe we need to also defend a strong public domain.

We often struggle with defending vague copyright and ethical use of information because we value intellectual property rights. The vagueness is a new aspect confronting us because of rapid technological change.  Most of us still have our conscienceness in the print world. 

Listen to Nora Young's podcast to get a terrific grasp of the issue and the consequence of our practices.  I found it very helpful.

-Al Smith

Nora Young, Host
http://tinyurl.com/spark73

James Boyle Interview
http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2009/03/full-interview-james-boyle-on-copyright-and-the-public-domain/

Jean Dryden demystifies Canadian copyright law

Download Episode 73 at:
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/spark_20090408_14080.mp3

[Original image by eflong]
____________________________________________________________________________________
CBC-Spark: is a blog, radio show, podcast and an ongoing conversation about technology and culture.

Charlie Rose- Neil Young: an interview

A conversation with Neil Young

Charlie Rose- Neil Young: an interview

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Neil Percival Young^[1] OM (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director.

Young's work is characterized by deeply personal lyrics, distinctive guitar work, and signature falsetto tenor singing voice. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments—including piano and harmonica—his claw-hammer acoustic guitar style and often idiosyncratic electric guitar soloing are the linchpins of a sometimes ragged, sometimes polished sound. Although Young has experimented widely with differing music styles, including swing, jazz, rockabilly, blues, and electronic music throughout a varied career, his best known work usually falls into either of two distinct styles: folk-esque acoustic rock ("Heart of Gold", "Harvest Moon" and "Old Man") and electric-charged hard rock (like "Cinnamon Girl", "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"). In recent years, Young has adopted elements from newer styles like industrial, alternative country and grunge. Young's profound influence on the latter caused some to dub him "the godfather of grunge".

Young has directed (or co-directed) a number of films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, including Journey Through the Past (1973), Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Human Highway (1982), Greendale (2003), and CSNY Déjà Vu (2008). He is currently working on a documentary about electric car technology, tentatively titled Linc/Volt. The project involves a 1959 Lincoln Continental converted to hybrid technology, which Young plans to drive to Washington, DC as an example to lawmakers there.^[2]

He is also an outspoken advocate for environmental issues and small farmers, having co-founded in 1985 the benefit concert Farm Aid, and in 1986 helped found The Bridge School,^[3] and its annual supporting Bridge School Benefit concerts, together with his wife Pegi (in this, Young's involvement stems at least partially from the fact that both of his sons have cerebral palsy and his daughter, like Young himself, has epilepsy).

Although Young sings as frequently about U.S. legends and myths (Pocahontas, space stations, and the settlement of the American West)^[4] as he does about his native country, he remains a Canadian citizen and has never wanted to relinquish his Canadian citizenship. He has lived in the U.S. for "so long" and has stated he has "got just as much right to vote in them (American elections) as anybody else."^{[5] ( WIKI )}

Science Fiction and Fantasy - Savard

Science Fiction and Fantasy- Authors worth Consideration

by Stew Savard

eLibrarian,

Comox Valley

A good school collection should have a wealth of Science Fiction and Fantasy material. The authors and books identified here can be used to extend a collection. This article has two focal points: it contains my recommendations for 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy authors worth your consideration and also provides the most recently nominated novels and award winners for six of the major Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards. These works are also worth consideration.

I hope that both students and staff may enjoy some of the works suggested. This article recommends authors from both the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. Students and Staff can use and enjoy these genre to make sense of, and give purpose to, some of the themes in academic subjects. Quality material also helps to cement the image of reading being an enjoyable and worthwhile endeavor. As always, some novels may not be appropriate for all libraries.

Science Fiction Authors

Jack McDevitt is an outstanding author. He routinely mixes Science Fiction and Anthropology to create some interesting scenarios. Deepsix, Ancient Shores and the Chindi series are excellent starting points.

Elizabeth Moon’s adventure series, centered on her heroine Kylara Vatta, should be popular. The series consists of: Trading in Danger, Marque and Reprisal, Engaging the Enemy, Command Decision, and Victory Conditions. Consider the purchase of The Speed of Dark, which deals with the ethical dilemma’s related to advances in science and medicine with Autism as a central theme.

John G. Hemry, writing as Jack Campbell, has created the Lost Fleet series. Novels include: Dauntless, Fearless, Courageous, and Valiant (with Relentless) due out this year. His books detail, in practical terms, space movement in ways which expand the genre in terms of its sophistication.

Vernor Vinge writes big thick novels packed full of thought-provoking detail on other species when he is not engaged as a Math and Computer Science Professor. He moves beyond the simplistic anthropomorphized descriptions of “aliens” too often found in Science Fiction. Consider: A Fire Upon the Deep, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War and Rainbows End.

Charles Stross writes across both the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre. Science Fiction novels include Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise. Fantasy novels include: The Family Trade, The Hidden Family, Clan Corporate and The Merchants War.

Fantasy Authors

Terry Pratchett brings a Monty Pythonesque sense of humour to fantasy. With 55 million books in print, each new offering enjoys considerable success. The bulk of his many novels are set in Discworld – the most recent being Thud, Going Postal and Making Money. Younger readers might enjoy: The Wee Free Men series: Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith or the Bromeliad trilogy: Truckers, Diggers, Wings, and, from 2008, a new series starting with Nation.

Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian fantasy author whose work, because of the diverse settings, is sometimes called historical fantasy. Worth consideration is the Sarantine Mosaic: Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors, set in ‘almost’ Constantinople and The Last Light of the Sun with Viking elements. His most recent work: Ysabel combines fantasy with modern themes including his mother’s presence in war-torn Sudan.

Gene Wolfe has several recent novels worth consideration. His Wizard Knight series: The Knight and The Wizard stretch traditional fantasy in ways that may intrigue readers looking for a bit of a change. His most recent novel Pirate Freedom combines Historical Fiction with elements of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Neil Gaiman writes across a wide stretch of the fantasy genre. Coraline is aimed at younger readers, while American Gods is not. Both are recommended, as is his joint venture with Terry Pratchett: Good Omens. Gaiman has also produced, and is possibly better known for, graphic novels and picture books including: The Dangerous Alphabet and The Wolves in the Walls. Vampire fiction fans may be attracted to his work as a crossover suggestion when they finish the latest Stephenie Meyer or Darren Shan novels.

China Mieville describes his work as “weird fiction”. It certainly is, but it is also very interesting and challenging to describe. Mieville routinely brings his left-of-centre political views into his writing. This brings both an insight and depth often not found in other writers’ works. Consider: Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council. Mieville’s most recent work is aimed at a younger audience and is called Un Lun Dun.

Special Consideration

All of the Andre Norton nominees should receive your consideration. This is a relatively recent award with no territorial limits – like the Nebulas, Auroras and Aurealis. This year seems to have attracted a very wide range of nominations from around the world. Several of the authors are not well-known in North America. However, the book summaries seem to indicate some interesting ideas and settings in the nominated short-list.

Some authors have been left off the above list. Their very popularity in Canada makes them likely to be automatic purchases. These include: Scott Westerfeld, Stephenie Meyer, J. K. Rowling, Christopher Paolini, and Eoin Colfer.

Teacher-Librarians experiencing difficulties in finding material might try White Dwarf Books (in Vancouver at 604-228-8223) and Bolen Books (in Victoria 250-595-4232). The expertise of the staffs in these locations has helped to turn up some challenging material.

Nominees and Winners

Members of the World Science Fiction Convention vote on the Hugo Awards.

Hugo Award

http://www.thehugoawards.org/

1. Michael Chabon: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (Winner)

2. Ian McDonald: Brasyl

3. Robert J. Sawyer: Rollback

4. John Scalzi: The Last Colony

5. Charles Stross: Halting State

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) vote for the Nebula and Andre Norton awards.

Nebula Award

http://www.sfwa.org/

1. Tobias Buckell: Ragamuffin

2. Michael Chabon: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (Winner)

3. Joe Haldeman: The Accidental Time Machine

4. Nalo Hopkinson: New Moon’s Arms

5. Jack McDevitt: Odyssey

The Andre Norton award, while voted on by members of the SFWA, accepts nominations from any young adult Science Fiction or Fantasy writer from around the world. Graphic novels are also eligible for this award.

Andre Norton

1. Steve Berman: Vintage – a Ghost Story

2. Sarah Beth Durst: Into the Wild

3. Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu: The Shadow Speaker

4. Adam Rex: The True Meaning of Smek Day

5. J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (Winner)

6. Ysabeau S. Wilce: Flora Segunda...

7. Elizabeth Wein: The Lion Hunter

The World Fantasy Award is juried. A panel of judges both determines the nominations and the awards. Small press publications, with limited resources, have frequently had their material selected for consideration.

World Fantasy

http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/

1. Emma Bull: Territory

2. Guy Gavriel Kay: Ysabel (Winner)

3. John Marks: Fangland

4. Will Shetterly: Gospel of the Knife

5. Michael Marshall Smith: The Servants

The Auroras are for Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy. The awards are presented at the yearly Canvention (sic). Montreal will host, in 2009, from August 6-10.

Aurora Awards

http://www.prix-aurora-awards.ca/

1. Denysé Bridger: As Fate Decrees

2. Nalo Hopkinson: New Moon’s Arms (Winner)

3. Derwin Mak: The Moon Under Her Feet

4. Robert J. Sawyer: Rollback

5. Edo van Belkom: Cry Wolf

The Aurealis Awards are presented to Australia’s best Science Fiction and Fantasy authors.

Aurealis Award

http://www.aurealisawards.com/

1. K.A. Bedford: Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait (Winner)

2. Marianne de Pierres: Chaos Space

3. Simon Haynes: Hal Spacejock - No Free Lunch

4. Kim Westwood: The Daughters of Moab

5. Sean Williams: Earth Ascendant

 

Pop Culture- Bergen, Obama, Life magazine

Giller prize winner David Bergen’s new book, The Retreat, is among this fall’s very best novels. Instead of commenting on this myself, I’ll refer you to Danielle Groen’s review of the book from our October/November issue; she says most of what I have to say, and better than I could.

I spoke with David Bergen a few weeks ago in Toronto. He’ll return to town next week as a part of the International Festival of Authors, for a reading on October 31st and a roundtable hosted by The Walrus’s own Jeremy Keehn on November 1st. Click those links to buy tickets, or enter a contest to win some courtesy of IFOA and The Walrus here.

* * * * *

I know that your last novel sat with you for quite a while before it came to shape. How did this one arrive?

I suppose it came more quickly. With The Time in Between I had written a non-fiction piece previous to the novel, and I used the non-fiction work to create the novel, because the non-fiction stuff just was not working. I discovered I’m not a non-fiction writer, not in the way I want to be—not like a Bruce Chatwin. If only I could write like that, which really isn’t non-fiction I suppose, he bends the truth very much. But you can bend the truth more with fiction, so I decided to write the novel. Because I see my job—I see it as a job, and I see it as work, it’s not something where I wait for inspiration—so in this instance, The Retreat came to me as an image of a family driving across the country, arriving in Kenora, going to this commune. I began the story with the second section, called “The Retreat,” and the first section, “The Island,” came later, when I found Raymond. And when I say ‘found’ Raymond, I think it’s important to say that some of these characters, like Nelson and like Raymond, they were found, or sort of walked into the door, and I said, “Oh wow, here’s Raymond, here’s Raymond delivering fish and chickens to the Retreat.” And of course the unconscious is at work when that happens, and you have to allow it to open up, to be found. So that’s how the novel began.

I had been talking to a man, an older man, telling him a story about my father. We had gone on a trip. We had six children in our family, we lived in Calgary, and I was about 11 at that time. We were taking a trip to Vancouver, and we had four cats. And these were four kittens, that had just been born. We were heading up towards Banff, and we had the cats on our laps and we were playing with them, and my father stopped at the edge of this lake, took the cats, walked out, drowned them. And my sisters were just weeping. I realized after I told this man this story that I had to go to my office and write this scene and that’s sort of how it began. It’s a bleak scene, but I thought it worked for the foreboding of the novel.

You said Raymond kind of walked in the door for you. I was thinking of the section where his brother Marcel’s visiting and he says that “Our problem is we’re too nice, we’re too fucking nice.” It seems to me that in the book—and at the Retreat—there’s a group of people trying to find a better way of being in the world. If that’s true, is Marcel right? Is that where Raymond starts? And how does he change by the end of the book from where he walked in the door to you?

Marcel is ten years, twelve years older, had more experience in the world, and is trying to inform his baby brother that he may be a little bit naïve about how the world works. And in fact that comes quite true. He accepts authority too readily, and he understands that later in the book—when he says ‘Hart put me in the car and I let him, he put me in the boat and I let him, he put me on the island and I let him.’ The incident on the highway when he’s stopped by Hart is his reckoning, his ‘I will no longer let someone do this to me’ moment, with certain consequences, of course. He chooses in that way, but that makes things follow other ways.

So he learns to be not too nice…

more at NewYorker>>>>

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LIFE photos now at Google:
http://kssreads.typepad.com/kssreads/2009/02/search-millions-of-historic-photos-from-life-magazine-.html

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 NEWYORKER
This week in the magazine, Peter Schjeldahl writes about the street artist, graphic designer, and entrepreneur Shepard Fairey. This month, the first retrospective of his work opens at the Institute of Contemporary Art, in Boston. Schjeldahl writes that “Fairey reverses a revolution achieved by Warhol, along with Roy Lichtenstein. He embraces a trend in what the critic Dave Hickey has called ‘pop masquerading as art, as opposed to art masquerading as pop.’” Here is a selection of Fairey’s work, both on and off the street.

Check out the pop art slideshow at: POPaganda

CBC Radio-'On the Next Chapter': Eckler, Wagamese,

New CBC Radio Literature Program-'On the Next Chapter'.

Blog this post at the VirtualBookmark page: Book Club:

On The Next Chapter, veteran broadcast journalist Shelagh Rogers talks to Canada's best-known authors and the literary stars of tomorrow. It's the destination show for anyone who wants to know about Canadian books and writing. http://www.cbc.ca/thenextchapter/

November 22, 2008: Rebecca Eckler,  Rotten Apple

Here current broadcast was with author Rebecca Eckler .  She discusses her new release Rotten Apple.  Listen:

Product Description
Apple is the opposite of her outspoken mother and gossipy, chatty best friends; she’s always been the cool, calm, and collected one. But her life is about to spiral out of control. Apple’s super-sized, secret crush on her friend Zen leads her into major trouble. And she’s realizing it might not have been such a good idea to pose as her mother–the famous talk show host and self-help guru, Dr. Bee Berg–and send out fake advice emails to keep her (devastatingly beautiful) friend Happy away from Zen. Before she knows it, her best friend hates her, the whole school knows about her crush, and she is humiliated on national TV. How much more will it take for Apple to learn that taking advice is just as important as giving it? 

CBC Radio One

Saturday

3 pm (CBC)

About the Author
Rebecca Eckler is one of Canada’s most popular journalists and writers. She has been a columnist for The Globe and Mail and the National Post. Her work has also appeared in such publications as Elle, Fashion, Chatelaine, House and Home, Mademoiselle, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times.

November 15, 2008: Native Life, Aboriginal Thought

Richard Wagamese and John Ralston Saul visit the show to speak about their books. Richard's memoir, One Native Life tells how he rediscovered Ojibway culture after a tough childhood. Saul's book argues that Canada owes much of its identity to Aboriginal ideas. Listen:

Subscribe to Podcast: iTunes or CBC

________________________________

GG Literary Awards 2008

http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggla/2008/eh128686361169042140.htm

Winners of 2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards Announced

Toronto, October 21, 2008 – The Canada Council for the Arts today announced the finalists for the 2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards. The finalists include authors from ages 28 to 77, several previous finalists and three first-time finalists who are journalists. The awards are in the categories of fiction, non‑fiction, poetry, drama, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation.  

A total of 1,469 books were nominated for this year’s awards. Thirty-two of the 73 finalists are nominated for the first time. At least nine of the finalists are under the age of 35. The themes of mortality, war and place figure prominently in several of the books.

The names of the finalists and the titles of their works are listed below, together with the juries’ citations for each work. The names of the members of the 14 juries (seven English and seven French) are listed at the conclusion of this release.

Canada Council for the Arts funds, administers and promotes the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Each winner will receive $25,000 and a specially-bound copy of the winning book.  The publisher of each winning book will receive $3,000 to support promotional activities.
Non-winning finalists will each receive $1,000 in recognition of their selection as finalists, bringing the total value of the Awards to approximately $450,000.

Fiction

Nino Ricci, The Origin of Species
(Doubleday Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada) (ISBN 978-0-385-66360-1)

Biography

Nino Ricci's first novel, Lives of the Saints, won the 1990 Governor General's Award, spent 75 weeks on the Globe and Mail's best-seller list, and garnered international acclaim. This book was extended over the following years into a trilogy about the experiences of an Italian family before and after they emigrated to Canada. In 2003, the trilogy was adapted for a miniseries staring Sophia Loren. An active member of Toronto's writing community, Nino Ricci is past president of PEN Canada, a human rights organization that assists writers around the world who are persecuted for their work. Born in Leamington, Ontario, he lives in Toronto.

Jury's comment

Alex Fratarcangeli, a modern Prufrock, must survive in the multiethnic complexity of Montreal in the 1980s. The Origin of Species is written with great humanity, realism and wit. Told in windowpane prose, this story reads as if it has come up through our collective memory. With the shock of recognition, we gain a new understanding of our fragility and our strength.

Non-fiction

Christie Blatchford, Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army
(Doubleday Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada) (ISBN 978-0-385-66466-0)

Biography

Christie Blatchford is a high-profile columnist with The Globe and Mail. Over her 25-year career she has worked with other major dailies. Notably, she covered sports, lifestyle, current affairs and crime at the Toronto Sun. She is a winner of the National Newspaper Award for column writing and is known for her ability to connect emotionally with her subjects and readers on a wide range of topics. In 2006 she took three trips to Afghanistan's Kandahar province to report on the experiences of Canadian soldiers, which formed the basis of Fifteen Days. A first-time winner of the Governor General's Award, Christie Blatchford was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec and now lives in Toronto.

Jury's comment

Christie Blatchford's Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army is a dramatic and vivid chronicle that proves reportage and the language of common speech can rise to the challenge of literature. Blatchford's writing allows the soldiers and their families to speak to us in their own voices, without adornment.

Children’s Literature - text

 

John Ibbitson, The Landing
(Kids Can Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press) (ISBN 978-1-55453-234-6 (bound) / 978-1-55453-238-4 (pbk))

Biography

A laureate in children's literature, John Ibbitson is probably best known as a journalist. At present the Globe and Mail's Washington correspondent and columnist, he has worked for major dailies for the past 20 years and was nominated for a National Newspaper Award for his coverage of the inner workings of Paul Martin's government. He is the author of three books on Ontario and Canadian politics, including, most recently, The Polite Revolution: Perfecting the Canadian Dream (2005). John Ibbitson has also written several novels for young adults, and this year wins his first GG. Born in Gravenhurst, Ontario, and formerly living in Ottawa and Toronto, he is currently based in Washington, D.C.

Jury's comment

A superbly crafted story, The Landing takes us to the Ontario Muskoka region of the 1930s. As an interpretation of a place and time, and a young man's coming-of-age, it never falters. It is a novel as timeless as the music and the adolescent imagination that lie at its centre.

  Children’s Literature - illustration

Stéphane Jorisch, The Owl and the Pussycat
Text by Edward Lear. (Kids Can Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press) (ISBN 978-1-55337-828-0 (bound) / 978-1-55453-232-2 (pbk))

_________________________________________The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. EST at the McCord Museum of Canadian History in Montreal.

Montreal, November 18, 2008 – Two four-time winners are among the list of winners of the 2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards announced today by the Canada Council for the Arts. The awards are given in the categories of fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation, in English and in French.

Five of this year’s winners are previous recipients and ten are receiving the award for the first time. For Marie-Claire Blais, winner in
French-language fiction, it is her fourth award. Stéphane Jorisch, nominated in two categories in 2008, has also won his fourth award as the winner in children’s literature ‑ illustration. For Nino Ricci, winner of the award in English-language fiction, this is his second award. Other previous winners include: Pierre Ouellet (French-language non-fiction), and Janice Nadeau (children’s illustration - French).

“Reading is discovering that our roots encompass the world. It also means stepping outside of ourselves and reaching the Other. Reading allows us to find our truth and share it with all of humanity. We need to live to read and read to live,” said Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada.

Her Excellency will present the winners with their awards at Rideau Hall on December 10. This year marks the 72^nd presentation of the
Governor General’s Literary Awards, Canada’s oldest and most prestigious awards for English- and French-language Canadian literature.

Winners

Fiction

Nino Ricci, Toronto, The Origin of Species.
(Doubleday Canada)
Alex Fratarcangeli, a modern Prufrock, must survive in the multiethnic complexity of Montreal in the 1980s. The Origin of Species is written with great humanity, realism and wit. Told in windowpane prose, this story reads as if it has come up through our collective memory. With the shock of recognition, we gain a new understanding of our fragility and our strength.

Marie-Claire Blais, Westmount, Quebec,
Naissance de Rebecca à l’ère des tourments.
(Les Éditions du Boréal)
The heart of a world in all its maledictions and beauty, the inexhaustible outpouring of life in the darkness of an end that began a long time ago, this breathtaking paroxysm of a novel turns any commonly held vision upside down. Marie-Claire Blais’ transcendental prose illuminates the depths of the characters with an extraordinary light of survival.

Poetry

Jacob Scheier, Toronto, More to Keep Us Warm.
(ECW Press)
More to Keep Us Warm invites the reader into a world of hope, pain, laughter and forgiveness – elements that reconcile the human drama through the power of love and sheer poetic invention. With deep affection for his work, Jacob Scheier manages his debut collection with precision, grace and stunning metaphor. 

Michel Pleau, Quebec City, La lenteur du monde.
(Les Éditions David)
In La lenteur du monde, Michel Pleau uses simple, moving images that go straight to the heart. He shapes words like a sculptor carves, with painstaking care, to give us moments of pure beauty and flashes of luminous landscape. He evokes the nostalgia of childhood in language as refreshing and bracing as the wind.

Drama

Catherine Banks, Halifax, Bone Cage.
(Playwrights Canada Press)
With her expert command of dramatic metaphor, Catherine Banks shows us the life-blood of rural Canada flowing through the conflicted, bone-caged human heart. What is the cost to the human spirit, she asks, when good people are forced by circumstance to kill the thing they love – in this case, the Canadian wilderness? The playwright finds that which is most noble in unexpected places, the heroic in what appears to be the simplest of lives.

Jennifer Tremblay, Sorel, Quebec, La liste.
(Les Éditions de la Bagnole)
Absolutely inspired. The author proposes a simple, syncopated tale of everyday to-do lists in which the essential and the ordinary are inextricably entwined. Jennifer Tremblay achieves the universal with economy and lucidity.

Non-fiction

Christie Blatchford, Toronto, Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army.
(Doubleday Canada)
Christie Blatchford's Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army is a dramatic and vivid chronicle that proves reportage and the language of common speech can rise to the challenge of literature. Blatchford's writing allows the soldiers and their families to speak to us in their own voices, without adornment.

Pierre Ouellet, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec,
Hors-temps: poétique de la posthistoire.
(VLB éditeur)
Pierre Ouellet does an exceptional job of combining the inspiration of poetry with the rigours of philosophy. He positions himself at the dawn of post-history and, through the power of language, reveals a dazzling vision of the future. He blends the political, dreams and intimacy into a critical reflection of immense lucidity.

Children’s Literature - Text

John Ibbitson, Washington (D.C.), formerly of Ottawa and Toronto, The Landing.
(Kids Can Press)
A superbly crafted story, The Landing takes us to the Ontario Muskoka region of the 1930s. As an interpretation of a place and time and a young man’s coming-of-age, it never falters. It is a novel as timeless as the music and the adolescent imagination that lie at its centre.             

Sylvie Desrosiers, Longueuil, Quebec, Les trois lieues.
(Les éditions de la courte échelle)
Sylvie Desrosiers has written a profoundly moving story about the difficult relationship between a father and son. The book takes us on an extraordinary adventure in the far North, a place where magic is closely connected to reality. A gentle reflection on courage, forgiveness, life, love and death.

Children’s Literature – Illustration

Stéphane Jorisch, Montreal, The Owl and the Pussycat, text by Edward Lear.
(Kids Can Press)
Light, poetic, playful, imaginative, bizarre and ingenious illustrations match the text superbly. Stéphane Jorisch’s art brings new colour and depth to this well-known poem. Sit down in an armchair with this book and let it transport you into its magical world.

Janice Nadeau, Montreal, Ma meilleure amie, text by Gilles Tibo.
(Québec Amérique)
Janice Nadeau uses a quiet, sober approach to illustrate the delicate subject of death. Her brushstroke evokes ashes and dust, and the restrained use of colour imbues Ma meilleure amie with an emotional charge that goes straight to the heart.

Translation

Lazer Lederhendler, Montreal, Nikolski.
(Knopf Canada)
English translation of Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner (Éditions Alto)
One senses the affinity between the translator and his writer in this English-language version of Nikolski, a delightfully light-hearted,
deeply-rooted story. The wonderful magic in the original is also present in the translation. Lederhendler is clearly a translator with imagination and a terrific sense of language. His work remains wickedly faithful to the original.

Claire Chabalier, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Quebec, and
Louise Chabalier, Mascouche, Quebec, Tracey en mille morceaux
(Les éditions Les Allusifs)
French translation of The Tracey Fragments by Maureen Medved (House of Anansi Press)
This extraordinary feat of fragmentation, already a tour-de-force in English, ran the risk in translation of appearing juxtaposed, assembled artificially in an attempt to reproduce the original welter of words. But the fluidity is natural, and the tension is constant and palpable. The translation avoids any vulgarity or obscenity – a work utterly lacking in complacency or concession.

http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggla/2008/eh128686361169042140.htm