Tanglewood

Author Margaret Wild
 Illustrator Vivienne Goodman

---

Do you glance at the picture books that some Junior School children bring home from the OLRC and dismiss them as “just for the little ones”? Yes, I know that there are trivial and repetitious stories, poor or unimaginative illustrations, and endless repetition of the same plot outline. However one of my favourite episodes of Black Books was the one where Bernard and Manny decide to write a children’s book, for after all “how hard can it be?” A night of soul searching and a stack of jotter pads later and they were no closer to a good idea than at the start. 

Tanglewood is a complex, thought provoking story told mainly in pictures. A twisted, gnarled tree stands alone on a small atoll, asking passing seals and birds for company. Without understanding why, it feels its grip on life slipping away, until one day during a violent storm a gull is battered unconscious and drops into the middle of the tree. 

This beautifully illustrated story does indeed discuss living and dying, loneliness, time and family, bravery and commitment, hope and determination… and by now in the review I have used more words than are in the book. Rather than a single approach to page layout the illustrator uses aspects of layout to convey aspects of meaning. As an example a page talking about the passing of much time has a double spread full of small “days” with all sorts of weather and events. 

The pictures that held me most, however, are the pictures of the roots of the tree. These are possibly metaphors for what holds us embedded in life, but even without that they are beautifully complex and I can imagine some children (and adults) following individual roots as they wrap around each other and twist into the ground. 

Suitable for young children but full of reverberations for adults. I would make reading this a parent/child activity given the sombre notes at times, though there is a joyfull outcome. Teachers may be glad of this book as it allows much discussion of visual literacy matters such as framing, colour, texture, naturalism and aspect ratio. Given its reliance on the visual, there is much in the book that must be intuited or figured out. 

Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre

The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

---

I read a book about dying from cancer. I laughed all the way through. I then pondered long and hard as to where I would review this. 350Wordsorless is for books actually inthe Odell Learning Resources Centre library. As you can tell, I’m going to get this book but may display it in my office while I’m thinking through the harder questions. 

I simply wouldn’t bother scratching my head over a poorly written or insignificant book… but this is neither. The story is told by Hazel, a seventeen year old who does not go to college much, and has become fixated on a particular book (an invention of the author) called An Imperial Affliction. Hazel’s life has been somewhat constrained by having serious cancer, so serious that she is permanently on oxygen and, as far as she knows at the start of the book, facing only a limited time left on earth. 

Almost everything that follows is the opposite to the reader’s expectation. Hazel fits no simple stereotypical cancer victim persona. She is feisty, but refuses to be “brave”. Her parents are admirable and understanding, and while she finds them irritating at times she does not hate them. While many of the people you meet in the book also have cancer of various sorts, some very significant people in her life do not. Hazel is not exactly an ordinary teen, despite her “teenspeak” language, and shows a distinctly philosophical bent (in part influenced by the book she can’t stop reading and thinking about). 

Hazel questions much of the conventional “dance” of the cancer patient… doctor’s attitudes, support group platitudes, even her parents insistence that she “gets out more and makes friends”. She does, with unexpected consequences. 

This is not a self help book about coping with cancer. It is a book about friendship, romance and serious relationships, philosophy, death, grief, family and afterlife. While most of it is reasonably realistic, Hazel does encounter at least one larger than life character, but even he is essentially made up of super failings rather than super powers. 

I enjoyed this from cover to cover… so if you are reading this as a parent you will be wondering what could possibly cause me any concern (spoilers follow). Writing: very nicely done, swinging from “teen speak” to philosophy and back. Language: not too bad, mostly restrained. Violence: emotionally tough in parts but no physical violence. Sex: Hazel does go to bed with her boyfriend. It is handled discreetly but there is absolutely no doubt what does happen. Morality and overall hopefulness: this is a book that investigates death from cancer from the eyes of a teenager, and is consequently potentially harrowing for some. It does it (I believe) very well. Family allegiance is celebrated, as is faithfulness to friends and to those you are romantically involve with. Generosity, honesty and a kind of gritty positivity is pushed to the forward. Christianity: some of the Christians in the story are not shown as being especially helpful or responsive to Hazel’s real needs or ideas, on the other hand both sets of parents in the book seem to be church goers and this is not handled negatively. One of the characters believes in life after death (though not necessarily in a straightforward Christian context), another does not. 

So now you know… or at least enough to say “that’s the book for me” or “nah… not so much”. I hope adults do read this book… and I think it will have some positive things to say to teenagers who venture into its pages. Remember how I started? It’s a book about dying from cancer, and I laughed all the way through. 

Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre

The Dragon’s Tooth

 Author: N.D. Wilson

---

A boy throws two old tires into an empty swimming pool, picks up a ringing phone in a dilapidated motel, and hears the voice of someone demanding to stay that night in Room 111. Cyrus (the boy) is furious when his older brother allows the stranger to stay in the room, as in fact it is his own bedroom, however by the morning, everything has changed. A night of fire, murder and strange events means you have entered an N. D. Wilson story. 

The author’s first series, 100 Cupboards, was an engaging American Fantasy series, and this book is the start of a new series. There are some things in common, but for those already missing the unionised fairies and hand carved wooden typewriter of the first books, I have to point out this book has a very different premise. In both cases the introductory book is especially attractive because it sets up a number of mysteries. In both cases the focus is not on an individual hero but on a family with a secret history… but not a family with innate or mysterious powers. 

Despite the title, the book is not about a world of high fantasy (dragons, elves and spells). Instead it proposes an ancient secret society whose purpose is to incarcerate forces of evil that seek to ravage the world. Their tools include guns, genetically enhanced dragon flies and planes as well as some more mysterious objects such as the dragon’s tooth fragment of the title. The book has at least has a very clear distinction between good and evil, with a particularly nasty master villain who dabbles in genetic modification of those he captures. I’m interested that in an end note the author talks about trying out sections of the book as bedtime stories for his own young children, as there is a quite strong violence and some very nasty characters. 

Some of the mechanisms are familiar from other stories, but both in his first series and in this book Wilson shows many distinctively original touches and ideas. I also enjoy reading his books as an adult, as he is quite capable of using beautifully crafted images and language. If I have a criticism apart from the violence it would be that some of the physical adventures and trials of Cyrus and his sister Antigone are rather over the top, however it does seem ironical to be talking about “realism” when in the throes of a fantasy story. 

So, the start of another series by an interesting writer with a good pedigree: some magic and horror elements and relatively strong violence, clear distinction between good and evil, and writing that is at times quite literary. 

Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre

The Lake of Dreams

Author: Kim Edwards

---

This is rich fare but tasty. We start in Japan (that had me in from page one) as we meet the narrator Lucy Jarrett. She is living there with her partner Yoshi. Gradually themes emerge from her narrative about the details of the day (peppered with earthquake shocks). It becomes clear we are going to be looking at the idea of family relationships, the role of the near and far past in impacting the present, ideas about domesticity and independence, food, fine art and beauty. The book seems initially to be a fairly light read, but partly due to a small font and partly due to the gorgeous descriptive passages it took me longer than expected. 

Lucy journeys back to her home town (by the Lake of Dreams). Nothing is as she remembers it: her mother is falling in love with someone she has met, her uncle seems bent on purchasing pristine lake frontage and commercially developing it, and a former boyfriend is now a much talked about glass blower in the “crafts” section of the town. We walk with Lucy through small events, interactions and discoveries, and gradually the pace and intensity picks up. She becomes intrigued by evidence she discovers of an unknown relative two generations prior, and this becomes the focus of one of the larger story arcs. 

The book is well crafted, with a pacing that ebbs and flows, but I was interested till the conclusion. There are moments of high drama with particular revelations, but it is less about the surprises than gradual uncovering of dimensions in her own past that end up feeding significantly into her present dilemmas. The process of story telling is therefore more like polishing an old vase until you can start to see your own reflection. 

It is unlikely to attract younger teens given the lyrical passages, multi-layered narrative and rich use of interlinked motifs: recommended for older teens and adults. There is certainly reference to adult themes and interactions but little to be uncomfortable about.

Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre