Amphibian

Amphibian
By Carla Gunn
Published by Coach House Books
Reviewed by Martha Beach

Phineas William Walsh is nine. He lives with his mom. He likes to dance to the Celtic happy music with his mom, not that it happens very often any more. Phin also seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of plants, animals, and the natural world. He can tell you anything you want to know about frogs, dogs, whales, the endangered species list, ants, and much more. He has thousands of facts that he could recite off the top of his head and he understands the workings of nature and the planet better than most adults.

But what Phin doesn't understand is why his dad left and rarely comes home, why he isn't allowed to watch The Blue Channel, why his grandfather died, or why that waste-of-space Lyle has to pick on him every day at school.

To make all that not-understanding even worse, Phin is worried sick about the future of the planet and what humans all over the world are doing to the plants, animals, and land around them. He doesn't understand why the rest of the world isn't loosing sleep because a quarter of all of earth's animals are on the Red List of Threatened Species. To top it all off, his fourth grade teacher surprises the class with a new pet: a White's Tree Frog! So now, Phin has to worry about how to rescue and free this poor little frog that is all cooped up in a class aquarium.

This novel is gripping, extremely sad, and hilariously funny. As the story progresses, you are drawn more deeply into Phin's many turbulent worlds filled with worry, love, hatred, and good intentions. It's the story of a young boy who is trying to balance the lightness and darkness in his own world, all the while trying to save the whole world.

Remember to check out TEACH Mag for the latest in education.

The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19

The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19
By Jocelyn Brown
Ages 12 to 16
Published by Coach House Books
Reviewed by Martha Beach

We meet Dree while she's on her way to her dad's pancake brunch memorial, after he's had a fatal heart attack. It is also Dree's fifteenth birthday, but she's not really thinking about that little fact.

Mostly she's thinking about Edmonton's awful bus system, her ugly hand-made skirt, and the special fund her father promised her for her birthday. With that money, Dree will be out of Edmonton, on the WestJet Flight 233 to Toronto and more specifically, on her way to the upcoming Renegade Craft Fair.

Dree is not really very social and she's not very interested in Biology, or English, or Social Studies-actually she's not very interested in school at all. Dree likes to make things and she keeps a blog about how to actually do DIY crafts without spending money on fancy art supplies. The Renegade Craft Fair in Toronto is her chance to start over, away from Edmonton and the misery of high school.

But Dree comes to realize that her father may not have left her this special account. He left behind a lot of other things though-an ex-wife, two daughters, a new wife, debt, and a whole lot of open-ended questions that Dree feels the need to answer.

The answer to these questions can not be easily answered. While trying to solve the mystery surrounding her father, Dree encounters fire, family scandal, a new friend, and nineteen tiny sock-creatures named Marcel.

The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19 is a smart young-adult novel. It's a coming-of-age story about a young woman who is looking for the correct way to grieve a lost father.

The City Man

The City Man
By Howard Akler
Published by Coach House Books
Reviewed by Martha Beach

The City Man is a fast-paced novel filled with crime and passion that centers on the unexpected romance between a broken-down journalist and a pickpocket criminal.

The story starts with Eli Morenz, the city-man journalist for the Star, who is covering an event at City Hall. In the crowd is a pickpocket, Mona Kantor, who finds many easy pickings among the mass crowd at City Hall. Using a stealthy photo and some good research, Eli discovers the pickpocket ring and is lead to the underworld convergence of pickpockets in Kensington Market - and to the discovery of Mona.

Eli and Mona's romance is unusual and unexpected. It begins in an instant and careens quickly towards risk, as Eli delves deeper into the world of criminals and Mona tries to keep him on the outskirts of the world she grew up in.

Set in 1934 Toronto, the story's setting moves between a hectic newsroom, the bustle of Union station, and the secret meeting-place of pickpockets.

The City Man's evocation of a lost Toronto has been compared to Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion.

It's a high-speed crime and romance novel, filled with arcane period slang: a terrific read, but not for the faint of heart.

Remember to check out TEACH Mag for the latest in education.