Groundwood
Contest

Skim Launch
Wednesday, March 26 - 7:00 p.m.
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
A "This Is Not A Reading Series" event presented by Pages Books & Magazines, Groundwood Books and EYE WEEKLY.
Free Admission

Become a fan of Skim on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Skim/9618768476

Yellow Moon, Apple Moon
by Pamela Porter, illustrated by Matt James

In this delightful bedtime rhyme a young child bids good night to the moon and her favourite things. Written by award-winning novelist and poet Pamela Porter, the book is complemented by the swirling, joyful and whimsical illustrations of Matt James, an acclaimed visual artist.

". . . James' illustrations greatly enhance the book, magnifying the colourful and whimsical elements contained within Porter's text . . . . [Some adults] will be reminded of their own sweet childhood experiences falling asleep to the sound of parents reading . . . . Yellow Moon, Apple Moon is likely to create similarly lasting and pleasant memories."
-- CM Magazine

Rave reviews for Skim!

"[Skim] is a winner . . . . Mariko Tamaki's prose captures an authentic adolescent voice that's dramatic, self-obsessed, funny, earnest . . . . Illustrator Jillian Tamaki's fine draughtsmanship gives Skim a classic elegance that's missing in many other graphic novels. . . . Skim is a funny, poignant, memorable drama . . ."
-- Quill & Quire, starred review

". . . an auspicious graphic novel debut . . . . Jillian has a swooping, gorgeous pen line--expressive, vibrant and precise . . . . [which] complements Mariko's fine ear for dialogue and the incidentals and events of adolescent life. Skim is an unusually strong graphic novel--rich in visuals and observations, and rewarding of repeated readings."
-- Publishers Weekly

". . . avoids all the cliches of a coming-of-age story . . . . Original in every which way."
-- Valerie D'Orazio, Friends of Lulu

"A quietly moving graphic novel . . . . sharply witty and incisive . . . . Long, languid lines portray Skim's turmoil and angst with pitch-perfect resonance . . . ."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"[Skim uses] high school as a fertile setting for pungent commentary on racial, cultural, and sexual issues . . . . accurate and realistic . . . . [Skim] will appeal to many female comics fans. . ."
-- Booklist

Here's what The Anansi Review Crew had to say!
(Kudos to Marlene Ziobrowski who used her tractor to clear the snow from her driveway just so she could go into town to pick up her copy of Skim!)

"What is particularly fine in this book is the balance between what gets said
and what is left unsaid . . . . Skim, commenting on the psychology of friends and school associates, shows insight and sharp wit. We want to know how she sees the world . . . . to engage more intensely with Skim's experience . . . . And because she is such a compelling character, this is exactly what we want to do. So, lucky us."
-- Marlene Ziobrowski, Anansi Review Crew

"Skim is a beautifully-illustrated, deeply touching story of a teenage girl (Kimberly Keiko Cameron, nicknamed 'Skim' in the casually cruel way of children) taking her first exploratory steps toward the big mysteries of life -- love, death, spirituality --and, of course, finding that none of them are as easy to understand as she might hope. This isn't so much a "coming of age" story -- there's no hopeful resolution to leave things feeling artificially bright -- as it is a story of being a certain age and all of the gut-wrenching, soul-searching difficulty that almost always entails."
-- D. J. Sylvis, Anansi Review Crew

"I grew up feeling like a square peg in a round hole: like Skim, I was half-Asian, growing up surrounded by seeming uniformity. Teasing was inevitable, as were the more painful behaviours of other teen girls. If only I had read this book when I was a teen, perhaps I would have felt less alone. . . . Not just a book about Kimberly Keiko Cameron, Skim is a story we can all relate to. A journey into Skim's diary, its portrayal of high school is so real that I could not put it down."
-- Ali Kira Grotkowski, Anansi Review Crew

"Jillian Tamaki's strangely stark and whimsical drawings, whether taking the reader down wind swept autumn streetscapes, or lingering on a half-eaten plate of Chinese food, are always intimate and emotional, riffing on the morbid musings of Skim's diary, or her non-committal verbalizations, as provided by Mariko Tamaki. . . . It's refreshing to come across a book that deals with the topic of teen depression and suicide so bluntly, tearing down the sugar coat. . . . In Skim, those in need of healing have to find their own spiritual level, even if it means withdrawing further from the maddening, kilt-wearing crowd."
-- Robert Earl Stewart, Anansi Review Crew

More on Skim from the Anansi Review Crew in next month's newsletter! Read the full reviews here!

Note to Review Cruellers: If you know you'll be in town for the launch, be sure to bring your copy of Skim to be signed by Mariko and Jillian!

More great Groundwood reviews!

Pure Spring by Brian Doyle
"Doyle is a first-class writer in every sense of the word. For those who can think back to circa 1950, he's brought it all vividly to life again. For the in-betweens who can't, this book is better than a history lesson. It's highly recommended."
-- The Guardian

The Poet King of Tezcoco by Francisco Serrano, illustrated by Pablo Serrano
"Especially appealing are Pablo Serrano's colorful illustrations, which maintain the character and spirit of the pre-Hispanic codices of the people of the valley of Mexico . . . [and] readers will be impressed by Nezahualcoyotl's numerous accomplishments as a builder, lawmaker, poet, statesman, and family man."
-- Book Links

Pink by Nan Gregory, illustrated by Luc Melanson
". . . tough yet tender story . . . written with poetic precision and illustrated with charm and verve."
-- Booklist

Light Foot / Pies ligeros by Natalia Toledo, illustrated by Francisco Toledo
". . . an artistic, entertaining, and literary story . . ."
-- Library Media Connection

The Corps of the Bare-Boned P*** by Polly Horvath
". . . an engaging story that would make a good read-aloud. Recommended."
-- Library Media Connection

Alfredito Flies Home / Alfredito regresa volando a su casa by Jorge Argueta, illustrated by Luis Garay
"Speaking in Alfredito's young voice, Argueta tells a warm, understated story about moving between cultures. Through the details of packing and preparations, Argueta skillfully reveals the family's complex feelings of separation and excitement, and Garay's acrylic paintings extend the story's action and emotion with realistic portraits of the families and homes. An important story about the immigrant experience to share with children of all backgrounds."
-- Booklist

Ancient Thunder written and illustrated by Leo Yerxa
"The paper, watercolor, and gouache collages are the prominent feature of this beautiful picture book . . . uniquely created . . . . The movement creates a rhythm that carries the reader through the book. The bold illustrations make a visual statement that can be appreciated alone."
-- SWON Libraries

For more reviews, visit Groundwood Books Great Reviews page.

The City of Words by Alberto Manguel

"The Defender of Stories. [The City of Words] is a meditation on the nature and power of storytelling . . . . [from] a brilliant reader and thinker about literature . . . ."
-- Literary Review of Canada

Massey Rebroadcast:
Don't miss the rebroadcast of Alberto Manguel's Massey Lecture The City of Words.

March 24 to 28 - 9:05 p.m. (9:30 NT)
CBC Radio One's Ideas

Visit our Massey Forum to discuss your thoughts.

And stay tuned later this month when Alberto talks to us about his experience touring with his Massey Lecture as he prepares to present it again in Paris, in French.

From Rattling Books:

Canada Reads panelist Lisa Moore and the author of her choice Mavis Gallant are available in audio for your Library.

Listen to Montreal Stories by Mavis Gallant
Listen to Open by Lisa Moore