Piper

By Natale Ghent
Orca Book Publishers, 2000
Ages 9-12
2.5/5

After Wesley's father dies in an accident, she and her mother move to her Aunt Cindy's farm in southern Ontario. In addition to raising sheep, Aunt Cindy breeds and trains Australian shepherd dogs. Grieving the sudden loss of her father, Wesley hates living in the middle of nowhere until she witnesses the birth of Piper, an undersized red merle. Wesley names the puppy Piper, and, with the help of a neighbour, begins to train her as a competitive sheep dog. Piper and Wesley are a huge success on the competitive circuit, but everything falls apart when Piper is mauled while saving Wesley's life from a coyote attack. Of course, even though this is realistic fiction, both Wesley and Piper are saved.

This is really only an okay book. Ghent's dialogue is stiff, and it took me quite a while to warm up to the character of Wesley. When Wesley and Piper are attacked, I realized I was more upset at something happening to the dog than I was at the danger to Wesley! The author's notes about Australian shepherds was useful for learning about a dog breed of which I was previously unaware.

Readers who love animals, especially dogs, will enjoy this book. I found it a little boring.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

By Judy Blume
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1970.
Revised 2001.
Ages 9-13
4/5

Almost twelve-year old Margaret Simon's family may not have a religion, but Margaret herself has her own private conversations with God. This book is made up of her thoughts about moving to New Jersey from New York, getting along with her new friends, as well as the usual concerns of young adolescent girls: bras, boys, and first periods.

Margaret is a strong, funny character, and her observations of early teenage life perfectly capture the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. This book is a classic that continues to resonate with many readers. That being said, I have to admit that I did not enjoy Are You There God? when I was a teenager myself, and I still did not really like the novel after re-reading it as an adult.

In this 2001 version, Blume has updated the parts of the book that describe sanitary belts to reflect more modern products, such as adhesive sanitary napkins and tampons.

The Quigleys

Written by Simon Mason
Illustrated by Helen Stephens
Dell Yearling, 2002
Ages 6 to 10
3/5

Each of the four chapters in Mason's book tell a story about a member of the Quigleys, an ordinary British family: Dad loses the neighbour's children while he's supposed to be babysitting them; Mum almost has a horrible birthday; Lucy is supposed to be a bridesmaid, but she wants to dress as a bee; and Will wants a harpy eagle for Christmas.

The characters are quirky, albeit in a very British way, and the novel paints a picture of a happy, loving family whose members get into the occasional scrape. The plots in each chapter are extremely simple, but this in no way detracts from the book's charm. The vocabulary Mason uses is relatively uncomplicated, although some parents may object to the way Dad says "Christ Almighty!" every time something goes wrong. This book would be most suitable for a child who has progressed beyond reading the most simple chapter books and is ready for something a little longer.

The Quigleys is the first in a series about the Quigley family.