Books To Be Thankful For

by Maddy Smith

Fall is a time of bounty in so many ways: Harvest Home, Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en all offer us the opportunity to indulge in and savour an abundance of delicious foods and delightful company. It is also a time of bounty in the book world. Autumn is a marvellous time for reading, as long-anticipated sequels emerge and debut authors stretch their creative wings for the first time. Looking at my own bookshelf, I’m overwhelmed with the excellence before me; far more mouth-watering than the pile of Hallowe’en candy in my closet is a stack of new titles for me to sink my teeth into!

Speaking of mouth-watering… have you read Wendy Mass’s latest marvel? Just in time for the season of treats is her brand new novel for 9+, all about candy. The Candymakers (Little, Brown Books, 2010) is a tale of mysteries, music, and milk chocolate. Set in the Life is Sweet candy factory, The Candymakers is told from four very different perspectives. Logan, Daisy, Miles and Philip are four children with a dream: they each want to win the Confectionery Association’s 32nd Annual Candy Making Contest, a national competition to create the most amazing new treat imaginable. But among the lessons on how to make the perfect S’More, Jumping Jelly Bean or Icy Mint Blob, they also learn that all is not what it seems in the candy factory. Which of these children is hiding a secret, and what does it mean for Life is Sweet? Settle in and enjoy a story sweeter than spun sugar and twistier than taffy.

Another great Hallowe’en read comes wrapped in a beautiful package: John Muth’s Zen Ghosts (Scholastic Press, 2010) is filled with his exquisite watercolour illustrations and a mysterious, haunting ghost story (a retelling of a traditional Zen koan), recounted by an enigmatic acquaintance of Stillwater (the Panda you’ll remember from Zen Shorts and Zen Ties) to his young friends Addy, Michael and Karl, on a magical Hallowe’en night. Far more than just a festive tale of magic and costumes, Zen Ghosts encourages us to spend time reflecting on who we are. A spellbinding story for 5+.

Part of the magic of Zen is that it enables us to delight in the simple things. Similarly, It’s A Book (Roaring Book Press, 2010) by Lane Smith, serves as a clever reminder to enjoy that which is right in front of us—specifically, the much loved entertainment of a good book. It’s a Book is in many ways very Zen: its characters (a monkey, a jackass and a mouse) are making a journey of self-discovery; also, like so many Zen stories, it’s a wake-up call. It’s a Book is a call to arms in the fight against the all-too-rapid shift towards exclusively digital forms of entertainment. As Jackass puts it while looking at Monkey’s copy of Treasure Island, there are “too many words” in classic literature—surely it would be better if they were written in 140-character segments, like a text or a tweet? And really, what good is a book if you can’t check your e-mail or chat with it? Smith’s simple yet elegant illustrations and equally spare yet humorous language send a clear message: we’re losing sight of what’s important, and we’re doing it fast. No, you can’t scroll down or facebook with a book, but you can lose yourself within it a thousand times without ever having to change the batteries, and you can create, discover and imagine your own voices and characters without sound bites or video clips. Books are a gateway into another world, a world that we design and inhabit and share with thousands, if not millions, of people all around the world. This might sound like the internet to some, but there’s one fundamental difference: “It’s a book, Jackass.”

Fall is a time of bounty, indulgence… and self-reflection. The nights are getting darker and colder as the year draws inexorably to its close, and as light disappears from the outside world we seek to find it in our reading, in our loved ones, and in ourselves. Maybe you read all the time to yourself and others, or maybe you have to steal moments from your busy schedule to flip through a light novel; whatever your reading looks like, it’s worthwhile in this season of riches to take a moment to think of the books you’re thankful for, and the people you’re thankful to share them with.

Maddy Smith is a children’s bookseller and an Islander born and bred; she reads, writes, and believes in the magic of a great book.