What I have been reading lately

I am becoming a Monique Polak fan.  I just finished The Middle of Everywhere, a YA novel about a boy from Montreal who goes to spend a term with his dad who is teaching in a community in the far northern region of Quebec.  Needless to say it isn't an easy adjustment for Noah but this novel takes place during his eventful first week in George River.  Not having been to the Arctic I can't vouch for its authenticity but I think it gives a good picture, being realistic yet optimistic.  Also I like how Noah is able to forge a better relationship with his father and himself.

For the younger set (8-11)  there is a new book by Michelle Mulder entitled After Peaches.  Michelle has a knack for making social issues understandable for this age level without being "preachy".  In her last book she wrote about the children's peace movement in Columbia and in this one we learn about the life of a Mexican refugee family and about the situation of migrant workers.  Again I am curious what my class will think of this book.  Many of them have had parents who have actually worked in the fields when they emigrated to British Columbia.  Not easy work but Michelle focuses on how children find the positive and also how social change can occur with their help.