Science fiction, fantasy capture interest of teens

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Science fiction, fantasy capture interest of teens
January 15, 2011
By Beverly Brenna
The StarPhoenix

Books for young people are stretching real-world boundaries with variations on science fiction and fantasy, and four new titles from 2010 deserve a look in this regard.

REGINA author Sharon Plumb offers a compelling read in Draco's Child (Thistledown, paperback, $14.95), an adventure story set on a planet that has become home to a group of humans fleeing a polluted, dying Earth.

The characterization of Varia is highly authentic in its presentation of a young teen who strives for independence despite the dangers associated with their terrestrial community. Typical teen angst is magnified as the only other girl Varia's age was on a second 'lander' whose arrival on the planet went off track and is yet to be discovered.

The most complex relationship in the book occurs between Varia and a dragon that she secretly hatches from a crystal egg, although an emerging confidant appears in Sidran, a boy whose depiction implies romantic promise.

"He had to believe her. If he didn't, no one would. 'It is a dragon. It has wings and scales and a pointed tail. It even breathes fire. That smell you smelled? Dragon smoke and rotten plants from its farm of giant bees. The shiny spot on my ear is where it bit me.'

'Bit you! A dragon! But how did you...' Sidran's eyes were round in the starlight.

Varia's heart pounded. He wasn't laughing. She took a deep breath.

Once Varia started talking, the words poured out like water through a breached dam. She hadn't realized how much she needed to talk, to hear someone gasp and worry and rejoice along with her. She hadn't realized how heavy her secret was until Sidran held half of it."

Equally authentic as a character in its own right is Galatea, the dragon that Varia enthusiastically raises until suddenly the lines between friend and foe are blurred. Their developing physical relationship, when Galatea becomes Galateor and insists they . . . "garoop" . . . to produce more dragons, is understated yet important to the plot, elevating the reading age. Recommended for teens.

ANOTHER science fiction title based on alternative communities that form after Earth's environmental breakdown is Dark Life by Kat Falls (Scholastic, hardcover, $19.99). Not quite as compelling as Slade's The Dark Deeps, it nevertheless offers imaginative fare for young readers who enjoy adventure and the science of the undersea world.

The most intriguing theme in this title connects to a question about whether 'differences' are gifts, most specifically related to the mutations that occur in children growing up on the ocean floor. Told through Ty's first person perspective, his observations detailed and clear, this plot driven novel will appeal to boys and girls in the 9 - 12 age range.

COLLAPSE of the Veil by prolific Regina author Alison Lohans (Bundoran Press, paperback, $11.95) is speculative fiction that follows the story of teen mom Katie Carrington as she discovers a passage to a future world and the revelation that the community of Aaurenan worships her son as their prophesied saviour. With the cameo setting of Wascana Lake -- 'Oasc'na' in the parallel Aaurenan -- this local fantasy is unique in its development of a protagonist with authentic teen issues. Some aspects of the book relating to sexuality -- such as the necessity for Katie's friend Lorne to 'seed' new life in the desperate world of the future -- elevate the reading age. For mature teens.

MATTHEW J. Kirby's stunning debut novel The Clockwork Three (Scholastic, hardcover, $20.99) intertwines three stories in a Victorian steampunk fantasy that manages to be both convincing and evocative.

Guiseppe, stolen from Italy as a young child, is a street musician who seeks to outsmart his ruthless master through the help of an enchanted green violin. Frederick, having escaped a cruel orphanage to work as an apprentice clockmaker, attempts to ensure his livelihood through the creation of a brilliant automaton. Hannah is a maid in a grand hotel who must find a way to purchase medicine for her critically ill father.

Brought together by mysterious and compelling circumstances, each of these three children holds a key to the puzzles of the others.

Tightly crafted, with a steady literary hand reminiscent of Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret, this title is highly recommended for ages 9 - 12.

Brenna (www.beverleybrenna.com) is a Saskatoon author of seven books for young people.
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