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Wishing Star Summer
ISBN 1551-92-4501, pp 136
Note: This book is now out of print and
copies are available through the author.
(see Contact)
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You have to have a good reason for
writing your first book when you're a grandmother, and I did.
My youngest son and his family had hosted Belarus children since
1998 and I was part of those wonderful summers. I wanted to tell
this little known Canadian story to honour the brave children
who come halfway around the world in search of a healthy future,
as well as the generous Canadian families who unselfishly share
their lives each year.
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Wishing Star Summer is the heart-warming story of two eleven-year-olds
from half a world apart who spend a summer together. Jillian is
a Canadian girl who has everything except a friend, and Tanya,
a Belarus girl exposed to Chernobyl radiation, has nothing, not
even the assurance of a healthy future.
Newly moved to Vancouver, Jillian
has struck upon an ingenious solution to her friendless existence
in Grade Six by convincing her parents to host Tanya for a summer
health respite visit.
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Here the Canadian and
Belarus girls have become such good friends that
they even dress alike! |
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When language barriers, poor health and culture shock strain the
new relationship, Jillian becomes jealous and unwilling to share
her life. She acts unkindly and alienates Tanya in the very place
the homesick girl is meant to feel safe.
In a summer full of wishes and challenges,
Jillian discovers that to have a friend she must be
a friend while Tanya learns to have faith in her future back in
Belarus.
This chapter book for 9-12 year olds
is complemented with a glossary of Russian words and maps. Study
guides are available.
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Reviews:
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"With sensitivity
and humour, Young explores how a sheltered Canadian child grows
out of her own concerns when confronted with someone of a different
culture." |
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Kit Pearson, author of Awake and
Dreaming
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"Jillian, the
loving, impulsive and sometimes outrageous heroine, is a splendidly
real and complicated character who has found her match in Tanya.
Hurray for these feisty female characters!" |
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Shelley Hrdlitschka, author of Sister
Wife
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"Wishing Star
Summer is an excellent piece of children's literature. Highly
recommended for ages eight and up." |
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Dr. Zina Gimpelevich, University of
Waterloo
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"The novel has
important messages to impart. Anyone who has ever had dealings with
adolescent girls will immediately recognize Jillian and Tanya as
authentic characters. The book examines the Chernobyl disaster and
its lingering aftermath, something most Canadian children probably
know very little about. After reading Wishing Star Summer,
it is unlikely they will ever forget it." |
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Highly recommended: Canadian Materials,
Vol. 8, No 17
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"Wishing Star
Summer is an arresting novel for young people. It opens the
reader's eyes to a way of life that most Canadians cannot even imagine
and will leave children with an awareness of how different cultures
can help each other in significant ways." |
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Resource Links, Vol 7, No 1 |
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Wishing
Star Summer was
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first on the B.C. Bestsellers
list for 26 weeks |
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named an Our Choice book
by the Canadian Children's Book Centre |
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nominated for the Chocolate
Lily 2003 award |
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nominated for the Diamond
Willow 2003-4 award (Saskatchewan) |
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nominated for the Red
Cedar 2003-4 award ( B.C.) |
 
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