Got Eh?

Oh Canada! Home to the mighty beaver where we all dwell in igloos and travel by dogsled and the really hawt guys sport Chad Kroeger hair.

Not quite. (For the record, I’ve only ever dated one guy sporting a Kroeger cut and that was looooong before Nickelback. And, yes, I’m still vaguely embarrassed.)

We’re the nation of Margaret Atwood and The Tragically Hip. Of Degrassi, the Coybow Junkies, and Douglas Coupland. That Courtney Summers chick who hates werewolves? Totally Canadian.

We should be super confident. We should swagger and strut. But, sometimes, that can be a little hard. Especially when it feels like New York is the center of our universe and we can’t get there without a passport.

So let’s get our eh on.

I, GotYA’s resident “eh” sayer, am going to celebrate Canada Day in the best way I know how: I’m going to talk about books written by Canadian authors, then I’m going to give you stuff. Today I’ll recommend one great YA title (written by a Canadian) you might have missed. On Thursday, our book club will end with a contest for a Canadian musical prize pack.

With me so far?

On to part one!

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A few weeks ago, someone started a thread on Absolute Write asking members what they’d like to see in urban fantasy. As someone with a book all about werewolves, these threads fill me with dread. Nevertheless, I clicked the link and was pleasantly surprised. There was some good, earnest discussion going on. And one name kept popping up.

Charles de Lint.

Three times in twenty-six posts (that’s 11%, if my shoddy math skills are right) people indicated that they wanted more urban fantasy* the way this guy was writing it and yet, even when I walk into my local Canadian bookstore, there only ever seems to be two or three titles by him on the shelves.

And that’s kind of tragic.

So I’m going to point you all to one of his YA titles and I’m not going to describe it because trying to describe Newford (the fictional city in which a great many of de Lint’s books take place) is a bit like trying to describe something you catch sight of out of the corner of your eye in those few minutes between wake and sleep.

Instead, I’m just going to leave you with the write up on the back of the book. See you all again on Thursday!

The Blue Girl

From the back of the book:

Seventeen-year-old Imogene’s tough, rebellious nature has caused her more harm than good—so when her family moves to Newford, she decides to reinvent herself. She won’t lose her punk/thrift-shop look, but she’ll try to avoid the gangs, work a little harder at school, and maybe even stay out of trouble for a change.

But trouble shows up anyway. Imogene quickly catches the eye of Redding’s bullies, as well as the school’s resident teenage ghost. Then she gets on the wrong side of a gang of malicious fairies. When her old imaginary childhood friend, Pelly, actually manifests, Imogene realizes that the impossible is all too real. And it’s dangerous.

(The Blue Girl was published by Firebird in 2006)

* I've heard that Charles de Lint doesn't really consider his books urban fantasy. Sorry!