First Times: Stories Selected by Marthe Jocelyn Book

There's a first time for everything, and many of those experiences are unforgettable. More often than not, what we choose to remember ' and return to over and over in our minds ' are those milestone first times, those rites of passage that give us a slice of independence and a piece of adulthood. We all remember our first job, first night alone, first pair of jeans, first boyfriend. But it's also impossible to ignore some other firsts ' equally indelible, despite perhaps being painful, unpleasant, or disturbing: the first run-in with crime, first glimpse of a dead body, first betrayal of trust, first split-up of family, first unattainable love, first failed test of maturity. And let's not leave out those creative firsts that writers and writing can inspire: the first experience of writing a story, stepping inside a poem for the first time, or drinking in that first experience of belonging in an imaginative world... All of these firsts are explored in this collection compiled by the award-winning Marthe Jocelyn. It contains stories by many of "the greats" in Canadian literature for young people. Put simply, this short story collection is brilliant ' which is no surprise, with contributing authors such as Susan Juby, Gillian Chan, Alan Cumyn and Tim Wynne-Jones, to name just a few. Each of these stories is unique and surprising in its own way, and each character jumps off the page fully developed and diverse. Each story looks at life's curves in a fresh way, and stands out for its ingenuity. Consider, for example, a story of a boy determined to help his dog, raised as a vegetarian, to get his first taste of meat on the last day of his life. Talk about originality... With its insight into the teenage mind and the turning points of the adolescent life, this collection is sure to be loved by readers.

Reviewed by Christina Minaki in Canadian Children's Book News
Spring 2008 VOL.31 NO.2