When we came up with the idea to salute Canadian authors there were several I immediately thought of. I'm a huge fan of Charles de Lint (see my interview with him) and especially delighted with how he brought urban fantasy into the mainstream. I was very impressed last year with William Bell's YA novel about a UN peacekeeper who struggles when he returns home and the teen who befriends him, The Blue Helmet. (This is also one of the best novels I've read about teens and violence.) Someone really needs to explain to me why that book isn't available in the US because it is far far better than a lot of the titles that I've read in recent months.

I also wanted to write about Thomas Wharton whose book The Logogryph is impossible to describe but an absolute delight, especially for those who like books about books and literary puzzles. It's really well done and utterly unique. (And lovely to look at and hold to boot!)

But in the end, I decided to go with Pierre Berton, the Canadian historian who renewed my faith in all things Canada after the nightmare that was my college course in Canadian History. Berton's book, The Arctic Grail, was the textbook for one of my first graduate courses in Northern Studies, The History of Polar Exploration. I knew nothing about this subject before I signed up for the course and to say it changed my life would not be an overstatement.

The Arctic Grail is the history of the search of the Northwest Passage and the North Pole, the period from 1818 -1909. The subject is not what makes the book so great though; it is the positively stirring way in which Berton wrote about the explorers that elevates far above (as in miles above) the standard textbook. He writes history as a novelist, meaning he writes as if we don't know how the story will end or what will happen next. This is not to suggest that he plays with fact, it's just that he makes it all so damn exciting that you are on the edge of your seat, even when you already know how the whole thing is going to turn out.

It was in the Grail that I first learned about the doomed Franklin expedition and how it spawned dozens of other expeditions in the years that followed it's disappearance and resulted in the Arctic being mapped and explored to an extent never before realized. (Dan Simmons' recent blockbuster The Terror is yet another exploration of what happened to Franklin and the crews of his two ships.) I also learned about Lady Jane Franklin who was relentless in urging the world to find her husband, even years after he was gone. She was an unstoppable force in a time when British ladies were not known to be so forthright (we're talking the mid 19th century) and somebody really needs to write a series of novels about her as an international British spy or something. Seriously - the woman was unbelievable.

Beyond the Franklins there was Charles Francis Hall, the American explorer who was likely poisoned by his own men, The Greely expedition which exposed the horrors of what men will do when starving in the Arctic, the folly of Salomon Andree who's balloon vanished into the polar night in 1897 leaving behind another mystery - until the crew's skeletons were found in 1930 (with undeveloped film still intact). Robert Peary, Frederick Cook and Roald Amundsen are front and center in the book of course - as they rightfully claim (both good and bad) so much polar history for their own. Berton gives each his respective due, following their careers from the moments they first looked north and through to their ultimate achievements (and failures).

Berton knew better than most why so many men died in the north in search of something intangible (the pole) or marginally useful (the Northwest Passage). In his final chapter he writes the following:

"There is nothing worth living for but to have one's name inscribed on the Arctic chart," Tennyson wrote during the search for Franklin. For those who sought to live forever, the poet was right. In his day it was the certain way to ensure immortality. the chart itself makes that obvious; the place names provide a roster of those who might otherwise have been forgotten.

And also:

But the Arctic chart memorializes more than men of rank, power, blood or property. The real immortals, whose names are sprinkled throughout the Arctic on bays and bights, capes and channels, are those who dared and sometimes died so that the map might take form.

He concludes though that the maps are missing one vital component: the names of the original people, the ones who "...cheerfully extended their hospitality to Parry and Lyon at Repulse Bay and Igloolik, who taught Rae, Hall and Peary how to exist under polar conditions, [who] gave no thought to such white concepts as fame, ambition or immortality...It is not their loss that the map ignores them; it is our own."

Upon his death in 2004 Philip Marchand wrote:

“It was not so much the subject matter of these volumes that made them significant, as Berton’s triumph in claiming the attention of readers across the country. More than the political struggles of Canadian nationalists, this triumph made the idea of a Canadian culture a convincing reality. The books made Canadians believe they shared a historical narrative with depth and drama�

Berton captured the "idea of a Canadian culture", something I found sadly lacking in every history course I ever took and in every subject that included the slightest bit of Western Civilization. Canada is given far too little attention in American schools and far too little respect. Berton's books are so readable, so fascinating and exciting and truly well written, that we could do a lot worse then highlight his great contribution and use some of his more than 40 books to actually learn about Canada. He makes history come alive and because of The Arctic Grail, I decided to stay in a graduate course of study that I was previously uncertain about and because of that, I am now completing my second manuscript about Alaska aviation. Not a bad return for the investment of one book. Pierre Berton is, without a doubt, one of my literary heroes.

Other entries saluting Canada Day:

Betsy talks to graphic novelist Kean Soo at Fuse Number 8. He explains:"I've found that I tend to gravitate towards stories about loyalty and friendship, and on the flip side, loneliness and isolation, and how people cope with it. Having moved around a lot earlier in life, I've found it quite difficult to build any lasting friendships over the years, and it's a condition that has fascinated me for quite some time now. Those themes have even cropped up in the newer projects that I've been tinkering with on the side, and it just doesn't seem to be something that I can escape from just yet."

The Seven Imps look at the work of illustrator Jessica Meserve and author Martha Brooks.

On Meserve, Jules writes: "Meserve’s black-and-white ink-and-pencil sketches here are sweetly-rendered and capture the joy and wonder of Daisy’s world, never overpowering the text but, instead, perfectly complementing it. I hope the Daisy Dawson saga continues and that Meserve continues to bring them to life. (In fact, if you are familiar with Small Sister, Meserve’s debut picture book, you’ll see a great likeness between Daisy and Small). "

And Eisha weighs in on Brooks: "All this to say: this is not the novel you hand to a reluctant twelve-year-old reader hoping to hook that short attention span. This is definitely an older-teen novel (Did I mention the sex? Actually, that part might get a reluctant reader’s attention…) for an experienced and patient reader. But that reader will be rewarded with fully-fledged characters, emotional depth, an unusually broad scope for a teen novel, and an incredibly romantic love story that will make you wish you had a Jimmy Tomasson of your very own. "

Jocelyn at Teen Book Review considers the work of Carol Matas: "Doing this post makes me want to re-read a lot of her books! Seriously, I loved them, the WWII books in particular. There’s the adventure, the history, the exoticism of a time and place I was unfamiliar with, just everything. And, of course, the tragedy of the Holocaust. I read these when I was a little obsessed with tragedy. I think I found her books first before September 11, 2001, but read most of them right after that time, because after that, my reaction was to read about all sorts of tragedy and watch the news all the time. I’m not really sure why, and it probably wasn’t the most mentally healthy thing to do, but, hey, at least I learned some history and compassion."

Sheila interviews Canadian citizen (but American born) Dennis Foons at Wands and Worlds. He says: "I studied the phenomonology of religious experience. The Longlight Legacy is one of my first developed attempts at exploring some of my mystical obsessions. But those early, intense studies most certainly filter through the rest of my work."

Okay - that answer alone makes me want to read his books!

Susan at Chicken Spaghetti gives us Rink of Dreams: "Wallace touches on a lot of subjects—unnecessary violence in sports, steroid use, the loss of Canadian hockey teams to the U.S., the Russian mob—to keep her readers' attention, but the primary action lies in the evolving relationships between the main characters. As Gary contends with the many events of a pivotal year, he grows up emotionally. 11- to 14-year-old sports enthusiasts who favor books with plenty of plot constitute ideal audience for Rink of Dreams."

Little Willow spreads some love in LM Montgomery's direction: "My age registered in single digits when my mother handed me a copy of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I immediately opened the book and read the first paragraph. I exclaimed, "It's all one run-on sentence!" I suppressed the urge to rewrite that paragraph and kept reading.

In short order, I read all eight of the books about Anne Shirley. I was delighted by her misadventures. It was the first time I'd read a series that followed a character's entire life. It was fun to watch Anne grow up and change from an unwanted orphan to an adopted daughter and student to a teacher and a mother. The earlier books, powered by the fun of youth and whimsy, are my favorites in the series.

I love the character of Anne Shirley because she is smart, spunky, sassy, bold, determined, and creative. I related her to her love of stories, her insatiable appetite for knowledge, and her vivid imagination."

That actually sounds a lot like Little Willow... :)

At Once Upon a Bookshelf, Courtney has an interview with Maggie L. Wood, who explains: "As a kid, I wanted to be a comic book artist. I drew and wrote my own comics all the time, but the art to me was always more important than the words. It wasn’t until I was 28 that I knew the words were going to be more important. My stepson and I liked to play/read the “Fighting Fantasy� game book series, which is sort of like a “Choose Your Own Adventure� where all the paragraphs are mixed up in the story/game. After playing about 40 of the game books, the thought just struck like lightning that *I* could write one these. And that’s exactly what I set out to do. So the first two books I wrote were game books that never got published. But a couple of editors said they liked my writing and if I wrote a ‘regular’ fantasy they would take a look. Oddly enough, though, the first novel I tried to write was a middle grade murder mystery, as, at the time, fantasy was not a very popular genre for most Canadian publishers, and I thought I’d have a better chance at getting published if I wrote more to what the publishers wanted. This, of course, did not work out at all, as I have no passion for murder mysteries. So, when that novel garnered enough rejections, I decided to write what I love best, which is fantasy, and “The Princess Pawn� was born."

Liz enjoyed Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant and Acceleration by Graham McNamee. On the Grant title she writes: "Cyril's mother, Andrea MacIntyre, is not your typical book mother. Her son may be a teenager, but Andrea is not even thirty. While she is the adult and the mom, she is also angry, passionate, short-tempered, generous, kind, and unable to compromise her beliefs. Maybe because of her own runaway past, she keeps a close eye on Cyril. First, he is dragged along to her law classes; later, when she gets a job, he gets drafted into being a receptionist for the lawyer Cyril's mother works for. When she disappears, Cyril knows that something is up. She wouldn't just disappear.

This mystery is less than 180 pages; in a day when it seems too many books are bloated and in need of a good editing, Quid Pro Quo is tightly plotted, with no wasted words. Speaking of words -- each chapter is introduced by a legal term. For example, Chapter 14 is "'In Camera' (Latin) The hearing of a case in private."

Also good? As you can see from the excerpts above, Cyril brings the funny."

At Educating Alice, Monica has some love for Tim Wynne Jones, Sarah Ellis and Melanie Watt: "Then there is Mélanie Watt. I first discovered her with the charming Augustine, but most know her as the creator of the wonderful Scaredy Squirrel (of which there are several sequels), and the egotistical Chester. I was privileged to have lunch with her last January and she was a total delight. Can’t wait to see what she does next!"

Kelly Herold considers The Unwritten Girl by James Bow at Big A, little a: "Life ticks along semi-calmly for Rosemary until her brother Theo begins acting strangely. He's non-responsive and won't let go of the book in his hand. Rosemary and her parents panic, because Theo's been sick before, suffering a mental breakdown and requiring treatment. Soon, however, Rosemary learns that Theo's new illness is not mental this time: It's literary. And, in order to save her brother, Rosemary must confront those characters she's abandoned in her reading past by traveling to the Land of Fiction and taking part in a series of tasks."

There's a lot going on at Finding Wonderland - a.fortis is up with a post on both Charles de Lint and Margaret Buffie. Here's a bit:

"This is sort of embarrassing, but back in 2004, I actually made a writing-related pilgrimage to one of the favorite hangouts of Charles De Lint and his wife--an Ottawa pub that happened to be quite close to where I was staying to attend a conference. I figured, since I was in the neighborhood, I’d just stop by, have a pint, and soak up the good writerly vibes. Unfortunately, he was out of town at the time, but I still checked it out, stayed for a spell, and wrote notes for my own novel. It really just made me wish I had a nearby pub I could sit in to write and peoplewatch..."

(I couldn't resist grabbing that quote Sarah - I too want a pub for peoplewatching!)

And TadMack gives us a peek into the world of KV Johansen: "Like many books published outside of the U.S., books published by Canadian authors aren't always readily available in American bookstores, which is a serious shame. This is why, until this last Cybils Season, I'd never even heard of Canadian author K.V. Johansen whose novel, Nightwalker, is not, in fact, her debut work. No, it's one of nine novels she's written!

NINE novels!? Where have I been?!"

Gail Gauthier is pretty impressed with Kenneth Oppel: "Based on what I've read about Oppel, I'm guessing that he's more influenced by the time he lives in than the place. He describes himself as being influenced by Star Wars and videogames, which certainly are not limited to any one country, and Roald Dahl, who was from Wales. Airborn and Skybreaker are two well-done thrillers set in an alternative early twentieth century. Perhaps they are close to steampunk, a fantasy subgenre that, like Star Wars, videogames, and Roald Dahl, has an international following."

At the NYRB blog, Sara reminds us of Stephen Leacock, an author they are proud to be introducing to a new generation: "Stephen Leacock is famous in Canada, a sort of Canadian Mark Twain. There's a Leacock Museum, a Leacock Medal for Humour, a Leacock website at the National Museum of Canada, etc. He was so well known that his niece was able to sell a book of memories about him. What is it about Canada that breeds wit, even in a trained economist such as Leacock? There's no point in trying to figure it all out, instead let's just read what Leacock had to say about his writing (including the book we publish—with an introduction by Daniel Handler—Nonsense Novels) in a preface to one of his most successful books, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town..."

She has a nice quote from Leacock at the site and more info on his books.

At Worth the Trip KT Horning is looking at Mom and Mum Got Married: "Setterington’s warm story doesn’t try to explain or justify why this is a family with two moms. The family simply is. It’s also nice to see them as part of a loving extended family. It’s a welcome reflection of reality for children who are growing up in lesbian or gay-parented families — let’s just hope this reality becomes more widespread in the next few years."

Leila loves Guy Gavriel Kay's Ysabel: "Not just the history of the region, which Guy Gavriel Kay clearly researched at length (and bless him, he actually provided a list of books in his Acknowledgments section -- I love it when authors do that), but the larger idea of history repeating itself, of us letting history repeat itself (and causing it to repeat itself), even though we can see the same things happening, again and again, even if they are a bit different each time.

It's an adventure, a book about friendship and love and loyalty, family and history (both recent and ancient) and it makes it clear that for those involved, 20 years can be just as devastating and huge and endless as 2600 years. It's a fantasy novel, but one that many people who don't usually read fantasy will enjoy. I'm planning to hand it to adult and teen fans of The Dark is Rising series, not just because of the Celtic mythology, but because Ned Marriner and Will Stanton both experience that terrifying and exhilarating feeling of being a part of something much bigger and much older than they are."

I loved this one too and reviewed it for next month's Bookslut!

Gwenda loves Tim Wynne-Jones and Sarah Ellis: "Tim Wynne-Jones is a rock star. Maybe not quite yet in the U.S., but I'm thinking it's a done deal after his next couple of books come out. Rex Zero and the End of the World was rightly acclaimed and praised by critics, and was named a 2007 Boston Globe-Horn Book honor book. It's a hilarious, smart, wonderful book. The sequel, Rex Zero, King of Nothing, is due out in April, and I can't wait. Candlewick signed him up for a two-book deal back in the summer--the first book is called The Children of the Snye, and what I've heard him read from it was smashing. And, of course, he's published a lot of other books, for a whole host of age groups, any of which I'd wager are worth checking out. And Cynthia Leitich Smith did a great interview with him about A Thief in the House of Memory (the first thing I ever read of his; highly recommended)."

I also read A Thief in the House of Memory and adored it (among several of his other books). Jones is totally some kind of awesome.

And rounding out the day, Jennie at Biblio File writes about Bull's Eye by Sarah Harvey: "Now, this is an Orca Soundings title (high interest, low reading level) and is a fast read on purpose. As such, it's very plot-driven without time for anyone's character development besides Emily's. However, in keeping with the purpose of the series, the characters are all very real and believable, even if they appear flat because they're only "on screen" for a flash or two and the plot is compelling enough to propel the story, and the reader, forward. A good bet for teen girl reluctant readers (or someone who hasn't picked a book yet and the paper is due TOMORROW.)"

And Becky at Farm School is in with a fabulous entry about some new Pierre Berton histories for kids (yea) and a new Penguin Series on Extraordinary Canadians: "And for adults and older children, this Spring Penguin is launching “Extraordinary Canadians� (the website seems to need work, but there’s lots more here from The National Post — JoVE, look away): biographies of 20 of Canada’s “most influential historical figures� by 18 of Canada’s best contemporary writers; such as this biography of Nellie McClung by celebrated historian Charlotte Gray. The series editor is the writer (and husband of the former Governor General) John Ralston Saul."

I am very excited to hear about those titles from Becky and proud descendant of Canadians that I am, I will most certainly be getting many of the titles for myself and my son. Bravo!

[Post pics of the Montreal Canadians logo, and Pierre Berton. Full disclosure: I am one-half French Canadian and my father was the first member of his family born in the US. I grew up worshiping at an altar of Guy Lafleur and Maurice Richard; may they live forever.]