CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens, 2008

Two bestselling authors join forces to write a powerful novel about racism.

Haroon is a serious student devoted to his family; Jay is a rising football star devoted to his team. The boys barely know each other. They may go to the same high school and walk the same hallways, but they are worlds apart.

One day the high school is put on lockdown and the police arrest a Muslim student on suspicion of terrorist affiliations. Is the boy really guilty, or has he been singled out because of his race? Along with the rest of the school, Haroon and Jay take sides. When a newspaper article quotes some Muslim teens, who claim they are regularly subjected to prejudice at school, Jay and the football squad are indignant. A smoke bomb is set off near the Muslim kids' lockers, and the jocks are convinced that they have been set up to look like racists.

As the atmosphere of racial tension grows, both Haroon and Jay must set out on a painful journey of self-discovery, where they will ultimately question their loyalties and the beliefs they have always taken for granted.

Reviews:
"This thought-provoking novel works extremely well as an examination of the dangers of racism and the redeeming value of tolerance."
-- Quill & Quire

"This is a powerful and important book, one that will speak to modern teen readers in a way that they will undoubtedly hear and respond to. . . Without falling into didacticism, Ellis and Walters thoughtfully depict a full range of reactions and widely-held beliefs and offer readers the opportunity to see not only the vastly different experiences that shape Jay and Haroon's understanding of events, but also how so many others feel and respond to events like 9/11 and the mere threat of anything similar. . . Bifocal should, and will, enjoy a wide readership and would make an excellent choice for class, or group, discussion."
Highly Recommended.
-- CM Magazine

"This is a story that will leave readers looking at their schools and themselves with new eyes."
-- Booklist

"Bifocal is perhaps the bravest, most important, engaging and enraging, most satisfying work of fiction for young Canadians in a long while. Also, the most timely. It will make you think, render you angry and saddened, and leave you hopeful and reflective."
-- The Hamilton Spectator

"This novel is about our differences and how we treat one another. It deals with contemporary issues and could well become important reading in today’s high schools."
-- Winnipeg Free Press

"(Bifocal) is a powerful look at a community divided along racial lines."
-- The Canadian Press

"Together, Ellis and Walters created two vivid characters and put them in a fictional high school that bristles with racial tension."
-- The Toronto Star

Deborah Ellis:

• Author of over 18 books for children
• She has donated well over $500,000 in royalties to human rights causes
• Winner of the Vicky Metcalfe Award (Canadian Authors Association) for an author's body of work (with appeal to children and young adults, 7 to 17 years of age). The jury citation read:
  "Deborah Ellis is that all too rare artist whose deeply rooted sense of social justice is manifest in writing that is lively, lucid and highly entertaining. In settings as diverse as Afghanistan, Malawi, medieval Paris, and Regent Park in Toronto, her novels chronicle the lives of youngsters faced with enormous challenges."
  -- Jury: Deirdre Baker, Sarah Ellis, and Tim Wynne-Jones

• Winner of many other national awards, including:
  • The Governor General's Award,
  • The Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Honour,
  • The Hackmatack Children's Choice Award,
  • The Red Cedar Award, and
  • The Ruth Schwartz Award
• International recognition includes:
  • The Jane Addams Children's Book Award,
  • The Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers, and
  • The Swedish Peter Pan Prize
• She was named to the Order of Ontario in 2006

Eric Walters:

Eric was born in Toronto in 1957, which makes him "real old". But, as Eric says, "Just because I have to grow old doesn't mean that I have to grow up!" In his many roles as parent, teacher, social worker, youth sports coach and writer he is in constant contact with children and young adults. He draws from these experiences and feels that this helps him to capture the realistic interaction between young people - the conflicts, tensions, stresses and interests that make up their lives.

Eric began his writing as a teacher. He taught in classes from kindergarten up and his stories often reflect the curriculum that he was teaching. He always read stories - picture books and novels - to his students and this helped him to understand what children liked, responded to, and were inspired by. He enjoys the enthusiasm of his students and often looks at them to provide him with the inspiration to pursue a particular topic in both the classroom and in his writing.

The following are some of the highlights from Eric's career:

• Author of 38 novels for teens with special appeal for reluctant readers
• He has presented to 750,000 students across Canada and he continues to actively promote his books in talks and school visits
• The only author to win the Silver Birch Award 3 times
• Winner of over 30 awards, including 7 children's choice awards
• His work has been translated into French, Chinese, Japanese and Dutch
• His recent book on Terry Fox, entitled Run, has sold over 200,000 copies in Canada to date.
• Camp X and Trapped in Ice have each sold over 120,000 copies in Canada
• Canadian sales of Eric's books have reached 1.2 million.

Visit Eric's web site at www.ericwalters.net.

Below is a video trailer for Bifocal:

1554550629
5.25 x 8.25, 240 pages, Trade Paper
Ages 12+
Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues / Prejudice & Racism