The Blue Jean Collection. Edited by Peter Carver. Saskatoon (Sask.):, Thistledown Press, 1992. 240pp, galley, $9.95 ISBN 0-920633-94-3. CIP Reviewed by Joyce Brown Volume 20 Number 5 1992 October The Blue Jean Collection is an anthology of fiction for young adults selected from the winning entries in a national writing competition sponsored by Thistledown Press. The winning selection, "I Am Hilda Burrows," written by Sharon Gibson Palermo of Halifax, tells of a young woman who survives the Halifax explosion of 1917. Despite her injuries she works to rescue others. The runner-up, Linda Holeman of Winnipeg, entered a moving story, "Saying Goodbye," which relates a girl's attempt to accept the death of her father, an Ojibwa. Each of the nineteen stories in this anthology displays a theme of particular interest to young adults--their relationships with their parents and friends, their absorption with their appearance, their concerns for the environment, and their fears for the future. The variety of styles--fantasy, science fiction, abstract and contemporary--will maintain young readers' interest. The stories are lively, often suspenseful, true to the experiences and enthusiasms of young adults, and consistently entertaining. The cover illustration and design by Stéphan Daigle will appeal to teenaged readers. I would highly recommend The Blue Jean Collection for a high school library collection. Grades 7 to 10 / Ages 12 to 15 Joyce Brown is a teacher-librarian at Westwood Community High School in Fort McMurray, Alberta

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © 1996 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364