________________ CM . . . . Volume VII Number 5 . . . . November 3, 2000

cover Kalifax.

Duncan Thornton. Illustrated by Yves Noblet.
Regina, SK: Coteau Books, 1999.
168 pp., pbk., $9.95.
ISBN 1-55050-152-6.

Subject Headings:
Voyages and travels-Juvenile fiction.
Arctic regions-Juvenile fiction.
Sailing ships-Juvenile fiction.

Grades 7 and up / Ages 12 and up.

Review by Betsy Fraser.

***.5 /4

excerpt:

If icy cold had teeth and claws and thin small axes it would be like the snow-goblins. And if a wolf had the patience of winter and the bottomless hunger of the seas and the cunning, frozen heart of a nightmare, it would be like the snow-goblins. But as it is, nothing that lives and walks the earth is half so bad - except the ice trolls who are stupid rather than cunning, but larger and otherwise just as wicked.
image Kalifax is a gripping adventure told in a highly literary style. It follows Tom as he becomes a member of the intrepid crew of the Volantix. Tom, himself, convinces the rest of the crew to join the voyage with his retelling of a story about Kalifax, an elfin and magical lamp that saved some travellers. The crew sets sail for the Eaves of the World from which point they plan to head south into warm waters. Along the way, they will run into many dangers, including snow-goblins and ice trolls before the ship gets locked into the ice. Can Tom, the crew's own Kalifax, make the journey to find Grandfather Frost in time to save his shipmates?
    This book manages to convert the quest for the Northwest Passage into a literary fairy tale filled with rich language and images. It combines myth and magic in a rich portrayal of one piece of Canadian history. Any student who enjoys language will seek out this book. A high school student in Calgary summed up her response to Kalifax by saying that she felt it had "a lot of interesting events throughout the course of the story. Lets just say, there is never a dull moment."

Highly Recommended.

Betsy Fraser is a librarian with Calgary Public Library.

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

Copyright © 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

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - November 3, 2000.

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