Stitches - Softcover

Huser, Glen

3.44

87 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0888995784 ISBN 13: 9780888995780

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2005

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Travis lives in a trailer park outside a small prairie town with his aunt, uncle, and a pack of rowdy little cousins. His mother, a country-and-western singer, is on the road a lot; his father is long gone. When things get crazy at his place he can always go visit his best friend, Chantelle, a smart disabled girl. Travis doesn't mind being poor and having strange relatives. But he knows he's different from his junior high classmates in other ways, too. He loves to sew and play with puppets. He wants to become a professional puppeteer. These interests make Travis a ripe target for Shon and his friends, the school bullies. As ninth grade graduation approaches and Travis and his friends (including Shon's girlfriend) create a puppet production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the taunts and schoolyard ambushes escalate until Shon's anger, jealousy, and prejudice erupt in violence.

This touching story of the trials and tribulations of adolescence resonates with young adult readers.

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About the Author:

Glen Huser’s novels include Touch of the Clown (shortlisted for the Mr. Christie’s Book Award), Stitches (winner of the Governor General’s Award) and Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen (nominated for the Governor General’s Award and the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award). A former teacher-librarian in Edmonton, Glen has taught writing for children at the University of British Columbia. He recently explored his passion for musical theater in Time for Flowers, Time for Snow and The Golden Touch, picture-book retellings of the myths of Demeter and Persephone, and King Midas, respectively.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7-10-This dramatic novel, set in a western Canadian town, deals with some tough yet relevant issues, including bullying, spousal abuse, disabilities, and death. Travis's difficult life is examined over a period of three years, beginning in seventh grade. The only real constant in his life is Chantelle, a disfigured girl with a debilitating disease. Picked on unmercifully for no apparent reason by three bullies, Travis finds some balance through artistic expression (designing puppets and performing as a puppeteer), his encouraging teachers, some genuine friendships, and the support of his aunt with whom he lives. Plot development is mapped out well, but the characters are the strongest point here. Readers will empathize with Travis and Chantelle, and the mood of terror is caught very well. What begins as taunts of "girlie," "fruit fly," and "fag face" escalates as the bullies remove his pants and cover him with shoe polish, and later almost kill him. Quotes from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and rich descriptions of Travis's creations help to provide some much-needed contrasting beauty in the story. The dominant theme is obvious-people who are different are made to pay for it in awful ways. Sometimes, the differences can be a pay-off, if you are lucky. Students reading this book will be grateful that Travis is one of the lucky ones.
Corrina Austin, Locke's Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
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