Content warning: Swearing.

Hey, do you want to read a review of a book that’s out of print and probably not available at your local public library? Sure you do!

I should probably tell you that this is more of a love letter than a book review. There will probably also be a lot of backstory before we get there, just like in a cooking blog. Since we’re here, let me tell you about the marshmallow salad that my mom used to make at Easter.

JOKES ASIDE, “Stonewords” by Pam Conrad was one of my favourite books in my childhood. It was one that I read over and over again and I recently found an excuse to pass it on to my ten-year-old son.

My son, like most kids his age, is super duper into comic books. I haven’t made a fuss over that, because as long as he’s reading, then who cares. His teacher this year, however, wants the kids to have a novel at school for reading time; graphic novels don’t count. I can understand her point of view. There are lots of excellent books for kids out there. And this is a great opportunity to shove some of them into my son’s novel-free hands.

When I showed him “Stonewords,” he was not interested. This book is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

I mean, give the book a freaking break, it was published in 1990.

After he went to bed, I picked the book up again, sat down, and accidentally read the whole thing.

It stands up.

When I made a post on Facebook asking if anyone remembered it, nobody did. Aww, poor little overlooked book. 😦

This is the description from the Scholastic website:

Time is running out for Zoe’s best friend, who is a ghost! Zoe is the only one who can help her, but to do so, she must travel back one hundred years in time and somehow alter the past.

I mean, I guess that’s what it’s about, but no wonder nobody’s fucking reading it. This book is a goddamn work of art, not to mention an award winner, and that’s the description they came up with?

This book is different from the books that are being published for kids now. Here are the first two lines:

It seems I had always woken up in the morning with leaves and bits of grass in my toes and under my sheets as if I’d been a ghost wandering the countryside at night. But maybe not.

Kids’ books these days all seem to have the same tone. They’re jokey, they’re light, they are “Captain Underpants” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Look, there’s nothing wrong with that. These books are getting kids to read, including some who would otherwise not be reading. After years of being exposed to this popular type of voice, however, coming across Conrad’s dreamy and poetic prose gave me a pleasant little shock. I took a moment to adjust before I melted into her words and got lost in the story again.

Four-year-old Zoe, after being left by her mother to be raised by her grandparents, makes friends with an older child named Zoe Louise. They have a complicated friendship; Zoe Louise can be overbearing, and as Zoe grows and Zoe Louise does not, it becomes apparent that Zoe’s mysterious friend wants something from her. Zoe Louise’s behaviour becomes more erratic and sinister as Zoe struggles to overcome her growing fear of her friend to save her.

Do not make the mistake of assuming that this book is too sophisticated for your children. Despite the similes and the metaphors, the language is accessible. My son did decide to take the book to school after I talked it up to him. He is more than halfway through, able to follow the story, AND AND AND he is enjoying it.

Thank you, Ms. S., for insisting on novels for reading time. I can’t wait to introduce my kid to more of my favourites.

If I’m wrong about books these days and you do know of specific children’s books that are similar to “Stonewords” in tone or style, let me know. I’d like to check them out!