Kari JonesBesprekingen

At the Edge of the World by Kari Jones is a young adult novel that focuses on the relatipnship between Ivan and Maddie, told in alternating perspective. Ivan has hiding that he has been caregiver to his alcoholic father after his mother left them when he was eight. Maddie has been accepted to art school with a substantial scholarship, but isn't sure she wants to go. Maddie finds out about Ivan's home life, and struggles with whether to tell her parents until a five-year-old is forced into Ivan's care for more than a week.

Ivan's side of the story is relatively strong, but overall, the characters were flat and their dialogue trite and predictable. Somehow, Maddie's struggles about whether to go to art school, and the fact that her fathers are supportive emotionally and financially, of her going to school, are elevated to the same level of problem as Ivan's home life. The story ended on a hopeful note, but I was left frustrated.½

Ivan and Maddie have been best friends since they were little. But Ivan has a secret that even Maddie does not know about. His father, Des, is an alcoholic who cannot hold down a job, goes on binges and passes out. When Ivan arrives home, he never knows if he will find cigarettes smoldering on the carpet, beer bottles broken on the kitchen floor or Des covered in vomit. Whenever it seems like Des is on the mend, he meets up with his friend Pedro and trouble ensues. Maddie is grappling with her own dilemma-whether or not to attend Emily Carr University to study art. Although she does not want to, her dads, Bo and Peter, want her to enroll, especially Peter who wants to spare her the struggling artist lifestyle that he experienced. When Ivan entrusts Pedro's five year old granddaughter into Des's care and he leaves her alone, it is the last straw.

At the Edge of the World by Kari Jones describes Ivan's efforts to keep his life a secret. Since his mother left when he was eight, Ivan is his father’s sole caretaker. Love and fear of his home being broken further propels Ivan to downplay the seriousness of Des's condition. While Bo and Peter have some inkling, the situation is far worse than imagined. As reality sinks in, Maddie is unable to break through Ivan’s barrier. Maddie and Ivan's love for each other is evident. Des's ineffectual promises to change resonate. This is a strong story.

I found this novel hard to get into, but once I did I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the relationship between the main characters and realistic issues they face. Overall, a great YA read.

Kari Jones’ At the Edge of the World is a young adult book that centers on the relationship between Maddie and Ivan. Maddie lives with her parents in a house by the sea, somewhere in Canada. Her best friend, Ivan, lives next door. Ivan’s father is an alcoholic, and Ivan works to conceal the extent of his father’s addiction. As the story progresses, Maddie learns all the thing Ivan is concealing and struggles to decide how to support Ivan best – to protect his secrets or the tell for Ivan can get help.
I admire Jones for tackling a subject like how the addictions of the parents can affect the child. And she handles it well.
However this doesn’t really redeem the story from the issues.
The characters have little depth and the issues they face (other than Ivan) seem trite. For example, Maddie gets into a prestigious art school with a scholarship but complains about going. I find this ridiculous and annoying. And this is probably because I haven’t been a teenager for twenty years, and there is a reality to it. Teenagers rarely understand the blessing they have. This is a “big deal” for Maddie, as her parents want her to attend, but she resists.
The story is a slow, aside from a few moments of contrived excitement – like a shed fire and a missing parent and a big party.
One bright point is Maddie’s parents. They are two men, and I appreciate that this isn’t even mentioned as part of the story. In the tale, they are just her parents.
Kari Jones shows promise as an author, and I expect as she writes more, the issues I have with this book will be corrected.

Note: I received this book free through LibraryThing's Early Review Program, in exchange for my fair and honest opinion

I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.

It took me forever to finish this book because I was in the biggest reading slump and I've been super busy with school. That being said, I really liked this book a lot. I loved Ivan and Maddie's friendship and how fiercely loyal they are to each other. The subject matter is a bit heavy but the author tackles it well. Overall, a solid YA novel.

Orca Publishers once again brings us an enjoyable YA novel with realistic, emotionally driven character portrayals. This title tackles themes of friendship, betrayal, family drama, and growing up. I feel this would be a good choice for YA readers who wants like more realistic stories with an active lifestyle twist (surfing is key to these characters).

Where to even begin with this book. I loved everything about it. The dynamic between Maddie and Ivan was perfectly balanced yet completely realistic. As they have grown up together all their life, they are best friends and there isn't any awkward tension between them. They are so close and comfortable with each other. Despite that, I really liked that Kari Jones didn't make it so that somewhere along the story Maddie and Ivan realize they have romantic feelings for each other. It isn't necessary especially since they find themselves facing bigger and more serious concerns.

In At The Edge Of The World, the main problem is Ivan's domestic life. Although everyone in their community is close and know their neighbors really well, no one is aware of what is really going on in Ivan's life. His dad is known to have a bit of a drinking problem, but everyone believes that is the extent of the problem because Des, Ivan's father, is good at pretending nothing is wrong.

When Maddie spots a really bad and old scar on Ivan's leg she never remembers him getting, she begins to question Ivan's facade of a normal home life. Upon discovering the truth of how Ivan is basically his fathers caretaker to keep him from burning down the house with his cigarettes, or choking on his own vomit during once of his drunken lapses she is determined to help him as much as she can.I really love her fierce loyalty. She focuses on helping Ivan with his problems while under a lot of stress from her own father Peter. She is ready to do whatever necessary to protect and take care of Ivan, whether that means going to a college she doesn't want to go to or not going altogether.

This book is gritty and realistic with the topics it touches. The characters have to have the rough patches they come across, without an easy way out. Ivan is trapped in the situation because he refuses to abandon his father like his mother did. I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a deep, realistic and emotional read.

I was slightly skeptical when I began the book because changing the point of view between characters for each chapter is very difficult to pull off successfully. I think Kari Jones does it well though and it really works for the story line and showing how events play out from different perspectives.

Although the book contains subject matter that is heavy, the book flows easily and never becomes weighed down by it. The relationships between the characters stay at the core of the book.

This was a fast read for me but one that could provoke a good discussion with a teen book club.

I received this book from Orca Book Publishers in exchange for an honest review. When I began reading At the Edge of the World, I didn't immediately take to it. There wasn't enough introduction to the characters and the interaction between the characters felt rushed and shallow. About halfway through the book, I warmed up to it and started enjoying the story. The setting makes the book more interesting and Maddie and Ivan's relationship was cute. But, towards the end of the book I was confused. Maddie kissed Ivan and they cuddled but there was no talk of them being anything other than friends. The ending with Ivan's dad did help the book a little bit, but I still feel like I didn't get closure on a lot of the characters. Overall, it was a good story that was hindered by a lack of deep characters.

I have been in a reading slump...And after my love affair with fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal, this book was quite a refreshing step back into reading for me. This book is about real kids, dealing with real issues (or at least trying to deal with real issues), and I thought this was an easy read. I would have given it 5 stars but I did not fall in love with the characters as much as I wanted to. I often times, especially reading books with teens going through tough circumstance, get very emotionally involved, and I found myself not connecting with them as usual. I still found myself attached to the story, but the die hard romantic that I can't keep locked away wanted to see a little more development with the main relationship in the book. I found that I did really enjoy Kari's writing style and the story flowed well. Overall I really enjoyed the read, but just wish the characters were developed a bit more so I would have truly connected to the story.

This book was definitely for young adults, maybe even middle grade. The writing was easy to read though and the main character, Lila, is easy to connect to. It's obvious she did research with belly dancing and made this believable. I would recommend this book to people that are interested in dancing. It's a short, quick read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Set in 1979 Ghana in the midst of a military coup, this concise, compelling story study depicts recently arrived Canadian family caught up in both political and domestic crises in a foreign land.

"OUT OF SEASON is a fast-paced story about Maya, a fourteen-year-old who loves to kayak in the waters around her West Coast home. One morning she is delighted to discover a family of otters, which she pledges to protect from local poachers. Soon, though, she is struggling to keep her promise, and the otters may be facing serious danger — and so may Maya. ... OUT OF SEASON provides an accessible, relevant reading experience for its intended audience. The book would also suit younger readers who are interested in adventure stories, animal and nature topics, or sports books."

Complete review appears in RESOURCE LINKS Vol. 17, Issue 4 (April 2012), p. 26