Meg Tilly, yes the actress from The Big Chill, tries her hand and YA fiction and starts off well. Occasionally the voice of her main character Jack (short for Jacqueline) spouts vocabulary that just doesn't seem believable for even a very bright twelve-almost-thirteen-year-old. But I still like her. Tilly finds her rhythm describing early morning milking, mucking out the chicken coop, retrieving a fresh-caught trout, and there's the magical scene with the porcupine.

The tough, loner Jack reminds me of the title character from Cynthia Voigt's award winner: Dicey's Song. ( )

http://www.monniblog.com/2008/07/porcupine/ ( )

Twelve year old Jacqueline (or Jack as she prefers to be called) is the oldest of three children in a typical, middle-class, Canadian family. She has a special bond with her father, so she’s nervous when he’s sent to Afghanistan as part of a peace-keeping force. He reassures her that everything will be okay and gives her his watch for safe-keeping.

Everything isn’t okay, though, and Jack’s father is killed by friendly fire shortly after arriving in Afghanistan. Jack and her siblings are devastated, and their mother doesn’t seem to know how to cope. Jack does her best to hold the family together, but even her best efforts aren’t enough, and when the family is about to lose their house, Jack’s mother packs up the kids and moves across the country to her grandmother’s house.

At first, the kids resent being there with their crotchety old great-grandmother, but Jack overhears something one day that makes her realize things aren’t as bad as she thought.

When I started Porcupine, by Meg Tilly (the actress), my initial thought was that the narrator seemed older than twelve, but quickly realized it was because Jack was forced to grow up before her time. I ended up totally engrossed in this story and just sobbed towards the end. I don’t think I can express how much I ended up loving this story!

Jack is such a great character. After her father dies, life isn’t easy for her, but she doesn’t feel sorry for herself, she does something about it! She works hard to help her great-grandmother, to fit in at school and to keep her family together. It’s just too much for a twelve year old, but Jack does her best, sometimes stumbling along the way.

Jack’s great-grandmother is wonderful too. Sure, she’s crotchety, but she’s determined and earnest and hard working too. She’s fiercely protective of her own and doesn’t hesitate to let you know how she feels.

The characters aren’t the only good part of Porcupine, though – the story is wonderful too. I got caught up in it quickly and just had to know how things were going to turn out. Things didn’t always go how I predicted either! I think there are many young people who can relate to what Jack and her siblings are going through. There is a little language in this book, but it seemed appropriate for the story. ( )

This was a super-cute young adult book about family dynamics and a girl forced to grow up. The ending is a bit wobbly though. ( )

This is a realistic fiction book about the aftermath of a family in Canada who lose their father in the war in Afganistan. The mother abandons the kids with their great grandmother in Alberta. This book can be hard to read but is well - written and shows the resilency of the family. It is a book I call a slow burn. Jack the main character ( short for Jacqueline) is the oldest and her efforts to keep everything together for herself anfd her brother Simon and Tessa is documented here. The book is beautifully written and shows both the good and bad of a wrenching situation. ( )