When readers pick up The Journey Forward, some may be confused. One side is a regular looking book, but when you turn the book over to read the back, you’ll find another book instead. This format is called a “flipbook,” where two books are packaged back-to-back. The Journey Forward: Two Novellas on Reconciliation (McKeller & Martin) is just such a book—and it’s been getting a lot of attention.
Shortlisted for the 2018 CODE Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Young Adult Literature, The Journey Forward contains two novellas, When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! and Lucy & Lola, written by Richard Van Camp and Monique Gray Smith, respectively. This book was a concept imagined by the publisher, who then approached the authors with the idea.
“We approached Richard and Monique back in mid-2015,” says publisher Tonya Martin. “We asked if they would each consider writing a novella on Reconciliation and Residential school for middle-grade kids, which is the age and grade level where the new school curriculum begins. They were both very interested in the project and set about creating and writing their respective ideas for their novellas.”
“The format is one that I have loved since 1993 when Gary Paulsen’s Hermanas/Sisters was released,” says Tonya. “The format is typically used for translations, but I knew one day there would be subject matter well-suited to two points of view, and two covers, in one book. The Journey Forward is that book. It gives readers, educators, parents, caregivers, and more the opportunity to experience two important voices for the price of one book. And we’re hoping the intriguing format will be really appealing to kids.”
Van Camp’s story, When We Play Our Drums, They Sing!, follows 12-year-old Dene Cho, who when he finds himself in trouble at school, is excused for four days to learn about his Tłı̨chǫ Dene culture with a local Elder. In Lucy & Lola by Monique Gray Smith, twin sisters spend the summer with their Kookum (grandmother) and find themselves on a journey of reconciliation following a confrontation at the beach. While accessible for middle-grade readers, Lucy & Lola reads a bit younger (ages 9–11), and When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! skews a bit older (ages 11–13). Both titles will appeal to the wide range of middle-grade readers.
“Richard and Monique did not write together, but they shared their manuscripts with each other. The subject matter and format unite these amazing and memorable stories,” says Tonya.
“It truly takes a community to build a book: Richard, Monique, illustrator Julie Flett, photographer Tessa Macintosh, designers Alison Gear and Robin Mitchell Cranfield, printer Houghton Boston, and all of the wonderful, creative, supportive people who have laid hands on this project, are proof of this book-building fact.”