Pajama Press

“A dog, beaten and ignored.
A girl, risking and reckless.
A boy who must step out of his safe-place to save them…

I lived in Newfoundland in early grade school (on a now-closed Air Force base), so I have a strong mental picture of the isolated small coastal town that Roxy longs to escape, where Nix’s solitary ways are known to everyone, where a story can never be untold.

Request this novel-in-verse from your local library or independent bookstore; they might have to order it (Pajama Press is a small Canadian firm, not one of the “Big 5″), but it’s so worth waiting for!

Have you ever felt like the only person who could fix a situation?”

Click here to read the full review – but beware of spoilers!

In Jill MacLean’s YA novel Nix Minus One, protagonist Nixon Humbolt develops a relationship with his neighbour’s neglected dog, Twig. When Twig is sold to another owner who physically abuses her, Nix is determined to rescue her. But how?

Many of us have been in Nix’s situation. It can be daunting—how can you protect the animal without breaking the law yourself? Here is a good place to start:

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Infographic design by Sarfaraaz Alladin

Cross-posted at Pajama Party blog

“…Nix’s story is one of transformation. Nix is an introvert. He finds relationships difficult, and is more at home expressing himself through the things he makes. A connection he does form his to his neighbour’s neglected (and possibly abused) dog, whom he arranges to start walking every day. With Twig, Nix can do what he can’t do for his sister Roxy. Nix knows that Roxy’s relationship is toxic, but she won’t listen to him. The more out of control she becomes, the more desperate he becomes to protect Twig.

What I loved most about this book is the the way that Nix evolves.In the same way that Twig transforms from a sad and frightened animal, Nix transforms from a sad and timid boy into the knight-slaying dragon he wishes he could be. Nix finds strength he didn’t know he possessed- the strength to fight for what matters and protect what he loves no matter how difficult or at how high a cost.

…Both of these books [Nix Minus One and Counting Back from Nine]  were impossible to put down, and left me thinking about them long after I finished reading. They are emotionally engaging and thought-provoking, and the verse format asks readers to read between the lines and fill in the blanks. They deal with loss, and secrets, and figuring out who you are, and are highly accessible and appealing teenage reads.”
—Rachel Siegel

Click here to read the full review.