Parenting by the Book

by Sylvia Cochran

Book Review

SEVEN WORDS FOR SAND

SEVEN WORDS FOR SAND is Allan Serafino's 138-page adventure book for young adults, published by now defunct LTDBooks in October of 2004.

Allan Serafino is no newcomer to the young adult audience: his first novel for young adults, "Blood Jaguar", published by LTDBooks in eBook format in May 2002, is an Alberta Writer's Award Nominee and a Golden Eagle Award Shortlist selection. In addition, his poetry has appeared in Canadian, American, British, and Australian magazines. "SEVEN WORDS FOR SAND" is his second novel for young adults, featuring young Nick Bridger and his loving, albeit distant, father Lewis. Expertly picturing the way of life for a child of divorced, though well-meaning, parents, this book is addressed to young adults and gown ups alike; anyone who enjoys an adventure story will find this book well worth the read.

Able to grab the reader's attention from the first page, Allan Serafino tells the tale of a father who wants to give his son an "Indiana Jones" adventure, while saving his job as a journalist in the progress. Drawing the reader into young Nick's world, he shares the boy's take on his activist mother, an unwanted trip to a desert that is "a lot of nothing", and his first encounter with Muslim practices. Allowing the reader to share in the boy's whirlwind experiences of friends and foes, political fights, betrayal and loyalty, this part-time poet and full-time storyteller is guaranteed to capture the reader's heart and engage the imagination.

Skillfully involving the reader in Nick's adventures, misfortunes, victories, and struggles, Allan Serafino creates a gripping story that is not easily put down. Without the fluff so often found in adventure stories written strictly for an adult audience, yet also devoid of the sometimes patronizing political correctness found in youth literature, this book moves at the swift pace of the young (and older) reader's imagination and the inborn impatience of the adventurer.

Youth literature is plentiful and, truth be told, at times somewhat bland. This book, however, is an action-packed change to the status quo: it goes beyond simple narration and youthful heroism, and instead shows the intellectual and moral changes of awareness its young lead experiences. A must read!

Since it is not available from Barnes & Noble, download it from the author's website http://www.allanserafino.com or contact him directly for a hardcopy.