Last September we (Paula, Paul and our friend, Eric) attended Toronto’s Word on the Street Festival in September of 2019. While it was the first one Paul and Eric attended, Paula had been to 2 others – in Saskatoon and Halifax. At all three events, we were working with Maple Leaf Publishing to promote Camilla Chance’s wonderful books Melissa & Kasho and Wisdom Man. But especially Melissa & Kasho.
Toronto was fun and huge, but oh, so hot. And until we insisted on moving into the shade, we were cooking in the sun – and as you can see in the video, Paula looks a bit overheated.
But that doesn’t change the message – Melissa & Kasho is a great young adult book. It’s serious and fun, well written about friendship, love, bullying, sexual awakening and abuse, wrongful parenting and a ghost of an Indigenous man who teaches Melissa her self worth. Between her friendship with Daisy and her love for Kasho, Melissa learns life lessons, and all about who she is as a person. It’s set in the transitional years of 1958-59, on the cusp of when the world changes. Women’s rights, rock and roll, the 60’s themselves are about to start, and Melissa and Daisy are going to be part of everything.
