Marty Chan,
The Mystery of the Frozen Brains.
Thistledown Press, 2004

Rating: E*

Young Marty has become increasingly aware that he doesn't fit the mould in his small Alberta town. He is not accepted by either the French or the English speaking kids in his school as he is the only Chinese boy. His classmates are insensitive and sometimes cruel. Upsetting as that can be to Marty, he has discovered something far more important about himself! It is a secret and Marty hates having to keep secrets!

Almost the first thing he blurts out to his new friend, Remi, is that his mom and dad are NOT what they seem to be. They are only wearing disguises as Chinese shopkeepers (although he is not sure why they would pick disguises if they wanted to be unobtrusive). They are... aliens!
Which makes Marty one, too! Together Remi and Marty serach to find the proof that the U.F.O magazine would accept as conclusive evidence... his parents' spaceship!

A hilarious romp negotiates Marty's overactive imagination , children's cruelty to those who are different and the secret understandings and relationships in the schoolyard. The prejudices Marty faces are real and painful, yet the author makes sure to place them in the context of the other prejudices swirling in the town - that of the English and French speakers towards each other.

I was impressed by Chan's realistic depiction of the subculture of presures and misunderstandings among children at school. Whether or not this particular incident actually happened in his own childhood, Chan mentions that his stories are based on his experiences in small town Alberta. Yet this could have happened anywhere in Canada.

I was a little put off initially by the mean things said and done to Marty by the other kids, but they were uniformily nasty to each other as well. The underlying theme is serious yet delivered with a dose of humour.

An enjoyabe read and a good opportunity to plant some seeds in your class against bullying.

Thematic Links: Prejudice, Chinese Canadians, Immigrants, Growing up, Friendship.

Susan Miller
Vol. 10, number 1
October 2004

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Avarage, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.