CM November 17, 1995. Vol. II, Number 5

image RanVan: A Worthy Opponent.

Diana Wieler.
Toronto: Groundwood, 1995. 192pp, paper, $7.95.
ISBN 0-88899-219-X.

Grades 7 - 11 / Ages 12 - 16.
Review by Elaine Seepish.

Rhan Van returns in this welcome sequel to RanVan the Defender. This time the setting is Thunder Bay, where sixteen-year-old Rhan has settled with his grandmother at her eccentric sister's run-down motel. Rhan's obsession with video action games provides much of the imagery and allegory as he meets a truly scary real-life adversary and, once again, a "damsel in distress."

The relationships throughout the story are believable and compelling as the hero struggles with his fragmented family history and need for belonging. Wieler has captured the essence of contemporary adolescence with convincing dialogue and an eclectic mix of likeable and non-so-likeable characters, all the while never shying from using real language. And she skilfully choreographs Rhan's leaps from the fantasy world of the video arcade to the real world of human conflict.

Can't wait for Rhan to move on the third level in the next book!

Highly recommended.

Elaine Seepish is Information Specialist at Instructional Resources Unit, Manitoba Education and Training.

Copyright © 1995 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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