CM Magazine: A Death of Cold.

________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIV Number . . . . November 10, 2017

cover
A Death of Cold.

Jim Sellers.
Edmonton, AB: Green Bold, 2017.
216 pp., trade pbk., mobi & epub, $13.99 (pbk.).
ISBN 978-0-9948414-3-8 (pbk), ISBN 978-0-9948414-5-2 (mobi), ISBN 978-0-9948414-4-5 (epub).

Grades 7-10 / Ages 12-15.

Review by Teresa Iaizzo.

**½ /4

excerpt:

Jacky stood and faced him, “I told the truth.” He was red faced, heat building under his coat. He wanted nothing more than to take it off and cool down, but the fight was started and the co-pilot wasn’t backing away.

“To what purpose?” the man said, “You got everyone here worried sick and it’s changed nothing. We’re in the same exact position as before except now everyone’s giving up hope. That’s your fault.” The co-pilot pointed at him.

Jacky took a step toward him. “You would have had us do nothing but sit and wait while we run out of food and freeze to death.”

The co-pilot waved his hands toward the sky, “There’s nothing else we can do,” his voice reaching a higher pitch and losing any sense of control. “You know that yourself. You damn near fell off a cliff trying to get away. Take a look around, young man, you’ll see there is nothing else we can do.”

“Yes there is,” Jacky said holding his ground.

The reaction was shocked silence; everyone was staring at Jacky. Mr. Stewart rose slowly, “Jacky, what are you talking about?”

Written as a sequel to Jacky the Brave, A Death of Cold follows the exploits of 16-year-old Jacky Fraser, a young boy who just wants to get away from it all, but who is unexpectedly thrust into the adventure of a lifetime.

Four years earlier, at the age of 12, Jacky lost his mom and had a hard time trying to connect with his dad, but, over the years, things started to get a lot better. They eventually reached a great place, bonding more and more every day. Most importantly, Jacky found his love of the bagpipes, even joining the band The New Caledonians.

However, at the age of 16, Jacky has some major problems. His dad has found a new girlfriend whom he wants to marry, and Jacky feels like he’s being replaced. Most upsetting to him is that he’s also thinking of quitting The New Caledonians. But before he can do that, he decides to play one last show for the Prince of Wales on his royal tour of British Columbia.

It is at this point where things get interesting. On their way to the venue, the plane on which the band is travelling loses both engines and has to crash land in the mountains. What was supposed to be a fun trip now turns into a nightmare as Jacky and his bandmates have to contend with the elements for their very survival.

On the other hand, I did have a hard time with Sellers’ pacing throughout the novel. In one chapter, he describes the crash site in such amazing detail, and then he abruptly cuts to the next chapter which discusses Jacky’s love of the bagpipes or his first trip to Nova Scotia. I felt that by Sellers’ quickly changing pace between each chapter the novel was a bit choppy, and, at times, that made it hard to follow.

However, as a whole, A Death of Cold is an enjoyable young adult novel that incorporates love, life, and a whole lot of adventure. I would recommend it to teens who may be experiencing similar issues to those of Jacky, or to someone who just likes a great adventure novel.

Recommended.

Teresa Iaizzo is a Senior Library Assistant with the Toronto Public Library.

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