When the first novels published by Les éditions la courte échelle are translated into English, they are put out by Formac Publishing Company Ltd. Coupled with the vast quantities of these books available, this name suggests formulaic writing, stereotyped characters, and stock plot devices. Pre-disposed to be critical, I was pleasantly surprised by the four selections I was given for review. I found that, although the happy endings tended at times to be too pat, the interweaving of plot and subplot was unexpectedly complex, and the characters remarkably multi-dimensional.

In Louise Leblanc's Maddie in Hospital, the heroine has a serious case of "ghastly-in-tritus" (as her five-year-old brother Julian calls it) which lands her in hospital with an intravenous drip in her arm. But while she is convalescent, her life doesn't stay on hold. Her gang comes to visit her there, and she learns that the ex-chief, Patrick, whom she ousted, is planning a putsch. Then there is her older brother, Alexander, who seems determined to get his hands on her Walkman. Maddie begins to think it's high time she left and sorted things out, but there's a catch: Black Eagle, a young cancer patient at the hospital, is smitten with Maddie and the feeling quickly becomes mutual. She promises to celebrate Hallowe'en with him, but how? Although Maddie has a fiery nature, she also has an engaging ability to balance action and introspection. After some thought, she decides the best solution is to overindulge in pizza and vinegar-flavoured chips so that her gastroenteritis will get worse and she can stay in hospital until the Hallowe'en party. There is more nuance to the ending of this book than the other three: Maddie recognizes that her love for Black Eagle is "an impossible love", and that maintaining her position as chief of the gang will be a continuing struggle.

No-one sees anything strange in the close friendship between Fred and William in Marie-Danielle Croteau's Fred & the Stinky Cheese-until Jake's family comes to town. Jake is a year older than the other kids in his grade and quickly establishes himself as a leader. Unfortunately, he decides to scuttle Fred's and William's friendship, making it the butt of nasty jokes, which the other children are quick to emulate. Determined to turn the tables on the interloper, the two friends devise a scheme. Fred plans to steal a piece of stinky cheese-La crotte du Diable, or the Devil's Droppings-from home and take it to the annual sleep-over night at school, where he will plant it in Jake's shoe. The resulting stink, he reasons, will be enough to get Jake ostracized, or at least undermine his influence over Fred's and William's classmates. Fred's plan misfires, thanks to a sharp-nosed teacher, who sniffs out the lunch box that he carried the cheese to school in. Fortunately for the boys, she is quick-witted and compassionate as well, and finds a creative way to engender reconciliation so that mutual understanding flourishes.

Jenny's best friend is Mikey, the main character in Gilles Gauthier's Good for You, Mikey Mite. His father is an alcoholic and, although he has recently stopped drinking, when Jenny's parents find out, they forbid her to see or talk to Mikey. Jenny, who throughout the book seems to have a wisdom and compassion beyond her years, is saddened by her parents' attitude. She decides to disobey them just once, and explain to Mikey why his only friend has apparently deserted him. As Jenny tells him how her parents wouldn't budge or listen to her, in spite of the news that his father was on the wagon, Mikey explodes: MY FATHER HAS STARTED DRINKING AGAIN! NOW GET OUT OF HERE, JENNY! The next day, Mikey is gone. Everyone is worried, especially Jenny, who can't forget the desperation she heard in his last words to her. Providentially, Mikey is found by Mr. Lotecki, the janitor; since he is a recovered alcoholic himself, he can offer practical assistance by sponsoring Mikey's father at Alcoholics Anonymous. Jenny's parents give grudging permission for some contact between Mikey and their daughter. Their attitude stands in marked contrast to Jenny's and Mr. Lotecki's and makes the reader realize how destructive it is to condemn others for being different.

In Sylvain Trudel's Max the Superhero, Max dreams of being the Flying Avenger, battling imaginary creatures such as the Venomous Mole, the Lunatic Skeleton, and the Bloodsucking Toad. A month before Christmas, his friend Ben sees a Flying Avenger costume in a toy store window, and Max can think of nothing else-until, one night, there is no meat sauce on their spaghetti for supper, nor any ice cream or cookies for dessert. Max is puzzled, until he sees his father at the mall in the middle of the day, and realizes he has been laid off from work. After the last day of school before Christmas, Max and his friends go to the mall and decide to visit Santa. Sadly, Max tells Santa that his family is poor, so he won't ask for any presents. In a poignant mixture of adult resignation and child-like hope, he says: "All I want is enough for us to eat." As with many stories involving Christmas, the felicitous turn of events at the end is too contrived: not only does Max get his Flying Avenger costume, but "we have spaghetti with meat sauce again, my little sisters are happy and laughing like before, and my mother is radiant. I should tell you that my father finally found a new job."

All the books mentioned here were translated by Sarah Cummins. She seems to have done an excellent job of conveying a large range of complex emotions in a way that is both accessible and believable. My one criticism is that some of the sentences are far too short and choppy. This makes for difficult reading, and I had the impression that some thoughts or ideas were only partially developed. In general, however, I think the four authors, in conjunction with the translator, have provided young readers with absorbing, interesting, well-written material. 

Diana Halfpenny is a freelance translator living in Montreal.