YOUNG READERS’ VOICES ARE HEARD
MiNRS fans have major impact for popular series, Bernie Goedhardt writes.
MiNRS3
Kevin Sylvester Simon & Schuster Canada Ages 8 to 12
Fans of Kevin Sylvester’s MiNRS series can breathe a sigh of relief — and pat themselves on the back. The long-awaited third instalment in the trilogy emerged in print on May 29, so eager young readers can finally find out what happens to young Christopher Nichols and his friends once they leave the planet Perses and head back to Earth.
The first book in the series — about what happens when a mining company’s hopeful mission into outer space to restore Earth’s depleted resources goes sour at the hands of self-serving Major Kirk Thatcher — appeared in 2015 and quickly hooked in its readers thanks to an actionpacked story that spelled disaster for the idealistic families who had settled on Perses, leaving a group of orphaned children to fend for themselves. As far-fetched as that storyline might sound, Sylvester managed to create a set of believable and empowered characters, equipping them with mechanical tools and transports that allowed them to dig beneath the surface of the planet, evading Thatcher and his goons for the first two volumes. Their survival comes at considerable cost, however: More than a few of the characters meet their demise before the trilogy ends, and Sylvester creates numerous cliffhangers in the process — not least of which by the end of MiNRS2, which appeared in 2016.
So when the much-anticipated final volume failed to show up in bookstores last year, young readers started clamouring for the book. But book publishing is a business, and the sales of MiNRS, Sylvester said in a recent interview, were not considered sufficient to justify the publication of a third volume. At least, not in the United States. In Canada, however, young fans let themselves be heard. They voted MiNRS a 2017 Honour book in both Manitoba and Ontario (MYRCA and Red Maple, respectively). And the author himself, having heard from his readers, threw himself into marketing the series. “The numbers came back for Canadian sales and they were good,” he said, “so I did more school visits and Skype visits. And I wrote blog posts (kevinarts.blogspot. com).”
In the end, Simon & Schuster Canada decided to publish MiNRS3. “I took myself out for dinner the other day to celebrate,” Sylvester said. But he also gave credit where it is due, thanking the young readers who spoke up for the book. The Toronto-based author uses the acknowledgments section in MiNRS3 to thank fans “who fought to have this book written and published.” In the process, he tells young readers they have a voice and a right to use it. “We always need to fight for the things we believe in, the people we love,” Sylvester writes. “Or someone else will fight to take them away … and we’ll let them.” In MiNRS, Chris and his friends fight with weapons. The series involves considerable violence, but it’s not gratuitous violence. More than just a futuristic action story, this is a tale of friendship and family, of loss, love and loyalty. The author has created a set of diverse characters, not all of which are admirable.
He acknowledges that he and his editor debated the issue of scapegoating and whether it was worse than violence — whether the violence in the book is justified. “For me, the scapegoating is worse,” Sylvester writes, referring to the way a specific group of characters is treated in the series. “It’s foundational to any violence that happens later.” Parents and teachers whose children read the MiNRS series would be wise to take note of the acknowledgments in MiNRS3, and use it as a springboard for discussion. As for the children who helped bring this book into print, I, too, thank them. Sylvester, meanwhile, has spent this month visiting bookstores and schools in support of MiNRS3. “I’m the advertiser — the Willy Loman — of my books,” he said, cheerfully comparing the lot of a children’s author in Canada to that of “indie bands that have to play 300 gigs in bars and sell their CDs from the back of a van.”
Next up: He’s looking forward to being part of The Almost Epic Squad series with fellow authors Ted Staunton, Lesley Livingston and Richard Scrimger about “four kids who get zapped by radiation and end up with bad superpowers.” Sylvester’s contribution, Mucus Mayhem, has an official publication date of Oct. 1, to be followed on Jan. 1 by Staunton’s What Blows Up, Livingston’s Super Sketchy in May, and Scrimger’s Irresistible in September.
“I laughed a lot when writing it,” Sylvester said, whose earlier Neil Flambé series about a mystery-solving young chef also includes humour. “I like funny. MiNRS isn’t funny.” Maybe not, but it’s definitely worth reading.