A tale of a Toronto street kid who’s dropped off to fend for himself in the Northern Canadian wilderness has become Red Deer-area author Sigmund Brouwer’s biggest success story to date.
His book Devil’s Pass has consistently been on the Canadian Bestseller’s List for young readers since its release last October and is now going into its third printing.
Since this is Brouwer’s only novel in 23 years to make the list, “I’m shamelessly excited about this,” he said — although the writer doesn’t feel he can take personal credit.
Devil’s Pass is part of the popular Seven series, which was written by a “team” of seven authors, including Eric Walters, who originated the idea and brought other writers on board.
Each author was tasked to write a book aimed at teenage boys and springing from a collective premise: A grandfather with a mysterious past dies, and the terms of his will send his seven grandsons on seven different quests.
Brouwer, who was free to invent any kind of literary adventure, came up with a 17-year-old hero called Jim Webb, who goes from the mean streets of Toronto — where he’s busking with his guitar after escaping from an abusive stepfather — to the wilds of the Northwest Territories.
In tracing his grandfather’s history, Jim ends up following the old CANOL pipeline route. This feat of northern engineering was built with great human hardship and monetary cost during the Second World War as an alternative fuel route, in case Japan gained control of North America’s Pacific Coast. After piping oil for less than two years, it was found lacking and abandoned.
In this coming-of-age tale, Jim faces various perils, including being hunted by a human stalker, and discovers that there are much scarier things than the cold and the occasional grizzly bear encounter.
“When (Jim) reacts to things, he’s reacting in the way that’s been modelled by his stepfather. His biggest challenge is to learn not to become like his abusive stepfather,” said Brouwer.
He believes the series is so popular with young people (Seven books have sold 70,000 copies and several other titles have also hit the bestseller’s list, including Between Heaven and Earth by Walters and Lost Cause by John Wilson) because it’s so relatable.
Although his protagonist goes on an extreme adventure that few urban youth will likely experience, Jim also has to deal with real-life problems, such as abuse and the friction that can come with remarriages and blended families.
“The response from kids has been very gratifying,” said Brouwer. He just returned from a speaking tour in the Northwest Territories, where all students, age 15 and up, received free copies of Devil’s Pass as part of a literary initiative undertaken by the Schlumberger corporation.
Sometimes, Brouwer will even get a cheer when he brings his guitar into classrooms. The author, who speaks about literacy to about 80,000 students a year across North America, will play Jim’s theme from a Rock and Roll Literacy website sponsored by Orca books (http://orcabook.com/rockandroll-literacy/theme.html). Kids can also download three free ebooks from: www.rockandrollbooks.com.
The next challenge for the best-selling author of 19 novels and several children’s serials, which are printed in five different languages, is a sequel to Devil’s Pass. Brouwer said the second set of Seven books will deal with what comes next for the various protagonists.
The grandsons of the series will go on more perilous adventures and will also cross paths — which will require collaborative writing between the authors.
Brouwer’s sequel is expected to be released in October 2014.
Devil’s Pass is available at Chapters or Coles for $9.95.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com