Book Reading-The McGillicuddy book of Personal Records

The book reading I attended was by Colleen Sydor, a Winnipeg children's book author. The book reading was held at the restaurant in McNally Robinson's Grant Park location. Most of the tables were full with what seemed to be supportive friends and family who listened attentively as the author took her place at the podium.  

Colleen Sydor had the air of someone who would write for children. She spoke in a soft, childlike voice and I almost felt as though at I was back in kindergarten, sitting on the soft carpet during story time. She was very cute and giggled often while she spoke of her experiences as a writer. She has published a few picture books and says she felt intimidated at first by a novel. But she was eager to read from her latest published work and dedicated the reading to a number of dogs that she mentioned by name.

She spent about 25 minutes reading different excerpts, giving a very good sense of the style and content of the story. It is told from the point of view of 13 year old, Lee McGillicuddy, who is a boy who wants to do something important in his life. In the meantime he enjoys finding records he can break.

The word that comes to mind when I reflect on her reading is, cute. Her story was written with quirky humour. She set it up like a movie set, opening each scene as she though she was explaining what it would look like if it were a film. She also opened each new chapter with quotes, usually involving dogs like, "To err is human, to forgive canine." She read some excerpts from a few chapters involving Lee, his best friend Rhonda, and his dog Santiago.

Although the main character is 13 years old, I think this story would be better suited to a younger audience. The writing is just a little too cutsie for pre-teens. But it was a fun and creative story and Colleen had a delightfully pleasant way of presenting her material.