Ms. Zephyr's Notebook

by K.C. Dyer, Doris Kartinyeri

When Doris Kartinyeri was a month old, her mother died. The family gathered to mourn their loss and welcome the new baby home. But Doris never arrived to live with her family - she was stolen from the hospital and placed in Colebrook Home, where she stayed for the next fourteen years.The legacy of being a member of the Stolen Generations continued for Doris as she was placed in white homes as a virtual slave, struggled through relationships and suffered with anxiety and mental illness.This is a life that has been kicked around. It is the compelling and sometimes witty memoir of a courageous journey, a journey into the soul of an individual to find meaning and substance after the loss of everything the rest of us take for granted.

Genres: Young Adult

162 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

kc dyer loves travel and has literally flown around the world in search of fantastic stories. When not on the road, she resides in the wilds of British Columbia, where she walks her dogs in the woods and writes books. Her most recent novel, EIGHTY DAYS TO ELSEWHERE, is the madcap story of a young woman so desperate to save her family’s bookstore that she undertakes a race around the world, but ends up falling for her competition. kc is also the author of FINDING FRASER, an international bestseller in romantic comedy. And coming this fall, AN ACCIDENTAL ODYSSEY continues the ExLibris adventures: When an unexpected phone call derails a young woman’s wedding plans, it sparks an epic adventure around the magical, modern-day Mediterranean.

kc has spoken before thousands of readers — kids and adults — across Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. She's been writer-in-residence at New Westminster Secondary School, and a featured presenter at the Surrey International Writers Conference, the National Council of English Teachers in the US; YouthWrite BC, Young Authors Kamloops, WORD Vancouver, Canadian Authors’ Association, OLA Super-Conference, SFU Southbank Writers, WriteOn Bowen, Word on the Lake and many others.

She is represented by Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, it was fine. Wasn’t repulsed or fascinated. I always like stories with mental illness, so that was good. It was a little bit of a mystery, and I liked that. It just seemed kind of... boring? Which is surprising, considering the somewhat spontaneous actions the main character takes. They were well within his character, so it wasn’t that.... On paper, I love this book. In real life, I’m neutral to mildly positive about it.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story is primarily told through the journal entries, memos, and emails of a teacher for a children’s unit in a hospital in Colorado. A portion of the story line is told in narrative.
Logan did not realize that soon he’d be sidelined from the rugby game and fighting for his life in the hospital. The two other kids his age are a kidney patient and a young lady with her own struggles.

[Tanvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing isn't that great but the way she/he wrote it, with the emails, reports, and just plain old narrative. I also like the way she dealt with modern day teenage issues. The characters are also very well thought out. I like all their clashing views of each other.

[Julie Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book.

[Robin Spano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Hooked from page one and read it in 2 days. Characters are quirky and real. YA fiction that's a good quick read for adults, too. Writing is excellent.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -i liked the structure of this with memo's and emails, journal entries etc in between chapters- good story line, especially considering the absence of ms. zephyr