The Divorced Kids Club and Other Stories

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Valgardson’s collection of seven short stories features
early-adolescent characters who are encountering small and large crises
in their young lives. Tracy, in “The Entertainer and the
Entrepreneur,” must not only cope with Hippie parents, she must also
meet the challenge of Shawn, her school nemesis, who goads her into a
competition by saying, “I’ll bet that I make twice as much money as
you this summer.” Sam, in “Cyberworld,” has parents who, objecting
to his computer fixation, limit his time on the computer; faced with
spending time in the “real” world, Sam discovers that all people
seem to find different ways to explore other realities.

Two stories deal with not fitting in. While the unnamed protagonist of
“The Sand Sifter” faces an unknown future at the story’s end,
Jeremy and his transplanted urban parents ultimately find happiness in
their rural community in “Mrs. Galoshers.” Jamie Bushby, in “Bush
Boy,” discovers the importance of making his own decisions when an
older friend from his childhood days provides monetary temptation.
“Cabin Fever” and the collection’s closing title story, “The
Divorced Kids Club,” both express fantasy elements as their female
central characters, faced with life-threatening situations, appear to
encounter supernatural happenings.

Characterization is strong in all the stories, and the plots of most
are engaging. Whether deliberately or accidentally, the gender balance
in the stories is almost equally divided. The stories are set in
Manitoba (Valgardson’s native province) or British Columbia (his place
of residence). Recommended.