Emily Barr is a prolific writer of adult fiction. Her first young adult novel, The One Memory of Flora Banks, was published to critical acclaim in December 2016. This is her second young adult novel, and I think it may be my favourite.
Ella Black lives in Kent with her parents and her cat, Humphrey. She has two best friends, Lily and Jack. But Ella has a secret - sometimes when she least expects it, loud ringing noises flood her head and even though she tries to fight it, she can't stop letting Bella through. Bella is the psychotic side of Ella and makes her do mean things.
One day at school, after being rude to her teacher, Ella is called to the head's office where her mother is anxiously waiting. Ella is immediately removed from school with no explanation, but it's not back home where her parents are taking her. What happens next will turn Ella's life upside down.
Chapter One of the book is titled '40 days until she dies', and all the following chapters count down the days to this event. But who is being talked about? Whose life are we counting down the final days of?
This was such a page turner - I read it in a couple of days. It was fast-paced and full of action and adventure. Ella is brave and fearless, even when facing the most frightening scenario. Move over Flora, there's a new girl in town!
(Review by Megan, age 14)
The original story behind the Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why is a very raw and emotional story about a suicidal girl who has left behind casette tapes for her peers who are the 'reasons why'.
The book is different from the on-screen show, but is definitely still hard-hitting and certainly makes you think about the affect you make on other people's lives, that however small it may be, it can make a big difference. It might not be a story for everyone, but I think that everyone should read it, because unfortunately, it is based on countless true stories that are still happening around the world today.
Overall, a very touching, emotive and important tale, told in a realistic and heart-breaking way. I recommend this book to anyone aged 13+.
Living in Cornwall, I'm surrounded by beautiful beaches and crazy surfers, and I love a story that features that adrenalin-fuelled sport. I've already read and loved Blue by Lisa Glass, a story about surfing set in Newquay, so I was looking forward to reading Kook, also set in Cornwall.
The author, Chris Vick, works for a whale and dolphin conservation charity and is a keen surfer, and that truly comes through in his first novel. The word 'kook' is surfer slang for a learner or a wannabe. In the book, 16 year old Sam is exactly that. He's just moved back to Cornwall with his mum and little sister - they used to live there when he was younger, but his father drowned and his mother couldn't bear to live there with the memories. Now they're back to be near Sam's grandma - she has cancer and may not have long to live. Next door to Sam lives Jade, with her dad. They both go to the same school, so slowly Sam gets to know Jade and her friends - all super keen surfers. Not wanting to be left out, Sam teaches himself to surf, all the while doing research on a giant wave that no-one has yet ridden, called the Devil Horns - a wave that could prove disaster for anyone who attempts it.
I quite enjoyed the book, but unfortunately there were a couple of things which spoiled it for me - the profanity, and the drug use. There was a huge amount of both in this book, and it came across that there was nothing wrong with it. I know teenagers these days use bad language fairly often, but you don't want to have to read it on every page of a book. And as for taking drugs, the characters again did it on such a regular basis, it was made to seem that it was ok to do it.
As a bookseller, I have to be very careful when recommending books to certain ages. Because of the content of Kook, I will have to make sure I don't recommend it to anyone under the age of 15, which surely cuts out a huge audience for the author. I always think it's such a shame that a certain aged-audience may be denied a book purely because of bad language or other bad content. It's not necessary in a story, people don't like hearing it or reading it, so why write it?
The last few chapters were very emotional - weirdly, the chapters I enjoyed the most. If Jade was a bit nicer, and there was less bad content in the book, I may have enjoyed it more.
Alice Oseman is a truly remarkable young author. At age 18 she had her first book published by Harper Collins, 'Solitaire'. As you can see from my review of that book, I loved it and thought Alice just wonderful (she's also lovely in person - she came along to Waterstones Truro for a signing of Solitaire, and she spoke to our Teen reading group, who were inspired by her).
As you can imagine, I couldn't wait to read her second book 'Radio Silence'. I was just blown away. It's incredible. She pulls you right into the story, makes the characters real. This is because she writes about real situations that everyone can relate to. Alice herself is now 21 and is at university studying English. She was an excellent student at school. Guess what Frances, one of the main characters is about to do? She's an A-grade student at school and is expected/wants to go to Cambridge to study English. Alice is currently hating her course at University (just read her twitter messages). Guess what Aled, the other main character in the book, is going through? Alice is a keen user of Tumblr. A Tumblr story is a key thread in this book. I keep reading advice from other authors about writing about things you know. It's absolutely true - Alice is proof of this. Keep it real and your stories are addictive.
The one character I couldn't believe in was Aled and Carys's mother, Carol. I truly hope that Alice wasn't basing her on anybody she knows, because that is one evil character. Can a mother do such horrific things to her children to disturb them so much mentally?
This is a fantastic book about discovering your true identity, believing in yourself, following your dreams and not feeling you have to do what is expected of you. It's also about realising that not conforming is ok - just because you're different doesn't mean you're weird. You're still a human being, with feelings. And lastly it's about the strength of friendships - never give up on your friends, true friends stay together forever.
Sophie Kinsella is well-known for her adult 'Shopaholic' series, but here she delves into the young adult arena - and, I think, is very successful!
Audrey has been the victim of serious bullying at her last school, as a result of which 3 girls were expelled, and Audrey now suffers from severe depression and an anxiety disorder. She no longer goes to school, she cannot leave the house (only to visit her therapist, Dr Sarah), and she constantly wears sunglasses, as she is unable to make eye contact with anyone, not even her parents.
As part of her therapy, Dr Sarah suggests Audrey films her family life, starting with her own family first, and then to film any strangers who come to the house. Audrey has 2 brothers - Frank, who's older, and Felix, who's younger. Frank is obsessed with a computer game called 'Land of Conquerors', and he plays it with his friend, Linus. Audrey likes Linus, but it's hard for her to try to talk to him, or even be near him at first, due to her stress and anxiety problems. But she soon realises that Linus understands her and her problems, and that he doesn't think she's a weirdo for wearing dark glasses indoors, and that he knows he has to take things slowly with her. One step at a time, he helps her venture into the world, encourages her to approach strangers and talk to them, and Audrey starts to improve hugely - until she goes one step too far, and it seems all the hard work may have been lost.
Even though the book has the serious story of depression and acute anxiety (which is explained really well, and dealt with brilliantly), it is also immensely funny. I think most mums of teenagers will be able to relate very well with Audrey's mum. She is totally fixated with how much time Frank is spending on his computer, she tries banning him, forcing him to watch a Dickens film instead, making him spend time 'jamming' with his dad on the guitars, helping out making sandwiches for the local fete. All, of course, at Frank's horror and embarrassment. But Frank always finds a way back to the computer - until his mum throws it out the window.
The book is full of hilarious moments, mostly concerning mum getting exasperated with Frank, but also touching scenes with Audrey struggling with her illness, and desperately wanting to be have a 'normal' life.
If you like this, you should try 'We Are All Made Of Molecules' by Susin Nielsen.
I'll heartily recommend this to anyone over the age of 13/14. It's funny, it's very life-like, it's awkward, it's horrid, it's shocking, it's sad - it's just about everything you want in a teen book.
Stewart is 13, super gifted and intelligent, but slightly socially awkward. He lives with his mum and dad, until his mum dies of cancer and leaves Stewart and his dad devastated, sad and alone.
Ashley is 14, beautiful, popular at school, but slightly dim and not the nicest person in the world (an understatement). She also lives happily with her mum and dad, until her dad leaves them - for another man. Ashley is so ashamed and embarrassed she barely speaks to him any more - even though he lives in the converted shed at the bottom of their garden.
Stewart's dad and Ashley's mum work together. Romance blossoms and they end up living together - much to Ashley's horror. She has no intention on being nice to either of them, especially 'Spewart', and is completely mortified when he transfers to her school, and into her class.
This is a story of love, hate, prejudice, but above all, compromise and forgiveness.
There is an upsetting scene of an adult nature involving a teen girl and teen boy, which is why I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 14.
This book grew on me the more I read it, and by the second day of reading I just couldn't put it down. It's about love - just like the title says, but it's more than just boy meeting girl, it's about love of film, love of family, love of friends.
Sixteen year old Luke has just started a Film Studies course at college. We know something's not right with his life from the start - he's paranoid about people staring, he doesn't talk very much, he's withdrawn, he has another voice talking in his head to him. Then he meets Leia, who's on the course with him, and they immediately click. They both love films, they're both named after characters in Star Wars, they both think the same things at the same time. They pair up in class to work together on a film script, and they both seem to be telling each other their life stories. Luke knows there's something between them, but it's not a full-on passionate love affair, it's a tentative 'getting to know someone better'. It's chaste and it's beautiful.
Then we learn more about Luke's brother, Marc, who's just about to come out of prison. He's been in for 2 years for serious assault, and life has been strange without him. How will it be when he comes home? Why does Luke has a scar on his face? Who is Craig Miller, and why is everyone scared of him?
The film thread is kept going throughout the book. We read screenplay scene descriptions (eg, 'INT car, dark, fingers drumming on wheel), the book cover itself looks like a manuscript, the characters play film games in the book (eg, Brad Pitt to Robert de Niro in 2 moves). It's all very clever, and it all adds to the atmosphere. Is everyone's life a film? Are we all characters in someone's manuscript?
A brilliant book about love, family and revenge.
Some of the characters from the book (Luke, Zia and Tommy) are in a stage play written by Steven called 'Back Down', and is currently touring the UK.
Steven Camden is also author of another teen book 'Tape'.
This is such an original story, and one which took me through several phases. At first, I thought it was just full of nastiness - all the characters (main character Iris, her mother Hannah, and mother's boyfriend Lowell) seemed to be full of hatred for each other. How can a mother show no sign of love at all for her daughter, even if Iris has her problems? Iris's way of coping with her home situation is by lighting fires - not just a small, outdoor, dry leaf pile sort of fire, but more of a burn your mother's wardrobe down fire, and let's start a fire in a store room at school sort of fire. The sort where people's lives are at risk, but there is no thought of that - the fire, the smell, the sound, the danger are all too attractive and addictive.
Iris at first finds help in friend Thurston, even though he doesn't really seem the ideal person. He seems a bit of a misfit, a loner, the sort of person you'd imagine wouldn't have many friends at school.
Then Hannah finds out that Iris's dad, Ernest, is gravely ill and dying. She also knows that he is incredibly rich - he owns many priceless works of art. She whisks Iris and Lowell off to visit Ernest. Iris remembers nothing of her father. Hannah has told her that he abandoned them when she was small, and was nothing but a bad father.
This part of the book set in Ernest's house was my favourite. We discover more about Ernest himself, about his love of art (one of Iris's favourite topics also), about his past, about why he was not there for Iris when she was little. Lies are uncovered, people humiliated and shamed, lost friends reunited, a true family revealed.
The title, Fire Colour One, refers to the title of a famous painting by Yves Klein, made in 1962. Yves created the piece by using nude models as the 'brushes' and then firing a hose of blazing fire at the canvas, putting everyone's lives at risk. In the last decade it sold at auction in New York for $36.4 million.
The scene in the book depicting Ernest's death and Iris's emotions surrounding the death are particularly moving, especially when you know that Jenny Valentine herself recently lost her father after a grave illness (which she too suffered, but recovered from). A touching and poignant end to a brave, original story.
Mikey and his friends are just about to graduate from high school. It's their final couple of weeks before the summer holidays and then they're off on their separate ways to university. But there are a few problems :
1) Mikey has OCD - it's so bad he thinks the loop won't break and he'll die;
2) His older sister Mel has an eating disorder and needs constant monitoring;
3) His dad is an alcoholic;
4) His mum is running for Congress and everyone has to appear normal;
5) He loves Henna, but hasn't told her, but Henna loves new boy Nathan, who seems very suspicious;
6) His best friend Jared is part God of feline animals;
7) The town they live in is about to be taken over by Immortals - they come in the guise of police officers with blue rays coming out of their eyes. But it's OK, the indie kids are around to save the day;
8) The indie kids are being killed off one by one;
9) There are zombie deer.
I know, sounds weird. It definitely seems that way when you start reading it, but strangely the main theme of teens struggling with emotions, exams, anxieties, sexual preferences, whether someone's your friend or not, whether someone fancies you or not, parents - all the usual teen angst stuff - makes the story seem more normal than it actually is. Many of you will spot throw-ins from other top-selling kids' novels - vampires (check), Greek Gods (check), cancer victims (check), zombies (check). I loved all the characters, and I think many teens will find something from each of them to identify with. I did spend rather a large amount of time wondering whether there was an underlying meaning to the Immortals and the indie kids. Were the Immortals just authority figures trying to run the kids' lives? Were the indie kids just synonymous with people being different and that it was ok to be different, that they matter too and are just as important as everyone else, in fact they can be the heroes? However in the end, I just enjoyed it for what it is - something a little bit different and a little bit wonderful by one of my favourite authors.
I started to read this book with some trepidation - it's been getting quite a bit of hype in the press and from other bloggers, but recently I've been feeling a bit let down with the teen books I've read. It just seems to have been all sex, drugs, misery, death, and it's saddened me that, as the mother of a near-teen, this is what is out there for them to read. But times are a-changing and I guess I'll have to come to terms with the fact that children are growing up a lot faster than when I was a child. When I was 13 I was reading 'My Family and Other Animals' by Gerald Durrell and absolutely loved it. My daughter is currently re-reading 'Twilight' by Stephenie Meyer. See what I mean?
As testimony to the changing of attitudes and subject material in teen books, 'Simon...' is bang up to date with the current LGBT trend (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender). Simon is gay, but he hasn't told anyone yet. He is terrified of coming out to friends and especially to his parents. He forms an online friendship with Blue, who is also gay, and whose real identity is unknown, both to us and to Simon. They only know they go to the same school. Simon also uses a pseudonym when he emails Blue. It's this anonymity which makes it easier for them to open up to each other, to reveal how they both feel, to be there for each other when the time comes to tell their family and friends they are gay, even though for Simon that time is forced upon him after a very evil and vile incident. All the while we as the reader, and Simon, are trying to work out who Blue is.
It took me a couple of chapters, but I grew to love this book. You really felt for Simon when the time came to tell his parents. Even though in this modern world being gay is almost as much the norm as being straight, the author shows that there are still plenty of people who treat gays as weirdos, or someone to bully and tease for who they are. In one of Simon's e-mails to Blue, he asks "Don't you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default?....It should be this big awkward thing whether you're straight, gay, bi or whatever." They decide it should be named the 'Homo Sapiens Agenda'.
The author, Becky Albertalli, is a clinical psychologist, and co-led a support group for gender nonconforming children in Washington, DC. In the book, she deals with her topics sensitively and with insight and understanding. I loved all the characters - well, nearly all - and couldn't wait to find out who Blue really was.
Madeline is sick - has been since a baby. She suffers from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency - she has to stay indoors as any contact with the outside world may make her ill. The windows in the house don't open, there's a special air filter mechanism that is used to get fresh air into the house. Any visitors to the house (and there are few - only Carla, the nurse, and Madeline's architecture tutor) are blasted with a cold air cleaning treatment. Madeline is 18, and has been used to spending all her time in her house with her mum, who is also her doctor. Then Olly moves in next door. She starts communicating with him firstly by writing on the windows, then instant messaging online. Her mum knows nothing about this connection, but Carla (having a teenager daughter of her own) is instantly aware something is happening between the two, and arranges for Olly to visit when the mother is not at home.
A beautiful romance blossoms, but one where they both know that a touch or a kiss could kill Madeline. Now that she is experiencing love, Madeline wants more from life, and to share it with Olly. How can this can be done within the confines of her home?
This is a touching story about a mother's love and about first love, about having only one life and living it to the full. What makes the book more interesting to read is that the text is interspersed with hand written hospital notes, diary entries, IM screens, and drawings. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but there were a few twists and turns to keep you guessing.
A lovely story with loveable characters. Move over Gus and Hazel, make way for Madeline and Olly.
Last year, Non Pratt (if the text copyright page is anything to go by, then her real name is Leonie Parish) published her debut novel, 'Trouble', about a 15-yr-old schoolgirl who becomes pregnant. As you can see from my review, I enjoyed Trouble, so I was looking forward to reading Non's second novel. I was rather disappointed. It's just basically full of bad language and sexual references - two 16-yr-old girls going to a weekend festival with a box of condoms, one of the girls already sexually active, the other a virgin. I guess I should've seen it coming. I find it quite depressing that teenagers will actually want to read this (because they will), and I don't know whether it's for the reason that it's just a book of dialogue with no literary content at all, or whether it's because this this stuff actually happens in real life. Teenage girls (and boys) think nothing of sleeping around, just giving away their bodies to the first person who shows interest.
'Trouble' was longlisted and shortlisted for many awards, but sadly I don't think 'Remix' is in the same league. Sorry Non.
Oh my goodness, I love Lauren St John's writing so much. I've been a huge fan since her White Giraffe series (**newsflash** there will be a new title in that series 'Operation Rhino' due out August 2015) , which was then followed by the brilliant Laura Marlin series, then the excellent One Dollar Horse series, and now there is this 'The Glory'. All I can say is that her writing is as superb as ever. I read this book in a day, it was so engrossing. Lauren has this excellent ability of describing places in such beautiful detail that you want to get straight on a plane to visit it. This happened after I'd read 'Rendezvous in Russia'. I'd always wanted to go to Russia, and after reading this I said to my daughter 'Right, we're off'. We visited St Petersburg and I was just so excited I didn't care that it rained the whole week, and I didn't care that I had to spend a week's wages to buy a ballet ticket - it was all worth it. It was beautiful.
So, now Colorado is my next port of call. I followed the trail of The Glory (a fictional month-long, 1200 mile horse and rider endurance race, with a $250,000 prize) in one of my guidebooks on the USA, and the places just sound amazing. I want to to go horseriding, I want to buy a cowboy hat, I want to go to that cafe in Boulder, I want to experience the spectacular scenery and surroundings, I want to camp out under the stars (without the rattlesnakes).
Thank you Lauren for enriching my literary and travelling life!
I've only read one of David Levithan's novels, and that was co-written with Rachel Cohn 'Dash and Lily's Book of Dares'. I just loved it. I could see why fans of John Green liked his style of writing, and of course vice-versa. Even though 'Marly's Ghost' has just been released over here, it was actually first published in 2005, early on in Levithan's writing career. It's an interesting one - I don't know whether I liked it or not. It's a reworking of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', but the reasons for the ghostly visits are not because Ben, the main character, (whose name we find out near the end is actually short for Ebenezer Scrooge) is a miser, but because he is finding it hard to move on in life after the death of his girlfriend, Marly. He withdraws himself from life, family and friends and cannot understand how life is continuing around him. The ghosts try to point out that he can keep the memory of Marly in his heart, but not like a ball and chain. He must let go, and carry on with his life.
I adore 'A Christmas Carol', and that could be the main reason why I wasn't sure about David's version. It's literally a copy, but slightly mixed up in places, so I knew what was coming and could guess the ending, which always spoils the reading of a book. David acknowledges at the end of his book that readers would either love it or hate it, but he hoped they would just go along with his version just for the pure enjoyment of it.
I'm sure true fans of Levithan will love it, but the jury's out for me.
I was a bit disappointed with this book. I've read a couple of Sally Gardner's books in the past - I loved 'Tinder' and 'I, Coriander'. This one just felt a bit of a rushed, mish-mash of a book. It's a time-travel story, but I got really confused with the characters and which time they were supposed to be living in or originally from. It was disjointed, didn't flow very well for me, and just not really Sally's usual style. It had the basics of a good storyline, but just not very well told. Sorry Sally, but a thumbs down for me.
The volatile and mysterious Leo has been transferred to Eden Park school after an incident at his previous school. There he attracts the attention of David. They both have something in common - they are keeping a big secret about their life. Leo's life is about to change drastically when his secret is found out and spread around the school. But this has a positive impact on David - it makes him reveal his secret to Leo, and as a result they realise they should be truthful to themselves and show everyone who they really are.
A wonderful story about transgender, identity, being true to yourself, standing up to bullies, and the strength of friendship. Also check out Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky for slightly younger children.
About a year ago, Megan witnessed a harrowing incident which made her unable to talk for the following 12 months. She blames herself for what happened, and there are demons inside her which bully her and tease her and encourage her to blame herself. Her mother struggles to look after her - she is a single mother with no family to help out, trying to hold down a job in the local cafe. Megan doesn't have many friends - the spiteful bully Sadie and her gang constantly talk nastily to her, knowing she can't reply. Her only friend is Luke - that is, until the bright and bubbly Jasmine starts at the same school. They instantly become inseparable friends, but when Jasmine starts to fall for Owen, Sadie's ex, Megan realises that it's not just friendship she wants with Jasmine. Then Jasmine starts to receive anonymous threatening notes and messages. Is Jasmine's life in danger, and can Megan be brave enough to cope with another awful incident in her life?
This book is surprisingly very readable. You want to find out what happened in Megan's life that made her stop talking. There are many issues that are covered in the book, mainly post-traumatic stress, and dealing with confusing emotions of who you love. These issues are dealt with gently and sensitively. The only thing I was slightly bored with was the set up of Megan living on a rundown estate, with yob boys hanging around, single mum, and the bully girls at school who seem to get away with all the nastiness they throw at Megan. But this is only probably because I've read a few books recently with the same formats - so much so that a couple of those books I got fed up with and stopped reading after a few chapters. But Abbie's easy style of writing and her way of enticing you into wanting to know what happens next, meant I quite enjoyed reading this - it only took me about 2 days to read.
What a wonderful, magical, original, beautifully told story! It has made such a welcome change to the sort of teen fiction that I've been reading recently. The sad thing is that it had been sat on my shelf for about 6 months and I was never keen on reading it. What a treat I was missing. The only way I can describe the writing is like a mixture of Perfume and Chocolat - it has the essence of a beautiful, unusual French piece of literature, with a magical fairy tale thrown in. Even though I loved the whole book, I found I enjoyed the second half much better, as it is more about Ava herself, rather than her family tree background which takes up the first half.
Ava Lavender was born with something rather unusual - wings. She was also one of twins - her brother didn't speak at all until he was nearly a teenager, and only then either in a different language or when he only had something really important to say. The problem was, that people didn't understand the importance of his strong link to his sister or the importance of what he had to say, until it was too late.
The book is about intense love, jealousy, being different, acceptance, strong bonds and desires, wickedness, misunderstandings - in fact everything life can throw at you, but in a magical fairy tale way.
Well, in comparison to the last book I read which I struggled through in over a week, this wonder of a novel took me just under a couple of days, and I missed it when I wasn't reading it. If you liked We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, or Solitaire by Alice Oseman, then I think you'll love this.
Jam (short for Jamaica) is a teenager with troubles. Her boyfriend of 41 days, English exchange student Reeve, has died. He was the love of her life, he filled her days and nights. Now he's gone and she's reached the depths of despair. She cannot get over her loss. So much so that her parents feel the only way they, and she, can cope is to send her to The Wooden Barn, a special boarding school for fragile teenagers. She is chosen as one of 5 students to take part in Special Topics in English, where their wonderful teacher, the kind and elderly Mrs Quenell, hopes they can work through their troubles through studying texts. Their text is Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. Mrs Quenell also gives each of them a journal which they must fill in as often as they can, and then hand it in at the end of term. It turns out that writing in the journal gives the students solace and comfort in more ways than they can imagine, and Belzhar (with the 'zh' pronounced as in Dr Zhivago) is born.
I just loved everything about this book - the characters, the plot, the storytelling. Meg Wolitzer has written a wonderful story about grief, acceptance, life and love.
This is such a beautiful, lyrical, magical story - such a complete contrast to the recent teen romance and dystopian stories I've been reading. It's a modern-day telling of the Greek myth Eurydice and Orpheus. I read a brief precis of that myth after I'd finished 'Ella Grey' and David has stuck quite closely to the story.
Claire and Ella are best friends at school in Newcastle, in fact they've been best friends since they were tiny. One weekend, Claire and her other friends go away camping to the coast, and meet a very strange young travelling man, who plays beautiful music on his lyre. His name is Orpheus. Claire rings Ella, who has had to stay at home to revise, and holds the phone up so Ella can hear the mesmerising, enchanting music. Ella is totally hooked - there seems to be an immediate connection between her and Orpheus. When Orpheus appears later that week outside their school, Ella knows he is there for her and runs out of school to spend the day with him. They fall desperately in love and intend to marry on the beach at half term. But what happens that weekend and the days and weeks following are both tragic and sorrowful, and will change the lives of all those concerned.
