A selection box of reading treats
Magical debuts, much-loved series, exciting stand-alones... Justine Carbery wraps up a teenager’s Christmas book list
TEEN and Young Adult fiction continues to flourish and this year’s pick of the crop includes some stellar reading; fun adventures, sweet love stories, alongside powerful novels dealing with hard-hitting themes. Younger teens will enjoy Derek Landy’s tenth instalment in the Skulduggery series Resurrection (HarperCollins, €13.49) where Valkyrie and the sharp-dressing skeleton detective save the world from yet another Apocalypse. Ringer (Hodder & Stoughton, €17.99) by Lauren Oliver, the thrilling follow-up to Replica, tells the story of human clones and mistaken identity. Like its predecessor, the book is divided into two parts, only in this story Lyra and Gemma’s positions are now swapped. Gemma is mistaken for a Replica and imprisoned while Lyra is on the hunt for a cure for her illness.
S.T.A.G.S. (Hot Key, €8.40) by M.A. Bennet is a cracking debut psychological thriller set in an elite boarding school ruled by a set of six pupils known as the Medievals. Think Enid Blyton meets The Hunger Games! Part fact and part fiction, Alex and Eliza: A
Love Story (Macmillan, €8.24) will definitely get your teen excited about history. Set during the American Revolution, the novel delves into the lives of two characters from American history. A sweet romance set in the 18th Century.
Another popular and inspirational historical novel Things a Bright Girl Can Do (Andersen Press, €10.40) by Sally Nicholls, about three young Suffragettes from very different backgrounds, is a riveting read on the build up to World War I and its consequences on ordinary people.
The Red Ribbon (Hot Key, €12.99) by Lucy Adlington is an emotional and shocking story, set in the concentration camps of World War II. Ella works as a dressmaker in a clothing factory in Birchwood (Birkenau) and along with her friend Rose, uses her talents to survive. While her story is horrific and filled with brutal depictions it is also filled with hope.
From the creator of the Gone series Michael Grant comes a new action-packed book Monster (Egmont, €10.40) about super heroes and villains. It works as a standalone, with enough exposition and flashback at the beginning to bring you up to speed.
Satellite (Hachette, €9.50) by Nick Lake deals with three teens born and raised on a space station, who come down to Earth and experience things like gravity, getting sick, being outside, etc. for the first time. Adults may find the text-speak annoying but Lake conjures up the world of space and Earth very well.
Although bullying, suicide, racism and homophobia might appear to be all too depressing themes for YA fiction, they can be powerful and uplifting too as we see characters overcoming obstacles, developing strength through hardship and tackling problems with courage and determination.
Moonrise (Bloomsbury, €10.40) by Sarah Crossan is one such story. This beautiful heartwrenching novel about the death penalty, the justice system, about brotherly love and saying goodbye will prick the conscience of even the most cynical teen. Tackling complex issues of relationships, sex and alcohol in a fun and feminist way, It Only Happens in the
Movies (Usborne, €10.40) by Holly Bourne is a hilarious, yet heartfelt take on contemporary relationships and the crazy cliche of movie romance. Highly recommended.
The Taste of Blue Light (Hachette, €10.40) by Lydia Ruffles follows the story of a young art student Lux who attends a prestigious artistic boarding school. She loves her life until she wakes up in the hospital with no memory of what happened. Now she suffers from terrible nightmares, anxiety and paranoia but neither the reader nor Lux knows why until, eventually, things begin to fit into place.
Street Song (Black And White Publishing, €9.99) by Sheena Wilkinson deals brilliantly with the aftermath of fame. Set in gritty Belfast about a young singer RyLee who has to figure out what he’s supposed to do with the next part of his life, this punchy tale is aimed at the higher end of the YA age range though, as it literally has sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.
The Treatment (HarperCollins, €9.50) by C. L. Taylor is a brilliant edge-of-your-seat thriller about authorities attempting to brainwash troublesome teens while The Last Days of
Archie Maxwell (Barrington Stoke, €10.40) by Annabel Pitcher deals with bullying, marital discord and homophobia in an empathic and distinctive way. We See Everything (Bloomsbury, €15.99) inspired by author William Sutcliffe’s visit to the West Bank, is a terrific read that will appeal to fans of Philip Pullman and Malorie Blackman.
Finally, the winner of Teen Book of the Year at the recent Irish Book Awards, Tangleweed
and Brine (Little Island, €14.99) by Deirdre Sullivan, is a stunning feminist reimagining of fairy tales complete with beautiful illustrations. One for my Christmas stocking please.