YOUNG ADULT
CROSSFIRE by Malorie Blackman
(Penguin £7.99, 432 pp)
It’s nearly 20 years since Malorie Blackman wrote the original story in the Noughts & Crosses series, in which the racial power structure is reversed and the African-origin Crosses dominate the white Noughts.
Here, she returns to that world to tackle contemporary politics as the next generation battles not just racism, but the power of politicians and social media to whip up prejudice and fake news to manipulate and corrupt individuals and society.
troy and Libby were child-hood friends, until their parents’ bigotry drove a wedge between them, but now find themselves thrown together in a dangerous situation as a result of old lies, betrayals and enmities.
the fast-paced drama will resonate with internet-era teens — and there’s more to come . . . (Hodder £7.99, 240 pp) tHIs first in a new series of reinterpretations of classic stories through a feminist perspective might sound daunting, as it draws on Moby Dick for inspiration, but, under Kit de Waal’s captaincy, it breezes along in full sail.
Mixed-race, sexually confused 17-year-old Dinah has been brought up in a commune, but, after an incident at school, runs away, shaving her head and changing her name to Ishmael.
However, her angry, one-legged elderly neighbour, Ahab, intercepts her to demand that she drive him in pursuit of a stolen vehicle which contains his artificial leg.
together, they board his campervan, the Pequod, and set out on an odyssey in which both discover what they are running from and what they could return to.
Familiarity with the original adds to the fun, but this emo-tionally charged book also works beautifully as a standalone. GIRL. BOY. SEA. by Chris Vick (Zephyr £10.99, 320 pp) tHere’s another journey of self-discovery in this story, in which teenager Bill, taking part in a Youth sail Challenge, is separated from the crew in a storm and left adrift in a flimsy tender.
After days alone, he encounters exhausted Aya, a nomadic North African Berber tribe member and a fellow shipwreck survivor, albeit from a migrant boat.
Battling the external elements, secretive Aya keeps Bill’s spirits up by retelling the stories from shahrazad and One thousand And One Nights — but what is the truth of Aya’s own story and can Bill trust her?
Moral dilemmas, spiritual guidance and human cruelty underpin this rollicking adventure of unlikely friends.