teen reads
THE CHANGEOVER by Margaret Mahy ( Hachette, $ 20)
To call this a coming- of- age story would be to undersell Mahy’s compelling mix of romance, mystery, magic and suburban life in this repackaged reissue of her 1984 Carnegie Medal winner. Mahy crafts some bewitching prose around the adventures of 14- year- old Laura, whose little brother Jacko is having his life sucked away after an encounter with a demon masquerading as an eccentric antiques dealer. Only Laura knows what is happening to her brother, so she seeks the help of a family of witches to save him. During her quest, Laura also has a delighftully awkward romance with male witch Sorensen. Highly recommended.
THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas ( Walker Books, $ 20)
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter campaign, Thomas has turned out a punchy debut novel about 16- year- old African- American Starr Carter, who lives in a rough neighbourhood but goes to a posh school across town. She has friends in both camps and tries to keep those two worlds separate, developing a persona for each, but that balancing act comes crashing down when an old friend from the “hood” is shot in front of her by a white policeman. Within this story, Thomas poignantly explores what it is to be African- American in a country that isn’t always on your side.
FLAME IN THE MIST by Renee Ahdieh ( Hachette, $ 25)
This rollicking yarn set in feudal Japan centres around Mariko, the headstrong and resourceful daughter of a samurai warrior who is about to be married off to a prince to raise her family’s status. When her retinue is attacked by bandits from the Black Clan, Mariko is the sole survivor. After she escapes, she infiltrates the clan to find out why they wanted to kill her but discovers some dark secrets that make her question her loyalties. Ahdieh keeps the pace up, making this an enjoyable piece of escapism with lashings of action and a dash of romance.
RELEASE by Patrick Ness ( Walker Books, $ 28)
Definitely for an older audience — some of the gay sex outlined here is quite confronting as we follow a tumultuous day in the life of 17- year- old Adam Thorn, who is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality in a religious household. Set in a small lakeside town in the US, this story has a secondary fantasy tale that involves the restless spirit of a girl whose murder at the lake has become part of local legend. Ness gives us such a powerfully written insight into Adam’s turmoil, his family and friendships that the other storyline seems pointless and irritating.
CHARISMA by Jeanne Ryan ( Simon & Schuster, $ 23)
Easy reading science thriller with a bit of romance thrown in revolving around Aislyn, an attractive but cripplingly shy teenager who decides to take an illegal gene therapy drug that will make her an extrovert. Friends of hers also take the drug. Things spiral out of control when the effect becomes contagious and people start dying. It takes a little while to get going, some of the plot twists are predictable and the writing isn’t overly engaging but it’s a reasonably enjoyable book that covers some interesting issues such as genetics, peer group pressure and social media.