Local is lekker for teens

LOCAL can be lekker when it comes to young adult fiction, and according to the omnivorous 13-year-old reader in the family, Helen Brain’s Elevation novels are simply “the most amazing books ever”.

The recent winter school holidays were the ideal time to get feedback on a few titles in The Herald book cupboard from my niece Kieran, who loves reading.

She ploughed into four: Elevation Book One and Two, by Brain; Mr Humperdinck’s Wonderful Whatsit by Wynand Louw and Brigadier and the Spirit Pony by Marga Jonker.

ý Elevation

Elevation is the story of 16-year-old Ebba who lives in a dystopian future world where most of South Africa is submerged in the sea. Table Mountain, for example, is now surrounded by water, and is an underground colony.

“This is the best book I have ever read,” said the bookworm, who was itching to dive into the second in the series, Elevation 2: Rising Tide. Quizzed further, she said it was “better than The Hunger Games”, high praise indeed!

Brain has published more than 50 books for children and young adults and the third title in the Elevation trilogy is due out in April next year – which can’t be soon enough for Kieran.

ý Mr Humperdinck The other fantasy novel, Mr Humperdinck’s Wonderful Whatsit by Cape Town medical specialist Louw, did not make the young critics’ cut.

Louw revisits characters he first brought to life more than 10 years ago in Mr Humperdinck’s Wonderful Whatsit with the release of Mr Humperdinck’s Mysterious Manuscript in April this year.

Kieran finished the first book but was not keen to pick up the sequel – although Mr Humperdinck’s Wonderful Whatsit won the MER prize for youth literature in 2005, perhaps it has not travelled well in time.

“It’s not bad but the author tries too hard to make it like a Harry Potter and some of the names are just silly,” was the verdict. Quite interesting, actually, as the publishers market the author as South Africa’s JK Rowling.

Human & Rousseau is the publisher for both Brain and Louw, and the Mr Humperdinck titles retail for R195 and Elevation for R205.

ý Brigadier and the Spirit Pony

This is the English translation of one in a series of youth fiction titles about a special pony from Jonker, who originally wrote this in Afrikaans as Brigadier en die Raaiselponie.

Set in the Harkerville forest around Plettenberg Bay, it’s about 14-year-old Gabi and her big sister, whose parents are separated, with Gabi’s horse Brigadier central to the story.

“I liked this, it was quick to read but Elevation was way better,” the horse-loving teenager said.

Brigadier and the Spirit Pony is published by Tafelberg and retails for R150.