“Did I just kill my dad?” Lenny, the protagonist of Abby Sher’s Young Adult novel All the Ways the World Can End, is struggling. Her Dad is dying of cancer – and everyone in her family has her own way of coping. Lenny’s mum works long hours as a supreme court justice. Big sister Emma…
The latest anthology from Stripes, A Change Is Gonna Come, is a wonderfully eclectic mix of short stories, perfectly opened and closed with poetry from Musa Okwonga ‘The Elders on the Wall’ and Inua Ellams ‘Of Lizard Skin and Dust Storms’. Commissioned in response to a lack of diverse voices in UK publishing, A…
‘I escaped it all by losing myself in the nearest faraway place. It was easy. All I had to do was think of something happy.’ When I started reading The Nearest Faraway Place I thought I knew what I was getting: a story about grief and moving through it. This is indeed the thrust of…
Patrice Lawrence’s Orangeboy is about a sixteen-year-old boy called Marlon. When he was younger, his older brother Andre went down the wrong path, a path that Marlon swore to his mum never to take. When a date ends in disaster, Marlon is left to pick up the pieces and in serious danger. They want Mr.…
One Italian Summer, from Keris Stainton, is an intriguing YA novel which tenderly deals with grief, and the strength of sisters. Three sisters, Milly, Elyse and Leonie are off to Italy for the summer with their mother. Normally this would be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with extended family and soak up the wonderful Italian…
Noah Can’t Even is the hilarious debut novel from YA writer Simon James Green. It’s a sensitive, yet giggle inducing coming-of-age tale with hints of Adrain Mole-esq quirkiness. Green’s narrative delves straight into the mind of his hapless character, Noah Grimes – who does, by the way, have his very own Twitter account. It’s just him…
Room Empty, from YA writer Sarah Mussi, is a heartfelt no holds barred delve into the mind of Dani, ravaged by anorexia. Dani is one of many teenagers staying at Daisy Bank Rehab Centre. She doesn’t credit the counsellors with any ability to help her, and instead spends her days earning points. If she reaches XX…
Fliss and her mum move from London to a Welsh farm to live with her spiky grandmother Margot so that her mum can recuperate from cancer. When Fliss discovers Margot’s wartime diary, she learns about her grandmother’s life as an evacuee, and the secrets that have shaped her. As Fliss struggles to settle in to…
Birdy Flynn is the debut YA novel from Helen Donohoe, set in the summer of 1982. Beautifully executed, it’s a novel with many layers and a strong heart. The opening scene of the novel is a tough one – Birdy witnesses a group of boys, supposed friends, torture a cat. The focus isn’t on the…
I’ll Be Home for Christmas is an exciting YA anthology featuring no less than 14 top UK writers. Each author has the title as a springboard, the result is an intriguing mix of thought-provoking stories. Crucially, £1 from every copy sold goes to Crisis UK. Benjamin Zephaniah opens the book in his true style, verse…
While E Lockhart’s book Fly on the Wall explores some controversial and challenging themes, this book is also an easy read with a lot of humour. Gretchen, a student at arts school in New York, gets her wish and becomes a fly on the wall in the boys’ locker room. E Lockhart quickly hooks you…
The Stars at Oktober Bend is an all encompassing novel from talented writer Glenda Millard. Millard’s absorbing narrative alternates between her two main characters, Alice and Manny. Alice is fifteen. A horrific attack left her with a brain injury, she finds solace in the words she can write, the words that she has difficulty saying…
Winner of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award 2016 (US Mid-South) “‘Poorly made shoes will torture your feet, inhibit your progress. Then you will stop.’ He squeezed my arm. His soft red face peered out from beneath his hat. ‘And then you will die,’ he whispered.” Following on from Ruta Sepetys’ previous historical fiction set in…
Unboxed is a great page turner of a novel from UK YA writer Non Pratt (Trouble) . Imagine that, aged 13, you and your closest friends got together and created a secret box – full of precious things and secrets. Then imagine five years later you meet up to open the box, but one person…
The Island from Olivia Levez is a gripping YA/teen novel which certainly keeps the reader guessing. We know from the outset that Frances ends up stranded, alone, on an island. Deserted. The author skilfully builds up how that happens. The plane ride. Full of teenagers. And then darkness. The tension is carefully manipulated making this…
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Ooh, this sounds fantastic!
Great review, thanks for posting the pictures. Really makes a difference with picture book reviews. Will order for the store…
I often hope to find interviews with Margaret Wild who fascinates me and whose work I adore. Thoroughly enjoyed this…