Tag Archives: young adult

The Poison Diaries- Maryrose Wood

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Oleander is named for its resemblance to the leaves of an olive; deadly nightshade is called belladonna, the beautiful lady, for its luscious looking black berries; poison hemlock is easily mistaken for a parsnip.

It’s not always easy to spot a poison, especially when you have limited experience recognising the things that mean you harm. Jessamine has lived a sheltered life in the ruins of an abbey with her apothecary father, and knows enough to stay out of the poison garden which is hidden behind tall walls and a strong chain. But when Weed, a mysterious but attractive young man with a strange knowledge of plants, arrives, Jessamine quickly learns that love and obsession can be more poisonous than the most deadly plant.

I picked this out as a Christmas present for my brother having fallen for the best blurb I have ever read:

Foxglove

IN THE

Oleander

RIGHT DOSE,

Moonseed

EVERYTHING

Belladonna

IS A POISON

Love

Someone promote whoever wrote that copy! The book comes very close to living up to the blurb, which is no mean feat.

Narrated from the perspective of Jessamine, the reader is drawn through an exciting mixture of thriller, romance and fantasy which twists and turns with every chapter. I find myself frustrated by obvious foreshadowing in novels, even subtle foreshadowing when you feel you have predicted the outcome and I loved the fact that this was peppered with red herrings to mislead and trick you.

It was clear that the author was in control of her plot, but at no point did you feel that the author was present, the characters were the ones telling the story. I don’t want to give the ending away, but I will say that I was impressed by the way in which the author wrote with conviction and refused to shy away from the strongest ending to the book. My brother said that he went to sleep feeling cheated, but woke up feeling quite impressed by the brilliance of it. It’s nice to see an author with the courage of their convictions.

This book is equally well suited to young adults and old adults alike (I use the word young adult to describe teenagers, because that seems to be common practise though I’m not sure I should be an old adult at twenty-five. It was called teen fiction in my day and was good enough for us!) as the themes and content are relevant to both age groups, which is quite an achievement. It’s rare to find a book that fits both age categories perfectly but this is one.

I’d never heard of Maryrose Wood (given her name you can understand the fixation with plants…) before, but I was so impressed that I will keep an eye out for any books by her in future.

Fallen and Torment- Lauren Kate

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Fallen

My older sister bought me Fallen and Torment by Lauren Kate for my birthday back in December, and though I’d like to think that I’m generally not very snooty about which books I will or won’t read I have to admit that I was wary- like much of the world I have been suffering Twilight Sickness, and these books are in a similar vein.

In Fallen, Lucinda Price is sentenced to time at a school for young offenders having been implicated in a terrible accident. Her strange testimony about shadows gathering has everyone thinking that she’s crazy, or worse, has something to hide. Once there she finds herself torn between two handsome men (as all good heroines in teen romance books seem to do…) the dark and edgy but considerate Cam, and the aloof and somewhat unfriendly Daniel. Now, to most women that would seem like an obvious choice, but Luce has a feeling that she has known Daniel for a very, very long time. Torment is the sequel to this story, in what will be a four part deal.

So, the comparisons to the Twilight books are inevitable. Intelligent young heroine is placed in an unfamiliar environment and relies upon the charms of two supernatural (oh come on, you saw it coming) young men to help get her through. We also have the Twilight love triangle going on, and the character of Daniel is a lot like the character of Edward (an annoying, controlling know-it-all). They’ve even pre-empted the Edward Cullen effect by having some blonde weightlifter pose for promotional material, which I found quite funny. The young man was more a pretty teen than eternally beautiful angel, but I suppose you have to work with what’s available.

Torment

Despite this, I think that the Fallen books are infinitely superior. Luce is a lot less annoying than Bella, challenging Daniel’s decision to establish himself in the role of authority figure instead of playing the insipid little wife. I also like the way that the author has made the lines between good and evil a lot more blurred than they are in Twilight making elements of the books less predictable than they might otherwise have been.

Having said this, I suspect that parts of the books might just be a little predictable. And I can’t wait to read the next book to find out how the author will unfurl the story to prove me right!

Oh, and in case you wondered? I’m team Cam. I’m starting that bandwagon rolling.

What-the-Dickens – Gregory Maguire

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Gregory Maguire is probably best known for his Wizard of Oz spin off, which despite its flair, owes some of its fame to the cult status of The Wizard of Oz and the runaway success of the musical version of the book, Wicked. However, in his modern fairytale What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy, Maguire shows that he has the ability to craft his own fantasy world securely within the familiar confines of our own.

Ten year old Dinah waits with her big brother, little sister and adult cousin for her parents who have left the house during a deadly storm to find insulin. Their neighbours homes have been evacuated, but the family’s strong religious conviction has made them attempt to weather it out. With little food and no power, their older cousin Gabe tells a story to pass the time.

The story, he says, is a true one which happened to him during his child hood, and explains how What-the-Dickens, an orphaned skibbereen, or tooth fairy to you and me, comes to find his place in life, facing deadly challenges and making friends along the way.

Even as an adult I found the story charming and funny. If I was still teaching, I would include it in a scheme of work for 11-13 year olds. It’s an excellent starting point for exploring fairytales and mythology, as the modern setting takes us away from the traditional men-in-tights-and-women-in-need-of-a-bloody-good-haircut scenarios children expect from a fairytale. It’s also a lovely little tale about culture, identity and self belief.

If you have a small person between the ages of 9 and… well I refuse to stick an upper age limit on it, then you should get this book for them. Read it yourself first though!

My Two Pennies Worth

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Doubtless anyone who reads the news will have heard about the recent outcry about the censorship of racist language in the latest version of Huckleberry Finn from New South books, in which the n- word has been replaced with “slave” and “injun” with a more standardised spelling, which they doubtless feel will be less shocking to parents on the boards of schools which they feel shy away from studying the text because of the racist language.

My two pennies worth? Aside from the fact that it is a satirical novel which criticises slavery (a pretty decent reason in itself not to censor) what is this sanitized version of history teaching children? I’m sure there are things in the past we would all like to airbrush away, unpleasant things we would like to sweep under the carpet, but I don’t think an oppressive period in history should be one of them.

When I was teaching I taught Of Mice and Men to my GCSE groups, and rather than shying away from the racism, sexism and prejudice against disability that are used in class, we tackled it head on. For example, which vocabulary did the students feel was appropriate to use? Why did they think that the author had used it? This gave rise to meaningful discussions which lead to the student deciding that Steinbeck’s portrayal of Crooks did not make him a racist, but reflected the attitudes towards black people in the era the novel was written. We discussed the Jim Crow laws. The students learned about the Ku Klux clan. We listened to Billie Holliday singing Strange Fruit and the students learned more about the historical period than they otherwise would have by avoiding the use of the n word.

I think it is more useful to teach young people and readers in general to open their minds to what they are reading and allow them to feel comfortable in challenging the attitudes and values presented in the text.

Early Christmas Book Shopping- Spoilers for Family!

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It’s that time of year again. We haven’t even reached Halloween, but there is wrapping paper and tinsel in the shops. I annually bemoan the fact that I hate this cynical commercialism and the premature climax of the festive season which comes about as a result. By December 21st, I have something of a Christmas hangover induced by the incessant repetition of Christmas carol covers and Glitz-will and Schmaltz to all mankind. So I apologise for broaching the subject of Christmas this early.

But in the interests of spreading the financial cost of Christmas (as espoused by Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert) I am getting some of my shopping done early. Normally I wouldn’t worry too much; I don’t have to do a “full” Christmas- by which I mean dinner, kids and relatives descending, but I am saving for a house deposit in the unlikely event that there really is a housing crash which would bring a nice little terrace house within my budget… but I digress.

Christmas presents. I like to get the people on my Christmas list books. What if they don’t like to read? Well a. people (you know who you are)  persist in buying me perfume, bubble bath etc. when I have eczema and b. they are no friends of mine if they point-blank will not read on principle. Snobbish? Probably, but I don’t have time for pig-headed anti-intellectualism. Anyway, here are my key gift list members and the books I will be getting them. And I’m taking a risk because I haven’t read ANY of them!

If you are a sibling DO NOT read any further!

Father:  An obsessive compulsive reader, probably where I get it from.

I spotted Mr Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt. Everyone knows that Churchill was plagued by the black dog (his name for his depression). Mr Chartwell, a massively imposing black dog, as he pays court to Churchill and a young woman called Esther Hammerhans, bringing their very separate lives together for possibly very strange and dark purposes.

Older Sister: Likes to read the book of the moment.

Room by Emma Donoghue has been gaining a lot of media coverage this year. Shortlisted for the 2010 Booker Prize, Room is narrated by a very young boy who has been only ever known the small basement room in which he lives with his mother, the victim of a Josef Fritzl style criminal. The subject matter is horrific, but the critical acclaim is fantastic. It’s certainly one to talk about.

Older Brother: Devoted reader of my blog :-)

I read a short story in The Observer magazine the other weekend, which was kind of like a modern fable. You can read it here. It’s an extract from a book called Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Wicked Bestiary which seem pretty witty and amusing. Plus it draws on my brother’s teasing me about my obsession with rodents and any small creatures.

Little Sister: Chaotic Student

My little sister is currently in her second year at university and, like myself when I was in my second year at university, seems to be keen on stamping her identity on her surroundings. Photos on walls, fancy dress items displayed as modern art and bed linen which you intended to sum up your personality but ended up reflecting more on your budget… Anyway, she’s a fan of Audrey Niffennegger’s writing, and when I saw that she’s actually written a few picture books as well, I thought that The Night Bookmobile, a graphic novel, would be the perfect book to read and display.

Boyfriend: Bibliophobic Football Addict

Can We Play You Every Week?: A Journey to the Heart of All 92 Football League Clubs is a compromise which should keep him quiet when I’m trying to read my books.

Niece: Chubby Cheeked Ankle-Biter

When buying a book for a toddler you want to make it The Gruffalo, failing that, The Gruffalo Child. As it is, I’m pretty sure that my niece has both of these, so you can imagine my excitement when I found Stick Man from the team behind the mighty Gruffalo. Mr Stick lives with Mrs Stick and his little sticks in the family tree. However, he’s having a hard time getting back to them as he is ruthlessly chased by a dog, used as a building material by a broody bird and has a worryingly close encounter with a fire. I just hope it all turns out ok in the end…

Teenage Kicks- YA Fiction with Grown Up Ideas

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I often enjoy reading teen/adult fiction, because the authors are generally happy to tell a decent, well written and engaging story without getting bogged down in literary pretentions of feeling the need to be, well, boring. I would hasten to add here that the Twilight Series are a clear exception here- I think they’re poorly written and thought the Wuthering Heights references were pathetic. So shoot me.

However, some books for young adults which have impressed me recently, and which will be enjoyed by old adults as well are listed below:

Before I Die- Jenny Downham

Tessa is 16 and like most teenage girls, she has a whole list of things she wants to try before she dies. But Tessa is dying of leukaemia. Before I Die tells the poignant story of Tessa trying to cram those important life milestones: getting drunk with friends, losing your virginity and falling in love into the short time that she has left. A beautiful bittersweet book which was totally devoid of melodrama, I cried my eyes out.

Th1rteen R3asons Why- Jay Asher

Imagine this. One day you come home to find a mysterious package on your doorstep. You open it to find that it is a shoe box full of cassettes, with numbers painted on them in nail varnish. When you play number 1, you realise that they are recorded in the voice of your first love and they want to tell you something important. That’s what happens to Clay Jensen. The only problem is, Clay’s first love Hannah is dead having committed suicide a fortnight before, and everyone named on the tape contributed to Hannah’s decision to kill herself-including Clay. Truly thought-provoking, this book made me reassess the way everyday interactions can have far seen effects upon an individual.

Before I Fall-Lauren Oliver

Sam Kingston is not your typical 18-year-old girl, in the sense that she is self-assured, a member of the most popular group of girls in school and loves her gorgeous boyfriend. In short, she lives what she believes is the perfect teenage life. That is until she is involved in a horrific car crash, bad enough to kill her, and she wakes up forced to live out her last day on earth over and over until she gets it right. A fusion of Th1rteen R3asons Why and Groundhog Day, Sam’s story makes you think again about how you treat your peers, regardless of where they come in the pecking order.