Scott Westerfeld recently provided links to some discussions on the coolness of YA fiction. In these and other discussions of YA books, there are often comments along the lines of “it’s not just Sweet Valley High anymore”. I agree that the post-Harry Potter boom in YA, particularly in fantasy, has been phenomenal. It’s fantastic seeing the growth in this area. But I want to acknowledge the scores of YA authors that were around when I was a child and teenager in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the authors are Australian or New Zealanders, but I’m sure other countries must have had their equivalents?

It’s hard without my books with me (I’m even picturing book covers here but not recalling the title/author), but I here are some of the authors I remember from the YA (or “older children’s” or teenage as they were generally called) sections of libraries in the 1990s*:

In fantasy and YA, Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix, Isobelle Carmody, Margaret Mahy, Sally Odgers, Tamora Pierce, Madeleine L’engle, Diane Duane, Ken Catran, Victor Kelleher, David McRobbie, Caroline McDonald, and Gillian Rubenstein (now writing as Lian Hearn) all wrote books that I devoured eagerly.

In other types of novels, I remember reading authors such as John Marsden, Robin Klein, Paula Danziger, Catherine Jinks, Libby Hathorn, Gary Crew, Cynthia Voight (though I loved her fantasy books, too) and Melina Marchetta.**

I know these lists are sure to be incomplete but will avoid driving myself mad by just posting now and updating as necessary!

* of course there were plenty more in the children's and adults sections too
** scary aside for other Australian readers my age, Melina Marchetta’s Looking for
Alibrandi came out in 1992!

Tags: books, young adult

I ordered Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine into the library as it was the recent winner of the Guardian Children’s book award. It was a good book but perhaps the award winning thing had set my expectations too high, because in the end I felt a bit meh.

The premise of the story was great – a teenage boy, Lucas, rescues an old woman’s ashes from a taxi office where they have been abandoned for five years. He becomes friends with the woman (Violet Park) as he discovers more about her life. Along the way Lucas also learns a lot about his own family. The story had lots of interesting moments and the idea of having to face uncomfortable facts about a person you love was dealt with well. And the grandparents were believable and interesting characters.

But the story tied up a bit too neatly. Some aspects of the main character’s growth were made less interesting by him just telling us that he had felt something or discovered something, rather than it occurring naturally through the story. I thought some of the relationships could have been explored further as well, such as that between Lucas and his mother, while his blissfully happy relationship with his girlfriend almost feels tacked onto the story.

Has anyone else read this and been blown away by its style or some other element? I read a review that praised the story for its realistic teenage boy main character, and while I admit there aren’t a whole heap of teenage main characters that spring to mind* I just don’t think this is the best example on offer.

* John Green’s books being the first I think of as an exception but I'm sure I could remember more if I wasn't too slack to spend ten more minutes thinking...

Tags: books, valentine, young adult

I still feel like I haven't got a routine going over here, which is I think the reason I've been so slack at mid-week posting. And why I'll probably post three entries today. Sigh. Anyway, here's a book I gobbled down last weekend, Evolution, me and other freaks of nature by Robin Brande.

( The title says it all: serious topic, humourous approach )

Tags: books, brande, young adult

As I've mentioned before, I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic novels. How people would survive after a plane crash, nuclear holocaust or sudden unexplained failure of technology across the world was my bread and butter. So when I read positive reviews of Susan Pfeffer's Life as we know it, a story of the world slowly suffering the aftereffects of a moon knocked askew from an asteroid, I knew I had to read it.

( In which I panic over the imminent end of the world )

Tags: books, science fiction, young adult

As I promised, this time a book I enjoyed, Just listen by Sarah Dessen. If you are sensitive to spoilers please don't read as I can't figure out if what I've written includes spoilers.

( Stuff about the book )

I’m in a bit of a book drought here now: Amazon books are running late being delivered*, the busy weekend has meant no bookshop visits and I won’t be able to get back from work tomorrow in time to get to the library. Maybe I’ll sneak off to a cool London bookshop at lunch (suggestions happily received – I’ve heard of Forbidden Planet but that’s all!).

*And I've reached the end of my gift vouchers, so I have to start thinking about where to get books over here. Which makes any bookshop advice (not just for London) most welcome! Are there any chains that are ebil and I should avoid? Any noteworthy independents I should visit when travelling?

Tags: books, dessen, young adult

I left a great library system behind in Brisbane but the county one here seems very good. One of the best things about it is that they obviously have a different selection of books, so apart from dredging my memory trying to remember authors I had given up on finding in Australia I can also walk into libraries and pick up new and interesting books.
( Incarceron )
( The mobile library: the case of the missing books )

Tags: books, fantasy, fisher, mystery, sansom, young adult

I read this book at least two weeks ago but I’ve just been overwhelmed with stuff to do. I doubt the situation will improve much over the next couple of months (finish and submit PhD, pack up possessions, find job in UK…) so I apologise in advance for slackness in commenting/blogging. And for any inaccuracies in the discussion below!

The book banning of Maureen Johnson’s The Burmudez triangle finally got me motivated to get a copy of it. I’m glad I did go search for it (I suspect I have the only copy in my city) as it was a fun and insightful coming of age story.

This is a book about Nina, Avery and Mel, three teenagers who have been friends since they were kids. The story starts over a summer when Nina is attends a vacation school in Stanford while Avery and Mel work in a horrible fake Irish pub (think Guinness nachos). All three girls fall in love - Mel and Avery with each other. Over the course of the next year the story describes how the relationships between the three friends change, first when Nina comes home, and later when Avery starts questioning her bond with Mel. I also enjoyed the other relationships described in the books, particularly as they were set into the context of the complicated and busy final year of school.

The three POVs are managed very well, with each girl having her own distinct personality. Actually, all of the characters seemed very realistic to me, as did the storyline. Everything didn’t tie up too neatly and there was enough confusion over life choices to satisfy me :) Maureen's trademark wittiness lightened what could have been a book otherwise overburdened with drama.

And as for the whole banning thing: madness.* There isn’t any violence, drug-use, swearing (although I admit I sometimes don’t notice this) or sexual descriptions beyond kissing.** So the only reason to ban the book is if you don’t want anyone to read about teenagers being confused about their sexuality and how to manage their friendships and romantic relationships.

* ha ha, I bet that was a surprise to you all :)
**not that these things mean a book should be banned either, but a book without them being banned? Unusual.

Tags: books, johnson, young adult

Last week seemed to be the week of good books. No sooner had I finished Dreamhunter than I was sucked into Mitali Perkins’ YA novel Monsoon summer. Fifteen-year-old Jasmine reluctantly goes to India for the summer with her family to help her dauntingly philanthropic mother set up a clinic in the orphanage. Jazz (as she is usually known) is reluctant not only because she doesn’t see herself as able to live up to her mum’s high standards but also because she has fallen in love with her best friend and business partner in San Francisco.

Monsoon Summer is a great mix of romance, travel and coming of age. Even though the themes are not uncommon it was an absorbing story with a lovely multicultural feel (Jazz's mum was born in India and is hoping to find her birth mother). The family’s characters and relationships were portrayed very convincingly, particularly the way individual members were trapped into an image of themselves. I admit that at times I, like Jazz’s family and friends, wanted to bop her on the head for her low self-esteem. Sometimes I felt the theme of being beautiful in your own way (even if that is tall and athletic) was a bit heavy handed, but of course feeling unlovely does feel overwhelming sometimes. I enjoyed the colourful Indian setting and was wishing for one of the lovely Indian outfits by the end of the book! Mitali also maintains a lovely website and blog.

Tags: books, perkins, young adult

Wow, I went all out with this post title, huh? My poor brain is shocked by being forced to work for a whole day with no fiction or fun internet reading so I guess I will cut it some slack.

Dreamhunter was one of the most original fantasy novels I have read for a while. Set in alternate Edwardian period, this novel describes a world where some people can catch dreams and share them with others. These dreams are in great demand for purposes ranging from healing to entertainment. Fifteen year-old cousins Laura and Rose have parents with extraordinary dreamhunting abilities, and are due to be tested for dreamhunting gifts themselves. However, it soon becomes evident that the world of dreamhunting is not as simple and beneficial as it appears. Even the line between fiction and fact in the dreams starts to seem blurred.

I liked the setting with its mix of history, fantasy and shadowy political conspiracies. The characters all seemed solid, particularly the adults. Sometimes Laura was a bit irritatingly dreamy, although that might have been in comparison to her energetic cousin. Hopefully the characters continue to develop in the sequel. A nice sense of mystery was maintained through the book, although I have to warn everyone that it ends with a cliffhanger! Luckily my library already had the second book, Dreamquake, in the system so I am hoping it will arrive in time for a nice weekend gobble.

I was surprised when I picked it up off my library hold shelf as I had no recollection of the title or author! After reserching the matter I think I may have heard about it on Justine Larbalestier's blog. I am ashamed I hadn’t heard of it earlier given that Knox is a Kiwi writer and the book has been out in Australia since 2005. It is out in the UK and the US already so you should all be able to read it now, too!

Tags: books, fantasy, knox, young adult

A book I read happily ensconsed in the hammock at Goomburra last weekend was Charles De Lint’s young adult urban fantasy The blue girl. Although I’m a fan of Charles De Lint, some of his most recent books have left me a bit underwhelmed, so I didn’t rush out to buy this book. But it was a good read that was more innovative than I expected.

The book is set in De Lint's fictional Canadian town Newford and features Imogene, a tough 17 year old who recently moved to town; Maxine, a lonely and well-behaved student; and a host of supernatural creatures including a school ghost and fairies. I’ve just realised that although the book alternated narration between Imogene and Maxine, I thought of Imogene as the real narrator. Maybe this is because she started and ended the story, and was also the “Blue girl” of the title.

Anyway, the story moves along at fast clip and describes Imogene and Maxine’s encounters with these disparate supernatural creatures. The two friends have to figure out how the world of fairie works in order to save Imogene from soul-sucking monsters. There was a solid cast of characters. Even the minor characters, such as the mean mother of the friend (who turned out not to be so mean), seemed realistic. The friendship between the two girls was well described, too.

One concern I had was the book contains quite a few references to other De Lint works, which might make it less acccessible to new readers. But this cozy insider feel didn’t impede De Lint explaining things like how to scare fairies (usual stuff like putting clothes inside out), so perhaps these in-jokes are not really a problem.

This is a good title to keep up your sleeve for fans of urban fantasy. It’s less dark than Holly Black’s books but still a good mix of realism and fantasy.

Tags: books, de lint, fantasy, young adult