Light and dark

It's interesting to read a light and enjoyable book about what is really quite a dark topic. Zelah Green, Queen of Clean is a 14-year-old girl with obsessive compulsive disorder. She thinks she copes with her 'rituals' quite well (lots of hand washing and avoidance of any germs or dirt). Her stepmother who she lives with has other ideas, and Zelah finds herself packed off to a place that will help her deal with her 'little problem'.

Vanessa Curtis has created a really feisty and likeable character. Other youngsters with mental health issues are introduced - anorexia and self harm among them - but they also are real rounded characters, never stereotyped. There's no definite 'happy ever after' at the end, but Zelah is more positive and is managing her rituals much better. I would say that this is aimed at the lower end of the teenage reading market, perhaps ages 11-14, and as such, this humorous story is probably the best way to deal with a serious subject.

Author, author

We (myself and students at our school) have had the chance to meet two authors in the last couple of weeks. We were really lucky to be offered the chance to host Alan Gibbons in school. Alan is an outstanding children's author, who I've heard speak several times before, but this is the first time he's been at our school. He worked with our Year 9s (age 13-14) and was a real hit. The consensus of opinion is that his 'author talk' was more like stand-up comedy.

Alan's own blog charts his work for the Campaign for the Book - it aims to raise the profile of reading in the UK, and campaign against library cuts and closures. There are lots of interesting links, reports and statistics. Have a read!

I've also taken a small group of students to meet Derek Landy. His first book Skulduggery Pleasant has been popular with students of all ages. Featuring a magical skeleton detective, it's a great fantasty adventure. There are now two sequels, and apparently the series will eventually stretch to nine books, getting progressively darker as the story progresses.