On your marks... get set...

GO!! I've just been sent a longlist of about 80 books that fit the criteria for the North East Teenage Book Awards (Book published in paperback in the last year by UK based authors). The aim of the award is to keep young people reading after the age of 14. Of the 80 books on the list I've only read 4, all of which I've mentioned here before (Number, Zelah Green, Ostrich Boys and The Knife of Never Letting Go). Time for some serious speed reading therefore if I'm going to be able to come up with some suggestions for the shortlist.

I've started off with Stolen by Lucy Christopher and The Poison Garden by Sarah Singleton. Comments to follow when I've read them!

In the Bleak...

I seem to have read some quite 'bleak' books in recent weeks. I picked up a copy of Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders in a local second hand book shop. It tells a fictionalised version of how the plague came to the Derbyshire village of Eyam in the 1600s. The characters are all imagined, but the background is very real. The villagers cut themselves off all other settlements to stop the disease from spreading. It's a fascinating book, even if not strictly 'true', and the reader has to look on as the villagers gradually turn on each other in their desperation. My only real cavil with the book is the epilogue, which seemed out of place somehow. I won't give any more than that away.

My second bit of bleakness has been The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, the recent winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and now nominated for CILIP's Carnegie Medal. Justifiably I would say... In the world where Todd lives all men can hear the thoughts of other men. Their deepest and desires and most trivial thoughts open for all to listen to. Despite this, Todd gradually realises that all the men he knows are keeping something from him, and that his understanding of the world around him is based upon a huge lie. The Knife of Never Letting Go is a challenging read for young adults. It's a dystopian chilling view of the future. I'm really pleased that I've managed to track down a copy of the newly published sequel The Ask and the Answer. Well done Gateshead libraries for being so quick off the mark!

And finally: Numbers by Rachel Ward. Jem and Spider are streetwise 15-year-olds, excluded from school. On a visit to London they find themselves caught up in a terrorist attack. Problem is, Jem knew it was going to happen, because when she looks in someones eyes she can see the date they will die. I'm still reading this, and enjoying it so far. Strong language (lots of it!) means it definitely a read for older teenagers.

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.

North East Book Award 2009

I've had small groups of the kids I work with involved in this local book award a couple of times before, and we're just about to start the whole process again. It's for students in Year 7 and Y8 at school (so ages 11-13), and schools from across the north east of England can take part.

There are five books on this year's shortlist:

Abela by Berlie Doherty

Reaver's Ransom by Emily Diamand

Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls

Young Samurai - the Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford

I'd already read Ways to Live Forever before the shortlist came out, and I'm really pleased to see it there. It's the story of Sam, who loves facts and lists, who enjoys spending time with his friend Felix, and who also has leukemia. Sam is dying, but it's certainly not a maudlin book. Sad in parts, but also uplifting, funny and heartwarming without being overly emotional. It's a first novel for Sally Nicholls, and on the strength of it I'm looking forward to her next one.

This weekend I took Abela home to read. It follows the lives of two girls with very different lives. Abela is an AIDS orphan living in Tanzania, Rosa lives in Sheffield with her much-loved mum. Abela needs a family, Rosa and her mum are hoping to adopt, but it's not until the very last couple of pages that all the loose ends are tied up. Abela's story is heartbreaking, but mostly rings very true. It is a tale of AIDs, beareavement, human trafficking and bravery. My only criticism is that there are a couple of 'coincidental' reappearances of minor characters that seem very unlikely. That's only a very slight quibble though. It's a beautiful book and I devoured it in one sitting!

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(Query: which one of these two covers would you go for? The hardback and paperback versions of Abela are very different. I can't quite decide which will appeal to kids the most. I think they'll find the one on the left a bit off-putting and dull, but I wonder if the one on the right will put off the boys. Female protagonists do not necessarily a girls book make!)

So far, so much reading

January's reads so far:

The Declaration by Gemma Malley - a teenage read, set in a future where old age has been 'cured' and couples who will not grow old are not allowed to have children. It's a dystopian story, where 'surplus' children are taken from their parents and trained to serve society. It reminded me somewhat of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale which is a favourite of mine.

The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - as discussed below. Loved it!

The Kissing Club by Julia Clarke - another one for the teenage girls. It's a story of teenage pregnancy, but not too preachy, with some very likeable well rounded characters.

Everything I Know About You by Belinda Hollyer - aimed at slightly younger girls, and dealing with a family mystery. How can Lizzie's little brother have seen their mum, when they both know she died several years earlier.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr - one I'd really wanted to read but was ultimately disappointed with. It's great premise for a novel. Girl can see faeries who by all rights, should be invisible to mortals. The reason she can see them? They want her for their queen, to end the reign of the Winter Queen for ever. Will Aislinn give up her new relationship with best friend Seth and ally herself with Keenan, the faery Summer King? A more detailed review and lots of interesting comments are on the Dear Author website, many of which reflect my views. That it was an enjoyable read, but that some of the structure (a bit fragmented somehow and uneven in terms of page-time given to different characters) meant that it wasn't a great read. Which is a shame because I'd heard good things about it.

Christmas presents

Each year my mum asks me for a shortlist of books that I would like for Christmas, and she selects a couple of them to buy for me. This year I got The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks which I'm reading at the moment. It's a book about a book; the story of a rare Jewish prayer book and the book conservator who becomes fascinated by it's history. I'd also recommend having a read of her book March, which is related to the classic Little Women. I love the books by Louise May Alcott, and Brooks' book tells the story of the American Civil War from the point of view of the girls' father.

I was also bought one of Tracey Chevalier's newer titles, Burning Bright, though now that term has started and I've got the usual piles of kids' and teen books to read I'm not sure when I'll get round to reading it. Chevalier's website includes a list of what she's read herself over the past few years which is quite interesting.

The third book I received this Christmas was Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer, which I'd never heard of, but my mum knows me well and it's right up my street. It looks at food and drink in classic kids' books and includes a combination of story exerpts and recipes. I've already thought of several people I'd like to buy it for!