One of the best things about being a primary school librarian is that you get to read any young adult book in the library you like and call it work. We’ve been bingeing a bit on teen fiction recently, and here are some of the books we’ve enjoyed the most.
My daughter’s dog came home from doggy daycare carrying a large bone with a label tied on it that read, “Enzo’s first birthday”. She was incredulous that anyone would send home a doggy party pack, but I said, “Of course Enzo celebrates his birthday human-style, and if you’d read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, you’d understand!”. Narrated by the dog who has educated himself by watching TV and listening to the words of his favourite racing car driver, Enzo realises that racing is a metaphor for navigating tricky situations in life. We were captivated by this book.
Of all the books I’ve been reading lately, The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness is what I most recommend if you haven’t read it already. We have a special anniversary edition in the library to celebrate 10 years of this award-winning trilogy. The books are really gripping, fast-paced and original. I was hooked immediately on the story set on a planet called New World where all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts in a stream of images and sounds called Noise. The novels feature Todd Hewitt who is forced to flee his town just a month before he is to become a man, and Viola Eade who is the only survivor of a group from a scouting mission that crash landed on New World. There are themes of flight, tyranny and war, cults, colonisation- and how that doesn’t usually turn out so well for anybody.
For a creepy, fast-paced read, try Five Total Strangers by Natalie Richards. We read this book as it was chosen for Sora’s Big Library Read from Nov 1-15, 2021. It is described as a “page-turning thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end” (School Library Journal). And it was just that! I really enjoyed reading it right up until the end which I found to be a bit of a predictable let-down. But I’d still recommend it if you are looking to read a good teen thriller.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven has won literary awards around the world. Described as “The story of a girl who learns to live from a boy who wants to die”. The alternate narration by the main characters, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey weaves together their unlikely friendship that starts when they meet, both about to jump off the ledge of the bell tower at school. It is a great read, quite gripping, that deals with important teen issues, and I particularly loved the characters.
We’ll continue to bring out the youth in ourselves by reading the books that teenagers and young adults love best.
