Introduction

There is a broad range of maturity and reading ability in the twelve to fourteen age group, perhaps more so than in any other category, since these readers are bridging the gap from childhood to adolescence. Some twelve year olds are precocious readers who may enjoy adult fiction as well as young adult books, while some are still at the primary school reading stage; similarly, some fourteen-year-olds may feel they have outgrown teenage books, while others will quite happily read teen series. The books recommended in this section are intended to appeal to as broad a cross section of younger teenagers as possible, as well as having all the attributes of an excellent young adult book -- a strong, compelling story line, credible characters and high quality writing. Family stories and stories of young people facing everyday issues in the modern world are represented alongside funny, well-written ‘chicklit'. There are books about talented, passionate girls, thoughtful, introspective boys, and young people from centuries past who lived very different lives. Whether they deal in fantasy or gritty realism, all the books chosen have something to say to young people today.

A note for 12-14 year old readers from author Oisin McGann.

If you are reading this, then either you are already an adult, or you soon will be. If you are a young reader, then relish this time. Your first few years of reading novels will be a revolutionary period. You are growing beyond the control of your parents and your teachers. You will be exercising your own judgement now, rather than just trusting in theirs.

This will be the most exciting time in your life for reading. Your imagination is still a fertile wonderland; you have the maturity to tackle difficult plots, subjects and ideas, but you haven't started drinking coffee and watching the news. You have many questions and you are still prepared to listen to more than one answer. You will make up your own mind.

Books had their most exciting effects on me at your age - the stories that I read then changed my life. Maybe I could have that effect on someone someday... that's my dream. What's yours?

There is a world of books waiting out there for you. You won't always like the ones you choose - but what matters is that you make your own choices.  

Ruby Red

Linzi Glass
Penguin, (Hbk), 9780141382807

Seventeen-year-old Ruby Winters leads a double life: once she sets foot inside the school grounds she is the perfect A-student, popular with teachers and students alike but it is in the company of her parents that Ruby is her real self. Her classmates cannot guess that Ruby is very skilled at guarding secrets, for telling the truth could see the imprisonment of her parents and would certainly lead to brutal retaliation and ‘rough justice' for their black friends and associates. Her mother runs a controversial art gallery where she shows the work of banned black artists and her father is a lawyer who represents activists of the proscribed ANC. But when she rejects the advances of a rich and powerful classmate and soon after is seen with Afrikaans boy, Johann, Ruby sets in train a sequence of events that leads to disaster. For this is Johannesburg 1976, and the Soweto riots that will spark the protests that ultimately force an end to the extraordinarily unjust system of apartheid are just around the corner. This is a powerful story of love and loyalty in troubled times, and a moving portrayal of the lives of ordinary people whose convictions and actions bring about extraordinary change.

David Levithan

Are We There Yet?
Harpercollins, £5.99 (Pbk), Isbn 9870007191406

Danny Silver is a dynamic and hard-working executive; brother Elijah is seven years younger, easy-going and affable but reluctant to accept change, to go to college, to become an adult. These are brothers who could be said to inhabit different universes.

Sent to Italy by parents anxious that their sons should repair their relationship, each dreads the prospect of spending nine days in enforced togetherness. Levithan handles the apparent disconnectedness of the brothers with skill and subtlety: the reader is aware of the many attitudes and experiences they share, though these remain unspoken and so unknown to them. We see their private reactions and are gradually made aware, through humorous flashbacks, of how these brothers, once so close, have drifted apart. This is a thoughtful novel, full of humour and insight, about family and other relationships. It is also a beautifully written travelogue, complete with vivid and detailed images of their respective sights and sounds, for three of the most beautiful cities in Europe; it is a novel that will convince any reader to visit, or revisit, Italy.  

The Fourth Horseman

Kate Thompson
The Bodley Head, £10.99 (HBK), ISBN 0370328906

Multiple award-winning Kate Thompson's many strengths include an ability to ground her tales of science, magic and morality in real family life.  Laurie's dad is a scientist but his work is taking a very sinister turn, linked to the appearance of the strange horsemen in the woods. On the surface, normal family life seems to be carrying on as usual with Laurie's mother calling in from her job with the England cricket team to check up on them from time to time while her dad juggles home and work duties. Laurie becomes increasingly convinced that she is dealing with nothing less than the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and that her father could be the deadly Fourth Horseman who will unleash a power so terrible it will destroy the world. The writing, as with al this author's work, is wonderful; the story fast, accessible and exciting as it moves between cricket, global terrorism and science with easy assurance and increasing tension as it builds to its dramatic conclusion.  A book to be enjoyed by everyone, by one of the most gifted storytellers writing today.