INTRODUCTION
While many over-fifteens will by now be reading adult books, there is also a wealth of books available at the upper end of the young adult spectrum that deals sensitively with issues of special concern to older teens. Things to look out for when choosing books for this age group are: more sophisticated language and themes, to challenge and engage the reader, high quality writing, and themes that are adult enough to engage the older teenager. Teenagers can easily be turned off by writing that the consider patronising, or simplistic. In this section, there are titles catering to all levels of reading skill and interest in this age group; it has also been attempted to represent as many genres as possible. Humorous books rub shoulders with serious and subtle looks at first love and awakening sexuality; racism, pregnancy and death are all dealt with, but the books chosen are not mere ‘issue' books, all of them are high quality fiction. Other issues that touch many adolescents, like family relationships, bullying and friendship are also represented, but overall, the common factor in all the books selected is that each is an excellent read. As well as being extremely worthwhile in their own right, these books will pave the way to, or complement, the young person's enjoyment of adult literature.
A note from author KEVIN BROOKS
Books for young people, or books about young people, are just the same as any other books. They're books. And books are about life, and life is about all kinds of stuff. Some of this life-stuff is good, some of it's not so good, and some of it is somewhere in between. But it's all there - from good to bad - and it all happens, and we all know it happens. Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone wants to read about the darker side of life, and not everyone wants to write about it either, but it's just as much a part of life as anything else. In fact, if you think about it, it's the dark stuff that really makes the world what it is.
Without sex, there'd be no life. Without violence, there'd be no history. Without bad feelings, there'd be no feelings. I know it sounds simple, but this kind of stuff - sex and violence, drinks and drugs - it's just stuff. It happens. It's life. And books are about life. And life is about all kinds of stuff. Kevin Brooks July 2006
Our top choices 2006 and 2007
MT Anderson
The Astonishing Life Of Octavian Nothing
Candlewick Press, £12.99 (Hbk), Isbn 9780763624026
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is, without doubt, one of the most affecting reads of 2007. This is a book about the history of slavery: set in Boston on the cusp of the Revolutionary War, young African American, Octavian is raised by a group of rational philosophers. He is dressed in the finest silks and educated to the highest classical standard. His mother is an African princess, famed for her beauty and wit. It is only after entering a forbidden room that Octavian learns the chilling truth about the philosophers' experiment and his part in it. Inevitably once the veil of deceit has been lifted, things can never be the same. Anderson's historical research is impeccable and Octavian is a realistically violent book, which confronts sickness, sanitation, war and the treatment of slaves. It is also a complex story, which raises many difficult questions about freedom and suppression. Written as a dual narrative in eighteenth century diction from Octavian's point of view and a series of letters from a soldier who befriends him, reading Octavian requires effort on the part of the reader but perseverance will be richly rewarded. Octavian Nothing will undoubtedly challenge and disconcert: the themes of slavery, racism, captivity, free will and the search for identity resonate in the modern world. Winner in the US of 2006 National Book Award for Young People, it is likely to appeal to the most committed young adult readers but should also be recommended to adults.
Melvin Burgess
Sara's Face
Andersen Press, £9.99 (HBK), ISBN 1842701800
In perhaps his most shocking novel to date, Burgess presents a chilling portrayal of a society obsessed with age, consumerism, beauty and the celebrity guaranteed by media interest. Sara is ambitious and wants to be a work of art, rather than merely famous. A top fashion photographer declares Sara perfect for every catwalk so natural and versatile is her beauty. Yet Sara sees only imperfections, and self-worth and self-identity gradually disappear, until she refuses to be seen without a mask, finding it increasingly difficult to separate real life from fantasy. When her face is badly burned in a bizarre ‘accident', Sara meets Jonathon Heat, an ageing pop superstar with an even shakier grip on his identity, a mediocre singer who had changed both image and life several times, until the transformations themselves became part of the image. His own face now utterly ruined by repeated transplants; he introduces Sara to his cosmetic surgeon, promising to launch her career. She has always accepted there's a price to pay for fame, but if, as her friends suspect, Heat wants to steal her face for himself, is that price worth the total loss of her identity?
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