Author, Miriam Halahmy, makes her personal book recommendations for readers aged 11-14.
My choices will focus on my personal interests of social and political themes.
a) Do take a look at my novels, Hidden,Illegal,and Stuffed as they are fast paced teen novels, dealing with edgy subjects and include extreme sports such as motorbike riding and rock climbing.
b) Saving Rafael by Leslie Wilson. A brilliantly written book about a mother and daughter who save a Jewish boy in Nazi Berlin.
c) Being Billy by Phil Earle. Very revealing book about the modern experience of being a teen in care.
d) After the snow by S.D. Crockett. Although this seems dystopian the author suggests it could just be a contemporary struggle to survive in a hostile regime and in a climate of snow and sub-zero temperatures.
e) Dirty Work by Julia Bell, about trafficking girls into the UK and the terrible circumstances they face.
f) A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly. One of the first modern Y.A. novels I read and still one of my favourites. A lovely coming of age novel set in the first part of the twentieth century in North America and reflecting the harsh realities of growing up in a very poor and struggling family.
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Thank you Miriam, a very useful book list!
I've read a few pages of Hidden and it is a book that I want to read.
ReplyDeleteI thought After the Snow was excellent but it is also a very haunting and thought-provoking read. I'd also say readers should be warned that it really is edgy and be prepared for some horrible scenes. My review of it will be on the blog next week.
Thank you for reminding me about A Gathering Light, I read it when it first came out and thought it was a lovely book. The author manages to weave different storylines into this novel and I really cared about what happened to the main character, Mattie. Well written and a good mix of historical fiction, murder mystery and romance. From memory I think there is a childbirth scene that may be a bit offputting for the squeamish! Would be on my list of recommended reads too.
ReplyDeleteWow, a double recommendation for A Gathering Light!
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