 |
Everything, EverythingYOON, Nicola
ILLNESS | FAMILY | FRIENDSHIP Death and dying, weird illnesses, previously unheard-of diseases are currently pretty important topics in young adult literature, and young people seem to enjoy the frisson of reading about them, partly because they believe they are not really affected by them (yet). |
 |
Apple and RainCROSSAN, Sarah
Apple (who’s nearly 14) lives with her rather strict grandmother, because Apple’s mother disappeared for Hollywood 11 year ago, and Apple’s dad has re-married and his new wife is currently expecting a baby. Apple isn’t particularly happy; she feels her grandmother treats her like a baby, and she desperately wishes for her mother to return. |
 |
Grasshopper JungleSMITH, Andrew
ADVENTURE | GROWING UP | SCIENCE FICTION What a great book! Thrilling, funny and as bizarre as bizarre can be. Mix Vonnegut and King, science-fiction romps and B-movies and you get Grasshopper Jungle, a double-feature adventure written in incredible tongue-in-cheek language that surprises in a smooth and laconic way. If you have had enough of girl-against-the world/girl-power novels like Hunger Games or Divergent, try this trio (Austin, Robby and Shann) that is determined to save the world - at least the world of small-town Ealing in Iowa. |
 |
Opal PlumsteadWILSON, Jacqueline
GROWING UP | HISTORY | FAMILY Many Wilson fans think she is an expert on combining laughter and tears in usually in a tragic family situation. Take The Illustrated Mom, for example, it is seasoned with so much fun that the novel makes you think, laugh and cry all at the same time; certainly not your typical ‘doom and gloom’ literature for children. |
 |
Skink - No SurrenderHIAASEN, Carl
ADVENTURE | THRILLER | ENVIRONMENT Hiaasen, who has written a number of very entertaining thrillers for adults, has also given us a handful of YANs, all of which are set in Florida and deal with ecological topics wrapped in fast-paced adventure stories. |
