Reviewed by Rod McLary The great late crime novelist P. D. James once said ‘all fiction is largely autobiographical’ and this observation is borne out by Josh Silver’s debut novel HappyHead. The author says [in ‘Josh Silver – in his own words’ at the conclusion of the novel] that, like his protagonist Seb Seaton, he
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Wow! The Iron Widow is a wild Young Adult read. Xiran Jay Zhao expands on concepts drawn from a range of pop culture and Chinese mythology to deliver an imaginative Sc Fi retelling of the only female emperor in Chinese history – Wu Zetian. In this, Zhao powerfully forwards the idea
Reviewed by Gerard Healy This is a Young Adult novel with dollops of darkness mixed in with some light. The story centres on fifteen-year-old Emily and her twin brother Alex, who live with their ailing father on a rural property outside Warrnambool, Victoria. Now the author of this fine little book is Paul Jennings and
Reviewed by Rod McLary There is something about Young Adult novels which immediately appeals to the discerning reader. Perhaps the appeal lies in the authenticity of the adolescent voice which hasn’t yet learned to dissemble and obfuscate. Perhaps it is the lived experience of navigating the no man’s land between childhood and adulthood which we
Reviewed by Rod McLary This engaging novel, The Rider on the Bridge, opens with the narrator re-telling a story told to him of a young boy riding his bike – for a fee – blindfolded across a bridge. The narrator informs the reader that ‘the absence of truth does not diminish the story’ [8]; the
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Concepts planted in our psyche through music and other media unconsciously inform what we create. p. 278 A master class in presenting serious themes with a feather light touch. And so very funny! Allayne Webster’s That Thing I Did has all the elements of an intriguing young-adult novel – four young
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend A female protagonist who is half-English half-Chinese and half-monster half-human, a hoard of full-blood monsters, the protagonist’s human, monster-slaying love interest, and time travel! Such are the elements of Vanessa Len’s debut Young Adult novel, Only A Monster. Ambitious, to say the least! Vanessa Len writes that she was interested in
Reviewed by Rod McLary The ‘golden boys’ are four queer [the term used by the author] sixteen-year-old boys living in a small town in rural Ohio – and who are best friends. Gabriel, Reese, Sal and Heath are at the end of their penultimate school year and about to begin their spring break. But instead
Reviewed by E. B. Heath Ruta Sepetys is a celebrated writer of historical fiction and a world-class ambassador for human dignity. Her books are written with the intent of giving voice to populations who suffered through cruel totalitarian regimes but are under-represented in historical records. She is categorized as a ‘crossover’ novelist, valued by both
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The reader of this latest book by Kathleen Glasgow is told that more than twenty million people in the United States struggle with substance abuse each year…that statistic begins with users at age twelve…and that’s only what has been documented (379). The author who, in her first book Girl in Pieces,
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze, by Clayton Zane Comber, is written for young adults, but even if readers are decades older, they will enjoy being immersed into the world of Xander Maze and his friends. Xander is clearly ‘on the spectrum’, his father died when he was a toddler so
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Just when you might have thought the time travel, body exchange trope had, through sheer over use, ground itself into the nearest literary grave – it’s back. And, I loved it! Why? Well, to paraphrase William S, it’s all about hope springing eternal in young adult fiction. In It’s Not You,
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Following the success of her book Fable, New York Times author Adrienne Young has published Namesake, her second book in the duology. This conclusion to the Young Adult feminist adventure addresses the relationship between a young girl and her father. Fable has had to become tough and resourceful after her mother’s
Reviewed by Rod McLary We were all fourteen-year-old teenagers once, and most of us – even when we don’t particularly want to – can remember what being fourteen was like. Negotiating the complexities of relationships outside our families, establishing a place in school, let alone addressing the whole new world of sexuality and gender –
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Puccini would have had no idea what Ellie Marney planned to do with his great aria from Turandot Nessun Dorma (or None Shall Sleep). Opera lovers across the world would be cringing at her audacity if the book were just not so good. One bump continues to bother (and that will