October YA books, events & news
This month in YA we have dark and thrilling fantasy, an eighteenth century adventure, a sensitive depiction of chronic illness and a climate change dystopia.
Find our October picks for kids books here.
YA BOOK OF THE MONTH
A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier
Strong-willed Elodie is sent to work as a servant at Black Oak Cottage, and finds herself helping the witch Aleida cope with the monstrous legacy of her predecessor Gyssha Blackbone. The two young women, both with the kind of resilience forged by challenging histories, band together to combat ghosts, warlocks and demonic trees.
Our reviewer Holly aligned Spurrier’s first work for teens with the greats of Australian YA fantasy (think Garth Nix, Isobel Carmody and Alison Croggon) and describes A Curse of Ash and Embers as a ‘dark but engaging coming-of-age tale full of mystery that will have fans 13+ hooked’.
You can read Holly’s full review here.
YA BOOKS TO READ THIS MONTH
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Felicity Montague would dearly like to enrol in medical school, but her career ambitions prove impossible to fulfil in eighteenth century England and Felicity is forced to embark on an elaborate scheme. Her estranged childhood friend Johanna is marrying the progressive and renowned physician Dr Platt in Germany and Felciity hopes to convince him to take her on as a research assistant. In financial desperation, Felicity accepts an offer from female pirate, Sim, to travel to Germany together. Intrigue, risk and danger ensues for Felicity, Sim and Johanna who become ensnared in a surprising adventure that may, or may not, involve sea monsters.
Our reviewer Bronte rated this swashbuckling historical adventure highly, saying: ‘Mackenzi Lee demonstrates that there is no ‘right’ way to be a woman, and challenges popular notions that romantic love is the only truly fulfilling form of love.’ For ages 12 and up.
You can read Bronte’s full review here.
What the Woods Keep by Katya de Becerra
Hayden finds out on her eighteenth birthday that her long-absent, presumed dead, mother Ella has bequeathed her a country house. Hayden and her loyal best friend Del travel to Promise, Colorado, where Hayden must deal with odd memories and current strange realities: her mother’s bizarre disappearance in the woods, her childhood friend Shannon, her own mysterious acts of violence, her father’s extreme scientific theories, misbehaving birds, and sleepwalking bouts.
Supplemented with news articles, letters, confidential reports, journals and other ephemera, this is a uniquely constructed story that places hard scientific theories alongside paranormal elements and Germanic mythology. Our reviewer Dani recommends it as ‘a great supernatural story with enough genuinely creepy moments to keep you up at night’. For ages 14 and up.
You can read Dani’s full review here.
Dry by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman
Bestselling author Neil Shusterman has co-written a book with his son Jarrod, and it’s a harrowing near-future look at severe drought in southern California. When the water supplies run dry (the ‘Tap-Out’) and their parents disappear, sixteen-year-old Alyssa and her little brother Garrett, must look for their parents and find a water supply for themselves in increasingly dangerous and desperate conditions.
They band together with three other teens in their quest – survivalist Kelton, independent Jacqui and shady Henry – and the multiple perspectives of these core characters, plus small snapshots of other citizens lives, build a true sense of doom. For ages 12 and up.
Girl in the Window by Penny Joelson
Kasia can’t attend school due to myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue), and so she forms the habit of watching the world go by her bedroom window. One day Kasia witnesses what looks like the kidnapping of a young girl on her street, and also notes the presence of another girl witness in the house across the road. When Kasia calls the police, both the police and her neighbours deny that there’s a girl living there.
Told in two contrasting narrative strands, Girl in the Window shows a courageous young girl taking action within the realities of living with a chronic illness and delves into the serious topic of child trafficking. Our reviewer Pilgrim described it as a ‘compulsive page-turner’ and a ‘must-read for fans of mysteries’. For ages 12 and up.
You can read Pilgrim’s full review here.
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
Spirited and mischievous Yumeko is half-human and half-kitsune (fox spirit), raised in confinement by monks in a monastery, and taught to control the more fox-like aspects of her nature. When the monastery is attacked, and her beloved family murdered, Yumeko finds herself on the run, in possession of a valuable fragment of a fabled scroll, and on a quest to find the other sought-after pieces of scroll.
Tatsumi is a deadly young assassin, a Shadow Clan warrior and demon slayer who wields the dangerous sword, Kamigoroshi, the godslayer. He has been hired to gather together the fragments of the scroll, and if necessary, simply kill anyone in the way, including Yumeko. But what happens between the two teens as they travel together, fending off demons, rogue samurai, and power-mongers, becomes much more complicated. For ages 12 and up.
YA BOOK NEWS
We love our Teen Advisory Board, and we especially love hearing their passionate thoughts about the books they read. You can read about their recent meeting with Stone Girl author Eleni Hale here – including their reviews of the novel. Plus, board member Zach has shared his thoughts about and recommendations for #OwnVoices novels.
When life gets a bit heavy, it can be nice to read a lighthearted book! To this end, we’ve put together a list of YA books to make you laugh. Our picks range from comic fantasy, to accident-prone fashion models.
In literary news, the winners of the 2018 Inky Awards have just been announced. Congratulations to Peter Vu and Angie Thomas for their winning debut novels, Paper Cranes Don’t Fly and The Hate U Give. You can read more about them here.
Administered by the Centre for Youth Literature, the Inky Awards recognise high-quality young adult literature, with the shortlist selected by young adults, and the winners voted for online by teen readers. The Centre for Youth Literature also revealed the awesome new design of InsideaDog.com.au – an online space for ages 12 to 18.
Over in America, they have also recently announced longlists for this year’s prestigious National Book Awards, including the longlist for Young People’s Literature.
EVENTS FOR TEENS
We’re completely thrilled to give you the opportunity to hear much-loved artist Shaun Tan talk about his new book, Tales from the Inner City. This special event will be held at Church of All Nations at 6.30pm tomorrow, Thursday 4 October. Two ticket prices are available: $35 with a copy of the book, or $5 without a book. Bookings are essential – find out more here.
And very early next month, at 6.30pm on Thursday 1 November the Kids shop will host the launch of Boone Shepard: the Silhouette and the Sacrifice – the third book in Gabriel Bergmoser’s wonderful Boone Shepard series. This event is free and there’s no booking required.
