Recommended new YA books in October
October is an exciting month for YA readers, with new releases from Phillip Pullman and John Green, as well as a far-reaching avalanche of great books that explore high school activism, a VR game that captures the world, magic realism and spooky hauntings.
Find our best recommendations for kids’ books this month here.
OUR YA BOOK OF THE MONTH
When Phillip Pullman announced that he would be returning to the world of His Dark Materials back in February we were absolutely delighted. And in two weeks, on Thursday 19 October, readers will finally be able to get their hands on La Belle Sauvage.
Set 10 years before the events of Northern Lights take place, La Belle Sauvage is the first book of The Book of Dust trilogy and tells the story of how Lyra came to be living at Jordan College which, in turn, becomes a much bigger adventure. Pullman has said he sees the new trilogy as companion novels to the original series, and we feel the books will be suitable for long-time fans as well as those new to the world.
You can read an exclusive extract from the book here.
A SPOTLIGHT ON AN AUSTRALIAN DEBUT
High-achieving 17-year-old Adelaide chucks it all in, drops out of school and retreats to her rural hometown of Emyvale in Untidy Towns. Clarity comes slowly and unexpectedly through Adelaide’s part-time job at the local historical society, a rekindled friendship and a potential new romance.
Our digital marketing manager Lian Hingee says that ‘this is a story about growing up, being brave, first love, family, and learning when to let go so that you can fly’.
Described as Nick Earls meets The Gilmore Girls, this is the first novel from local bookseller, editor and now author, Kate O'Donnell, and we already can’t wait to see what she does next.
INTERNATIONAL YA PICKS
The other major international publication this month is John Green’s long-awaited new novel, Turtles All the Way Down. In this story of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship, 16-year-old Aza and her best friend Dairy investigate fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett.
Turtles All the Way Down will be released on Tuesday 10 October, and we’re pleased to offer it as the super special price of $19.99 ().
I was thoroughly pleased with Jennifer Mathieu’s call-to-arms high school grrl power novel, Moxie. Vivian, normally one of the quieter girls at East Rockport High, is moved to act against sexist jokes used by some of the influential male students. She’s inspired by her mum, a Nineties riot grrl, to make a zine and distribute it in the girls bathrooms, unwittingly starting a grassroots feminist movement among her fellow students. You can read my full review here.
Adam Silvera has some loyal fans among the Readings staff, and his latest novel, They Both Die at the End, has an intriguing premise. Strangers and New York City residents Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio find each other through the Last Friend app – an app used to find a friend on the forecast last day of your life. As always, Silvera grapples with some big issues in this alternative version of the present, and gives us a sweet romance to boot.
Marie Lu’s sci-fi thriller Warcross is an ideal read for sci-fi and gaming fans. Teen hacker Emika is drawn into a world of intrigue when she is invited by the creator of the Warcross VR game creators to help with a security threat. The book was a hit with Tracy, one of the book lovers on our inaugural Teen Advisory Board, who described it as ‘packed with thrills and simmering with romance’.
All the Crooked Saints reads like Maggie Stiefvater’s YA homage to the great Latin American magic realists. Set in the dusty American outpost of Bicho Raro, it tells the sprawling tale of the Soria family – a family with a Mexican-American lineage and the ability to perform the most unpredictable and unexpected of miracles. If you like lush writing and quirky characters, this odd and captivating tale is for you.
You probably won’t find a more gorgeous cover all year than that of Frances Hardinge’s latest, A Skinful of Shadows. Happily, the insides promise to be just as darkly enchanting as the cover art – who would expect any less from Costa Prize-winner Hardinge? Illegitimate 12-year-old Makepeace has inherited the burdensome capacity to be inhabited by ghosts from the aristocratic Fellmotte family. Trained from birth to resist possession, she is inhabited by the spirit of a bear when her mother’s death leaves her unguarded. Makepeace’s struggles with the bear spirit and the sinister Fellmotte family takes place against the political struggles of the English civil war.
NEW BOOKS IN POPULAR SERIES
Brand-new titles in several popular series are released this month.
The second Spellslinger book, Shadowblack, sees Kellen and Reichis employed by a beleagured father to track down the blackmailers who have cursed his daughter. If you hadn’t yet heard of this funny, action-packed series about magicians, then you can find our glowing review of the first Spellslinger book here.
Robert Muchamore concludes his Rock War series with Crash Landing. These books follows three aspiring teenage musicians – Jay, Summer Smith and Dylan – as they appear on reality show Rock War.
And Libba Bray concludes her bestselling, jazz-filled, bone-chillingly supernatural The Diviners trilogy with Before the Devil Breaks You. In this book, the Diviners face a sinister new enemy, the King of Crows, with a deadly battle that tests them to the max.
THREE EXCELLENT GRAPHIC NOVELS
Three excellent graphic novels (or if you prefer, picture books for older readers) arrive this month, and each one has a separate approach to how they use pictures and words to tell stories.
Thornhill is an intriguing and atmospheric combination of greyscale illustration and words, which entwines storylines from two time periods. Mary’s unhappy story from Thornhill children’s home in 1982 is told in diary entries, while Ella’s contemporary story as her family moves into a home behind the now-abandoned Thornhill is told in pictures.
Our reviewer, Dani, describes the experience of reading this unusual book as ‘more harrowing with every page turn: the tension building until you’re reading faster and faster, desperately trying to finish the book before dark’. You can read her full review here.
Together with illustrator Rovina Cai, Margo Lanagan has created the atmospheric Tintinnabula. In this book, a young woman sets out from devastated and barren lands on a quest for calm and peace. This is a poetic story of finding stillness and comfort from within. You can read our review here.
Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer has collaborated with Andrew Donkin and illustrator Giovanni Rigano with Illegal, a graphic novel that follows 12-year-old Ebo as he traverses the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea on his own to (hopefully) reach Europe. This is a compassionate and gripping read.
A TRIBUTE TO YA SUPERSTAR JOHN MARSDEN
In Black Inc’s new Writers on Writers series, leading writers reflect on another Australian writer who has inspired them. Alice Pung has kicked off the series with her book on groundbreaking YA author, John Marsden.
Pung writes: ‘What makes (Marsden) so fascinating to me is that as a young adult writer, he comes at it with a whole philosophy of what it means to be a teenager - it is embedded in his two schools, but also his early experiences with mental illness and hospitalisation. It brings interesting questions for an author of YA fiction - how much darkness is allowed, before you are considered a “bad influence”?’
On John Marsden is essential reading for anyone who loved his books growing up.
A SPECIAL OFFER FOR SCI-FI READERS
If you’re an avid sci-fi reader, or have one at home, now is the perfect time to indulge in this passion. Throughout October, we have a special offer on the SF Masterworks range of science fiction classics from Hachette Australia. From now until 31 October, customers can buy any two SF Masterworks titles and receive a third for free.
This offer is exclusively available in all Readings shops (except online) until 31 October on stickered, in-stock items, and only while stocks last. You can view a selection of highlights here, or come visit us in store to browse the full range.
RECENT NEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The winners of the teen-choice Inky Awards have recently been announced. Congratulations to Cath Crowley who won the Gold Inky Award for an Australian book with her novel, Words in Deep Blue, and to Alice Oseman who won the Silver Inky Award for an international book with her novel Radio Silence.
This week also saw the reveal of the 2017 shortlist for the National Book Awards for Young People’s Literature. You can find the finalists across all categories here.
Our Teen Advisory Board gotten together for their monthly meeting to discuss a wide range of book-related topics. It’s exciting to hear that they will be producing shelf talkers (those little recommendation signs stuck to book shelves) very soon so watch out for them in our shops in the coming months. You can also read their thoughts about The Bone Sparrow, our inaugural Readings Young Adult Book Prize winner, here as well as a wonderful interview they put together with author Zana Fraillon.
I’m a keen reader of historical young adult fiction – so keen that when I sat down to write about a few of my favourites, it blew out into a list of 10 organised in chronological time setting order. Enjoy!
