What our Teen Advisory Board have been reading over summer
With the summer holidays behind us and the new year raring to go, our Teen Advisory Board have been very busy reflecting on the past year and looking forward to some new and forthcoming novels. Find out what they’ve been reading below.
Grace
Best book read in 2018
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I was in awe of the authors’ creativity in portraying a story entirely through letters. It was so cool reading one story non-chronologically, from multiple perspectives and all without quoted dialogue. I was impressed by how succinct the narrative was, even without conventional chapters or dialogue.
Summer reading highlight
One book I read and adored was All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It was absolutely exquisite—delicate and sensitive, yet still harsh and confronting. It is an absolute must-read, a necessity for anyone who cares about humanity, empathy, youth and love.
Laura
Best book read in 2018
A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews. This book reads like a song—with both loud crescendos and minor chords. I read this book in a single sitting and was absolutely bawling by the end. It’s the sort of book you speed through to see what happens next but that you never want to end.
Summer reading highlight
The Wicked King by Holly Black. Following on from The Cruel Prince, this book is just as deliciously dark and twisted with the same wonderfully greedy characters.
Most anticipated
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
- What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume
- Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
- The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers by Kerri Turner
Zach
Best book read in 2018
Circe by Madeline Miller. An epic tale that delves into the world of the Greek gods, with endless twists and constant changes of setting that keep the entire novel refreshing from start to finish. It’s a delightful read.
Summer reading highlight
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. A heart-warming romance from two amazing authors who seamlessly blend together their individual writing styles to create a beautiful story.
Most anticipated
Darkdawn (Nevernight Book 3) by Jay Kristoff. The end to my favourite trilogy of all time. And also Aurora Rising and Dev1at3 (Deviate), Kristoff’s other two books (the former with Amie Kaufman). I’m Kristoff trash.
Xiao-Xiao
Best book read in 2018
Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee. It was completely and utterly heart-wrenching, yet still so uplifting. The setting, the writing and the characters were just so unique and refreshing compared to all the other books I read last year. Plus, I think it perfectly encapsulates the innocence, curiosity and joy of childhood.
Summer reading highlight
Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven. I went into this book expecting the usual contemporary YA story, but got so much more. I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t get enough of it.
Uly
Best books read in 2018
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. An amazing conclusion to an amazing series. Maas has given fans a book that has been well worth the wait, and delivered an amazing conclusion to the protagonist’s story.
Lenny’s Book of Everything. A heart-warming story about a brother and sister that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and has some of the most beautiful writing of the past year.
Summer reading highlights
- Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
- Cambodia Noir by Nick Seeley
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
- Stasiland by Anna Funder
- A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson.
Luci
Best books read in 2018
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. Beautifully structured and tightly written, it’s heartbreaking and exhilarating all at once.
Fabulous Nobodies by Lee Tulloch. Blunt, honest and hilarious, it’s guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Books are rarely this funny.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Again, it made me laugh, and it showed genuine relationships progressing beautifully. Also it has magic (and heists)!
Summer reading highlight
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Old books aren’t always boring and full of pining! This was such a page-turner—fast-paced yet not shallow. Moving and very, very beautiful.
Most anticipated
- King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
- Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood.
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
- The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
Ngaire
Best book read in 2018
I would probably say the best book I read in 2018 was Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin, which centres around Yael, a shape-shifting Jewish rebel who is charged with killing Hitler in a world where the Axis Powers won WWII. It’s a thrilling, engaging novel with a badass female lead and bounds of well-developed interesting places, situations and side characters (both good and bad!). This book rules.
Summer reading highlight
Of the many enjoyable books I read over summer, I would emphatically recommend The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, because who doesn’t love resilient women mixed with beautiful storytelling and Greek myths; and The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe, an inspiring story about the power of words and hope in the face of struggle and oppression.
Most anticipated
I’m really looking forward to Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC. I absolutely loved and devoured it, and I’m already itching to get my hands on book two.
I’m also looking forward to finally getting around to reading Invictus and The Walled City both by Ryan Graudin, and The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James.
