There’s so much happening in the world of Young Adult books! Some people may classify a few of these books as MG rather than YA, but again, I put forth the usual disclaimer – associating an age with a reading level is impossible.
Many of these books are crucial – they deal with ideas and issues that need to be addressed. Yet, when I read, the “issue” cannot ever be all-important. I cannot love a book simply because it is important. And that’s why, even though I read books that are arguably more “important”, my favourites remain ones that wring my heart.
Boy 87
Fourteen-year-old Shif is put into prison for something he has not even done yet. It is when he goes to jail that he discovers others who have been imprisoned for the kind of “something” which is actually nothing at all. Also, it is in Shif that every prisoner’s hopes are vested, for Shif is young and can run away: his body and spirit are not yet broken. He must live to tell their tales. Boy 87 is a powerful story of sacrifice, courage and faith.
Read a more detailed review here.
When She Went Away
Vulnerability: is there anything more endearing than that? When She Went Away moved me with its portrayal of emotional upheaval. When Maria’s mother leaves her husband and children, the family begins to fall apart. Maria is determined to bring Ammi back, but one day, she has to deal with the niggling question of whether her mother wants to come back at all.
Read a more detailed review here.
Daddy Come Lately
The characters of Daddy Come Lately are simply wonderful, and they pull you into their story with their humour and warmth. When characters emerge as human beings who are less than perfect, I am particularly drawn to them, and in this book, the mother Tanu is the best of all. She is brilliantly drawn with human failings that don’t take away from her being a supermom. She loves her daughter, but sometimes, love does not prompt you to make the right decisions …
Read a more detailed review here.
How Not to Disappear
Though I’ve listed How Not to Disappear here, I cannot really see it as YA. Its intense portrayal of trauma and abuse wrung my heart, and I don’t know how I would have reacted to it had I read it as a young adult. Yet, I do know that teens go through a lot, and a book like this could reach out to them in ways that I do not know. I would not be exaggerating if I said that How Not to Disappear ranks among the most moving books I have ever read.
Read a more detailed review here.
Just Henry
A long read, Just Henry was a book I could not put down, despite how thick the book was and how tired my hands (and eyes) became. When it comes to books that address important ideas, this one is right up there with the best, forcing us to think about morality, friendship and family.
Read a more detailed review here.
The Thing about Jellyfish
A wonderful story about love and loss, The Thing about Jellyfish struck me with its portrayal of loneliness and the need to belong. It is the story of a quest for meaning, the core of what it is to be human. Why do things happen? Why do people die? And how can people just move on? Suzy, torn by all these questions, locks herself up in her own silent world until she finds someone who can hold her hand and draw her out.
Read a more detailed review here.
Fire Colour One
I love complex plots that twist and turn, building suspense that is centred around a secret that the reader longs to know. And when a compelling plot is propelled by wonderful characters, the book is stellar. Fire Colour One is yet another book about family dynamics, trickery and triumph. This was easily one of my best reads of 2018!
Read a more detailed review here.
The Lie Tree
After I read The Lie Tree, I found so many people writing about it! A story about secrets and the terrible power of a single lie, I loved the dark rawness of this story. Faith’s ambition in life is to be a bad example – and that forms the wonderful premise of a fantastic story in which a girl living in her father’s shadow discovers how many forms rebellion can take.
Read a more detailed review here.
Red Sky in the Morning
I don’t think I have read anything by Elizabeth Laird that I have disliked, which makes me keep a constant lookout for her books. Red Sky in the Morning was a story that brought alive a setting I do not know at all. Yet, the ideas it addresses are universal. What does love mean? And what is acceptance? And for Anna, what does it mean to love fiercely her profoundly disabled brother?
Read a more detailed review here.
Invisible People
Invisible People was the very last book I read in 2018, and it moved me to tears more than once. The only work of non-fiction in this list of books for young adults, it is an incredible collection of stories that reinforces what it is to be human. In the worst of times, can the human spirit triumph? Do hope and courage exist in times of hate? The answer, given by Invisible People, is a resounding ‘yes’.
Read a more detailed review here.
Leave a Reply