As you no doubt have figured out by now, I am a huge fan of juvenile and teen fiction. I'd like to talk about an excellent teen writer named Laurie Halse Anderson. Anderson is very good at addressing tough issues and she creates balanced characters with whom the reader can identify. I have read four of her novels, and I would recommend them all.
The novel that introduced me to Ms. Anderson is her masterpiece Speak. Melinda starts her freshman year of high school and it is hell. Her former friends hate her and everyone at school gossips about her. She is burdened with a dark secret and she is unable to tell anyone. Her parents are concerned but preoccupied- and IT is harassing her. Will Melinda find her voice? Will she find the courage to face her fears? This is a powerful, deeply moving novel that tackles a really serious issue for teens.
In Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson discusses anorexia through the two main characters of the novel. Best friends, the girls encourage and enable each-other in their eating disorders, until one girl dies and the other is left behind, plagued by guilt. The surviving girl copes with her grief by continuing to starve herself and sabotage herself. Will she find the strength to survive? While this one didn't have the same impact for me as Speak, I thought that Anderson addressed the issue well.
In Twisted, Laurie Halse Anderson tackles another tough issue, but from a male perspective. A teen's world is shattered when he is falsely accused of rape. Will anyone believe him? This novel tackles some moral issues that are crucial to teen guys and girls. I thought that the author was very believable writing as a male. I could identify with him despite the gender difference. Excellent.
Halse Anderson takes on historical fiction in Chains: Seeds of America. The young protagonist, Isabel, is a slave girl who is responsible for her younger epileptic sister, Ruth. When their mother dies, the girls are cruelly sold to wealthy and calcualting loyalists in New York City. As the intrigues of the revolutionary war rise up around them, Isabel must decide which side she should help- which side will grant her her freedom? She is disillusioned by both the patriots and the Britons as neither side is interested in helping her or her sister. And when the cruel Mrs. Lockton sells Ruth, Isabel isn't even sure if she can find the strength to carry on. I was immediately emotionally invested in the fate of the sisters, and I was unable to put this book down. I finished it in one sitting.
In short, Laurie Halse Anderson is a great teen writer. She is a refreshing change from the superficial, poorly-written novels that have inundated the teen market.
Showing posts with label Teen Issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teen Issues. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Young Readers' Choice Awards 2010
There's just sometihng about a children's book that appeals to me. I don't know if it's the magic and innocence or the ability to escape from adult problems for a short while, but I can completely immerse myself in a juvenile or teen novel. This must be why I love the Young Readers' Choice Awards titles. I can still remember voting for my favourites back in elementary and junior high school. Now that I work as a Library Assistant, I have started reading the YRCA nominees again.
For those of you that are wondering, the YRCA nominees are chosen by kids and teens, librarians and teachers in the Pacific Northwest- Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana and Washington. Once the final nominees have been chosen, it is up to kids to read the nominees and vote for their favourites in each category. Since the voting is now complete and the results will be out any day, I thought it would be fun to put in my two cents.
For the junior division (grades 4-6), my favourite is The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull, author of the wonderful Fablehaven series. Candy that is both delicious and magical- what could be better? But a group of kids soon learn that the grandmotherly owner of the new candy shop is hiding something more sinister. My second place vote goes to The Mysterious Benedict Society. In this novel, gifted children are handpicked to join said society to help save the world. Think of this one like a clever combination of Harry Potter and Lemoney Snicket, though it certainly has standing power on its own.
For the intermediate division (grades 7-9), two books have my vote for first place. Michael Scott's The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a delightful blend of magic, fantasy and history. In this fun read, a brother and sister help Nicholas Flamel keep his secrets of immortality out of the wrong hands. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale reads like an exotic fairy tale- a girl and her maid are locked into a tower for refusing a cruel suitor. As the days go by and the supplies dwindle, they wonder if they will even survive, let alone find true love.
I read almost all of the books in the Senior division (grades 10-12), and only two books really stood out. My vote for first place goes to Caroline B. Cooney's Enter Three Witches. Whether you enjoy Shakespeare's MacBeth or not, you will enjoy this novel that tells the story through a young girl's eyes. In second place is Laurie Halse Anderson's Twisted. I first encountered Ms. Anderson when I read her stunning novel Speak, and this one packs almost as much of a punch. Like Speak, Twisted tackles some tough teen issues, but from a male perspective.
The nominees for the 2011 nominees have recently been released, and I've read several of them already. Some of my favourites so far? Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. For more information on the YRCA nominees, go to http://www.pnla.org/yrca/index.htm
In the meantime, happy reading!
For those of you that are wondering, the YRCA nominees are chosen by kids and teens, librarians and teachers in the Pacific Northwest- Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana and Washington. Once the final nominees have been chosen, it is up to kids to read the nominees and vote for their favourites in each category. Since the voting is now complete and the results will be out any day, I thought it would be fun to put in my two cents.
For the junior division (grades 4-6), my favourite is The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull, author of the wonderful Fablehaven series. Candy that is both delicious and magical- what could be better? But a group of kids soon learn that the grandmotherly owner of the new candy shop is hiding something more sinister. My second place vote goes to The Mysterious Benedict Society. In this novel, gifted children are handpicked to join said society to help save the world. Think of this one like a clever combination of Harry Potter and Lemoney Snicket, though it certainly has standing power on its own.
For the intermediate division (grades 7-9), two books have my vote for first place. Michael Scott's The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a delightful blend of magic, fantasy and history. In this fun read, a brother and sister help Nicholas Flamel keep his secrets of immortality out of the wrong hands. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale reads like an exotic fairy tale- a girl and her maid are locked into a tower for refusing a cruel suitor. As the days go by and the supplies dwindle, they wonder if they will even survive, let alone find true love.
I read almost all of the books in the Senior division (grades 10-12), and only two books really stood out. My vote for first place goes to Caroline B. Cooney's Enter Three Witches. Whether you enjoy Shakespeare's MacBeth or not, you will enjoy this novel that tells the story through a young girl's eyes. In second place is Laurie Halse Anderson's Twisted. I first encountered Ms. Anderson when I read her stunning novel Speak, and this one packs almost as much of a punch. Like Speak, Twisted tackles some tough teen issues, but from a male perspective.
The nominees for the 2011 nominees have recently been released, and I've read several of them already. Some of my favourites so far? Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. For more information on the YRCA nominees, go to http://www.pnla.org/yrca/index.htm
In the meantime, happy reading!
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