Teen Advisory Board
Meeting the name behind the book
by Poppy, Readings Teen Advisory BoardPoppy from our Teen Advisory Board reflects on how attending book launches, author signings and workshops can enrich your reading experience as well as be inspiring and educational.
Books can be so much more than something you read once and put on your shelf. Attending book launches, author signings and workshops can enrich your reading experience. It allows you to meet the creator behind the work, understand their point of view and motivate you to try something new.
I still…
The Teen Advisory Board discuss perceptions and expectations around different types of books
by Readings Teen Advisory BoardIn this blog, our TAB explore perceptions and expectations around genre by answering two questions.
Do you think all book genres and readerships are treated the same, or are some viewed as more worthy of our time and attention? Do you think as a society we value the right kinds of books?
Anahatt Kaur: As a society on the whole, I feel that we’ve stigmatised certain genres as 'trashy' or 'mind-numbing', while placing other genres on pedestals for their 'literary…
YA novels to read when you want to write
by Poppy, Readings Teen Advisory BoardAll writers need their inspiration, especially aspiring teen writers. In the four YA novels below, the main character is a teenager who writes to search for a personal or universal truth.
Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
Samira Ahmed’s Hollow Fires is about Safiya Mirza and her journey pursuing the truth. As editor of her school’s newspaper, she believes journalists need to write facts not personal biases. However, when a 14-year-old boy is killed for no reason other than racism, she…
Contextualising Ukraine through literature
by Alina, Readings Teen Advisory BoardAlina from our 2023 Readings Teen Advisory Board has been working to contextualise Ukraine through literature.
As Ukraine is in the centre of a war near global proportions, its literature and art are drawn upon to sustain its cultural identity and presence in the world. From poetry in the soviet era, and authoritative texts on Ukraine's vital history, to fictional works by Ukraine's most dynamic writers, this list of books has been created to help deepen my own understanding, and…
Reading beyond YA
by Poppy, Readings Teen Advisory BoardStudying a novel in secondary school introduces you to new authors, new genres and new eras. Close analysis of a text can be a way to dive deep into a particular book over a term or two. But why stop there? Personally, I love a good coming-of-age YA novel. But in the past year, I’ve used the texts I’ve studied at school as a starting place to explore more widely in the shelves at the bookstore.
It had never crossed…
What our Teen Advisory Board are reading
Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on, or the music we’re loving.
Caspian is reading The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman
Last month I read The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman.
I’m a sucker for fantasy and a sucker for pirates so this book was perfect. The magic system was so unique and awesome with the spirits and sacrifices. The world…
Feeding vegetarian teens
by Poppy, Teen Advisory Board memberPoppy from our 2023 Teen Advisory Board has put these plant-based cookbooks through their paces and thinks they pass the test!
Running out of meal ideas for the never-ending hunger of a teen? Below are six delicious vegetarian dinners and snacks from three plant-based cookbooks, approved by a teenager for teenagers. They provide perfect energy boosting for studying, smile-making on test days or even just comfort food when necessary.
David Frenkiel and Louise Vindahl write the popular Green Kitchen cookbook…
Teen Advisory Board: what we're reading
by the Teen Advisory BoardWe are thrilled to have a new Teen Advisory Board joining us from April 2023 through to March 2024. They will be learning about the book industry, discussing their favourite books and blogging book recommendations over the coming year. Firstly, a handful of our members would like to share some of their favourite reads with you .
Ione is reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot)
In this heartfelt and stirring novel…
Our Teen Advisory Board interviews Lili Wilkinson
by Teen Advisory BoardOur outgoing Teen Advisory Board were delighted to receive, as one of their last books, a proof copy of the new fantasy novel by Lili Wilkinson, A Hunger of Thorns. The teens loved it and were excited by the opportunity to ask Lili some questions about her process and inspiration.
Have you been working on/thinking about this book while writing other books? Or is it a relatively new idea?
SO LONG. At least a decade, maybe longer. I’ve always…
The Teen Advisory Board interviews author Ann Liang
by Bonnie-Mai Smith, Teen Advisory BoardThe Readings Teen Advisory Board meets monthly to discuss all things bookish and chat with some amazing people in the industry. During a recent meeting, we had the chance to interview author, Ann Liang. After her smash hit debut, If You Could See The Sun, she's just released another great read, This Time It's Real. Here is an extracted version of our discussion with Ann, written and compiled by Bonnie-Mai Smith, and edited for clarity.
Bonnie-Mai: What did you…
Browse our blog by category
