Recommended YA books for October
This month in young adult books we have magical booksellers, a life-changing trip to France, a secret-filled schoolies week, emotional contemporary stories, and a near-future visual feast.
Find our October picks for kids books here.
YA BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
Eighteen-year-old Susan Arkshaw arrives in London in search of her father. But before she can question crime boss Frank Thringley he’s turned to dust by the outrageously attractive Merlin. Merlin is one of the youngest members of a secret society of magical booksellers who police the mythic Old World. And in addition to running several bookshops (of course) Merlin also has a quest of his own: to find the Old World entity who arranged the murder of his mother. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London invites you to enter a magical 1980s London replete with romance, action and conspiracies galore.
Our (left-handed) reviewer Julia greatly enjoyed Nix’s latest fantasy adventure: ‘This book is a real page-turner; chaos, action and intrigue all combine in this fun read.’ You can read her full review here.
FIVE YA BOOKS TO READ THIS MONTH
Before the Beginning by Anna Morgan
Grace has opted not to join her close friends for schoolies week, instead tagging along with her brother Casper and his friends Noah and Elsie. On their first night they meet Sierra, a mysterious girl with a magnetic personality. All of them are drawn to her for different reasons, and she persuades them to abandon the cliched schoolies experience in favour of camping with her on a remote, uninhabited island. On that island, each of them will find answers to their questions. But what does Sierra want from them? Before the Beginning features sections told from each teen’s perspective, along with intriguing excerpts from historical newspaper articles and a dictionary of mythical sea beings that gives the plot a darker edge.
Our reviewer Xiao Xiao described Morgan’s second YA novel ‘an enjoyable read that is a comforting hand reaching out to anyone who has struggled to find their place in the world.’ You can read her full review here.
This One Is Ours by Kate O'Donnell
When sixteen-year-old Sofie goes on exchange to Paris, she is expecting magnificent adventures of the heart and mind. Yet France isn’t what she imagined. It’s cold and grey, and speaking another language is exhausting. But then her host sister, Delphine, and fellow artist Olivier show her a different side of Paris, and Sofie starts to question her ideas of art, beauty and meaning. When a catastrophe strikes close to home, Sofie realises she needs to act. This timely novel is a call to action for anyone who feels helpless about the state of society, as well as an ode to all the tiny beautifuls that make our world worth saving.
This is the second novel from Kate O'Donnell who was shortlisted for our Readings Young Adult Book Prize in 2018 for her tender and thoughtful debut novel, Untidy Towns.
Grown by Tiffany D Jackson
When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots seventeen-year-old Enchanted Jones at a singing competition, she is invited on tour with him and her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had already turned into a nightmare – behind Korey’s charm and star power was a dark side. This hard-hitting book follows a young woman’s struggles to escape a controlling and powerful older man. Jackson is a writer who never turns away from difficult social issues such as misogyny, rape culture, abuse of power and privilege.
Our reviewer Bec said of this unflinching story: ‘Jackson’s writing is lyrical and compelling, and will be devoured by fans of The Hate U Give.’ You can read her full review here.
Future Girl by Asphyxia
Piper’s mum wants her to pass as hearing and get a good job. But when Melbourne enters an environmental catastrophe, Piper has more important things to worry about. When she meets Marley, a CODA (child of Deaf adult), a door opens into a new world – where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where you can grown your own food. As she dives into learning Auslan, Piper finds herself falling hard for Marley. This unique book is a full-colour visual extravaganza of text, paint, collage and drawings, woven into a realistic near-future story that champions art, activism, connection and community.
Our reviewer Angela raved about this fantastic Own Voices story and accomplished artistic feat, describing it as ‘an enthralling coming-of- age story about a young Deaf woman finding her voice in a challenging future.’ You can read her full review here.
Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour
Eighteen-year-old Mila is graduating from high school and exiting the foster care system. When she gets an offer to work as an intern on the Farm, and take care of eight-year old Lee, she readily accepts. At first the Farm seems like an idyllic paradise, a remote place on the cliffs with view of the sea far below. But Mila soon realises that the Farm has a haunting past, and what’s more, her own frightening memories are coming to the surface. This modern ghost story about trauma and survival, chosen family and rebirth features the gorgeous language and delicate atmosphere that has won LaCour both a keen readership and awards.
Our reviewer Natalie said: ‘This story deals beautifully and symbolically with the pain one can carry from childhood, and the irrepressible capacity of the human soul to hope, find renewal and a new narrative to live by.’ You can read her full review here.
NEWS, RESOURCES & EVENTS
Do you love thrillers, crime fiction or mysteries? We put together a list of recent YA thrillers that we’re pretty sure will keep you up late at night.
You might also like to check out Astrid Scholte’s fast-paced murder mystery Four Dead Queens which won the young adult category of this year’s Davitt Awards. These awards celebrate the best crime books by Australian women and you can find the full list of 2020 winners here.
On 28 October, the final of the OutLoud Secondary Digital Slam! will take place as an online event, hosted by the amazing performance poet Emilie Zoey Baker. This annual competition sees secondary school students devising and performing original works of poetry and spoken word. Tune into this awesome event for an electrifying showcase of Victoria’s best young wordsmiths. Find all the details here.
Like most festivals this year, the 2020 Sydney Writers Festival happened mostly online, with the bonus that several sessions now live on as podcasts. We highly recommend listening to the excellent Queerly Beloved session, featuring YA authors Sophie Gonzales, Anna Whately and Erin Gough, and you can find even more sessions here.
Oz Authors Online have been keeping us entertained with YA panels and conversations all year. But did you know that you can playback all their events if you’ve missed it live? We suggest watching their Thrilling YA panel, featuring authors Ellie Marney, Lili Wilkinson and Sarah Epstein. You can also find all past events on their YouTube channel.
A slew of new episodes from the excellent We Are YA podcast (from Penguin Teen) has landed, including interviews with booktubers, bloggers and authors like Arvin Ahmadi, Ashley Woodfolk and David Yoon. Find a list of episodes here, or search for We Are YA at your favourite place to listen to podcasts.
Finally – do you know a VCE student scrambling to prepare for the end of their school year? State Library of Victoria has a great page with resources for senior students, including online video tutorials on research and specific subject areas.
