The best books, news & events for teens in November
This month we have a dark fantasy from a favourite prize-winning author, and contemporary fiction that explores a range of timely themes: online celebrity, emotional abuse in families, President Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines, and more.
Find our November picks for kids books here.
YA BOOK OF THE MONTH
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
Fifty years after the deaths of the terrifying Gods of the Undersea, fifteen-year-old orphan Hark spends his life running scams with his best friend, Jelt, and keeping an eye out for Godware – valuable pieces of the gods’ corpses that wash up from the ocean. When Hark is caught and sold off as indentured labor, he falls in with Dr Vyne, a local scientist who is involved with something very dark and dangerous. Smugglers, secret cults and an eerie personal transformation come together in this wonderful dark fantasy.
Our reviewer Dani praised Hardinge’s ‘complete, deep and intensely interesting world’ and ‘fabulous, strong and brave, and sneaky and hateful, protagonists’.
You can read our full review here.
YA BOOKS TO READ THIS MONTH
Poemsia by Lang Leav
Introverted nineteen-year-old Verity Wolf lives above a second-hand bookshop run and owned by her grandfather and keeps quiet about her dreams of being a published writer. When Verity posts a poem from a mysterious old book called Poemsia online, people mistakenly assume it is hers and she is caught up in a whirl of social media stardom, media attention, backlash, jealousy, frenemies and new romance.
Our reviewer Angela enjoyed this dive into the contemporary poetry scene, especially the focus on friendship: ‘At the heart of the story is the strong friendship between Verity and her best friend, who always supports her, even when Verity becomes briefly enamoured with celebrity.’
You can read our full review here.
Girl. Boy. Sea. by Chris Vick
British boy teenager Bill narrowly survives the sinking of his Youth Sail Challenge yacht in a huge storm off the coast of Morocco, but is separated from his crew mates and their captain. After many days alone at sea in a small wooden tender, Bill rescues another survivor, clinging for her life to a barrel. She is a girl called Aya, from the nomadic Berber tribe, whose migrant ship was destroyed by the same storm.
Our reviewer Natalie had high praise for this ‘remarkable story about the stoicism of the human spirit and its tenacious capacity to survive, especially when there is someone else to fight for’.
You can read our full review here.
Weapon by Lynette Noni
Bestselling Australian author Lynette Noni concludes the dystopian duology that began with the Gold Inky Award-winning Whisper.
After escaping Lengard and finding sanctuary with the Remnants, Alyssa Scott is desperate to save those she left behind and the rest of the world from the power-hungry scientist, Kendall Vanik. But secrets and lies block her at every turn, and soon Lyss is questioning everything she has ever believed. When long-lost memories begin to surface and the mysteries of her past continue to grow, Lyss battles to retain her hard-won control. As betrayals and confusion piles up, Lyss realises that the only person she can trust is herself.
Furious Thing by Jenny Downham
Fifteen-year-old Lexi is angry almost all the time. She gets in trouble at school, constantly disappoints her mum and clashes with John, who is soon to be her stepfather. It seems like Lexi is the cause of all of her own problems, but the truth is more complex. When she starts to realise the extent of John’s use of manipulation and control, Lexi must learn to use her fury to take a stand.
This gripping exploration of emotional abuse and female anger is a timely read for older teen readers.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
When Filipino-American high school senior Jay Reguero hears of his cousin Jun’s death as part of the violent war on drugs in the Philippines, he is shocked. Although years have passed since Jay was in contact with Jun, drug use doesn’t fit in with the boy he knew. Hoping to uncover the truth, Jay convinces his family to let him travel to the Philippines – but the shocking realities of life there lead to even more questions.
This emotional story balances the political and the personal; exploring family, addiction, contemporary politics and cultural identity.
NEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS
This past month, I was inspired by a crop of great YA fiction by Australian authors to share my best recommendations of books that show resilient teens coping with life’s challenges. My picks include titles from debut YA authors Kathleen Loughnan, Helena Fox and Holden Sheppard, alongside others.
To celebrate the release of Philip Pullman’s The Secret Commonwealth our booksellers shared what they love best about Philip Pullman’s fantasy stories. Set ten years after the His Dark Materials trilogy, The Secret Commonwealth follows the now adult Lyra and her dæmon Pan as they navigate new challenges and emotional territory, and received a rave review from our staff member Bronte.
Our Teen Advisory Board have continued their monthly meetings, meeting with industry professionals and sharing book recommendations. They recently shared reviews of two Australian books: the new fantasy work from Garth Nix, Angel Mage, and the second book from Readings Young Adult Book Prize shortlisted author Wai Chim, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling.
And with Halloween around the corner, mega Frances Hardinge fan Dani Solomon decided to rank the author’s children’s and young adult books by level of scariness! Hardinge’s new novel, Deeplight, only ranks at number three on the fright scale – find out what sits at the top of the chart here.
EVENTS SUITABLE FOR TEENS
Meet bestselling author Maria Lewis at 6.30pm on Thursday 14 November at Readings Kids, and hear all about her latest novel, The Wailing Woman. Lewis reinvents ghosts, werewolves and witches with a contemporary, feminist twist and will be in conversation with Adele Walsh. This event is free, but please book here.
At 4pm on Saturday 16 November at Readings Hawthorn, Scott Westerfeld will be joining us to talk about Shatter City, the second book in the New York Times bestselling Impostors series. This event is free, but please book here.
Author Will Kostakis will be in conversation with Amie Kaufman at 6.30pm on Monday 18 November at Readings Kids. Come along and hear about his latest novel, Monuments, which is the first book of an exciting new fantasy duology. This event is free, but please book here.
We are also very excited to have Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff chatting with us about their latest series, The Aurora Cycle, at 6pm on Thursday 21 November at Readings Hawthorn. Aurora Rising opens in the year 2380 when the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions… Amie and Jay will be joined in conversation by author P.M. Freestone. This event is free, but please book here.
