This week's young adult highlights
Here are four of our favourite young adult novels of the month.
1. Pieces of Sky by Trinity Doyle (YA Book of the Month)
“Death and its aftermath are rendered complex and chaotic in this stunning debut novel. There are no trite answers to the aftermath of tragedy, just a gradual discovery of the capacity to endure. Pieces of Sky is beautifully written, packed with longing and sadness, but also filled with hope. I inhaled it in enormous gulps like briny sea air and felt more passionately alive.”
Angela Crocombe is the Children’s Book Buyer at Readings Carlton
2. I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
“Phenomenal from the very start, I’ll Give You the Sun is about the fractured relationship between twins Jude and Noah. Each tells their side of the story… and the title references a game that the twins play, in which they divide up ownership of the natural world around them as if they are ‘gods’. They feel powerful, but also sad and confused, as they struggle to find their way back to one another. Beautifully written…”
Isobel Moore is the Children’s Book Buyer at Readings St Kilda
3. It’s About Love by Steve Camden
“Don’t be misled, It’s About Love is about so much more… I found myself drawn to Luke’s passions and his foibles; he’s a sensitive and introspective artist of great potential, if he can only overcome his own self-doubt. Let author Steven Camden take you deep into the heart of a fascinating and compelling character through an artful combination of first person narrative mixed with film directions and ideas from Luke’s notebooks… Highly recommended for ages 14 and up (and especially for boys).”
Athina Clarke is the Children’s Book Buyer at Readings Malvern
4. Becoming Kirrali Lewis by Jane Harrison
“ Becoming Kirrali Lewis is a fast-paced, heartfelt and assured debut book from Indigenous Australian playwright Jane Harrison. It’s impossible to not feel for our young and unknowingly-idealistic heroine as she finds herself truly exploring her Indigenous heritage for the first time, and the flashbacks to her biological mother’s own experiences in 1960s underscore this exploration.”
Bronte Coates is the digital content coordinator for Readings
