What's New Teen Space
New and recommended reads for young adults
Homeland. Cory Doctorow
Marcus
Yarrow is trying to keep a low profile after his previous harrowing encounter
with corrupt government officials. However, while attending a special festival,
Marcus is tracked down by an old contact who passes on subversive information
for him to make public should anything happen to her. When she disappears
Marcus has to decide how much he is willing to risk in order to release the
information. This is an intriguing and thought-provoking book that is suitable
for older teens and adults.
Bull: A Novel in Verse. David Elliott
This
novel in verse re-tells the ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur - half man, half
beast - from the point of view of Poseidon, God of the Sea. It also shows us how his mother Pasiphae, his
father Minos, and his sister Ariadne feel about having this man-beast in the
family. We are shown how Asterion the Minotaur feels growing up not
understanding why his body is the way it is.
And we see the complexities of Ariadne's dilemma of trying to help her
tortured half-brother. The story is
cleverly written with many witty jokes made by Poseidon at the expense of the
mere mortals. Bull shows the ancient myth in a whole new light and it is an
absolute pleasure to read.
White Night. Ellie Marney
Bo
Mitchell is a fairly typical teenager whose life is busy with school, sports
and socialising. However his outlook on life is challenged when he meets new
girl, Rory, who lives in a secluded community called Eden. Is this community
all that it seems or is there something sinister behind its outwardly wholesome
appearance? Riveting reading.
Athena: Grey-eyed Goddess. George O'Connor
Better
even than stories of the super-heroes, the Olympians is a series of books which
re-tell the stories of the Greek gods and their amazing exploits. Athena was
different from all the other gods and goddesses in that she wasn’t born the
usual way – she sprang fully-formed and clad in armour from out of her father
Zeus’ forehead! She was the wisest, most courageous and resourceful of all the
gods. This book retells the story of her birth and how she won the shield-like
aegis she was famous for wearing. It also tells how she helped Perseus to kill
the gorgon Medusa, who turned men to stone if they looked at her. Athena used
the snake-heads from Medusa’s hair to adorn her aegis making it even more
powerful. The third story of the book describes a competition Athena has with
the clever, but proud, weaver Arachne. You can guess who comes off worst…
Spontaneous. Aaron Starmer
If you like Splatter Cinema this novel is for you. It deals with the mysterious phenomena of spontaneous human combustion – but with more blood. Mara Carlyle is a little bored in her final year of high school, but is shaken alive when her classmate explodes during pre-calc. The splatter continues as more classmates spontaneously combust and the school and town are besieged by fear. Who will be next, and when will it be? One pattern that emerges is that they are all from Mara’s senior class. When not even the FBI can explain it or prevent it Mara’s best friend Tess tries to work it out with science. Others turn to booze and hedonism to numb the pain, while Mara begins to wonder if her past unthinking death wishes are to blame….
Spontaneous is full of quick-witted, sassy humour as well as soul-searching teenage self-discovery. A great read – but not for the faint-hearted!
The Haunted. J. A. Templeton
This
is the second book in the Mackinnon Curse series. Sixteen year old Riley
Williams is once again finding herself in a violent struggle against the
vengeful ghost of the witch, Laria, who has become even more powerful since
their last encounter. Riley is going to have to keep her wits about her to be
able to save herself and to protect those she loves. Due to some of the themes
in this book, such as drug use and self harm, we would recommend this as being more suitable for older teenage readers.