What's New Teen Space

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.