Reading Challenge Week 47 - A Young Adult Book

I'll let you in on a little secret: All librarians love Young Adult books. Yes, even the grumpy old librarians who would never admit to such things if you ask them. Back home, secretly, when no one is watching, they're reading books about dying teenagers falling in love and misunderstood werewolves. And possibly books about dying teenagers falling in love with misunderstood werewolves.

The young hip librarians just tattoo references to these books on prominent parts of their bodies.

So a Reading Challenge about Young Adult books? Please. You may as well challenge us to walk a short distance to an ice cream store.

Brenda Carter read Letters from the Inside by John Marsden

If you like a book with a twist that haunts you long after reading it, Letters from the Inside is the book for you. The story is told through letters written by two 15 year old girls, Mandy and Tracey. From innocent beginnings, they share the usual concerns regarding family, friends, school and romance, but as trust builds and the letters continue, each reveals that things are not as they seem.

It soon becomes clear that Mandy's home life is frequently disrupted by violence, and that Tracey is not the privileged, carefree girl she pretends to be. This psychological drama expresses the desperation of two trapped individuals who find a means of escape through their writing. The ambiguity surrounding the eventual fates of both girls creates a powerful ending.

You can find Letters from the Inside on the library shelf at 820.94 MARS, along with many other titles by this best-selling author.

Shannon Harmon read the Ranger’s Apprentice Series by John Flanagan.

This is a series I fell in love with when it was first released and I reread it at least once a year. The series is aimed more at younger teens, John Flanagan originally wrote the stories for his son who was small for his age like the main character and to encourage an interest in reading. 

It follows the story of orphan Will when he becomes an apprentice to Halt the Ranger. Rangers are seen to be mysterious and seem to use black magic in their ability to move around unseen. Although being a Ranger was definitely not Will’s first choice, he wanted to be a knight, he falls into the role and learns the skills involved that make it appear that magic is involved. 

In the first book, The Ruins of Gorlan, Will and Horace (a former rival at the castle orphanage where Will grew up) defeat an enemy of the kingdom from assassinating the King and this builds a lasting friendship between the two.

As the series continues the characters of Will and his friends are further explored and it branches into an additional two series, Brotherband, and Rangers Apprentice: The Early Years. Recently a fourth series, The Royal Ranger, has been added to the family, showing the ongoing appeal of Flanagan's books.

Scott Dale read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

I had no idea that this was a Young Adult book; I came across this novel by a chance recommendation from a colleague. I think it is a very good book to read for young and old alike. It certainly does not go sentimental or attempt to simplify what are very complicated emotional situations that arise in the story. We get the perfect narrator to ensure this doesn’t happen.

So what is this curious incident all about? There is a big clue on the cover – a deceased dog with a big garden fork sticking out of it’s belly. Our narrator Christopher Boone discovers the dog and, being quite the Sherlock Holmes fan, decides to figure out who killed the pooch. So it’s a mystery novel – with a twist. The deceased is not a person and the detective is fifteen and has Asperger’s Syndrome. 

There is so much to like in this book. It is a mystery story with an interesting lead. Christopher (who is the only young adult in the story) uses very direct language, making for clean and uncluttered writing. There is a moment where Christopher relates a sentence from a “proper novel” that further illustrates the simplicity of his narrative (the sentence comes from Virginia Woolf in stream-of-consciousness mode). Christopher loves maths and shares some great solutions to mathematical problems that turn up in the story – the chapters also go in ascending prime numbers.  

It turns out that this is quite a well-known book that has had successful theatre adaptations. I had not previously heard of The Curious Incident and approached the novel without any expectations. I am glad that I had this book recommended (thanks Alan), it is a very enjoyable and worthwhile read. Find it at 820 HAD 1C CUR/VIN.