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Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han @jennyhan
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han @jennyhan
Lara Jean is sixteen, going on seventeen and she is learning about love – its highs and its lows. She is hoping to get back with Peter but their story is complicated by his continued friendship with Gen, his ex. As she struggles with her feelings for Peter and their budding relationship, she learns that first loves don’t always last but they are always special and that relationships change and…
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Exam season will be over soon - what to do? what to read?
Many teens are caught up in exam season, eating up the start of summer with revision and stress. At least the end is in sight and summer holidays beckon. After putting down the pen on the final paper and ‘filing’ away exam notes – what relaxation is planned by most teens. Summer is a time of holidays, of camping, road trips, festivals, summer jobs, driving lessons and maybe doing nothing at all.…
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Bringing classics to life
I read this article in the New York Times and was intrigued. Many readers are put off by classics, finding the language difficult to navigate or the stories somewhat dull. I looked up ThugNotes on YouTube and was impressed. I’ve looked at a number of different sites that provide analysis and recaps of classic book but this was different – true there wasn’t the depth that some sites have (no…
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What's On My YA TBR Pile?
I always have a pile of books waiting to be read and mostly I enjoy debating which book to pick up next. Sometimes, though, I feel overwhelmed by all I plan to read and I stare at the titles and don’t feel inspired. However, that is not the case at the moment. I have a long and interesting list of books to read – it is simply a question of where to start and how to find the time!
Some of the…
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Books about serious issues for teens can be AMAZING (@Patrick_Ness Tweet)
Patrick Ness was tweeting today about YA books and serious issues. This tweet of his inspired me to write this blog: “Books about serious issues for teens can be AMAZING. *AMAAAAAZING*. They can also be painfully terrible. Make yours amazing. With five As.”
I’ve blogged on this subject before when I was inspired by another Patrick Ness tweet with the acronym CBAIT (Crappy Books About Important…
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When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan
When Mr Dog Bites has been shortlisted for the 2015 Carnegie Prize. The book is about a 16 year old boy called Dylan who suffers from Tourette’s. This difficult and tough subject matter goes some way to explaining why it has been shortlisted for this prestigious prize. However I found myself torn when I finished the book. It is well written and engaging, the reader learns about Tourette’s and…
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Reader block conquered = lots of new reviews!
Here are the latest reviews on Books Teens and Magazines – posted since 20th March:
Books:
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater – This book is for fantasy lovers and dreamers, for readers who enjoy escaping into their dreams but who also like their fantasy embedded in reality with real characters and true emotions. 13+
Half Wild by Sally Green– A gritty tale, full of adventure and action…
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2015 Carnegie Shortlist - Initial Thoughts
The 2015 Carnegie shortlist was announced today and it includes a list of books that will appeal to a range of different readers. Choosing the winner will be a hard decision, as always. The quality of the books are such that being on the shortlist is an honour in itself – in fact the same goes for the longtlist. To be honest, I was sorry to see a few of my favourites fail to make the shortlist,…
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The Importance of Mothers and YA Books
With Mothering Sunday approaching (15th March in case you have forgotten!), it’s a good time to think about mothers and how they are portrayed in YA fiction.
Many YA books have absent or problem parents as this is what enables the teen character to take centre stage and often make decisions or go on adventures not normally associated with their age group. However, even when mothers are absent or…
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Teen readers - moving beyond YA
There comes a point when some teen readers are ready to fly the YA nest. Maybe they’re looking for more adult books or for different authors or for more of a challenge. They may be aged as young as 14 or 15 or they may be about to leave their teen years behind. It doesn’t reflect badly on the YA genre; how can it when so many adults enjoy reading YA books? It is simply a natural step in a…
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Books from the past....but so relevant today...use them to help explain today's news stories
Books from the past....but so relevant today
This blog is inspired by a tweet by Jim @Yayeahyeah who was writing about A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master. The book was set in 1947 at the time of Partition in India. It was a time when communities who had lived in peace, respecting the different beliefs of their members, were torn apart by religious intolerance and violence. The book was published in 2011, yet is so relevant to our world today:…
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YA Books Around the World - Part 2 - North and South America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East
In my last post I included books set in different countries in Europe and in the follow up post I am looking at the rest of the world.
Australia – Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis
China – Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
Hong Kong – The Walled City by Ryan Graudin
Malaysia – Earth Dragon Fire Hare by Kim Catran
Indonesia – The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke
Cambodia – Never Fall Down by Patricia…
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YA Books Around the World - Part 1 - Europe
Valentine’s Day is over, so time to put aside the fascination with all things romance. Instead, inspired by the daffodils poking their heads above ground, I’m thinking of warm days and holidays. My mind has been flitting over places I’d like to visit and from there I was inspired to list YA books set in different countries. I won’t cover every country – so feel free to fill in the missing places.
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Christmas Newsletter Books Teens and Magazines Christmas newsletter is available here. Checkout recommendations for Christmas presents for teen readers.
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YA Books & Xmas Presents - Dystopian stories
With both the Maze Runner and Mockingjay (part 1) films being released, interest in dystopian books will be high and they could be an attractive Christmas present. So what is out there, what is new and who would the books suit?
Maze Runner series by James Dashner– the film that has come out covers the first book in the Maze Runner series. If someone has seen the film but not read the book they…
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YA Books & Xmas Presents - Dystopia
With both the Maze Runner and Mockingjay (part 1) films being released, interest in dystopian books will be high and they could be an attractive Christmas present. So what is out there, what is new and who would the books suit?
Maze Runner series by James Dashner– the film that has come out covers the first book in the Maze Runner series. If someone has seen the film but not read the book they…
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YA Chick Lit - Not Just for Summer
A lot of the time romance books are referred to as perfect for easy summer reading: perfect for lying in the sun with nothing to do but read and dream. For me, though, the perfect time to chill out with a light-hearted, fun book that is full of hope, love and heartbreak is the autumn. The evenings draw in and the temperature drops and its time to curl up inside and pick up a book that will…
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