Hidden Gems of YA Contemporary 3: Chiara from Books Teens and Magazines on Street Duty by Chris Ould

This is the third in my new Hidden Gems of YA Contemporary feature, spotlighting some of the best YA contemporary books that I haven't seen that many people posting about or reviewing. If you'd be interested in writing a piece for it, I'd love to hear from you - either tweet yayeahyeah or e-mail yayeahyeah at gmail dot com.

Street Duty, Case One, Knock Down by Chris Ould

I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I did. I really didn't like the cover of this book so I never picked it up. Then I went to a book festival and Chris Ould was talking about the difficulties of writing a police/ crime book for teenagers. He wanted to write from the police officer's point of view but, in order to appeal to the YA market, his police officers needed to be teenagers.  He managed to solve this problem by creating a police apprenticeship scheme which took 16 year olds on. My interest was piqued. 

The story is based around two 16 year old apprentice police officers, Holly and Sam. Whilst they are out on the beat, a 14 year old girl is knocked down by a truck and a shop is trashed. Are the events as simple as they first appear or is there more to them?

Why I like it?

I like the fact that the story is fresh and different and the author doesn't talk down to his teen audience.  The characters and the crimes are realistic, gritty and interesting. The story isn't long and it moves at a good pace. I always like to second-guess what's going to happen in police dramas; I couldn't  in this one so I remained interested until the end. It was liking reading a TV police drama rather than watching it on TV - not surprising given the authors BAFTA winning background I guess

Who would like it?

Readers who like realistic crime stories with a slightly dark take on life will find the book interesting. Its not just a story about crime, it's also about the people involved in those crimes and how they get sucked into them. It's not a difficult read - the 15 years age recommendation reflects the swearing (which fits the story rather than being unnecessary) in the book, not the reading difficulty. It's not a long book and I would particularly recommend it to reluctant teen readers. I think they'll get the language, the characters, the story and they will like the tone of the book. 

Other books?

Chris Ould has written adult books and is a screen writer for various TV shows, including The Bill and Casualty. This is his first YA book. A sequel is coming out in June 2013 ( much better cover) and it follows on the stories of the characters in Case One. 

A huge thanks to Chiara from Books Teens and Magazines for writing that post - I'd definitely advise you to check out the site, if you're not already familiar with it, everyone. A bit about Chiara...

I was born in Malta and grew up in Libya and Switzerland. At 16 I came to England to take my A levels and I went on to study Law and French Law at the LSE. I have worked as a retail banker in London and Hong Kong, an investment banker, a primary school teacher and a school librarian; picking up a number of qualifications along the way. I have three teenage boys, two dogs, three cats and a house full of books. I love reading and I love sharing my ideas about books with other people. I launched the Books Teens and Magazines website in November 2012 as a means of sharing information with teen readers and their families, teachers and librarians. 

Guest Post: Frank Anthony Polito on Is The Coming Out Story Dead?

Is the coming out story dead? This is a question I’ve been asking myself for a while now, as I ponder new ideas for novels, plays, and film scripts.

For those readers of this blog who aren’t familiar with my work, my name is Frank Anthony Polito. Sure, you can Google me, so I won’t waste too much space here. The long story short is: I’m a New York City-based author and dramatic writer. I’m also gay which, to some, might make me a “gay writer.” But I try not to slap that label on me – or my writing.

My debut novel Band Fags! was released in June 2008. The book is based on the first play I wrote back in 2001, a story I often referred to as a “coming-of-age/coming out” tale about a teenage boy growing up gay in the late 1980s. As most writers are wont to do, I based the play – and subsequently the novel – on my own life experience, growing up with my best friend who is also gay, and how our mutual “coming out” to each other affected – and almost destroyed – our friendship.

Yes, Band Fags! is a “coming out” story. As is my second book, Drama Queers!, which focuses on the secondary character in Band Fags! and his own “coming out” experience of sorts. For me – and every other gay person – “coming out” is a perpetual process. It might not be as big a deal as it was back in 1998 when I first came out to my family, but with every new person I meet there comes a point when I must make my being gay known.

But in the second decade of the 21st century do we, as writers, still need to be creating stories about gay people whose sole conflict lies in coming to terms with their homosexuality? Or can the protagonist’s being gay just be another part of their character, along with their brown hair or blue eyes?

I think so... But then it makes me wonder: if stories about gay people become just like the stories about non-gay people, what will these new gay stories be about? And will they be considered believable by readers?

If I write a story about a teenage boy—who happens to be gay — is anyone going to believe that it’s totally cool with the kids at his school if, say, he and his football player boyfriend go to Prom together? If none of his classmates care, if there is no chance of ridicule or rebuttal, what will the crux of this story about a teenage boy—who happens to be gay—be?

I suppose discovering this answer is what makes being a writer exciting...

And more importantly—particularly when it comes to Young Adult novels—won’t the world be a better place filled with a bunch of books about gay teens who aren’t either self-hating homophobes or the helpless victims of others, like so many of us were back in my day?

Frank Anthony Polito is a New York City-based, award-winning writer. Published novels include Band Fags!, Drama Queers!  (2009 Lambda Literary Award), and Lost in the ’90s. His other writing has been featured in Instinct magazine and online at The Advocate.com and AfterElton.com. He is also a regular contributor to the popular New York City lifestyle blog “Kenneth in the 212”.

Hidden Gems of YA Contemporary 2: Andy Robb on The Borribles By Michael De Larrabeiti

This is the second in my new Hidden Gems of YA Contemporary feature, spotlighting some of the best YA contemporary books that I haven't seen that many people posting about or reviewing. If you'd be interested in writing a piece for it, I'd love to hear from you - either tweet yayeahyeah or e-mail yayeahyeah at gmail dot com.

This book probably qualifies as a mid-grade story, rather than actual YA – but I’ll champion it until the cows come home. It’s one of the first books that actually took my imagination hostage and refused to give it up for a number of years. In fact, at the ripe old age of 43, I recently re-read it and it was still as fresh and fun as the first time around.

The Borribles by Michael De Larrabeiti

I read this when I was ten and it was the first book I’d ever read with a swearword in it (‘arse’, in case you’re wondering). In De Larrabeiti’s world, kids who come from broken homes or get off to a ‘bad start’ slip through the cracks in society and form tribes. Over time, they become Borribles; their ears get pointy and they don’t age. But don’t think for a moment that this is a story about a race of Peter Pans; Borribles are hard as nails, a dab hand with a catapult and have their own lore and proverbs, which they bandy around when the need arises.

It’s set in London and each tribe has their own turf. But they all steer clear of the Rumbles; giant, rat-like creatures that live on Rumbledom Common – steer clear of them until one turns up on Borrible ground. With their lifestyle, culture and existence threatened, the London Borrible tribes unite to launch The Great Rumble Hunt.


WHY I REALLY LIKED IT

When this book hit my school in the early 80’s, everyone read it – including the kids who didn’t like reading. What set it apart from other books was that it’s a real, warts-and-all story; it’s sweary, bloody and dark, but with a romantic soul to it. Unlike other books I’d read at that age, it also had leading female characters that were as physically and emotionally strong as their male counterparts. Even though the concept of giant rats and pointy-eared kids might sound a bit weird, Larrabeiti’s given the Borribles such a rich and layered history that you can’t help but buy into it and, before you know it, you’re checking your ears to see if their starting to go a bit Vulcan.

It’s a story of heroism in the face of adversity, treachery and betrayal and hidden agendas. There’s even the bud of a love story buried in there. It’s got action, adventure, woolly hats and catapults. And Larrabeiti’s London is seen through the eyes of kids who nick and thieve to get by; it’s full of dangers, threats and the derelict buildings in which they set up their makeshift homes.


WHO IT WILL APPEAL TO

In theory, it should appeal to both male and female readers. With books like The Hunger Games bringing girls into the spotlight as strong, leading characters, it’s certainly got mass appeal. In fact, if you like The Hunger Games, you’ll probably like this. Weirdly, I’ll also suggest that, if you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings, you’ll find a space for The Borribles in your heart; the way the culture is crafted is similar to Tolkien’s investment in Middle Earth – it’s beautifully defined. And I’ll add Philip Reeve to the list; while it might not be as epic as something like Reeve’s Mortal Engines series, there’s something similar in the way both authors have committed to creating their own worlds, but with plenty of cheeky references to this one that it’s that much easier to step into them. And like the Mortal Engines series, The Borribles has something of a cult following.


OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

There are two more in this trilogy: The Borribles Go for Broke and The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis. There are other books by this chap, but I haven’t read them; the slightly satanic Borribles were all I needed.


Andy Robb is the author of the excellent Geekhood series. He has a website and can also be found on Twitter.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

For various reasons, not really got time to do a post that would do these books justice, but had the list ready so wanted to share it with you all.

Mental health issues - Lottie Biggs Is (Not) Mad - Hayley Long
Grief - The Sky Is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson
Self-harm - Red Tears - Joanna Kenrick
Terminal illness - Before I Die - Jenny Downham
Suicide - Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
Racism - To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Eating disorders - Second Star To The Right - Deborah Hautzig
Peer pressure/bullying - The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier
Deafness - Whisper - Chrissie Keighery
Knife crime - When I Was Joe - Keren David

Guest Post: Ellie Marney on YA Crime: Why The Future Is Hard-Boiled

PSSST.

Wanna hear a secret?  You do?  Awesome.

Okay, here it is:

This year, YA fiction will be all about THE CRIME, baby.

Yeah, that’s right, you heard me – CRIME.  Crime is gonna be the new HOT THING.  We’re talking teen sleuths, the whodunnit, the back alley, the murder mystery.  YA readers will be overcome with the urge to study the facts, ma’am, just the facts.  We’ll walk in on murderers in the act, autopsies in the morgue, bodies on the slab.  We’ll be watching the neon, examining the scene, questioning the witnesses, getting the low down.

How do I know this?  Well, let me tell you, it’s NOT JUST BECAUSE I WROTE A MURDER MYSTERY, no siree.  It’s because of my incredible ability to trend-track and gather clues together, yeah, that’s right.  That’s totally it.  I’m a gumshoe – it’s my job.  That’s why they pay me the big bucks.

It all started one rainy YA day…  I wanted to find something incriminating on the shelves.  I wanted the good oil.  So I wandered into the high school library, as is my wont (hey – it’s not suspicious, I work there, ok?), looking for something to thrill me…and there was nothing.  Nada, zip, the big zer-oh.  It was all vamps and nether-vixens, mixed in with old crime stories for adults.  I wanted something more, and I had a feeling the students did too.

So I started writing it myself.  And since then, what do you reckon I’ve discovered?  A whole new niche that people like me have begun to write in.  Now I’m rolling in it, yes indeed – there’s more YA crime authors to take a shot at than ever before.  Crime is the new black.  Or noir, you might say.

I’m telling you, sweetheart – dystopias and zombies and all that stuff, they’re extinct.  Kaput.  Kablooey.  Pow.  They’ve bought the big one – they’ve bought the farm.  They’ve gone to the great publishing house in the sky.  That’s right.  I mean, they’re still out there, you can still read that stuff if you want to.  But CRIME IS GONNA BE WHERE IT’S AT this year.  Mark my words.

Let’s examine the evidence.

We’re already watching the detectives.  I’m talking shows on the box, honey.  Elementary is knocking ‘em dead.  Sherlock is right up my alley.  We all want to be Breaking Bad.  Or maybe you go for Mr and Mrs Murder.  Castle is old school, but the magic is still there.  Could be you like studying the Bones, or have a thing for Criminal Minds.  Maybe you’re a Mentalist.  And even though we’ve been clocking them for years, we still can’t get enough of CSI, and NCIS, and Law and Order.

That’s good.  Yeah, that’s all gravy.  What’ve I been telling you, huh?

Then you’ve got the word on the street.  At the end of last year, folks started talking about Why criminals are the new vampires in YA fiction.  That’s right, you heard me.  Crime writers are talking up YA fiction as the place to be at Do Some Damage and Books Rekindled.  You’ve even got lists of YA crime piling up on sites like Booktrust and Goodreads.

So what about the books, you say?  Well, that’s where the real action is.

Lots of books on the shelves, people.  Loads.  The selection is smokin’.

You wanna find out where it all got started?  You gotta go back to Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins.  Then Agatha Christie mysteriously up and disappeared, and the world went wild.  Chandler lined himself up with the white hats.  Ellroy got tough.  Rankin and James called for more witnesses – Cornwell called the coroner.  By the time readers had done the crime and paid the time, Girls with Dragon Tattoos were washing up all over the place.

These days, there’s a mark on every street corner.  First, you’ve got the usual suspects.  Folks who’ve been walking the line for years, writing crime for adults – they’re dipping their toe in the poison pool.  They’re getting their hands dirty writing crime for YA.  Yeah, we’ve seen these guys in the holding pen before.  They know all the tricks.  Authors like John Grisham, James Patterson, Gregg Olsen, Harlan Coben, Kathy Reichs, Niall Leonard, and Christopher Ould.  I’ve checked ‘em all out, and they’re clean.

Now I’m gonna do the shakedown.  The serial offenders in YA crime would have to be Walter Dean Myers  and Joan Lowery Nixon.  But I’m seeing a lot of new faces in the line-up.  Writers who do this thing by the book.  Follow me and I’ll show you where the bodies are buried.

In Australia, we’re spoilt for choice:  Lili Wilkinson wrote A Pocketful of Eyes, Love-Shy, and her latest,The ZigZag Effect.  Simmone Howell just published Girl Defective.  Karen Foxlee is stirring the pot with The Midnight Dress.  Then there’s  Peter Twohig, Jaclyn Moriarty (who let’s face it, has the perfect name for this genre), and if historical mysteries are your thing, Felicity Pulman.

I could give you a list of other YA crime…but yeah, it’d be a long list.  Basically, I’m hanging for a few choice titles - This is W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker just came out, and if you haven’t read Burning Blue by Paul Griffin you’re missing out.  I’ll admit to harbouring a fugitive love for Dan Wells’ crime/supernatural mix in I Am Not A Serial Killer, and Anne Cassidy has me curious to read The Murder Notebooks.  I’ve heard good things about Barry Lyga’s I Hunt Killers, and How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller…

So many good YA crime books, so little time!

There’s covers too – covers I ain’t never seen before.  Covers with a gritty edge, that’d be right at home on the street…

So whether you’re into the pulp neon, the hard-boiled noir, the cosy mystery, the historical thriller, or the gritty mean streets…  There’s plenty out there to slake your thirst.  Gumshoes will be a dime a dozen - the Nancy Drew, the medical examiner, or even the old-world style of the world’s most famous consulting detective...  They’re all gonna get their turn.

Me?  Well, I’d like to tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.  Oh, all right then – you twisted my arm!  I told you I wrote a murder mystery, friends?  Yeah, that’s right.  It’s called Every Breath, and it’s set right here in Melbourne, Australia.  Featuring a way-too-charming and eccentric guy, a self-styled forensic genius called James Mycroft.  Who would get nowhere, of course, without his girl Watson…

What if Sherlock Holmes was the boy next door?  Well, I’ll be able to give you the goods in September this year.

Like I said – CRIME, BABY, CRIME.

Word’s getting round, that’s right.  People talk.  And you can be in on it.  CRIME, my friends – that’s where it’s at.  Tell ‘em you heard it from me.

Book ‘em, Danno.

Ellie Marney is an Australian writer living in country Victoria.  Her first YA novel, a romantic crime thriller called Every Breath, will be out through Allen & Unwin in September 2013 – sequels Every Word and Every Move will be arriving soon after.  She likes a good book, Sherlock on the telly, and an occasional spot of remedial chainsawing.

 

Find Ellie on Facebook, follow her on Twitter (@elliemarney), or on her blogsite,  hick chick click.

Hidden Gems of YA Contemporary: My Family And Other Freaks by Carol Midgley

This is the first in my new Hidden Gems of YA Contemporary feature, spotlighting some of the best YA contemporary books that I haven't seen that many people posting about or reviewing. If you'd be interested in writing a piece for it, I'd love to hear from you - either tweet yayeahyeah or e-mail yayeahyeah at gmail dot com.

Danielle has an embarrassing family, a dog who’s in love with an Ugg boot, and a love rival who she can’t possibly live up to – or can she? Determined not to be beaten in her efforts to secure Damien’s affections, Danni hits on a plan – only for it to go horribly wrong, landing her with the nickname of 'Dench The Stench'. Surely things can only get better – can’t they?

WHY I REALLY LIKED IT

I picked this up on a passing whim only to be totally surprised by how incredibly funny it was. (WARNING: Not really suitable for public transport, I got lots of weird looks for bursting out laughing every few minutes while reading it!) While its main strength is the sheer number of hilarious moments, it's also got a memorable narrator who develops really well as a character and has a very realistic relationship with her parents and friends.

WHO IT WILL APPEAL TO

I've seen reviews comparing this to Louise Rennison and Samantha Mackintosh and recommending it to their fans, and while I wouldn't disagree there, I also think that some of the gross-out humour here - in particular a memorable scene with a bag of dog mess which leads to Danielle's nickname - will mean this is much more likely than most books with female narrators to appeal to fans of Andy Robb, Tom Clempson and Don Calame.

OTHERS BY THIS AUTHOR

Sadly no other books as of yet - here's hoping! - but Carol Midgley can be found writing some wonderful features columns in The Times.

(Note: The first paragraph of the above post is taken from my review of My Family And Other Freaks for The Bookbag - check out the full review here.)

Top Ten Things To Read When You Need Something Light And Fun

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.


Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph - A light read with really engaging characters and great dialogue, this is one well worth checking out if you're in the mood for something fun and undemanding. 

Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton - Sweet romance which is even better than the previous book by Keris Stainton, Jessie Hearts NYC. Very easy to read and with a love triangle with three really good characters - definitely recommended! 

Swim The Fly by Don Calame - Raunchy but warm-hearted comedy in a similar vein to the American Pie films. Sequel Beat The Band is just as good, or perhaps even better.

Geekhood series by Andy Robb - Another warm-hearted and funny pair of reads, about teenage role-playing games fanatic Archie and his lack of luck in love.

Geek Girl by Holly Smale - Really enjoyable debut which brought me out of a reading slump thanks to some great characters and a breezy writing style.  

You, Me and Thing by Karen McCombie - I barely ever read books aimed at this age group, but I picked the first in the series up because it's Karen McCombie so it was bound to be brilliant - and I wasn't disappointed! Utterly charming. 

My Family And Other Freaks by Carol Midgley - Side-splittingly funny and with some fabulous character development, this is a debut that shouldn't be missed by younger teens or older tweens.

What Boys Really Want by Pete Hautman - Warm, funny, snarky, and with great character development - boys (and girls) should really want to read this one!

For The Record by Ellie Irving - Engaging story full of the best kind of English eccentrics trying to save their Jersey village from the bulldozers. Charming and fun. 

The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald - I lost myself in this wonderful light teen contemporary novel for hours, finishing it in one sitting, because I was so hooked by the fabulous characters. Huge recommendation!