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Top dozen -- 2008's best books for teens and young adults
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This list was created after consulting School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, Amazon.com editors’ picks and with the hearty help of Manhattan’s most knowledgeable children’s bookseller, Peter Glassman of Books of Wonder.
1. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen, $18)
Seventeen–year-old Marcus figures he already knows how the system works--and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive, but clumsy, surveillance systems.
But his youthful arrogance takes a hit when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his pals are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.
This book extrapolates from current events to warn us about ever-widening threats to our liberty, but optimistically notes that “eternal vigilance” is in us all.
Best-selling author Neil Gaiman says:
[It's] a wonderful, important book…I’d recommend Little Brother over pretty much any book I’ve read this year, and I’d want to get it into the hands of as many smart 13-year-olds, male and female, as I can. Because I think it’ll change lives. Because some kids, maybe just a few, won’t be the same after they’ve read it. Maybe they’ll change politically, maybe technologically. Maybe it’ll just be the first book they loved or that spoke to their inner geek. Maybe they’ll want to argue about it and disagree with it. Maybe they’ll want to open their computer and see what’s in there. I don’t know. It made me want to be thirteen again right now, and reading it for the first time.
The next four recommendations are sequels. While most stand on their own, readers will have a richer experience having read the previous novels.
2. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing,Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick Press, $23)
Octavian is a Revolutionary War-era slave. In the first award-winning volume, The Pox Party, Octavian is introduced as a black youth raised in a Boston household of radical philosophers. He is given an excellent classical education. He and his mother, an African princess, are kept isolated on the estate, and only as he grows older does he realize that while he is well dressed and well fed, he is indeed a captive being used by his guardians as part of an experiment to determine the intellectual acuity of Africans. As the fortunes of the Novanglian College of Lucidity change, so do the nature and conduct of their experiments. The boy's guardians host a pox party where everyone is inoculated with the disease in hopes that they will then be immune to its effects, but, instead, Octavian's mother dies. He runs away and ends up playing the fiddle and joining in the Patriots' cause. He's eventually captured and brought back to his household where he's bound and forced to wear an iron mask until one of his more sympathetic instructors engineers his escape. The novel is written in 18th-century language from Octavian's point of view and in letters written by a soldier who befriends him. Despite the challenging style, these powerful novels resonate with contemporary readers. The issues of slavery and human rights, racism, free will, the causes of war, and one person's struggle to define himself are just as relevant today. Anderson's use of factual information to convey the time and place are powerfully done. The story continues in Vol. II with Octavian fighting for the British in hopes of winning his freedom. A wonderfull rich reading experience for teen, or adults, wholike historical fiction packed with detail.
3. Artemis Fowl, Book 6 --The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion Books, $18)
Artemis Fowl is a loveable teenage criminal mastermind. Now, time travel stories where one must battle formidable ancestors or foes of any nature are fairly intriguing for most of us, but who could resist one in which the teen protagonist must go back and “outsmart his most cunning adversary yet – his 10-year-old self.” And he’s doing it to save his mother who has contracted a deadly disease. The only cure lies in the brain fluid of African lemurs. Unfortunately, Artemis himself was responsible for making the lemurs extinct five years before. Thankfully, he has friends in the fairy world, particularly the irrepressible Captain Holly Short. She, he, and sometime-adversary, sometime-friend, the dwarf Mulch Diggums, travel back in time to save the lemurs and thereby save his mom. But, of course, it isn’t that simple. Diggums tunnels by mouth and expels by…. Well, young kids just love the dirt-fart jokes. The trio battles a band of wacko Extinctionists, who love to see species destroyed, as well as Artemis-the-younger. Three years has passed since the last adventure and Artemis now has twin brothers named Beckett and Myles. We see a more mature Artemis who started to ponder the consequences of his past deeds, and are sweetly titillated by a human teen-fairy kiss and all that may imply.
4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians – Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordon (Hyperion Books, $18)
I’ve seen this series keep kids reading on a sunny day in the park. The premise is that there are a handful of kids who are the children of Greek gods and goddesses who had come down to live among modern Americans. These kids, called "half-bloods" in the book, grow up not knowing their origins, alienated by their disjointed lives and absent parents. Many half-bloods have dyslexia and attention deficits disorders because their minds are wired for ancient Greek. (Some young readers will identify here.) Forces of darkness - monsters - aim it is to destroy such kids. They are only protected at a special camp - "Camp Half-Blood." Percy, who turns out to be a son of Poseidon, lands at this camp, but must eventually leave it and risk the monsters, to fulfill a Quest. Similarities to the Potter books are so absurdly obvious they should be embarrassing (but, then, Rowling had Ender’s Game): an orphan, with supernatural powers, who has two friends (one brainy girl and one geeky sidekick), and several envious rivals. He goes to a special school and learns he is highly skilled at the school's favorite sport (in this case chariot racing). He is personally charged with a quest that, should he fail, will result in the ruin of the world. Action starts faster than at Hogwarts, I’m told. As an incoming freshman, Percy isn't expecting his high school orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse. …Time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends will set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action.
5. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke (The Chicken House, $25)
While some reviewers of this trilogy’s conclusion, Inkheart and Inkspell having come before, think it’s a letdown, Peter Glassman says they probably just don’t understand what they’re reading. Inkheart began with Meggie needing to rescue her mother trapped inside the pages of a book. It was a long adventure, but penetrable by the average 10 year-old. Now, Kirkus Reviews says, “A monumental third installment brings the Inkheart trilogy to a grueling, blood-spattered, mortality-obsessed close. The Inkworld is in disarray: Its author, Fenoglio, has lost his ability to write and, therefore, shape events; the odious Orpheus, however, has taken to recycling Fenoglio's words to control the narrative/world himself. The evil Adderhead, whose immortality was bound into the White Book by bookbinder-turned-people's champion Mo/the Bluejay, finds his body decomposing and demands a new Book; can Mo use the opportunity to end the villain's life altogether? Can Dustfinger come back from the dead? Will Resa's baby be born into peace or violence? Is Meggie falling out of love with Farid? (Thank goodness there's an A to Z index of names and places!) Where the first volume was thoroughly young Meggie's story, this narrative alternates among a dizzying array of characters, most of whom are adults who betray distinctly adult concerns. While Funke's storytelling is as compelling as ever, the natural audience for this brooding saga seems, sadly, to be teens and up and not the children who so eagerly responded to Inkheart.” Publishers specification for ages 9-12 seems mistaken.
6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, $18)
Dystopia USA. Or what was the USA. 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in a desperately poor mining community called the Seam, (ex-Appalacia) and when her little sister's name is chosen as one of the contestants in the upcoming Hunger Games (think Romans/Christians-to-the-lions), Katniss volunteers to take her place. This looks like a suicidal sacrifice, given the fact that District 12 hasn't produced a Hunger Games winner in 30 years or so, “making them the Chicago Cubs of the post apocalypse world.” But, of course, the reader knows it won’t be. There’s a typical teen love interest, Katniss’ 18-year-old hunting partner Gale. Meanwhile, she’s got growing affection for the other District 12 contestant, a clueless baker's son named Peeta Mellark. A grim and chilling look at a world where reality TV knows no bounds… in each episode 24 teenagers chosen by lottery, two from each District fight each other in a desolate environment called the ''arena.'' (Rome again). The winner gets a life of ease; the losers get death. The only ''unspoken rule'' is that you can't eat the dead contestants. Awful, but Collins hooks readers with her page-turning plot and characters.
7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – A Pop-Up Book by Sam Ita (Sterling, $27)
Surprised we would place a pop-up in the teens section? But this isn’t just any kids’ pop-up. It’s a pop-up engineered by Sam Ita, and a graphic novel. With the unsurpassed Jules Verne plot…..Here’s the publisher’s description: Following the release of his spectacular Moby Dick: A Pop-Up Book, paper-crafting genius Sam Ita gives Jules Verne’s engrossing undersea story an equally unique and amazing presentation. Ita literally takes graphic novels into another dimension with breathtaking designs that pop, flaps that lift, parts that move, and art that astonishes. There’s nothing like it out on the market. You won’t believe your eyes as you join Captain Nemo on an unforgettable adventure: submarines, sea monsters, and even the lost city of Atlantis (complete with ancient artifacts, temples, and columns) rise from the page as if emerging from the waves. Take a 3-D look inside Jules Verne’s visionary submarine; sit with the sailors at their lobster-laden table; pull a lever to move the diving gauge; and face a giant squid as its slippery tentacles attack the Nautilus and her crew. Just as he did with his immensely popular Moby Dick, Sam Ita has concocted pure thrilling magic. Peter Glassman: It’s for everyone.
8. Nation by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins, $17)
Simply put, it’s the story of two tsunami survivors working together to create a new life out of the ruins. But it isn’t simple. The sea has taken everything. Mau seems to be the only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But somewhere in the jungle, Daphne, a girl from the other side of the globe, is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave. Together they confront the catastrophe. Drawn by the smoke of Mau and Daphne's sheltering fire, other refugees slowly arrive: children without parents, mothers without babies, husbands without wives—all of them hungry and all of them frightened. As Mau and Daphne struggle to keep the small band safe and fed, they defy ancestral spirits, challenge death himself, and uncover a long-hidden secret that literally turns the world upside down. Bookmarks Magazine: “Critics praised Nation as a hybrid, deeply philosophical book aimed at young adults, but one likely to appeal to adults as well, much like Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy or J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. With echoes of William Defoe and William Golding, Nation takes the form of a “classic Robinsonade,” notes the Washington Post—that is, a book in which characters on a desert island recreate civilization. As his characters grapple with questions of leadership, humanity, and survival, Pratchett explores fundamental ideas about religion and culture. This might all sound rather heavy, but there is plenty of originality and humor—and cannibals, spirits, and secret treasures—to go around. In the end, Pratchett offers a vision of a deeply humane world. ‘In some part of the multiverse there is probably a civilisation based on the thinking of Terry Pratchett,’ writes the Guardian, ‘and what a civilised civilisation that will be.’”
9. Gone by Michael Grant (Harper Teen, $18)
Another apocalyptic thriller. This time all the adults disappear. That might sound great to some kids today, but here’s what really happens. With no teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no Internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened. Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. Teens are mutating new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And each and every child lives with the fear that time is running out: On your 13th birthday, you disappear just like everyone else. Shades of Star Trek’s episode “Miri” from the original series. In that one, passing puberty was a death sentence because the adults hundreds of years earlier worked on a longevity project that sort of backfired. Childhood was prolonged a couple hundred years but adults died. In that story Kirk Spock and McCoy find the antidote. Here, Sam, Quinn, Edilio, Astrid, and Little Pete join forces for survival. They are constantly running from the bully, Caine, or one of his allies. They eventually meet a girl Lana, who is a healer, and discover that Little Pete has special abilities of his own. When they save a bunch of kids with power from Caine, who had them imprisoned with their hands cemented in blocks, the kids join their movement to take Caine down. The book explores the reactions of the young when the older generations are suddenly GONE, and maturing under the threat of soon vanishing yourself. “Brilliant,” says Peter Glassman.
10. Paper Towns by John Green (Dutton Juvenile, $18)
Quentin, has been in love with Margo for years, so when, weeks before they are to graduate from an Orlando-area high school, she reappears and commands him to take her on a madcap night of score-settling escapades, he goes along. Then she disapperas again and he feels compelled to search for her and to learn why she is so unhappy. This suspenseful and emotionally taut story of self-discovery and compassion is laced with smart-aleck humor and graceful prose. The author “melds elements from his Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines— the impossibly sophisticated but unattainable girl, and a life-altering road trip—for another teen-pleasing read,” says Publisher’s Weekly. Quentin, known as “Q”, has loved Margo from not so afar, as she lives next door, for years even after she ditched him for a cooler crowd. The plot is driven by Quentin's mission to find out if she's run away or committed suicide. “Margo's parents, inured to her extreme behavior, wash their hands, but Quentin thinks she's left him a clue in a highlighted volume of Leaves of Grass. Q's sidekick, Radar, editor of a Wikipedia-like Web site, provides the most intelligent thinking and fuels many hilarious exchanges with Quentin.” The title, which refers to unbuilt subdivisions and copyright trap towns that appear on maps but don't exist, unintentionally underscores the novel's weakness: both milquetoast Q and self-absorbed Margo are types, not fully dimensional characters. Readers who can get past that will enjoy the edgy journey and off-road thinking.”
#11 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhard ( Hyperion, $17) In a homage to girl-power, E. Lockhart’s latest concerns "a nice girl" who remakes herself as a "near-criminal mastermind," with pranks that upend her school's oppressive power structure (created by and for boys). Frankie is fearless! She’s also gutsy and smart and brave, and when she infiltrates an all-male secret society at her elite boarding school, none of the boys catches on to her pranks. Readers will be fascinated by and fearful for her, wondering just what will happen when the time comes for her inevitable A nominee for a National Book Award in young people's literature.
#12 The President’s Daughter, White House Autumn, Long Live the Queen, and Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White. (Feiwel and Friends, $10 first three, $15 for the fourth) Well, if we couldn’t have the first female president this year, at least we can have her in fiction. The four volumes chronicle the life of 16-year-old Meghan Powers whose teen- age days are irrevocably knocked off the norm when her mother becomes the first woman president. “Rarely have I read such a nuanced, realistic, understanding and forgiving mother/daughter relationship.” Says one reader. “Her characters are sometimes sarcastic; they are also honest and vulnerable,” says another
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