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Teens
More great books, articles, excerpts and interviews
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"On
the Edge: Stories at the Brink" Teens, by definition, are on the brink. Adulthood looms on one side, childhood beckons for a return visit on the other. In "On the Edge," Lois Duncan collects short fiction about being on the brink from a dozen first-rate novelists including Gail Carson Levine, William Sleator, and Winifred Morris. Whether on the verge of emotional, physical, or psychological calamity, the teens in these stories are poised precariously before their unknown futures. Sometimes humorous (Alden R. Carter's "Pig Brains"), sometimes distressing (Margaret Peterson Haddix's "Fine?"), and always real, these stories will have readers clamoring for more from each author. |
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"Cosmos
Coyote and William the Nice" When a teen rebel from Seattle gets in trouble with the law and is sent to live with conservative Christian relatives in Iowa, he splits himself into two very different personalities. Bland, obedient William the Nice is his public face, while Cosmos Coyote is his wilder, "true" persona. Meeting a feisty, smart, born-again Christian named Cherlyn, however, upends his carefully orchestrated plan and blurs the lines between "Cosmos Coyote and William the Nice." Clever, witty imagery and dialogue meshes with complex, real teen problems in Jim Heynen's story of quests spiritual, sensual, and personal. |
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"Stuck
in Neutral" Many teens feel trapped by circumstances, at odds with their world. For 14-year-old Shawn, "No one understands" could well be his life's motto. But Shawn is no ordinary discontented teen: since birth, he has had profound cerebral palsy, which deprives him of all muscle control. Unable to communicate, Shawn must go through life knowing that everyone assumes he has the mind of a 3-month-old. And when he begins to suspect his devoted father is contemplating murdering him to put him out of his misery, this remarkable, funny, intelligent boy faces a seemingly impossible conundrum. Terry Trueman's haunting first-person novel explores a mind's landscape with sensitivity, intensity, and imagination. |
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"The
Fall: The Seventh Tower No. 1" Tal, a Chosen of the Orange Order, is ready for his coming-of-age rite--entering the spirit world of Aenir. Unfortunately, his father has disappeared with the family sunstone, needed not only for Tal's journey but also to save his ailing mother. Australian fantasy author Garth Nix (of "Sabriel" and "Shade's Children") has joined with Lucasfilm to launch a six-book series about Tal's world, of which "The Fall" is the first installment. Packed with excitement and wonderfully weird creatures like the living sea of Selski and the hungry, one-horned Merwin, Nix's latest tale will enchant readers. |
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"Mummy"
Cool-as-a-cucumber Emlyn has always nursed a secret fantasy of doing something bad--and getting away with it. Model student, good athlete, levelheaded Emlyn is the last person anyone would suspect, especially in a crime as audacious as stealing a mummy from the local museum. But when several classmates propose that she mastermind this prank, Emlyn rises readily and competently to the occasion. That is, until she must defend the mummy--and herself--from her accomplices. Fans of Caroline Cooney's thrillers will be enthralled by "Mummy," an exploration of the dark side of a good girl. |
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"Both
Sides Now" A practical, methodical person who hates unwelcome surprises, 15-year-old Liza is thrown into a tailspin when her mother is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly failing classes, becoming negligent, and getting drunk for the first time, Liza begins to comprehend that life is not something that can be--or even should be--controlled. Her mother's courage and Liza's evolving womanhood allow her to grow in a way she never was able to in her highly structured days. Teens who struggle with managing their ever-changing boundaries will welcome Ruth Pennebaker's wise, accessible "Both Sides Now." |
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