tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14047714.post4932318987495524349..comments2024-03-24T01:48:35.609+11:00Comments on Carpe Librum: Why I Like YA Fiction, Guest Post by Whitney McCarthy, QLD Secondary Teacher and Lover of the Written WordZerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526747223803591584noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14047714.post-91920199326704358682015-06-30T22:02:06.400+10:002015-06-30T22:02:06.400+10:00Thanks for your question Anna, Whitney's been ...Thanks for your question Anna, Whitney's been able to give you some great recommendations there, and I learned something as well. I hadn't heard of Ellie Marney's 'Every' series, and I l-o-v-e the titles and connection to the song by Sting. Uber cool!<br /><br />And thanks for your observations too May, books and reading are a fabulous way to bridge the gap between people and bring us closer together.Traceyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13886600605642919955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14047714.post-7852137587604839442015-06-30T17:34:46.661+10:002015-06-30T17:34:46.661+10:00What a deceptively simple question, Anna! Normall...What a deceptively simple question, Anna! Normally I'd ask you, 'what have you just finished reading?', 'what genre do you enjoy?', and 'how much time do you have?' In order to provide myself with some kind of limit (this is necessary, believe me), I've decided to give you three Australian recommendations. <br />My first recommendation is the 'Finnikin of the Rock' trilogy, by Melina Marchetta. It would be too easy to recommend the many titles that have become staples in the English Syllabi across the country (Looking for Alibrandi, The Piper's Son, and my personal favourite, On the Jellicoe Road), mostly because they recommend themselves. Marchetta really appreciates what is means to be a teenager in Australia, and her characters are rich, believable and engaging. Her fantasy series follows Finnikin, Evanjalin and Froi, three young travellers who seek to return to their homeland of Lumatere, ten years after it was devastated by civil war and mysteriously sealed from the outside world. Finnikin is intelligent, but occasionally judgmental, and it is through the companionship of the other characters that he finds a solution to the complicated problems facing his homeland, and his own life. 'Finnikin of the Rock' is a great choice if you don't yet have the stamina for 'Game of Thrones', but love worldbuilding. Lumatere is a realm rich in history, religion, commerce and language; all created specifically for the story. Finnikin's problems are real, and sometimes very adult, but no one expects him to have all the answers right away. The story is so vivid that the reader joins him on his journey and takes pride in his achievements. <br /><br />If modern literature is more your thing, try Ellie Marney's 'Every' series. Set in Melbourne, it opens on reluctant new arrival, Rachel Watts. She's moved from the country and has found nothing to redeem Melbourne yet. Her next-door neighbour is 17 year old James Mycroft, a highly intelligent, obsessive young man with a passion for forensics. Imagine a young, Australian Sherlock Holmes, and that's James Mycroft. Together with his Watts-on (get it?) he attempts to unravel a series of crimes, which shed light on his past, and help Rachel to look to the future. <br />Nerdy English/Music side note: The books are (in order): Every Breath, Every Word, Every Move- I dare you not to sing Sting's lyrics every time you pick up the book! I love this series, the third book of which is currently in my TBR pile for this school holiday period. I like flawed, interesting characters; they are more realistic, I think.<br /><br />No YA recommendation would be complete without a post-apocalyptic title. 'The Last Girl' (again, the first of a trilogy) by Michael Adams give a global, technologically driven Doomsday, an Australian focus. This series is a real page-turner, and forces the reader to question what they'd do in the same situation. The story opens on a dysfunctional, upper-middle class family on Christmas Eve. Danby, like many girls her age, lives through technology; it connects her to her friends and the world, and without it, she would be lost. Then, something changes...<br />As someone who lived in Sydney for many years, I enjoyed the familiarity of the locations, but could appreciate the incredible journey facing Danby, our 17 year old protagonist. 'The First Girl' is a novel I'd recommend to adults and students alike, because it pulls no punches and the age of the main characters quickly becomes irrelevant. I would defy you to read the first 50 pages and not want to finish it. It is really good.<br />So there you go, Anna. There's something to love about each of these recommendations, but something challenging about each as well. I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the future.<br />WhitneyWhitney McCarthynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14047714.post-85341131915982301022015-06-30T16:54:27.308+10:002015-06-30T16:54:27.308+10:00This was an interesting read- thank you.
I try to ...This was an interesting read- thank you.<br />I try to stay on top of the YA reading list as I work with a lot of young people and being able to communicate with them about other things than work is a huge positive in the workplace.<br />I find it also means that the young folk also tend then to take an interest in what I am reading or watching. We may not have the same views but we have a bridge from one generation to the next.Maynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14047714.post-1242870065309283872015-06-29T22:49:59.266+10:002015-06-29T22:49:59.266+10:00So, what should I try first, Whitney? You've c...So, what should I try first, Whitney? You've convinced me!Anna Bartletthttp://www.shinyhappyart.comnoreply@blogger.com