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Armadale

Teen/Young Adult

A contemporary of Thackeray, Trollope, Dickens and George Eliot, Wilkie Collins was not only at the forefront of the detective novel (The Moonstone) but, as the hugely successful author of mystery and the sensational novel, he was also the celebrity of the time.

Lesser known, but much like its more famous sibling The Woman in White,  the story revolves around the tangled threads of identity and destiny (though less saccharine than Collins’  The Two Destinies). Throw in a handful of revenge, and a femme fatal, and this thrilling nineteenth century ‘bestseller’ is hard to put down.

On an aside: The Woman in White is fantastic too and one of my favourites – read to perfection by Ian Holm. Sample Audible Here

(12+ years)

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The Age of the Fish

11-13 years

Guilty by omission

Also known as Youth without God – the literal translation of the original Jugend Ohne Gott – The Age of the Fish is a brilliantly succinct and multi-layered novel about identity, integrity and the freedom of speech and thought. Written by von Horváth after he had himself faced censure from the Nazis’ Third Reich, emigrating first to Vienna and then later, after the Anschluss with Austria, onto Paris. The story is told from the point of view of a disaffected teacher who, despite all his muted criticisms about his emotionally-numbed pupils and the totalitarian state he lives in, is ensnared in a web of deceit and impotence.

The Age of the Fish is published by William Heinemann, 206 pages.

(12+ years)

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Animal Farm

11-13 years Teen/Young Adult

Ostensibly a children’s fable about farm animals’ revolt against their (human) farmer, it is not only a parable of the Russian Revolution and the messy battle for power as Orwell intended, but also a cautionary satire that can be translated to other examples of dictatorships and government propaganda. No reading list should be without this singularly spectacular piece of work.

(11/12+ years)

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The Hollow People

11-13 years

On the surface, this is just yet another YA dystopian thriller and, as such, an easier read. It soon becomes apparent to an adult reader, however, that it is a rich source of discussion topics – I couldn’t actually help jotting down almost 20 questions I wanted to discuss with the young ‘uns – about society and responsibility (Dr Sigmundus says ‘society is answerable to authority; authority is not answerable to society’), types of leadership, dictatorship and the concept of free will.

(11/12+ years)

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Hunger Games

Don’t roll your eyes. If your pre-teen is struggling with the idea of some ‘thoughtful books’ and you want to kick-start a habit of not reading literary candy floss, you should start here. Unlike some of the other highly popular YA dystopian fiction, the Hunger Games trilogy is very well-written. As incongruous as it may sound, the awful conceit (a competition that requires children to, literally, eliminate each other from the game) is sensitively handled while simultaneously highlighting our macabre fascination with reality TV. By the third book it is a fully-fledged introduction into leadership and symbolism, the roots of revolution and political strategy. It never succumbs to sensationalism or trite romances but is an astonishingly sharp critique and well structured. We anticipate that this trilogy will survive the test of time.

(12+ years)

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

11-13 years Teen/Young Adult

A book that was utterly worthy of all the accolades, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time defies categorisation. Not only a very minuscule insight into Asperges, but a mystery, domestic story, and a coming of age rolled into one. The marvellously direct voice of Christopher is deceptively simple, but a device that is skilfully used, and yet somehow remaining very accessible even to younger readers. (For those are in London, go see the near perfect stage production as well).

(Also for 11+ years)

 

 

 

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All the Light We Cannot See

A New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

I loved this compelling, ambitious novel for several reasons: for Anthony Doerr’s ability to look afresh at this well-trodden period in history (World War II); for his ingenious plot and for his haunting, compelling prose and beautiful imagery. But mostly I loved it because it reminded me of the light and grace we are all capable of embodying. Doerr convinces the reader of the innate good in humanity, even at the most cruel and desolate of times.

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Just out! Books for Easter 2016

We’re going away for Easter with a bunch of recently published books which we thought we would share with you. We haven’t read these yet, but they all sound pretty promising…Which one are you bringing?

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Brain Boost Diet

Books to inspire pre-teens

With a Young Adult (YA) market that’s growing at an incredible pace, full of varied levels of depth, we have often been asked about recommendations that are less frivolous. Here is a list of some of the books we found particularly inspiring for our own children to take on a more substantial literary diet. They are our favourites, not only for introducing our younger teens to great literature or non-fiction, but also for opening the way to interesting discussions on politics, society and ethics, amongst others. Whether short or long, famous or obscure, these are accessible books that still stimulate the mind.

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Man Booker International Prize 2016 – a treasure trove of translated novels

I have great faith in translated international book prizes, only the best make into the English language market and choosing the very best of those is inevitable going to result in a list of excellent books. I’m thrilled to see Mend the Living and A Whole Life on the list as they are both amongst my absolute favourite recent reads. I’ve also just finished the wonderfully quirky The Vegetarian, unlike anything I’ve read before. And then there is Elena Ferrante’s books, three of which I’ve reviewed on this blog (My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name and Days of Abandonment.) If the quality of those I’ve read is anything to go by, all of these should be amazing reads.

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