Age banding for books - my view

A colleague sent me an email with a link to an article about the G.P. Taylor v Patrick Ness debate and said "you know about these things, what do you think?".  I started writing a response and it turned into a bit of an essay, so she suggested blogging it!
It is a thorny issue as I think parents do need some kind of guidance as to what their children are reading - they might not have time to read it themselves and there might not be an expert on hand to say 'I think your son/daughter is a bit young for that'.  Kids are quite self-censoring though - they'll stop reading a book if they aren't enjoying the storyline and often say that they think a book is not suitable for their younger sibling.  The debate started this time because of the assertion that YA books are becoming 'darker', but Grimms' Tales were pretty dark, and what about Goosebumps and Point Horror from 20 years ago?  Some pretty nasty things happen in Harry Potter too...as Patrick Ness said, in real life children have to deal with bad stuff and so like to read about people experiencing similar or worse events.  Who's to say that a 16 year old is more able to cope with reading about suicide or rape or bereavement than a 14 year old, or even a 12 year old, when any one of them could have experienced suicidal thoughts.  Never mind that they will have watched people coping with these issues on Eastenders anyway!

An awful lot of the manga sold in western countries has age bands - off the top of my head, it is A (all), T (early teen) , T+ (older teen), 16 & 18+ - determined for the American market who are really prudish so I wouldn't mind any of the kids in my library reading most T+.  This is because they're all sold in a similar format and just looking at the cover won't tell you whether there might be some hardcore p*rn or extreme violence in there!  It hasn't made a difference to their popularity, as with age banding for films, so maybe doing the same for full text YA books would not cause a problem.  It might even increase the kudos of an author, to have their book rated as 15+.

I think age banding is unfeasible.  Firstly, who would do it and secondly what would the reasoning be?  Would it be like films and done by committee (there are a lot more books published than films made), or the publishers, or the authors?  Would a book that involves the massacre of demons have the same ranking as one that involves descriptions of the Holocaust?  Would one that deals with the aftermath of a rape have the same rating as one with a gratuitous sex scene?  It is the way that the issues are handled that matters, and that is an issue for marketers/publicists/booksellers/librarians - to ensure that the right messages get through to the right people.  For age banding to work, every book would have to have it - adult as well as YA or childrens'.  Otherwise 15 year olds would be held back from reading something from the adult section of the bookshop 'just in case'.

There would also have to be some way of making it clear that the rating is simply about the suitability of the story rather than the difficulty of the language.  Emotional maturity, reading age, and physical age do not necessarily correlate!  A child could pick up a book deemed to be suitable for their age group and either struggle terribly because it is too difficult for them or be bored because it is too 'easy'.  I can also see a number of teens I know refusing to read something because it has '12' on it but they're 14.  At school we buy in a system called Accelerated Reader that levels books based on language content and provides quizzes for pupils to take to demonstrate that they have understood the book.  These levels correlate to reading ages, and are actually quite useful as long as you bear in mind that they don't make a judgement on the events in the story.  For example, the House of Night series is easier to read than the Harry Potter novels but are for a more mature age group (the opening chapter includes a description of a blowjob).  The only indicator of age-appropriateness is 'LY', 'MY' or 'UY' on their labels - lower, middle or upper year.  Not enough books are quizzed and the system is too expensive, but it is a useful tool for those that don't have a strong knowledge of children's literature.

Hot Key Books are a new publishing company that have what I think is a brilliant alternative - the Hot Key Ring - in which they give an idea of what kind of issues are in that book without prescribing who it might be suitable for.  No hint of reading level or age appropriateness, but a good indicator of content that wouldn't be off-putting for the reader or parent.
I have seen a number of YA books with 'parental guidance' or 'warning: explicit content' signs on their covers - it just makes you want to read it more ;-)

The Official CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards shortlists!

The wait is over and today we know what the judges have chosen as their shortlists from the 100-odd books nominated across the two awards.  Remember, the only nomination criteria were that it had to be written for children or teenagers and have been published in the UK between 1^st September 2010 (seems a long time ago!) and 31^st August 2011 (without having been published more than 3months earlier in another country).

The titles they chose for Carnegie, meaning they think they are “outstanding literature for children and young people” are:

The Midnight Zoo by Sonia Hartnett

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Septys

Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans

Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

My Name is Mina by David Almond

Trash by Andy Mulligan

Eight titles this year so I could have chosen two more for my short list!  As you will remember from my previous posts relating to the Carnegie, I loved four of these, with two making it onto my short list.  I posted in November, February and earlier this month.  I didn’t like the other four, though I can understand why people did, but I am surprised that the judges thought they were better than any of the other titles on the list!

A nice variety, they’re all very readable and not too worthy or difficult for your average school child to read, probably the most accessible short list there has been for a long while and I think less for your average School Librarian to criticize.  There are always complaints about the Carnegie short list being full of books that are too difficult but all of these titles are age appropriate for KS3 reading groups.

My prediction for the final winner:

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

I read a proof copy before it was published and at the next YLG London meeting said there’s no point reading any more books because this is the next Carnegie winner!  It is such a beautiful, sad story.  Second choice would be The Midnight Zoo.

The short list for the Greenaway Award for outstanding illustration is:

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay

Wolf Won’t Bite by Emily Gravett

Puffin Peter by Petr Horacek

Slog’s Dad by David Almond, illustrated by David McKean

Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner

The Gift by Carol Anne Duffy, illustrated by Rob Ryan

There are no Cats in this Book by Viviane Schwarz

Can we save the Tiger? By Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White

I’ll be shadowing the Greenaway with a group of Year 7s at school so I’ll let you know what we think!

My personal Carnegie shortlist

I have finally got to the end of the 52-book long long-list for this year's Carnegie!  I shall tell you which I think should be the final 6, and which I think might actually be on the short list, but first a brief look at the ones I've read since my last related post.  Again, red means I liked it and green means it didn't live up to expectations :-)

Deary, Terry Put Out The Light

Diterlizzi, Tony The Search for Wondla

Doherty, Berlie Treason

Halahmy, Miriam Hidden

LaFleur, Suzanne Eight Keys

Mason, Simon Moon Pie

McCaughrean, Geraldine Pull out all the Stops

McKay, Hilary Caddy's World

Mitchelhill, Barbara Run Rabbit Run

Morpurgo, Michael Shadow

Priestley, Chris The Dead of Winter

Revis, Beth Across the Universe

Saunders, Kate Magicalamity

Stephens, John The Emerald Atlas

I'm afraid I don't have time to explain those opinions today, have a look at my twitter feed (@cazapr1) for my mini-reviews of them all.

Such a huge variety of books, some of which I would not have picked up if they weren't on the list and so some nice discoveries, as well as the occasional disappointment.  But without further ado, my personal short list is...

Blackman, Malorie Boys Don't Cry

Dogar, Sharon Annexed

Gibbons, Alan An Act of Love

Hardinge, Frances Twilight Robbery

Hartnett, Sonya The Midnight Zoo

Ness, Patrick A Monster Calls

with special mention for Earle, Phil Being Billy, Pitcher, Annabel My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece and Young,

Moira Blood Red Road.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Almond, David My Name is Mina, Peet, Mal Life : an Exploded Diagram, or Rosoff, Meg There is no Dog on the real list because, among a couple of the other names on the long list, they're high-hitting literary types even if I didn't enjoy the stories much.

Next week we'll find out whether I have good taste or not!

CKG Longlist update

I think it is about time I updated my 'read' list of the Carnegie longlist - you may remember that way back in November I told you all about the list and which ones I'd read already.  Have a look at that one to refresh your memory because here are those I've read in the last (nearly) 3 months...as with the last post, red means I loved it and green means it wasn't all that. Reverse traffic lights, sorry, but I like red!

Bowler, Tim Buried Thunder - I don't think it could end up on the shortlist, but pretty gripping

Bruton, Catherine We Can Be Heroes - I found it very uncomfortable reading, too much of the racisism and not enough of the balanced opinion in the bulk of the story
Crossley-Holland, Kevin Bracelet of Bones - might be well written but I found it really dull

Donnelly, Jennifer Revolution - very exciting and not what I expected at all
Evans, Lissa Small Change for Stuart - meh
Fine, Anne The Devil Walks - didn't ring true, far too easily resolved, definitely not one of her best
Forward, Toby Dragonborn - far too long
Gibbons, Alan An Act of Love - what 'We Can be Heroes' failed to be!
Grant, Helen Wish Me Dead - nowhere near as good as 'The Glass Demon' so very disappointing
Hardinge, Frances Twilight Robbery  - absolutely my favourite book on the list so far
Hartnett, Sonya The Midnight Zoo - really moving wartime story
Ibbotson, Eva One Dog and His Boy - cute and innocent, classic children's adventure story
Lewis, Ali Everybody Jam - didn't grip me at all
Lewis, Gill Sky Hawk - tonnes better than I expected, never would have picked it up if it wasn't for the CKG nomination, but better than your average animal story
Rooney, Rachel The Language of Cat - collection of poems - very clever and witty, reminded me of Roger McGough's poetry (An Imaginary Menagerie is my all time favourite book of poetry, I never really progressed with age!)
Young, Moira Blood Red Road - one of the better of the recent plethora of dystopian fiction, definitely for fans of the Hunger Games

Here are the last of the 52 that I haven't tried yet:

Deary, Terry Put Out The Light
Diterlizzi, Tony The Search for Wondla
Doherty, Berlie Treason
Halahmy, Miriam Hidden
LaFleur, Suzanne Eight Keys
Mason, Simon Moon Pie
McCaughrean, Geraldine Pull out all the Stops
McKay, Hilary Caddy's World
Mitchelhill, Barbara Run Rabbit Run
Morpurgo, Michael Shadow
Priestley, Chris The Dead of Winter
Revis, Beth Across the Universe
Saunders, Kate Magicalamity
Stephens, John The Emerald Atlas

Not because I don't like the look of them, they've just not yet reached the top of my heap!  The shortlist is going to be announced on March 30th, so my next Carnegie post will be my personal shortlist, just before the official one comes out, so we can see how much overlap there is!

Twilight Robbery by Frances Hardinge

As dusk approaches, the good people of Toll-by-day slam shut their doors and tremble. New openings appear in the shadows, a black carriage rumbles through the streets and a wicked underworld emerges. It is time to discover Toll-by-Night – and it's a very different place.

Black-eyed orphan Mosca Mye and conman Eponymous Clent are down on their luck. Again. So when they find themselves embroiled in a daring kidnap plot, the whiff of money is too tempting to resist. Before she knows it, Mosca is trapped in Toll's deadly night city on a mission to rescue a girl she can't stand with only a midwife, a murderous goose and a war-crazed dandy knight to help her…

Twilight Robbery is the long awaited sequel to Fly by Night.

Macmillan 2011

People don't rave about Frances Hardinge enough as far as I'm concerned, I loved this book!  Fly by Night all those years ago was brilliant, Verdigris Deep wasn't as brilliant but also really good, but Twilight Robbery is wonderful.

Hardinge is a little over fond of slightly pretentious phrasing, but she is an Oxford graduate so I guess she can't help it...part of the premise is that the two main characters are clever and educated while surrounded by uneducated people so it works.  I thought it started a little bit slowly but the idea of Toll-by-Night and Toll-by-Day is amazing and brilliantly executed, and the story is perfectly plotted.  I didn't want it to finish but was very satisfied with the way it did!

By far my favourite on the Carnegie 2011 long-list so far.

Nothing by Janne Teller

This book was originally written in Danish and published in 2000, but translated into English in 2010. It has won all sorts of awards, and for good reason!  Unfortunately because of the language issue it couldn't be eligible for the CILIP CKG awards in the UK.  Anyway...

Pierre Anthon left school the day he found out that it was not worth doing anything as nothing mattered anyhow. The rest of us stayed behind. And even though the teachers carefully cleared up after Pierre Anthon in the class room as well as in our heads, a bit of Pierre Anthon remained within us. Perhaps this is why things later happened the way they did ...
Thus begins the story of Pierre Anthon, a thirteen year old boy, who leaves school to sit in a plum tree and train for becoming part of nothing. "Everything begins just in order to end. The moment you were born you began to die, and that goes for everything else as well." Pierre Anthon shouts and continues: "The whole thing is just one immense play which is about pretending and about being best at exactly that."

Scared at the prospects that Pierre Anthon throws at them together with the ripening plums, his seventh grade classmates set out on a desperate quest for the meaning of life. Nothing they do will make him come down, not even pelting him with rocks. So to prove to Pierre Anthon that life has meaning, the children decide to give up things of importance. The pile starts with the superficial—a fishing rod, a new pair of shoes. But as the sacrifices become more extreme, the students grow increasingly desperate to get Pierre Anthon down, to justify their belief in meaning.

summary from GoodReads

Nothing is the only book by Janne Teller that I've read, it was really very short but packs a big punch!  Some of the reviews I've read compare it to Lord of the Flies, apt in that there is very little adult interference and the group mentality becomes pretty sinister and aggressive.  Their parents are there for them to go home to at night and they have teachers at school, but basically the teenagers have a lot of freedom to get into the state they do without anyone noticing.  It is a philosophical book, really makes you think about the meaning of life and 'stuff', as well as making you despair at the way their pile of meaning is overtaken by their spite caused by having lost something important to them.

It starts with shoes, photos, bikes, diaries, but moves on to far more spiritually and potentially devestatingly meaningful things.  It is hard to say too much without spoiling the empathy you'll feel when reading certain passages, I was certainly in turmoil at a couple of points and was squirming with discomfort on the bus this morning because of something particularly horrific.  At the same time, it is such a short story that the descriptions are quite superficial and the rest is in your head.  It is wonderfully written so hats off to the translator, Martin Aitken, for retaining the mood.  The only complaint I have is the lack of consequence for their actions.

On the cover, David Almond is quoted as saying "Bold, beautiful, terrifying.  One of the greatest young adult novels I have ever read".  I'm not sure I would go that far, and it is funny how every review I've seen either loves or hates it - definitely a marmite book - but I would agree that it should become a classic and a must-read for everyone.

The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Longlists 2011

The longlists for the two awards, nominated and voted for by Children's Librarians, were announced this month.  As I've mentioned before, the Greenaway award is for outstanding illustration in a book for children/young people while the Carnegie is for the writing.  The main criteria is that the book has to have been published in the UK between september 2010 and end of August 2011, and not have been published in another country more than 3 months earlier.

Remember they're not necessarily amazing literature, at the moment each book is on the lists because at least one Librarian in the country enjoyed reading it and so voted for it (each member of CILIP can vote for 2 books in each award).  The judges have to read them all and narrow them down to a shortlist by Easter 2012.  By that point they will have looked at the detailed list of criteria for winning the awards (you can find these on the CKG website if you're interested).

Here's the Carnegie list.  Those in red I read and love, those in green I've read but don't think they're amazing, those in white I haven't read yet.  For the last 3 years running I've read the whole shortlist before it was announced so I'll try to keep that streak going!

Almond, David My Name is Mina
Publisher: Hodder ISBN: 9780340997253

Barraclough, Lindsey Long Lankin
Publisher: Bodley Head ISBN: 9780370331966

Bedford, Martyn Flip
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406329896

Blackman, Malorie Boys Don't Cry
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780385604796

Bowler, Tim Buried Thunder
Publisher: Oxford Children's Books ISBN: 9780192728388

Boyne, John Noah Barleywater Runs Away
Publisher:David Fickling ISBN:9780385618953

Brahmachari, Sita Artichoke Hearts
Publisher: Macmillan ISBN: 9780330517911

Bruton, Catherine We Can Be Heroes
Publisher: Egmont ISBN: 9781405256520

Collins, B.R Tyme's End
Publisher: Bloomsbury ISBN: 9781408806470

Condie, Ally Matched
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141333052

Crossley-Holland, Kevin Bracelet of Bones
Publisher: Quercus ISBN:9781847249395

David, Keren Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery
Publisher: Frances Lincoln ISBN: 9781847801913

Deary, Terry Put Out The Light
Publisher: A & C Black ISBN: 9781408130544

Diterlizzi, Tony The Search for Wondla
Publisher: Simon & Schuster ISBN: 9781847389664

Dogar, Sharon Annexed
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9781849392211

Doherty, Berlie Treason
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9781849391214

Donnelly, Jennifer Revolution
Publisher: Bloomsbury ISBN: 9781408801529

Downham, Jenny You Against Me
Publisher David Fickling ISBN: 9780385613507

Earle, Phil Being Billy
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141331355

Eastham, Ruth The Memory Cage
Publisher: Scholastic ISBN: 9781407120522

Evans, Lissa Small Change for Stuart
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780385618007

Fine, Anne The Devil Walks
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780857530646

Forward, Toby Dragonborn
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406320435

Gibbons, Alan An Act of Love
Publisher: Orion ISBN: 9781842557822

Grant, Helen Wish Me Dead
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141337708

Halahmy, Miriam Hidden
Publisher: Meadowside ISBN:9781845395230

Hardinge, Frances Twilight Robbery
Publisher: Macmillan ISBN: 9781405055390

Hartnett, Sonya The Midnight Zoo
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406331493

Ibbotson, Eva One Dog and His Boy
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN: 9781407124230

Kennen, Ally Quarry
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN:9781407111070

LaFleur, Suzanne Eight Keys
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141336060

Lewis, Ali Everybody Jam
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9781849392488

Lewis, Gill Sky Hawk
Publisher: Oxford Chldren's Books ISBN: 9780192756237

Mason, Simon Moon Pie
Publisher: David Fickling ISBN: 9780385618519

McCaughrean, Geraldine Pull out all the Stops
Publisher: Oxford Chldren's Books ISBN: 9780192789952

McKay, Hilary Caddy's World
Publisher: Hodder ISBN: 9781444900538

Mitchelhill, Barbara Run Rabbit Run
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9871849392495

Morpurgo, Michael Shadow
Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 9780007339594

Mulligan, Andy Trash
Publisher: David Fickling ISBN: 9780385619011

Ness, Patrick A Monster Calls
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406311525

Peet, Mal Life : an Exploded Diagram
Publisher: Walker ISBN:9781844281008

Perera, Anna The Glass Collector
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141331157

Pitcher, Annabel My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece
Publisher: Orion ISBN: 9781444001839

Priestley, Chris The Dead of Winter
Publisher: Bloomsbury ISBN: 9781408800133

Rai, Bali Killing Honour
Publisher: Corgi Childrens ISBN: 9780552562119

Revis, Beth Across the Universe
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141333663

Rooney, Rachel The Language of Cat
Publisher: Frances Lincoln ISBN: 9781847801678

Rosoff, Meg There is no Dog
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141327167

Saunders, Kate Magicalamity
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN:9781407108964

Sepetys, Ruta Between Shades of Gray
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141335889

Stephens, John The Emerald Atlas
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780857530189

Young, Moira Blood Red Road
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN: 9781407124254

So I've read 22 out of 52 so far...how many have you read and which is your favourite?

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I want to re-read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish blog that I occasionally remember to do on the right day!

I've completely reneged on my promise to blog at least once a week, having done nothing since going back to school, but real life got in the way!  3 weeks into term and routine has re-established itself so hopefully I can start back up.

Anyway, top ten books I'd like to re-read...I like to buy books that I've read and loved (having nearly always borrowed them from a library, as you know) so that I can look at them on my shelves and pretend that one day I'll have time to read them again.  Unfortunately at the moment re-reading seems like a luxury I don't have time for but one day, maybe when I retire, I will start with...

1. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - I have mentioned before that this is one of the greatest books ever written, and one of the few that I have read more than once!

2. Animal Farm by George Orwell - I read this yeeeeeeears ago and remember that it was amazing, but apart from that only remember "four legs gooood two legs baaaaad" which I quote to kids swinging on their chairs and they look at me like I'm a loon...

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - definitely deserves a re-read, maybe I'll find the time to do it before going to see the film

4. Postcards from No Man's Land by Aiden Chambers - beautifully written

5. slightly cheating with this one because there are loads of them...but all of the Discworld by Terry Pratchett!

6. Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher - I'd like to read it and go find all the statues around London that take part in the story!

7. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - I read them about 20 years ago so it must be about time I refreshed my memory

The next two are ones that I really have to re-read:

8. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - I didn't really enjoy this when I first read it but everyone goes on about how amazing it was.  Also, I've joined a reading group for which this is the next book!

9. My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher - in a few weeks I need to tell a group of Librarians why to vote for this as the CILIP YLG London suggestion for the Carnegie award!

And I'm cheating now but number 10. goes to every book I've rated 5* on Goodreads ;-)

Review: Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David

I loved When I was Joe and the sequel Almost True, so when I saw that Keren David had a new book out I was desperate to read it!  While it is the summer holiday I've not been in school so despite having ordered it it won't arrive until September, so I was really pleased to see that UK Book Tours was offering a copy to review!

Money can’t buy you love. But it can buy many other very nice things. Lia’s mum is a nag, her sister’s a pain and she’s getting nowhere in pursuit of the potentially paranormal Raf. Then she wins £8 million in the lottery, and suddenly everything is different. But will Lia’s fortune create more problems than it solves? Everyone dreams of winning the lottery - but what’s it really like?

Synopsis from Amazon

Lia is an excellent main character, such a proper teenage girl, and I really enjoyed her voice. The characters are believable and at no point did I think 'that wouldn't have happened', with Lia's thought processes and understanding of situations sounding perfectly believable all the way through.  Saying that, I thought that the references to paranormal romance were brilliant, with the questions surrounding Raf's background keeping you guessing right up to near the end!

A couple of serious issues are broached in this book, Lia's best friend has recently become more religious, her younger sister has been bullied, and of course with a romance there's the physical aspect of a relationship as well as the emotional.  The 16 year old characters are very mature about it all and I thought it was well done.

It is a very different story to Keren's previous two novels with a much more lighthearted plot, but it is written with the same wit and style and so was equally enjoyable.  I'd expected a lot and I was not disappointed, 5/5

Mindless Violence or Realism?

In which I disagree with one of the most popular authors for teen boys in the UK.  I feel terrible but I can't help it...

 

Spring, 1941. German submarines are prowling the North Atlantic, sinking ships filled with the food, fuel and weapons that Britain needs to survive. With the Royal Navy losing the war at sea, six young agents must sneak into Nazi-occupied Europe and sabotage a submarine base on France's western coast. If the submarines aren't stopped, the British people will starve.

taken from Goodreads

I loved the first couple of books in the Henderson Boys series by Robert Muchamore, but I just finished reading Grey Wolves and was frankly disturbed by the coarse language, not just that the characters used but in the descriptions, and the blunt killing of dozens of German soldiers without remorse. So ok, the Germans are the bad guys in the book but they are still human beings.  At one point near the end I think perhaps Muchamore thought about the emotional impact and so had one of his young characters feel bad (admittedly a minor character had earlier had a small attack of conscience), with Henderson giving the worldly advice “When you stop feeling it you're not human any more”. Too little too late for me, especially with other characters very obviously  enjoying the large scale devastation and slaughter.

I am always amused by how violence is much more acceptable in something written for children than s*x scenes but I don't like it having no real purpose or consequence. I'm a big fan of a lot of books that have extreme violence in them, and often these scenes are necessary to give life to the story, but I think there needs to be consequences or at least a bit of remorse! As a couple of brief examples: The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins are extremely violent, but Katniss was not a willing participant and the series has a strong message, while Darren Shan's Demonata series might be gory enough to put me off my lunch but it is demons that are the bad guys and although a large number of humans die the deaths are regretted. 

Having recently read All Quiet on the Western Front, written between the Wars by a German about a German boy sent to the front in WWI, I was particularly aware of the truth that the majority of German soldiers were fighting for the same reason as the majority of the British – their country was at war so they had no choice. Remarque's story happened to be about a German boy but change a few sentences about home and it could have been about a British soldier. The German soldiers that Henderson and his young team murder in cold blood in many scenes of the book could have been trussed up or avoided rather than taken out using such vicious means. Even if a lot of them were actually terrible people (I'm sure in real-life there were few Gestapo Officers I'd get along with) it does not follow that every soldier they came across deserved to be tortured and killed.  A battle scene is one thing but sneaking up behind someone and cutting their throat, although something that would have happened in occupied France, is not something to promote to young readers as brave and honourable. The very brief mentions of French civilians being killed in retribution for the acts of the Resistance at a couple of points in the book were probably intended to highlight the evil actions of the German occupiers, but to me they just highlighted the callous, selfish nature of Henderson and his team and the lack of worth they afforded a human life.  Muchamore might make the point that Luc is abnormally nasty but he needs to get more of a comeuppance, not just the occasional scolding as if he is a naughty schoolboy.

It could have been a really exciting story, indeed it was in places, but in my opinion so many horrible happenings without any real emotional fallout (I know the point is that teenagers can be hardier than you'd expect with a bit of training but there are limits!) made it uncomfortable reading. It is going the same way as the Cherub series, in which the levels of moral corruption of minors – s*x, drugs and violence – in later books have begun to wear thin. Instead of 'gritty realism' they are books in which the characters just feel like bad role models for our kids, and although I don't like preachy books that have an obvious moral being forced down the readers' throats, I like heartless books even less.

Who Next...?

The new (4th) edition of Who Next...? A Guide to Children's Authors was published last month by LISU, edited by two Librarians, Viv Warren and Mary Yardley.  I just received a copy in the post as thanks for contributing to it.

It is a tool for parents and Librarians (and anyone else interested in children's books) to help them find authors that write in the same genre or on the same theme, so if they've found a book they love they could find similar things through this book.  It is divided into the age ranges 5-7, 8-11, 12-14 and 14+, obviously not a perfect division because every child is different, but it is still a helpful way of determining whether the content might be appropriate.  There is also a section that just separates by genre, and a list of useful websites and prizes worth perusing.

Worth a look methinks.

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

This is the first book I've read since starting this blog that has left me wanting to say more than my usual 140 character review!

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

A story of dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction

summary taken from GoodReads

Entangled is Cat Clarke's first novel but her story telling skills are fantastic.

Grace might not seem like a particularly likable character, she does a lot that is less than wonderful, but you are completely on her side and dreading what  event is being built up to leading up to her being locked in this room.  It is all from her point of view as she is writing her memories down, so you can only imagine what is going on with the other characters when their life isn't revolving around Grace's.  She is a very self centred and demanding character but as you read more you can forgive her for that and wish her a lucky break.  The relationship with her Mum is very difficult and I would like to know what was going on in her Mother's mind.

A key feature in the story is Grace's cutting.  I know a lot of people are very against writing about 'issues' like this...and drug taking/drinking/s*x...for teenagers but I think, if done carefully, it can only be helpful for young people to read about these issues and their effects on individuals as well as families and friends.  Reading about characters that self harm will not cause teens to go out and try it but it might strike a chord with some of them that already think about it, and demonstrate that they are not the only one that ever feels that way.  This book definitely does not glamorise it.  In fact, I thought the descriptions of her feelings of guilt and self loathing were very moving and realistic (though obv. everyone that thinks about self harm will have their own motivation and reaction).

Although I thought some of the growing relationships were a bit of a cheat to give more hope than someone in this situation in real life might feel, I did think the ending was quite appropriate - not too Disney happy ending but not too depressing, I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil it!

All in all well worth a read, in fact School Librarians definitely read it before stocking it in your Library so that you can brace yourself for potential (but I honestly think unnecessary) parental concerns.

My Top Ten Books that should be Required Reading for Teens

Thanks to SisterSpooky I have just discovered the Broke and the Bookish Top Ten Tuesday, and this week their top ten is of required reading for teens - what better for me to jump in on?!

I thought I'd give it a go but realised it is harder than it sounds, I have hundreds of books that I recommend to different teenagers for different reasons, depending on reading age/maturity/likes/dislikes.  I struggled to whittle it down to 10 but I like to think there's something here for everyone. I guess 'required reading' could be interpreted to mean 'worthy' books, but I like to think that reading for pleasure is reason enough...so here, in no particular order, are 10 that I have read and would blanket recommend to 13-18year olds...

1. 1984 by George Orwell- a classic novel but still horribly believable future!  Even though it was written in 1948, before we used the internet daily, it is still relevant and will really make them think about censorship and government.
2. Hero by Perry Moore - Thom has two secrets - he has special powers and he is gay - a really good story about family, friendship, and being happy with yourself.
3. The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud - first of the Bartimaeus books, all hilarious.
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - the first of the trilogy is the best but they all left me speechless.  Very violent but excellent.
5. Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman - a young lad is literally left holding the baby as his ex-girlfriend decides she can't look after the child she hadn't told him she was expecting.  It also includes a carefully thought side story about homophobia and it's consequences.
6. Three for the price of one here - The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness - awfully, epically depressing but fantastic.  Patrick Ness is currently one of my favourite people, having written some of my favourite books (I was tempted to include A Monster Calls because it is beautiful), and his inspiring CILIP Carnegie acceptance speech
7. Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace - set in a Zimbabwean boarding school just as Robert Mugabe came into power after the war for independence, the story demonstrates racial tensions perfectly
8. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - the very best of all the paranormal romance type books (plus sequels).
9. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve - the first novel of the Hungry City Chronicles is by far the best but I enjoyed the whole series.  Municiple Darwinism is a fantastic idea and the story and writing are excellent.
10. The Declaration by Gemma Malley - the first in yet another trilogy but a chilling tale of a future where the Longevity drug has given everyone a long life at the expense of younger generations.

Man alive, with all the trilogies/series this is a lot more than 10 books, if you've not already read them then get a wriggle on!