Chasing YA for 13–14-year-olds

A recurring theme shared amongst teachers, teacher librarians, parents and readers of YA fiction is the challenges of finding strong, engaging and interesting books for the younger teen market and that will also appeal to boys. This week, Nella draws on her experiences with her teenage grandson to share a range of titles of interest.

Mr 13 years and I spent time browsing Canberra bookshops YA shelves struggling to find books he wanted to read. This exercise confirmed my suspicions that there are few recent novels aimed at prolific 13–14-year-old readers and especially those who are not interested in violence, horror, animal cruelty, sex, mental health challenges, or portrayals of grief. So, what did we find?

He had read most of the fantasy titles on offer. As he’d enjoyed Isobelle Carmody Comes the Night Allen & Unwin, we looked for similar stories.

Sci Fi/Speculative Fiction  

H.M. Waugh The Surface Trials Allen & Unwin 

An elimination quest where competitors must work out who to trust, overcome long held biases, and work as a team. 

Kenneth Oppel Best of All Worlds Hardie Grant 

First person narrative. Canadian Xavier, his father and pregnant Haitian-Canadian stepmother wake up in their holiday cabin to find they are enclosed within a self-healing dome with no technology and no possibility of escape. Three years later, they are joined by the racist conspiracy theorists the Jacksons from Tennessee.

Mystery

Amy Doak Eleanor Jones series Penguin Random House 

Eleanor has recently moved to rural Cooinda when she and her new friends become embroiled in a series of twisty mysteries. 

Kate Emery My Family and Other Suspects Allen & Unwin

Ruth and Dylan have a murder mystery to solve, a dysfunctional family and no phone signal. Snarky and often funny.

Carla Salmon We Saw What You Started Pan Macmillan Australia 

Set during summer in a coastal beach town. Newcomer Otto is under suspicion for a series of arson attacks. Otto, local Milly and eventually her twin Jasper investigate. Appealing and articulate characters, gripping fast-moving plausible plot.  

Adventure

Sarah Armstrong, Run Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing 

Probably Middle Grade rather than YA. Fast-paced survival tale. 12-year-old Cas flees a reunion with the father who had abandoned him. Lost in the Australian bush, Cas stumbles upon a mysterious family living off the grid and clearly hiding secrets.

Thanks to the author’s trigger warning*, Emma Lord, Anomaly Affirm was rejected for lack of personal appeal. 

How to Be Normal by Ange Crawford Walker Books 

From the outside Astrid’s family might look normal. A story of coercive control, terrifying emotional abuse. Life filled with fear. NB There is no physical violence. 

Further Sources

Allison Tait of Your Kids Next Read fame has kindly shared these suggestions:

• 125 books that boys are reading (and loving) right now
• 60 more tried-and-tested books for 13/14-year-old boys
• 15 more tried-and-tested books for 13/14 year old boys (+ 13 expert choices)
• 21 tried-and-tested books for 13/14-year-old boys

And in a recent podcast episode  Alison joins Megan Daley to discuss boys and reading: Episode 222: Boys and Reading. 

Also, prolific blogger of books for young people Karys McEwen substack I read a lot. 

*A recent CBCA Tasmania blog post by Maureen Mann: Content or trigger warnings: Should books have them? 

Any suggestions for potential Christmas book purchases for Mr 13 gladly accepted.

Nella Pickup

Retired librarian, avid reader and book buying Nonna