Every now and again you read a book that you really connect with. Something about it, whether the characters or the story, strike a chord with you. You get to the end of the book and you just sit there for a while thinking about it, with a smile on your face but with a sense of loss because it’s over. Deborah Burnside’s latest book, Yes, is one of those books.
Marty (AKA M & M) has trouble reading people, organizing things and pleasing his father. His brain isn’t wired the same as other people so it takes him longer to figure things out, but he’s as normal as any other teenager on the outside. Luke spends his time hanging out with his best mate Luke (AKA Legless) and his ‘chick-mate’ Francesca, who he’s had a crush on for ages. Luke’s always trying to get Marty into all sorts of crazy ventures, and when he attempts to get him involved in YES (the Young Enterprise Scheme) it’s futile to resist. Marty doesn’t know what to expect, but the last thing he thought he would be doing was making crochet hats and being mentored by his dad. Will their business succeed or will it all fall apart?
Deborah Burnside has created a memorable character with an authentic voice. As Yes is told in the first person, we really get inside Marty’s head and we get the sense of how difficult it is for Marty to read people and make sense of the world. Even though his brain is wired differently, Marty is still such a typical teenage boy. He’s got a crush on his ‘chick-mate,’ his dad’s an embarrassment and Marty never seems to live up to his expectations, and he has an obsession with sex. It’s a sign of a great story when you can picture yourself in the same situations, in places that you know – I kept thinking of myself and my best mate from high school as Marty and Luke. One of the things I liked most about Yes is that Deborah can have you laughing out loud one moment, then in tears, and leave you with a smile on your face by the end of the story.
I can’t recommend Yes highly enough. It’s my favourite New Zealand book of 2011 and I’ll be surprised if it’s not a finalist in the 2012 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.
James Dashner’s Maze Runner, the first in the Maze Runner trilogy, is one of my all-time favourite books (you can read my review on the 
I’m always a bit skeptical when adult authors try their hand at writing children’s or young adult’s books. Some authors get it spot on and write a fantastic story that will hold the attention of children or teenagers, but others get it horribly wrong. I’ve never read a Harlan Coben book before so I can’t compare it to his adult books, but he’s one of those authors that have got it spot on. Shelter is an engrossing read that hooks you right from the first sentence and doesn’t let go.
We were first introduced to Juno and the people of Taris in Juno of Taris, what would become the first in a trilogy. I picked up Juno of Taris on a recommendation of another children’s librarian that I worked with and was blown away by the community that Fleur Beale had created. For those of you who haven’t read the first book, it’s best to start at the beginning, but one of the great things about the subsequent books in the trilogy is that you get a summary of the story so far before you start. I don’t know if this was an idea of the publisher, Random House New Zealand, or Fleur herself, but I think it’s something that all trilogies/series should have, especially when the books come out a year apart.
Have you ever wished you were someone else, with a completely different life, a new face, a new family? In Martyn Bedford’s new book Flip, Alex wakes up to find himself in a strange bedroom in an unfamiliar house, in a different part of the country. The woman calling out to him is not his mother and the strangers sitting at the breakfast table aren’t his father or his sister. Alex gets the shock of his life when he looks in the mirror – the face staring back at him is not his either. Is this just a really bad dream or has something terrifying happened to him?
I was reminded of this quote while I was reading a wonderful book by debut Australian author, Vikki Wakefield. Her book, All I Ever Wanted is the story of Mim, who is growing up in the suburbs. She knows what she wants and where she wants to go – anywhere but home, with her mother who won’t get off the couch and her brothers in prison. She’s set herself rules to live by, like ‘I will finish school, I will not drink alcohol, I will not be like everybody else, and I will not turn out like my mother.’ However, things aren’t going to plan; drug dealers are after her, her best friend isn’t talking to her, and the guy she likes is a creep. Over the nine days before her 17th birthday, Mim’s life turns upside down.
When Luke and his mum move to the town of Phoenix, out in the middle of nowhere, Luke knows straight away that something isn’t quite right about the place. There are no cars, no phones and no internet. All the houses look the same and the only way to get around the town is to walk or bike. The town was especially built by the Shackleton Cooperative, the mysterious company that offered Luke’s mum a job, and their security officers roam the streets. A coded message brings Luke together with Peter and Jordan, and when they decipher the message they realise they’re in serious danger. Someone is plotting to wipe out the human race in 100 days and Phoenix suddenly becomes the safest and most dangerous place on earth. When Luke discovers a note in his backpack inviting them to a secret meeting at the Phoenix Airport, they hope that they’ll get some answers. However, their meeting at the airport gives them more questions than answers and as they hunt for information about Phoenix and the deadly plans, the more dangerous it becomes for them in the town.
My Best Friends Are Books 