As usual, I begin my list of favourite young adult books wishing I had read more YA last year. Yes, I loved these books, but once more, I hope to read more young adult in 2024!
Schooled
Schooled is such a delightful read, featuring a quirky, fun character.
I read many negative reviews about the book, which spoke of how it perpetuates stereotypes of homeschooled children not knowing how to behave in social settings, but that wasn’t how I read the book at all! I made no generalisations about homeschoolers or, indeed, hippies, as I read–I enjoyed the book for what it was, a heartwarming story about a character I was rooting for!
The District Cup
The District Cup recently won the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival prize for children’s fiction, an award for which my Dhara’s Revolution was shortlisted too! In my opinion, it was a well-deserved win, although Zen too (next on this list) is a wonderful book.
The District Cup addresses an issue I didn’t know existed – that of age-cheating in sports. In terms of age-group, this one sits somewhere between middle-grade and young adult. Pacy, peopled with dozens of fully fleshed-out characters, and full of dramatic tension, The District Cup may be a book about football, but is a story that appeals to those who know nothing about the sport too!
Zen
Zen was probably one of the most powerful books I read in 2023. When I reviewed it, I wrote that my copy was sitting on my shelf, waiting to be reread, but the truth is that it spent very little time on my shelf because I’ve been lending it to everyone I meet, urging them to read it. Full of difficult questions that have no easy answers, Zen is a story about family and identity. What assumptions do we make about people based on their names and families? Is it possible to step away from preconceived notions that we aren’t even fully aware of?
I loved everything about the book – the structure, form, characters, and of course, the story.
Heartstopper
I’m cheating a little with this because I’ve put in four books here, not one, but I loved the Heartstopper collection and I’m waiting to read volume 5! Can anyone read these books without falling in love with Nick and Charlie? For the first time I can remember, I came to the books thanks to the web series on Netflix, and I must say that I like both versions equally. A lovely set of graphic novels about sexuality and coming of age, Heartstopper bursts with hope and love, without ever glossing over the ugliness of homophobia and bullying.
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