There's so much happening in the world of Young Adult books! Some people may classify a few of these books as MG rather than YA, but again, I put forth the usual disclaimer - associating an age with a reading level is impossible.Many of these books are crucial - they deal with ideas and issues that need to be addressed. Yet, when I read, the "issue" cannot ever be all-important. I cannot love a book simply because it is important. And that's why, even though I read books that are arguably more "important", my favourites remain ones that wring my heart.Boy 87Fourteen-year-old Shif is put into prison for something he has not even done yet. It is when he goes to jail that he discovers others who have been imprisoned for the kind of "something" which is actually nothing at all. Also, it is in Shif that every prisoner's hopes are vested, for Shif is young and can run away: his … [Read more...]
When She Went Away
I was a little sceptical about reading a book called When She Went Away. A book with a name like that could well be a melodramatic romance novel, which really is not my type. I typically don't even finish reading stories that are too melodramatic for me; enjoying them is a long way away. And I know because I've tried.The moment I read the first paragraph of When She Went Away, though, I knew it was not about a romantic 'she', but about Maria's mother who decided she'd had enough of living her life with her family and went away. That was when I was moved by the title. When Ammi went away, everything tumbled into chaos and had to be picked up bit by painstaking bit.The story filled me up with its twists and turns, its possibilities and surprises. Maria is not an entirely loveable character, but she rings true. When her mother goes away, she is torn between the desire to set things … [Read more...]