Books for Christmas: For teens

Published on Friday 18 December 2009 19:16

'THERE are those who love the rum and unusual, the uncanny, the macabre.' So opens Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers (Walker Books £15) by John Harris Dunning and Nikhil Singh, the first graphic novel from this children's publisher.

Although it may not be the brave publishing move it at first appears because this particular comic book comes with endorsements from such diverse aficionados as Alan Moore and Anthony Minghella.

When Salem's estranged father dies he inherits the magician's mansion and all of the extra-dimensional fiends that come with it. Salem's life is in danger from the very second he steps over the threshold but he's befriended by an imaginative band of circus performers who all seem to know more than they are initially willing to let on. There's plenty of humour and horror and the exquisite illustrations make this a perfect gift for any teenager who'd prefer a bit of rum and unusual, rather than merry and festive, this Christmas.

Bernard Beckett's Genesis (Quercus 10.99) has to be the most original teenage novel published this year. In a post-apocalyptic world the millionaire Plato built his republic behind The Great Sea Fence and identified five great threats to order: "Impurity of Breeding, Impurity of Thought, Indulgence of the Individual, Commerce, and The Outsider."

The republic thrived for many years, but now the state is struggling to maintain order. 14-year-old Anaximander is undergoing an intense examination hoping she will be one of the elite students accepted into The Academy. She's facing three examiners who grill her on her chosen subject, her long-dead hero Adam Forde, knowing her unique view of history must surely clash with theirs.

The narrative takes the unusual form of a Socratic dialogue between Anax and her examiners as Beckett forces the reader to examine Plato's five great threats. But it's also a thriller, with secrets uncovered and a brilliant twist. It's a novel that will make clever teenagers feel cleverer still.

A more mainstream slice of sci-fi dystopia this year was The Hunger Games (Scholastic 6.99) by Suzanne Collins. Many teenage novels can be stuffed full of wonderfully exciting high-concept ideas, then run the risk of being let down by the actual writing. No fear of that here, Collins' prose is as punchy and energetic as her plot.

America, many hundreds of years in the future, has suffered civil wars and suppressed revolutions, now the vengeful Panem government run an annual reality-TV fight to the death with sacrificial teens. Katniss and Peeta are our heroes from District 12. Not only are they forced to fight their deadly adversaries but also each other, even after they've fallen in love. The equally exciting sequel Catching Fire (Scholastic 6.99) is now also available and proves this particular series has set a remarkably high bar for all other genre adventure serials.

Marcus Sedgwick's Revolver (Orion 9.99) is a slim volume and a quick read but don't let that fool you. The plot is so tightly coiled inside it feels as though the whole book could explode with one careless flip of the page. It's 1910, Sig's family live 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle and when the father dies all he leaves behind is a Bible and a Colt revolver. Sedgwick's evocation of the vast frozen wastes is superbly juxtaposed with the claustrophobia of the family's bare shack, especially when a menacing stranger appears, claiming he is owed riches stolen by the father ten years previously. Sig is trapped knowing a deadly showdown can be the only resolution. His moral minefield of whether violence is ever unavoidable will be a topical quandary for many readers.

There has been much talk of whether or not Margo Lanegan's Tender Morsels (David Fickling Books 12.99) is a children's book. It's a reworking of Snow White Rose Red and in the genuine tradition of fairy tales it's also shocking, often brutal. Liga suffers incest and rape but through magic attempts to escape the real world to raise her two daughters in a safe haven, her personal heaven. Unfortunately it soon becomes obvious that no such haven can last forever.

Personally, no, I don't think this is a children's book. But it is without doubt a wonderful book for teenagers. Written in some of the most imaginative prose I've ever read it's emotionally complex, immersive and multi-layered. Thank goodness there are books and authors out there who are willing to treat their readership with such respect.