The best books for teens this Christmas

A graphic novel staring skeleton detective Skullduggery Pleasant and a tale of a brave teen escaping a life of gang violence via performance poetry are among the best YA reads this winter, writes Liam McCallum

We kick off the chilly season with the unflinching Treacle Town by Brian Conaghan (Andersen Press, £8.99), where we follow teenager Con O’Neill as he navigates a horrific world of gang violence, cyclical poverty and personal tragedy. With a no-holds-barred approach, Conaghan shows us a very real and often terrifying reality for many young people in Scotland, as young Con tries desperately to escape a life that seems hell-bent on dragging him down. After experiencing a heartbreaking loss, Con’s fate appears to be sealed until a chance encounter with the world of slam poetry offers him a lifeline… but the path won’t be easy. Provocative and, at times, a hard read, Treacle Town masterfully balances raw, real-life emotion with humour and hope.

Bad Magic by Derek Landy (HarperCollins Children’s Books, £14.99) is a vibrantly illustrated standalone graphic novel featuring the skeleton detective Skullduggery Pleasant – already an international star thanks to Landy’s highly successful YA fiction series. Brilliantly realised by PJ Holden, Matt Soffe, Rob Jones and Pye Parr, in this new format Landy’s macabre world is given a whole new lease of (after)life. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain find themselves in a small, backwoods town in the middle of Ireland where the locals are haunted by their many secrets, a strange creature is lurking in the shadows and the body count is rising. With a mystery to solve and plenty of witty banter to be had along the way, Pleasant and Cain become a formidable and hilarious tag-team, with a darkening humour that you’ll find yourself nervously giggling at. A great entry into the Skullduggery Pleasant canon, perfect for newcomers and seasoned fans alike.

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The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will by Maya MacGregor (Astra Publishing, £17.99) is the poignant, emotional and gripping story of an agender teenager’s journey from hopelessness to happiness, with more than the occasional bump along the way. MacGregor’s work to date has been both relevant and important in representing the very real struggles facing young people as they explore identity and sexuality, and in scrutinising the societal structures that can fail them as often as support them. When Will’s mother dies, leaving them to pick up the pieces of a life plagued by chaos, trauma and abuse, it’s easy for them to feel they are the common denominator, destined to ruin everything they touch. However bleak the future seems, Will is determined to reconnect with the one person they could ever rely on – who offered them unconditional love and protection – their former foster mother; but with social services and Will’s late mother’s drug dealing legacy in the foreground, the happy ending they crave won’t be so easy to reach. Will’s struggles to connect and trust feel very real; this is a powerful tale of relationships, survival and the pursuit of what we should all seek a little more of: self-love.

The Evolving Truth Of Ever-Stronger WillThe Evolving Truth Of Ever-Stronger Will
The Evolving Truth Of Ever-Stronger Will

Exploring femininity across subjects such as race, politics and mental health, British performance poet Sophia Thakur’s Wearing My Mother’s Heart (Walker Books, £7.99) is a powerful collection of poems about what it means to be a woman. Taking inspiration from everyday life, the wisdom of older generations, romance, heartache, friendships and tragedy, this is a powerful and poignant body of work consisting of over 70 beautifully constructed poems. There is something for everyone, too, in this carefully compiled selection, with some abstract verse nestled amongst more conventional poetry. Thakur is a gifted wordsmith, crafting beautiful vignettes of the world we live in and the women who are important to us all.

From a collection of poetry to a collection of short stories, When We Become Ours, edited by Shannon Gibney and Nicole Chung (HarperCollins, £14.99) showcases the work of adoptees, writing from their own experiences of adoption. A fascinating concept, Gibney and Chung have collected stories from a host of writers of transracial adoption, written to show that there is no universal adoption experience, and that experiences of adoptees are vast and varied. The tales here are short, accessible and entertaining. There are reasons to be cheerful, as well as reasons to be sad, but at its core this is a brave, bold and heartfelt collection, bringing an opportunity for seldom heard voices to sing.