Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Some YA classics!

Already, the third week of July draws to a close. August is just around the corner, and I find myself daydreaming about Fall. This week, I thought I'd take a moment to look at some of the real classics of YA literature, books that I have read over and over and over. Some of them are likely books you know, or have read, but you'd be surprised at how many books are wonderfully written masterpieces that still manage to slip under the radar! A little mix of new and old, all expertly crafted, for your consideration this week.

Firstly, one of my absolute all-time favorites: A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin. If you like fantasy at all, or if you enjoy musing about philosophy or morality or spirituality, you will love this book. On the surface, it is easy to mistake it for a book that follows the same formula as HP, a world suffused with magic that only some people can control, a school that teaches the art of magic, and a bunch of traditional fantasy ideas (dragons and the like). However, these similarities are completely superficial - Earthsea uses the coming-of-age plot to explore deeply rich and profoundly moving ideas about the nature of things. In this, it is much more like The Hobbit but, much shorter and without as much dense prose. I read this book over and over for the ways it tackles deep issues and the incredible world that I want to lose myself in. I admit that, being published in 1968, it isn't nearly as modern as most YA in terms of its language, but this is a book that is written. Even if fantasy isn't your typical genre, or if you didn't care much for HP, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Read it.


Next up on this week's list is Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. This is a powerful slice-of-life tale that is both beautifully written and powerful. One of my favorite books about the notion of 'fitting in', Darius has one of the best voices of any main character ever, in that it so perfectly captures the awkward voice of an outcast who, while dealing with depression and the weight of his world, has become embittered and sometimes cruel. As the story progresses and the beautiful and painful truths of the world unfold to Darius in his travels to Iran, it becomes so easy to root for him and his growing friendship with Sohrab. I read this book over and over for its compelling narration and the weight it places on friendship. If you read it, I think you will, too.


I know that book in verse are not everyone's cup of tea, but Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is an incredible work of storytelling. Fiercely quick, and powerful enough to linger long after the last page ends, this is a work that a reader can return to again and again. Telling the tale of Will and his elevator ride towards vengeance, armed with his dead brother's gun and the Rules, this work paints a moving portrait of a boy caught in a web society has spun for him. The violence he means to unleash at the pull of his finger is senseless, and he knows it, but he is bound. I read this book over and over for its supreme sense of tension and the way my gut drops at the ending of the story. This is a book worth reading poetry for.


Speaking of trends in YA, the idea of the dystopia has been repeated, revisited, rehashed, re-imagined, and redone over and again in young adult stories. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy imagining these sorts of futures, but too often these stories fall into ruts of imagination and end up same-y. Not so for Scythe, by Neal Shusterman, which examines the idea of death in a society that has made itself immortal. While many sci-fi authors have examined this particular aspect of the dystopia, Scythe stands out thanks to an absolutely stunning plot, which twists and weaves through the alternating perspectives of Citra and Rowan. Again and again, the story surprises and delights, and even some of the more predictable twists are written with absolute flourish, making events satisfying to read. I read this book over and over again for the absolute joy a number of the scenes induce with their detail and execution.


Finally, another of my all-time top favorite books, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, is a wonderful, wonderful story. The story examines a simple event from the point of view of Christopher John Francis Boone, who is a person with autism. Draped in the disguise of a mystery novel, the story is really about Christopher coming to grips with some serious truths about his life, while pushing we the reader outside of our neurotypical perspectives. Few books so well capture my attention and empathy. I read this book over and over again to remind myself of the perspective of others, and to enjoy an incredibly documented journey of growth and self-discovery.


Well, that's it for this week. I hope you pick up one of these books and find one of my favorites as enjoyable as I do! Next week, I'll be back with another set of recommendations, so I hope you'll stop by! Remember that even though the NFPL is closed for renovations, these books can be checked out electronically through Libby and enjoyed on any e-reader or phone.


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