Eoin Colfer’s quirky books are marketed for children, although the themes and the gags seem likely to appeal more to adults. In the first one, Artemis Fowl, corrupt elves fought a gangster’s appalling son. THE WISH LIST (Puffin) features a teenaged girl, blown up when her attempt to rob a pensioner goes wrong, given another chance to avoid Hell by going back to Earth and setting things right [Buy online]. It’s got a definite charm — more than the first Colfer book, which inexplicably won a string of British children’s book awards.
Clive Barker has reinvigorated the horror genre with books such as Imajica, Weaveworld and Sacrament, boosted too by the cult success of the movie based on his story The Hellbound Heart. Now he has written a fantasy novel for teens, though older readers are sure to enjoy it as well. ABARAT (HarperCollins) is the story of Candy Quackenbush, a teenaged girl who lives in Chickentown, USA — until she is swept away into the magical world of Abarat, a vast archipelago in which each island represents a different time of day [Buy online]. The novel is gorgeously illustrated, in full colour, by the author.
In THE EIGHTH MAN (OUP), the multi-talented South African writer/ librettist Michael Williams brings back Detective Jake Mulligan of Cape Town’s violent crimes unit, this time investigating a pair of deaths — a 10-year-old boy strangled, then buried in a shallow grave in Mitchells Plain, and the drowning of a popular high school rugby captain [Buy online]. It’s a thriller for teenagers, and a good way to lure them away from music videos and Net surfing — at least for a while.
New Africa Books’s has a new series for the South African teen market, Siyagruva. The books deal with typical South African teen issues such as sexuality in the era of Aids, religion, drugs and teenagers’ quests to discover themselves. The books are simply written, and teens will identify with the characters and the simple, strong storylines. These are the four Siyagruva titles:
- BREAKING OUT by Colleen Moroukian, which delves into the lives of three teenagers trying to redefine themselves in a Boland town [Buy online]. The influence of South Africa’s cosmopolitan culture on the teenagers’ identity is investigated.
- The role of crime in young people’s lives and the choices they have to make feature in Nobor Nalam’s disturbing HIGH HEELS AND HIJACK [Buy online].
- Taxi queens and drugs are the main ingredients of Anne Schlebusch’s TROUBLE, TAXIS AND TOILETS [Buy online]. The characters are simple, poor people, who try to make the best of their circumstances.
- Russel H Kascula’s inspiring DIVINE DUMP DANCER traces the life of a young dancer who triumphs through courage and strength, despite the obstacles placed in his way [Buy online]. Though the storyline is familiar, the story is presented in a fresh way that will appeal to modern teenagers.
For the little ones, there is a truly African Christmas story in MML’s Stars of Africa series. Alzette Prins and Gcina Mhlophe invent their own African Santa Claus, the beautiful rain goddess Nomkhubulwana, in AN AFRICAN MOTHER CHRISTMAS [Buy online].
Another in the series is Jann Turner and Tasia Roseer’s HOME IS WHERE YOU FIND IT, about a family’s journey to find a home they can call their own.
Young readers will also enjoy LETTERS TO MADIBA [Buy online]. Though it’s clear that most of the letters were commissioned by teacher, they amuse and even educate with the innocent feelings of children towards Nelson Mandela.
When it comes to non-fiction for younger readers, there are also some interesting titles.
Older South Africans often complain that the younger generation doesn’t know much about South Africa’s history. Maskew Miller Longma’s They Fought for Freedom series tries to rectify this. It is ideal material for children older than 10. THABO MBEKI [Buy online] and DESMOND TUTU are among the latest public figures to get the treatment [Buy online].
Young readers keen on facts and lists will get a plethora of both in Russell Ash’s THE TOP 10 OF EVERYTHING 2003 (Dorling Kindersley) [Buy online]. It lists the richest celebrities, the busiest websites, the largest diamonds, the deadliest snakes, the worst floods and the coolest snowboarders, and much much more.