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Wall of Books: 120+ YA Books from the UK and Some Top 10 Lists

10/30/2012

31 Comments

 
Various UK pictures
I stole all these pictures from my sisters' facebook albums. Huzzah!
Welcome to another Readventurer Wall of Books! This time, we're spotlighting YA literature from the United Kingdom. My first stop for sources was one of our favorite bloggers, Jo from Wear the Old Coat, who was kind enough to reorder her Goodreads shelves for me. I mined her books and asked her and another Brit blogger/writer (Anna from Anna Scott Jots) to give us their top ten UK YA books, which I'll share in one moment. While looking online for books to fill the wall, I also found a site called UKYA, which seems to have a rather comprehensive set of reviews on young adult from across the pond but also covers books from other areas/genres. 

By far, the most interesting aspect of putting this particular wall together was the fact that there seems to be a far greater number of male YA authors, at least the proportion of male authors to female authors in this wall is much greater than the prior ones. (Aussie YA and short YA fiction) In addition, the covers of UK YA book seem to be much more appealing than US covers, and by that I mean that they have actually interesting covers rather than some random girl in a dress or a guy and a girl caressing or some other cover that we keep seeing over and over and over again in the States. Just scan quickly down the wall and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. These are covers I would pick up, for sure, though I also know that the US covers I am talking about are (hopefully) not marketed to me. (but I also think they are alienating 99% of male readers with those types of covers) 

Here's what Jo had to say about her top ten reads:

Top 10  UKYA (with a few extra ones) In no particular order…

His Dark Materials Series by Philip Pullman --  This is my favourite UKYA series. Actually, this is my favourite YA series. Actually, this is my favourite series. Just thinking about these books makes me lose my mind. 

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman -- I’ve only read the first book of this series but it’s stuck with me like no other.  A terrifying and refreshingly different take on dystopia.  (Also, read Boys Don’t Cry)

Losing It, edited by Keith Gray -- This is an anthology of short stories written by an amazing array of well-known British YA authors on losing your virginity. Sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious, sometimes cringey, always wonderful.  

Goodnight, Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian -- I have read this book at least ten times and I will never, ever stop loving it. To me, it’s a masterpiece.

Being Billy/Saving Daisy by Phil Earle | When I Was Joe by Keren David -- Yes, ok, I know I’m cheating on this one, but if there’s something that us Brits can do well it’s gritty contemporary fiction. Both of these writers highlight what’s great about British YA that’s being written at the moment. 

The Enemy Series by Charlie Higson -- Hands down, the best zombie books I’ve read. Genuinely terrifying, brilliantly paced and wonderful characters that will just make you want to join their crew and whack adults around the noggin’ with cricket bats. 

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd -- It’s one of those quiet books that not many people have read/heard of but it truly should be read by everyone who loves excellent YA fiction. Actually, you should probably check out anything that Ms Dowd wrote. She was a glorious, glorious writer.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett -- A childhood favourite of mine.  “Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.” Bliss.

Matilda by Road Dahl -- Oh come on, do I really need to explain to a site of book lovers why I adore this?

And no Top Ten (with a few extras) UKYA would be complete without, of course, Harry Potter by J.K Rowling. No book has even come close to this series in the way it has captured people’s imagination, got people who would never normally read to pick up a book, defined a generation and encouraged people, no matter how serious they are (or think they are), to believe in magic… even if just for a little while.   

Cheeky Addition: The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness -- Oh come on, Mr Ness holds dual citizenship so I’m claiming him for the purpose of this feature. This series seems to divide readers something rotten but… ahh… I know who my true friends are when their eyes fill with tears when I say “Boy Colt”.  It's spectacular. 

Anna's picks are also in no particular order and are very succinct: 

Code Name Verity -Elizabeth Wein
The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff
What I Was - Meg Rosoff
Solace of the Road - Siobhan Dowd
Finding Violet Park - Jenny Valentine
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole - Sue Townsend
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling
The Bride's Farewell - Meg Rosoff

A special note from Anna: "Sorry about all the Rosoff - I adore her :)"

The only Rosoff I've tried was How I Live Now and it was a little to incest-y for me at that particular moment. Perhaps I'll revisit it at some point.
So what say you, dear readers? Do you like their lists? Do you like these covers more or less than the ones common in the US? How did YOU feel about the incestiness of How I Live Now? If you are from the UK (or even if you aren't), why don't you share your favorite UK YA books in the comments. (If we asked all the awesome UK bloggers we know to do Top Tens, this post would be even longer than it already is...which is too long!)  But FYI, here are some other blogs with one or more blogger from the UK: The Reader's Den, The Book Smugglers, Realm of Fiction, The Book Geek, and Stepping Out of the Page.
Before I Die cover
Before I Die by Jenny Downham, 336 pp, death, romance 
[GR | Amazon]
Numbers Rachel Ward cover
Numbers by Rachel Ward, 325 pp, paranormal, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Revolver cover
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick, 224 pp, historical, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging cover
Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison, 247 pp, contemporary, humor
[GR | Amazon]
The Phoenix and the Carpet cover
The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit, 289 pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]

Almost True Keren David cover
Almost True by Keren David, 437 pp, realistic, crime
[GR | Amazon]
The Enemy Charlie Higson cover
The Enemy by Charlie Higson, 406 pp, horror, zombies
[GR | Amazon]
No Such Thing as Forever cover
No Such Thing As Forever by Ali Cronin, 256 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Maggot Moon cover
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, 288 pp, dystopian, war
[GR | Amazon]
The Wee Free Men cover
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, 375 pp, fantasy, humor
[GR | Amazon]
Inside My Head cover
Inside My Head by Jim Carrington, 340 pp, realistic, bullying
[GR | Amazon]
Artichoke Hearts cover
Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari, 321 pp, contemporary, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
The Shell House cover
The Shell House by Linda Newbery, 352 pp, historical, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Velvet Mary Hooper cover
Velvet by Mary Hooper, 336 pp, historical, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
Skellig cover
Skellig by David Almond, 208 pp, fantasy, angels
[GR | Amazon]
All Fall Down cover
All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls, 281 pp, historical, plague
[GR | Amazon]
What I Was cover
What I Was by Meg Rosoff, 224 pp, coming of age, boarding school
[GR | Amazon]
The Golden Compass cover
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, 399 pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
Noughts & Crosses cover
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman, 479 pp, romance, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
Naked Kevin Brooks cover
Naked by Kevin Brooks, 390 pp, historical, music
[GR | Amazon]
Solace of the Road cover
Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd, 272 pp, contemporary, family
[GR | Amazon]
Black Heart Blue cover
Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reed, 266 pp, mental health, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Being Billy cover
Being Billy by Phil Earle, 264 pp, contemporary, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Bringing the Summer cover
Bringing the Summer by Julia Green, 272 pp, romance, mental health
[GR | Amazon]
Mister Creecher cover
Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley, 390 pp, horror, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Long Reach cover
Long Reach by Peter Cocks, 401 pp, crime, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
Burn Mark cover
Burn Mark by Laura Powell, 416 pp, paranormal, witches
[GR | Amazon]
Heart-Shaped Bruise cover
Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne, 336 pp, mystery, crime
[GR | Amazon]
Secret Diary of Adrian Mole cover
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend, 272 pp, humor, diary
[GR | Amazon]
A Note of Madness cover
A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma, 320 pp, realistic, mental health
[GR | Amazon]
The Knife That Killed Me cover
The Knife that Killed Me by Anthony McGowan, 224 pp, realistic, gangs
[GR | Amazon]
Adorkable cover
Adorkable by Sarra Manning, 387 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Railsea cover
Railsea by China  
Miéville, 424 pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]

The Dead of Winter cover
The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley, 218 pp,  horror, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
Frozen in Time cover
Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes, 336 pp, science fiction, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Stormbreaker cover
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, 256 pp, mystery, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
In Darkness cover
In Darkness by Nick Lake, 337 pp, historical, war
[GR | Amazon]
The Earth Hums in B Flat cover
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan, 327 pp, mystery, historical
[GR | Amazon]
The Unforgotten Coat cover

The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce, 112 pp, realistic, cultural
[GR | Amazon]
This is Not Forgiveness cover
This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees, 280 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Lord of the Nutcracker Men cover
The Twice-Lived Summer of Bluebell Jones  by Susie Day, 177 pp, contemporary, magical realism
[GR | Amazon]
Accidental Friends cover
Accidental Friends by Helena Pielichaty, 240 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Kill All Enemies cover
Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess, 274 pp, contemporary, multi POV
[GR | Amazon]
Losing It cover
Losing It by Keith Gray (ed), 256 pp, short stories, virginity
[GR | Amazon]
The Swan Kingdom cover
The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott, 272  pp, fantasy, fairy tale
[GR | Amazon]
War Horse cover
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, 165 pp, animals, war
[GR | Amazon]
Out of Shadows cover
Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace, 278 pp, historical, cultural
[GR | Amazon]
We Can Be Heroes cover
We Can Be Heroes by Catherine Bruton, 400 pp, contemporary, 9/11
[GR | Amazon]
The Book of Lies: A Novel cover
The Book of Lies: A Novel by Mary Horlock, 368 pp, historical, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
The Knife of Never Letting Go cover
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, 496 pp, dystopian, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Long Lankin cover
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough, 455 pp, fantasy, horror
[GR | Amazon]
Life: An Exploded Diagram cover
Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet, 416 pp, historical, war
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
An Act of Love by Alan Gibbons, 292 pp, war, religion
[GR | Amazon]
Me, the Missing, and the Dead cover
Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine, 208 pp, mystery, death
[GR | Amazon]
Wasted cover
Wasted by Nicola Morgan, 352 pp, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
Pigeon English cover
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman, 263 pp, contemporary, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone cover
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, 310 pp, fantasy, magic
[GR | Amazon]
I Capture the Castle cover
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, 352 pp, historical, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Good Night, Mr. Tom cover
Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, 320 pp, historical, war
[GR | Amazon]
Matilda cover
Matilda by Roald Dahl, 240 pp, fantasy, magical realism
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo, 160 pp, fantasy, magic
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
  
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 242 pp, historical, classic
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce, 240 pp, time travel, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, 226 pp, mystery, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Stolen cover
Stolen: A letter to my captor by Lucy Christopher, 301 pp, contemporary, kidnapping
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
By Midnight by Mia James, 436 pp, paranormal, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, 768 pp, portal fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Finding Sky by Joss Stirling, 320 pp, paranormal, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Entangled by Cat Clarke, 372 pp, mystery, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, 351 pp, 
fantasy, classic
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Angel by L.A. Weatherly, 512 pp, paranormal, angels
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Bloodlines by Lindsay Anne Kendal, 320 pp, paranormal, horror
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, 458 pp, science fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
The Declaration by Gemma Malley, 320 pp, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 182 pp, classics, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Jonas by Eden Maguire, 279 pp, paranormal, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, 320 pp, paranormal, ghosts
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie, 283 pp, mystery, kidnapping
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 288 pp, historical, animals
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Skin Deep by Laura Jarrett, 320 pp, contemporary, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Blood Red Road by Moira Young, 459 pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Hope's Daughter by Melanie Cusick-Jones, 389 pp, science fiction, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
The Witches of the Glass Castle by Gabrielle Lepore, 255 pp, paranormal, witches
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Trash by Andy Mulligan, 240 pp, dystopian, poverty
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis, 250 pp, contemporary, mental health
[GR | Amazon]
Waves cover
Waves by Sharon Dogar, 344 pp, mystery, death
[GR | Amazon]
The Left Hand of God cover
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman, 436 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Lost Girl Sangu Mandanna cover
The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna, 432 pp, science fiction, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
Howl's Moving Castle book cover
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, 336 pp, fantasy, romance
[GR | Amazon]
The Blemished cover
The Blemished by Sarah Dalton, 328 pp, science fiction, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, 208 pp, classics, poverty

[GR | Amazon]
Picture
A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence, 352 pp, parallel universes, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, 373 pp, steampunk
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Redwall by Brian Jacques, 416 pp, fantasy, animals
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Dance on My Grave by Aidan Chambers, 256 pp, lgbt, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Dragonborn by Toby Forward, 352 pp, fantasy, dragons
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Slam by Nick Hornby, 309 pp, contemporary, humor
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Dear Dylan by Siobhan Curham, 208 pp, romance, humor
[GR | Amazon]
Picture
Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies, 498 pp, fantasy, animals
[GR | Amazon]
City of Masks cover
City of Masks by Mary Hoffman, 352 pp, historical, time travel
[GR | Amazon]
Code Name Verity cover
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, 452 pp, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Hunting Lila cover
Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson, 318 pp, paranormal, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
The Rotters' Club cover
The Rotters' Club by Jonathan Coe, 415 pp, historical, humor
[GR | Amazon]
The Recruit cover
The Recruit by Robert Muchamore, 342 pp, thriller, spying
[GR | Amazon]
Exodus cover
Exodus by Julie Bertagna, 337 pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
Troy cover
Troy by Adele Geras, 376 pp, fantasy, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Geekhood cover
Geekhood by Andy Robb, 352 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Looking for JJ cover
Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy, 336 pp, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Department Nineteen cover
 Department Nineteen by Will Hill, 540 pp, urban fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
My So Called Afterlife cover
My So Called Afterlife
Tamsyn Murray, 184 pp, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
The Truth about Celia Frost cover
The Truth about Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne, 336 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
The Amulet of Samarkand cover
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, 462 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Silver Child cover
The Silver Child by Cliff McNish, 192 pp, science fiction, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
15 Days Without A Head cover
Fifteen Days Without A Head by Dave Cousins, 288 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Unarranged Marriage cover
(Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai, 272 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Over Sea Under Stone cover
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, 208 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Cuckoo Tree cover
The Cuckoo Tree by Joan Aiken, 304 pp, fantasy, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Wolf Tower cover
Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee, 223 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Fly By Night cover
Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge, 486 pp, fantasy, sheer brilliance
[GR | Amazon]
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen cover
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner, 288 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Book of Three cover
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, 190 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Hollow Pike cover
Hollow Pike by James Dawson, 416 pp, paranormal, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Look by Sophia Bennett cover
The Look by Sophia Bennett, 328 pp, contemporary, cancer
[GR | Amazon]
Firebrand cover
Firebrand by Gillian Philip, 384 pp, fantasy, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Lottie Biggs is Not Mad cover
Lottie Biggs is (not) Mad by Hayley Long, 229 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
secrets of the henna girl cover
Secrets of the Henna Girl by Sufiya Ahmed, 270 pp, contemporary, arranged marriage
[GR | Amazon]
Screwed joanna kenrick cover
Screwed by Joanna Kenrick, 256pp, contemporary, promiscuity
[GR | Fishpond]
split by a kiss cover
Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja, 309 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
A Witch in Winter cover
A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton, 346 pp, fantasy romance
[GR | Amazon]
The Tulip Touch cover
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine, 160pp, contemporary, horror
[GR | Amazon]
**If you find any authors who are not from the UK, please let us know so we can replace them. We don't want to unknowingly offend anyone. Authors with dual citizenship are sometimes included in this wall as are some books that lean towards middle grade.**
31 Comments
kelly link
10/30/2012 02:52:10 am

I think the covers of these UK books are much more MATURE than YA books in the US. They don't rely on the teen appearance as much to sell them, but what's maybe most interesting to me is how much they carry a particular genre look to them. You know which are thrillers/mysteries and which are contemporaries. Not having a stock image model certainly helps.

Also? I really liked When I Was Joe, which I read a couple years ago, and I've loved both Cat Clarke books I've read. I've read a fair number of these titles, surprisingly, but I've added a ton more to my reading list.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/30/2012 08:59:12 am

I think what I like so much about the covers is that they can appeal to a much larger audience. I just remember being a book event last month where teachers, librarians, and parents had a discussion about RIPPING THE COVERS OFF OF BOOKS or putting a homemade cover over the front. In my opinion, if we have to do these things to get people to read a book (in this case it was boy readers to read basically anything with a girl on the cover), then the cover really isn't successful, no matter how popular it is with girls. But I'm sure it just comes down to sales.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
10/30/2012 03:13:01 am

I am very interested in this "Losing It" anthology...

Reply
kelly link
10/30/2012 05:38:08 am

I kind of do too. I had a teen asking me recently about books on this particular topic and, uhm, we have virtually nothing on this side of the pond. Exceptionally curious personally, as well.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
10/30/2012 05:47:32 am

The closest thematically anthology I've read is "Love & Sex: Ten Stories of Truth" edited by Michael Cart. It was pretty good.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/372537.Love_Sex

Jo [Wear the Old Coat] link
10/30/2012 04:59:57 pm

I bought Losing It because I heard that Patrick Ness' story was brilliant (and it is) but the others are just as good.

Reply
Jasprit link
10/30/2012 04:39:05 am

I'm so bad from both Anna and Jo's awesome list's I've only read like three books! :( And hardly any from the rest of the list, I adore all of Roald Dahl's books, George's Marvellous Medicine and The Twits being all time favourites! I also adore Alderson's Lila series and Alderson's book Fated. Anne Fine's Flour Babies was also a favourite book of mine when growing up! Flann I always much prefer U.S or Aussie covers compared to ones from the U.K, do you want to swap countries for a while? thanks for sharing this awesome list with us, I will definitely be getting around to Ness' Chaos Walking series soon! :)

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:19:11 am

Let me know when you want to swap, Jasprit. I'll pack my bags just in case!

I want to read the Chaos Walking series soon, too. It is one of those series that SO MANY people recommend and frankly, I'm getting a bit tired of telling people I haven't read it.

Reply
Melanie link
10/30/2012 06:41:51 am

Goodness, I've read very few of these books! I obviously need to do a serious expansion of my reading. I've been meaning to read STOLEN for quite some time, so maybe I'll start there.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:20:22 am

If you do give it a try, you should listen to the audiobook. The narrator does a great job and you can practically feel the tension. I was so enthralled by what was happening.

Reply
Anna link
10/30/2012 07:04:29 am

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to flesh out my contribution a bit more! There's quite a few of these on my bookshelf that I have yet to pick up and so many more that aren't and really should be. I need to be more patriotic with my reading in the future.

I really need to get hold that 'Losing It' anthology - been wanting to read it it for bloody ages, although I do have the other Losing It (the Melvin Burgess one) waiting to be read.

How I Live Now - yes, a bit incesty, but her prose is just astonishing - What I Was was the first YA I read when my current YA habit started up again a few years ago. She set the bar pretty high and not too many have come close or surpassed it. Yes, a bit cheaty including Rosoff and Ness on my list , but what the hell, they live here and they're ace.

Sometimes I reach the slightly unfair conclusion that UKYA tends to read a bit young, but now, looking a this, I'm not so sure..

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:23:14 am

That's so funny because I kept thinking about how UKYA tends to tackle a ton of heavy issues. When I search the shelves that people have listed, I kept talking to myself, saying things like, "Rape? Child trafficking? Losing virginity? Arranged marriages? Warwarwarwar? Geez, these are some issue books."

A while back, I was putting together a list of "the most disturbing books" and my friends on Goodreads helped me put a shelf together. Someone recced Nicholas Dane (sp?) by Melvin Burgess and I've been meaning to read something of his since then.

Reply
Keertana link
10/30/2012 12:41:27 pm

Woah! I've actually read a LOT of these and had NO IDEA they were from the UK! I'm so ignorant sometimes... I love "Wall of Books" though! I feel as if my TBR doubles every time I see one of these posts! Brilliant! :)

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:24:33 am

Well la-di-da, look at you being all amazing:) My TBR doubles as well. This time round there is only one book by each author so I probably learned of no less than 60 or so new authors. (new to me, that is.) Crazy!

Reply
Nomes
10/30/2012 04:58:21 pm

oh, man, this is awesome. i have read a bunch of these but for some reason am always vague on whether they are UK or not?

i agree about the covers. they are a lot more diverse. like publishers make them to actually match the book rather than match current cover trends, you know?

personally, i love Slam by nick hornby, thought it was pretty funny and an cool male POV.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:26:49 am

Hornby is hit or miss for me, but I haven't read Slam because I read a few negative reviews of it. If you liked it though, I ought to reconsider.

Covers matching the book are few and far between in the US. At least it feels that way to me. I guess I am just not a fan of models posing on the front cover of books. I think it just makes me x % less interested in the contents in most cases.

Reply
Jo [Wear the Old Coat] link
10/30/2012 05:03:21 pm

Thanks for letting my rabbit on, Flann! What a brilliant list! There are so many that I still need to read.

I hope this lists prods a few people into reading some of them and getting them on the radar. Great Britain is definitely the Land of the Hidden YA Gems.

Re: The Covers. I think they can go either way over here. They're either AMAZING or just really, really horrible.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:27:54 am

You are the reason I put this list together, tbh. You are always reviewing UKYA that I've never heard of and it PISSES ME OFF. (not that you're reading it but that I don't know enough about it) xx

Reply
Sarah link
10/30/2012 05:25:06 pm

This seems like an awesome list!

I do think it's interesting how many countries claim Siobhan Dowd. She was born in the UK, and lived most of her life there, but in Ireland they generally consider her own of theirs, because her parents were from Ireland; and then Americans often claim her, because she did live here for some time and gained notoriety during that time. (For what it's worth, I think she can be legitimately included on this list since she was a U.K. citizen and mostly wrote about English settings, with the exception of Bog Child.)

I echo that Losing It sounds very intriguing--there's not much focused on that topic in the U.S., it seems.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:33:13 am

That is really interesting, Sarah. I was made aware by a commenter that I'd unknowingly placed a New Zealander on the Aussie wall of books and I would never intentionally do something like that. That's why I added the disclaimer on the bottom. There are a few authors on this wall (Ness, Lucy Christopher, Luisa Plaja) who are associated with more than one country but as long as they had some sort of long-standing association with the UK, I went for it. Siobhan Dowd is one of those authors as well. I don't know if anyone can pigeonhole these authors but themselves and I only did cursory looks into how they identify themselves.

I want to read Losing It as well. I think one or more of us is going to have to acquire and review it. I just stopped for about 3 minutes to think about what I would write about losing my v-card.

Reply
Luisa Plaja link
11/1/2012 03:24:37 am

I've loved reading this brilliant post, and thank you very, very much for including one of my books in your wall! I just wanted to mention that I'm definitely British. :)

Maggie, Young Adult Anonymous link
10/30/2012 05:38:17 pm

Boy Colt. *SOOOOOOOB*

Okay, Anna, you've convinced me to try a Rosoff.

I once made my cousin read The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry and she still hasn't forgiven me. Haha. Whatever, it's just a little bestiality.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:35:10 am

"Whatever, it's just a little bestiality." -Maggie

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Noelle link
10/31/2012 12:43:37 am

Just when I was feeling all self-congratulatory about cleaning up my TBR....

You are so right about the covers. Plus I love how many mysteries, thrillers and animal main characters there are in the list. Interesting to see the differences in all of these bookshelves.

Oh, and the lovely Jo sent me Losing It to borrow and my bookshelf promptly ATE IT so I'm so glad I read this reminder to get on that right away. Thanks Jo!! BOY COLT! :D

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
10/31/2012 05:34:26 am

Oh, you have that anthology? Oh, that's innnnnteresting. *nudge* *raises eyebrows* *WINK*

Reply
Jo [Wear the Old Coat] link
10/31/2012 05:45:14 am

Noelle! When you've finished with it, send it to Flann! We can start a blog tour. :)

Boy Colt. *sniff*

Belle link
11/1/2012 02:55:21 pm

I love these walls of books! Such an awesome idea.

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Stephanie @ Read in a Single Sitting link
11/4/2012 04:21:03 am

Great list! There are some wonderful books on here, and I'm delighted to see a mix of the old and the new--Hooper's Velvet is one of my favourites, as is Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess.

Reply
Bethany
11/5/2012 03:48:13 am

Iain Lawrence is a Canadian author. That said I loved The Lord of the Nutcracker Men, as well as The Lightkeepers Daughter and B is for Buster.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
11/5/2012 06:13:39 am

Fixed that, thank you. I'm glad your comment will stay here for the recommendation of a Canadian author. Don't worry, we're coming for them soon...

Reply
Sarai link
11/4/2015 08:55:52 am

Lloyd Alexander is American, though I always feel like his books have a very English fantasy feel.

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