Penguin Random Kids is gearing up for a summer of reading and honestly I just can’t wait, this post is packed with the latest and greatest middle grade and teen reads, enjoy!!!
And Then We Screamed
Holly Bourne can do no wrong in the world of teen reads… read on, read on.
And Then We Screamed is an excellent read about a very real problem that teen girls face on the daily. Set in a high school in a small town, Maple Lakes, in the USA. Just a regular high school doing regular things, there is a ball team and cheerleading team, there is a school paper, there are happy teens, lonely teens, quiet teens and wild teens.
The story is told through the eyes of Brody and Clover, friends that work on the school paper together. Brody wants to be a journalist and works for the school newspaper and has been searching for anything to report on. Clover has had a crush on Brody throughout high school, and would like anything at all to happen in this boring town, so that she can be his assistant. They both discover much more than they expected…
One day out of the blue, cheer leader captain, Abi, and the most popular girl in the school, starts to scream… really scream. She appears to lose consciousness and when she comes “back to reality” has absolutely no memory of the scream. Abi’s scream sets in motion a series of tests and possibly some sinister underground medical issue. The problem is that the world has just emerged from the Covid pandemic, and people are expecting the worst… they are not wrong. Within days more girls around the school start to scream too.
NOW, for a Holly Bourne, this book starts as a slow burn… literally 300 pages of to-ing and fro-ing over the screaming and contagious hysteria, and then she climbs in with the main theme… and addresses it. The shock that so many girls have the same problem, the lessons that we can all take away from this… this book turns out to be a really important read about a hot topic, that should not be hidden in the closet, let alone in a small high school in a small American town.
The Overthinkers Club: Happy List
This is just delightful, thoroughly good reading for middle grade girls. Nine year old me would have absolutely loved this book, and it is the first in a series!!!
This is the story of Birdie, who lives with her brother and father, and they are about to become a blended family with her dad’s girlfriend… and her two children as well. Birdie is deeply concerned that this will not go well and she and her very best friend, Chloe, decide to make a list of Happy Things to do, to distract them from the endless bullying and distractions of middle grade life.
Things start to “go south” for Birdie, when Chloe decides to add “make more friends” to the Happy List and then joins the class “in-group” at the same time, Chloe also just happens to get her first bra, and Birdie feels overwhelmed and left behind. All the while packing up her childhood home and putting on a brave face. Birdie’s family are all lovely, the kind of family that will stand by her no matter what. This is a great read for kids that are feeling daunted, at an age when half the class seems to be growing twice as fast as the rest of the class, who are not growing at all. This book is richly illustrated, often laugh out loud hilarious and at the same time covers loads of topics that middle grade gals are trying to navigate.
Interville
So this book comes with a lot of hype… and there is a reason for this!!! It’s an excellent read, for the middle grade reader, who would love a whole wild universe packed with fantastical adventures. Honestly, this book has something for everyone.
Patrick is an unassuming twelve year old gamer who is gifted a trip on an adventure camp, he is genuinely horrified and can think of nothing else, but escaping. He is put together with the worst muddle of kids and as a team they are doomed from the start… but there is a wild and furious parallel universe, where these kids are forced to work together as a team, to save the world and the universe at large. There are lots of wonderfully big words in this book and the illustrations are delightful, Patrick has his own personal monster to help him conquer the enemy and the whole book builds up to a wild and glorious battle.
If you are looking for a great family read over the holidays, this would be a good one… Probably the best think about this book is that it is the first in a series… looking forward to so many more of these!!!
Oli and the Island of Intsomi
I always hope to bump into Siphokazi Jonas at book events, she is a shining soul of enthusiastic energy, and it is no surprise to me that her debut children’s book is absolutely packed with bright and exciting twists and turns.
This book is a middle grade read, about a girl called Olinde. Her name means, “waiting for a name.” The night before her tenth birthday, a special clay urn was dropped, and immediately magical things begin to happen around her. She is taken, by a large vulture, to a mysterious land, where she and an entire school of children are being re-programmed to think as the terrible King Prospero wants them to think. The more they eat in the dining hall, the less they remember about their previous life and home.
This is a fabulous and mysterious story, Oli is armed with ancient ancestry and a wonderfully strong self-belief… the story is fast paced and richly illustrated… from ancient folklore and wildlife wanderings… the short sharp chapters make it perfect for easy readers ready to try more exciting stories, and jump into middle grade reads.
Mamlambo
Another local and good magical and mysterious, middle grade reader, this is the story of Amiah, who is relocating to a quiet suburb in Joburg after living in Cape Town. I have to say, Amiah is surprisingly resilient and optimistic about the move, considering that she is leaving her home and friends behind… but she is ready for new adventures and to make new friends.
When she and her mum arrive in their new town, she immediately discovers that all is not quite as quiet as she thought it was… no-one goes out after dark, there is something a more than a little mysterious about the water tower.
Why does her suburb always have a good water supply, while the surrounding countryside is experiencing a severe drought. It turns out the ancient myth about Mamlambo, the water monster might not be quite so mythical after all. Amiah and her new friends set out to discover the truth about the mysterious goings on in the neighbourhood… an exciting mystery story, this is a great read for adventurous readers. And, I love the very “local is lekker” vibe of the illustrations… stunning artwork, throughout this easy reading chapter book.
The Kings of Goat Hill
This is a local teen read about two brothers at a private boarding school in the Natal Midlands. Biko is in matric and head of his house and Qhawe is in grade eight, just entering his high school journey.
This book should come with a trigger warning: This book is harrowing from the start, it is about a very important theme – boarding school bullying. From start to finish, this book describes the abusive bullying system entrenched in schools, that one would think had been outlawed and passed on into the gritty halls of history. It hasn’t.
Qhawe is a young man heading into high school with enthusiasm, ready to work hard and do well and make his parents proud, just as his older brother has. He is looking forward to spending more time with his older, head boy, brother, who has been a bit distant since he started high school. Thabo is in a position of leadership, and can’t be seen favouring his brother, it will make things even worse for Qhawe. Qhawe quickly becomes deeply depressed, he is not the worst or the best at anything, in fact one has to work very hard not to stand out in anyway. Only the bravest of brave can stand up to this kind of behaviour, but who does one turn to when the staff are in on the “training” and see it as part of the culture. It takes a very close call with death for a young student to get the help they need… a little too late to save themselves. Their trauma will continue.
This is an excellent and difficult read, for teens who have been through this experience, it would help them to see that they are not alone. It is touted as a middle grade read, I would say upper middle grade. I definitely wouldn’t give it to “my grade 8 child” heading into high school to prepare them, however it would be an excellent set-work book or class reader, so that it can be discussed together, as they read along.
These books were given to us for review purposes by Penguin Random House South Africa, and Holly Bourne’s And then We Screamed, was gifted to me for review purposes, by Exclusive Books.