Non
Pratt's stunning novella Unboxed takes place over a single day. Another
YA novel with a short timeframe is Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.
Set
over a single evening, it charts the romance of Nick and Norah, brought
together by their almost identical taste in music. The novel is co-written by Rachel
Cohn and David Levithan, who have gone on to pen a further three excellent
books together. One of my very favourite co-writing teams is the hilarious and
brilliant Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison.
Tom
and Lucy's debut, Lobsters was widely regarded as one of the funniest
books of 2014. The novels exploration of teenage sex is frank, funny, realistic
and overwhelmingly positive, instantly reminding me of the representation of
sex in Judy Blume's iconic Forever.
Forever is the story of
Katherine and her boyfriend, Michael. It's widely considered one of the first
books for young adults to portray teenage sexuality in a positive light,
tackling virginity loss and masturbation alongside themes such as divorce,
bereavement and family stress, all with Blume's trademark honestly and humour.
Over 30 years after publication, it's is as popular and relevant as ever.
Published a year earlier, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger has
also stood the test of time.
The
Cat Ate My Gymsuit
explores parental relationships, body image and popularity. Its thirteen
year-old narrator, Marcy Lewis learns to find her voice when her favourite
teacher, Miss Finney is threatened with the loss of her job for her
unconventional teaching practices. Marcy leaps to Miss Finney's defence, her
protest resulting in a suspension from school and major rifts at home. Another
teen making a stand is the wonderful Lottie in Holly Bourne's What's a Girl
Gotta Do?
After
being heckled on her way to school, Lottie decides enough is enough and
launches a feminist revolution, calling out every instance of sexism she sees
(with a little help from a rather loud clown horn). The climax of Holly's
excellent Spinster Club trilogy, it's a smart, witty and important read for
teenage girls and boys everywhere.
Just reading 'What's a Girl Gotta Do?' and really enjoying it, as I have the whole series so far. Will hopefully be purchasing them for my school library!
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