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Having read two of his earlier novels, “Skellig” and “Kit’s Wilderness”, “Clay” by David Almond is a book I have been looking forward to for a while.
I have not been disappointed. The narrative is excellent, the story is dark and scary (not too scary), and the underlying ideas are challenging and relevant. All this presented at a pace and tension that will grip even reluctant readers. No wonder then that a TV film version has been produced for the BBC and recently released as a DVD. I have yet to view the film and will be very interested to see how it has been adapted.
You can listen to David Almond talking about Clay at the Meet the Author website, and David has his own website here. Again targeted at young people – but written with such quality that it is essential reading for all who admire an author who is continually stretching the boundaries of imagination and literature.
“The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran was written in 1923.
This is a book of 26 poetic essays, which has been translated into over 20 languages. The Prophet, who has lived in a foreign city 12 years, is about to board a ship that will take him home. He is stopped by a group of people, whom he teaches the mysteries of life. And what a teacher he is. This is truly a book of life – with prose that offers beauty and wisdom whatever your religious belief, ethic origins or economic status. Gibran’s life may have been complicated, somewhat obscure at times, and short, but he has left a legacy of literature and philosophy that deserves the reverence placed upon it across the world.
A good starting point to learn more can be found here at the BBC.
A more in-depth study can be found here at The New Yorker.
I was astonished to learn from the opening sentences of The New Yorker report that Gibran’s work establishes him as the third best-selling poet of all time – after Shakespeare and Lao-tzu. Once you have started reading it, you will soon come to realize that this is a reference and resource that should never be far from your hand.
Nick Hornby has been an exciting presence on the bookshelves, and on film, for a while now. “Slam” is apparently the first novel he has aimed at the teen/young adult market – though I am inclined to think that maybe his publishers are mainly responsible for slanting the publicity in this direction.
Nick Hornby is simply one of the best story tellers around and while the story may focus on teenage lives – and a difficult yet highly topical subject matter, teenage pregnancy – the story stands on its own as a brilliant read. You will know by now that I hate to give anything away about the story in my reviews, so again, if you want some detail before committing to reading it, then the Guardian review gets it just about right.
So who will read it? So far as I am concerned it has a universal market, and I can’t honestly think of anyone of any age, 14 or over, who will fail to love it to bits. It’s funny, its contemporary, it’s challenging, and it is as realistic as anyone could reasonably expect of an adult author writing about teenagers and their world today. Having said that, it is carries a message that every teenager, and their parents, should encounter and consider. Deserves to be a runaway bestseller.
If you have time only to read one short novel this year, and you haven’t already discovered it, then it must be this one – “The Two Pound Tram” by William Newton.
I read it in a few hours spread over two days. Had I not started late, I’m sure that I would not have put it down until I had completed it. Looking at the reviews printed on the back I can see that I am in good company in recommending this. It is an extraordinary tale told by one of two brothers, set primarily just before and during the second world war. To say anything else about it would spoil what I regard as my literary discovery of the year. Actually I bought it as a Christmas present for a close relative over a year ago, and on visiting this weekend, spotted it on the bookshelf. I’m afraid I wasn’t much company after that 
.
Winner of the Society of Authors Sagittarius Prize.
If you have to learn more before buying yourself a copy, then I will just add this tail-end of a review that I discovered elsewhere (I’m sure you can find the source without too much difficulty with a simple ..ogle )
“Whether the story is truth or fantasy, however, is not important. It is a wonderful story, told by a story-teller who, if nothing else, can embroider facts so imaginatively that you suspend disbelief. It reads like a memoir, and it captures with deceptive simplicity and humour the adventure, optimism, delights and disappointments of the vanished world of youth. It is a pleasure to read.“
Greek mythology has been a favourite source of story-telling for three thousand years. “The Clashing Rocks” by Ian Serraillier tells the story of Jason and The Argonauts.
Avid readers of Harry Potter will be familiar with centaurs, and the story opens with Chiron the centaur, who brings up Jason, whose father was held prisoner by his half-brother and denied his right to be King of Iolcos. As a young man, Jason is forced on a long and perilous journey to restore his father’s rights, the ultimate task of which is to bring the Golden Fleece back to Iolcos. Jason, together with 50 volunteers, set sail in a galley named Argo. The Gods are kind to Jason and his Argonauts and help them in their battles against the likes of Harpies, Sirens, and other fearsome and magical creatures. Stories like these are never too old to be retold, nor to be revisited.
A couple of efforts have been made to make a film of this story, the earlier one (1963) by far the more successful. This book and film were released in the same year.
The BBC has a terrific website that gives a very thorough historical perspective to the story – a superb educational resource.
