Chicklish loves:
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (reviewed by Alexandra)
Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja (reviewed by Alexandra)
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters (reviewed by Luisa)
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (reviewed by Karen)
On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (reviewed by Jocelyn)
For full list of book reviews:
Karen interviews Kate Cann, author of many brilliant books including her latest, Possessing Rayne (reviewed by us here).
Your books feel very current and contemporary. How do you stay so in touch with teenage culture and slang?
I love this question because it means I’ve Brought it Off! In actual fact my books aren’t really current in terms of culture and slang. I deliberately avoid all that because it shifts and changes so quickly. What your question suggests to me is that my books feel current because the things I write about – loathing and longing, love and hate, jealousy, friendship – never go out of date.
How do you decide which topics you want to write about in your books? Do you come up with characters or situations first?
A bit of both. Things will mesh in my brain. I’ll be thinking about a theme – and then I’ll meet someone at a party – and it will all evolve. Also - I do a lot of eavesdropping on public transport. That’s great for characters and ideas.
Who are the favourite characters you've ever written, and why do you particularly identify with them?
I like Coll in the Diving In trilogy, probably because she’s the most like me. I like Poppy because she’s so appallingly twisted. I enjoyed ‘being’ Rich for the three Moving books – I quite got into 
the male mind. And I’m loving Rayne – she’s got to really grow and be strong to face what happens, and I like that, it’s a challenge.
Possessing Rayne has a very creepy house in it. What's the scariest experience you've ever had or the creepiest place you've ever been?
To research for Possessing Rayne I spent the night in a shrouded four-poster bed in a haunted mansion, surrounded by ancient gloomy portraits. I was so scared my legs seized up and I thought they were being lifted by a ghostly presence; I was too scared even to reach out my hand for a glass of water. I was so glad when dawn came – then I could sleep. It was the most creepily terrifying night I can remember and I’ve put it all in the book!
What are you working on at the moment?
The sequel to Possessing Rayne, which is called Fire and Rayne. I got to the end of writing Possessing Rayne and realised there had to be another book, because there was so much I hadn’t gone into and developed. Such as Rayne’s link to the green lady, and her relationship with Ethan. I was on a roll – I love it when that happens!
Thank you very much, Kate Cann!
Our review of Leader of the Pack
Our review of Sea Change
Kate Cann's website
It’s back!
After the huge success of the inaugural Bath Festival of Children’s Literature in 2007, organisers are delighted to announce a second programme of excitingly bookish events for teens and families with more star name authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers than you can shake a stick at!
Running from September 19th to 28th 2008, big names attending include Meg Cabot, Meg Rosoff, Sally Gardner, Sally Nicholls, Cornelia Funke, Michelle Paver, Joe Craig, Angie Sage, Charlie Higson, Rick Riordan, Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen, Harry Hill and Robert Muchamore.
Tickets For the 2008 Bath Festival of Children’s Literature go on sale at 10am on Monday, July 21st.
Ticket Hotline number: 01225 463362. Visit the Bath Festival of Children's Literature site for more details or to join the festival mailing list.
Review by Clara
Salim always wanted to go on the London eye. But what goes up must come down - mustn’t it? Salim went up in a sealed pod on the London eye 30 minutes later the pod landed but he did not get off that one or the next or the next. It’s up to Ted and his sister Kat to find out what happened to their cousin, Salim, in those short 30 minutes. But first they have to get over their own fighting habits. The police haven’t got a clue but Ted’s minor theories might lead somewhere...
Time is ticking for everyone and everything, especially for Salim’s life.
The storyline in this book was so simple but so effective and kept me turning the pages to the very end. I really liked the little “thought bubbles” that didn’t have anything to do with the story but just made the telling smoother.
Review by Clara, aged 13
Hayley is overweight and lives in Southern California - a combination which doesn't make for a happy life. She's fed up with being told she has a 'pretty face', which translates as 'shame about your body'. Her mother, a born-again tofu-lover, puts constant pressure on Hayley to count calories and weigh herself, and only succeeds in making Hayley more miserable. Then her mother has a brilliant idea - she'll send Hayley to Italy to stay with an old friend. In Italy, Hayley's relationships with people, food and life are gradually transformed.
This book was easy to get into, and I empathised instantly with Hayley's misery. I loved her humour and found myself wanting to shout at her when she deliberately tried to tone it down. The descriptions of Los Angeles and central Italian towns were brilliantly observed, bringing out the contrast entertainingly. There were also some great characters - I especially liked best friend Jackie in California and Gianna in Italy. I think I liked the romance slightly less than I hoped, and it seemed to happen very late in the story. Also, I don't want to turn into one of those kinds of readers, I really don't. But, as an Italian-speaker, I found the Italian spoken by the natives was occasionally making my brow furrow. Most importantly, "bella faccia" instead of "bel viso" for "pretty face" sounded, well, a bit brash to me, especially when it was meant to sound romantic, which was possibly why I found myself distrusting the hero... but overall, it doesn't matter at all, of course.
Despite these niggles, I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, light and funny story and its great heroine.
So it looks like the Queen of Teen finalists have been announced, and they are:
Meg Cabot, Cathy Cassidy, Lisa Clark, Grace Dent, Cathy Hopkins, Sarra Manning, Karen McCombie, Joanna Nadin, Louise Rennison and Jacqueline Wilson.
Malorie Blackman and Stephenie Meyer were runners-up.
You can read all about the authors here. And we have reviews of books by all the shortlisted authors, here on Chicklish.
If you nominated an author then you'll be in with a chance of seeing your favourite author being crowned Queen of Teen in a special ceremony in September.
But right now you need to vote for your favourite from the above shortlist. (It sounds like an impossible task, to me - I couldn't possibly choose only one from that list!)
Alexandra and Luisa talk about Rain by Kate le Vann
When Rain goes to her grandmother's in London for the summer, she meets Harry and she finds an old diary from when her mother was her age - sixteen - the age her mother got pregnant. Together with Harry, Rain discovers her mother's old haunts. She explores a mystery that emerges from the diary pages, while her feelings for Harry grow...
A: Did I hear you read this as well? What did
you think?
L: I loved it! I thought
the characters were great and I really sympathised with Rain. I enjoyed the London
setting, too, and I could just picture Rain, Harry and Maddy hanging around in
West London.
A: The plot was really clever, I thought, mysterious
too.
L: Yes, I agree. I liked
the twists, and the way it delivered everything I expected and more.
A: Rain’s gran is great, and Harry, and I really loved
her Dad but I wanted Rain to stop crying every two chapters. Whether it
was in front of Harry, on her own, in front of strangers she just cried all the
time.
L: Oddly, I didn’t notice that,
but now you mention it, I remember! It was definitely a slightly downbeat book.
Rain was always pensive and a bit sad. She wasn’t a typical heroine, either –
she seemed so sensible and careful about everything. In some ways, she’d grown
up fast because of her mother’s death, and in other ways, she seemed immature
for her age (but not unbelievably so).
I agree about Rain’s gran; she’s
possibly one of the coolest grannies I’ve read about in a long time!
So... did you cry? I very rarely cry when I read, but I did find this
book moving, more than a lot of more obvious tearjerkers.
A: No, I didn’t, some of the shifts in the narrative pulled me out of the story I think as I didn’t attach enough to Rain.
L: What’s your verdict overall?
I’d say it was a touching and sweet coming-of-age story, and I’d definitely
recommend it. I'm giving it a 4.
A: 4 from me, too. Solid read. Have to say I definitely appreciate the way Kate le Vann explores emotional territory. I hope to read many more books by her.
Also read a review of Tessa in Love by Kate le Vann, and watch out for Alexandra's fabulous interview with Kate le Vann, coming soon!
Alexandra interviews Carol Hedges, author of the Spy Girls series about Jazmin Dawson, teenage schoolgirl and secret agent.
Where did you get the idea for the Spy Girl series?
The idea for the Spy Girl series came from reading a lot of AlexRider/Young James Bond type books, and thinking where are the adventure books for girls? I wanted to write about a feisty 14-year-old who did exciting things, solved crimes etc. I also wanted her to be based in the real world i.e she isn't approached by MI6 and asked to save the world (because, hey, it doesn't happen like that!) I also wanted to explore her relationship with her mum - usually in teen fiction parents are a) dead b)a nuisance c) The enemy. From talking to teenage girls at school, most of them have good relationships with their mums, who play an important part in their lives. I wanted to reflect this as well. The rest of the stuff comes from places I've been to (Prague, Venice) and stuff that arrives in my brain whehn I start writing.
Do you think you'd make a good super sleuth?
Would I make a good super sleuth? I don't know about good, but I guess that's what I do whenever I sit down to write. Jazmin gets into situations, and I have to work out how to get her out. In real life, I think I'd love to be a sleuth - I'm always watching people and eavesdropping on conversations when I'm out and about. Watch out...
What is your favourite teen book?
My favourite teen book. Ooooh tricky. I could be very arrogant and say mine, but I'd probably say Malorie Blackman, Noughts and Crosses.
What are you writing next?
Next? I'm thinking about another 14 year old, maybe with a historical theme.
Thank you very much, Carol Hedges!
Remember: There's still time (just about!) to vote for your Queen of Teen!
Review by Alexandra
This is book 18 of the ‘Mates, Dates’ series which has sold over 3 million books.
Do you know what a carbon footprint is? Or that we might have a water shortage in 2025? In Saving the Planet Lucy, Izzie, TJ and Nesta go green. The book follows what they learn and find out - including some tips they glean from ‘Tasty Tim’.
If you want to be a Green Teen and like interesting tips about the world around you, this book is definitely for you. Saving The Planet teaches you recycling tips (including swapping those DVDs you’ve seen, clothes you’re bored with), saving energy, some home-made recipes for beauty treatments and even suggests how to make your own perfume.
Many interesting facts fill in this book, but I wasn’t sure about some of the tips of what to tell parents, not all of them were practical or perhaps affordable. I ended up thinking anyone reading it should maybe remember to take their parents' feelings into consideration before starting any major green campaigns at home!
There are some weblinks at the end of the book for eco-friendly sites and a great glossary. You can find out more about the rest of this series and the author on the author’s website and blog. For example, do you know how many countries Cathy Hopkins is published in? It’s a lot!
You can also join Cathy’s Club.
Review by Alexandra
A little while ago we told you about Queen of Teen, where you can nominate your favourite female teen author and win a chance to see her crowned at a special ceremony.
With only three days now till the closing date, we thought we'd send out a quick reminder. Vote now! Voting closes on 10th July 2008.
Review by Karen
Rayne lives on a crowded housing estate, surrounded by family, noise, and an over-powering boyfriend, Damien. More than anything she wants to escape, so takes a job in the country, at an old house in Morton’s Keep. But the house, and the locals, seem to be hiding dark secrets. As Rayne makes new friends, she wonders exactly what the secrets are they’re hiding, and how she can find them out.
One of Rayne’s new friends is the mysterious St John, who’s completely different to Damien. Rayne falls for him very quickly, despite everyone warning her to stay away. But Rayne knows that St John knows about the secrets hidden in Morton’s Keep, and is determined to get answers. But should she really trust him?
This is a tense and spine-tingling psychological thriller. It’s deliciously atmospheric and very visual, with evocative descriptions making it easy to picture the house and the different rooms featured within it. The characters also feel very realistic, and you can identify with Rayne’s fears and emotions. It’s genuinely creepy and a great addition to the gothic horror genre. Not one to be read alone after dark though!
Review by Karen
Alexandra interviews Jon Blake, author of The Last Free Cat (reviewed here).
As a cat owner I could recognize many of the characteristics and traits of Feela. Do you have a cat yourself that helped you write this so realistically?
Yes, Feela was based on our cat Floozie to whom the book is dedicated (she died just before it came out). There are pics of her on Feela's own site. She never lost the element of wildness which we loved.
But some of the observations about training Feela to trust came from my experiences of part-domesticating a feral kitten.
How did you come up with the idea for the book?
I just wondered one day what people would pay for a cat if they weren't freely available. With so much of the world being privatised and sold for profit, it was easy to imagine this happening. To my mind it is the scramble for profit which is behind the great problems we face today, so it was an idea I was keen to pursue.
Which of the many books you've written is your personal favourite?
I think The Last Free Cat, my 54th book, is my best - which doesn't mean it will sell the most, when the big bookstore chains are so reluctant to stock titles which aren't part of a series. Of my previous books I'd have to go for Geoffrey's First, a teen novel with quite a bit of autobiographical content, and The King Of Rock and Roll, a novella for juniors. But I love writing the more comic novels, especially the Stinky Finger series.
What's your favourite book and why?
My first favourite book as a kid was The House At Pooh Corner, then when I was older I loved Gulliver's Travels and Huckleberry Finn. I love many books but what I liked about Mark Twain's writing was his warm, down-to-earth informality, which strongly influenced my own writing.
That and the fact he was a rebel against the conservatism of society!
Thank you very much, Jon Blake!
Something strange is happening all over the United States: teenagers who die aren't staying dead. Attitutudes vary to these zombies - or rather, living impaired people, to use the politically correct term introduced at the start of this book, which later becomes differently biotic. But one school gains a reputation for treating them with respect. The undead start to arrive from across the country to attend Oakvale High. Also at this school is goth girl Phoebe and her sporty friend Adam, who's secretly in love with her. But Phoebe finds herself drawn to Tommy Williams, a differently biotic boy who's trying out for the football team. Adam's ex-friend, the aggressive Pete Martinsburg, is disgusted by the thought of zombies on the team, and even more so when he realises that Adam doesn't share his feelings. Then there's the high-functioning, short-skirted zombie called Karen, and the mystery of Phoebe's dead friend Colette. Tension at Oakvale High quickly grows to bursting point.
For some reason, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book, but within the first couple of pages I was hooked by the witty writing and the interesting characters introduced. The book explores themes of prejudice and discrimination and there are a couple of moments where adult characters come in and make long, fascinating speeches about these issues, only to disappear again. These were slightly heavy-handed, but I found that they somehow really worked to underline the characters' reactions.
On the whole, though, this isn't a serious book, and I mean that in an entirely positive way! It's a page-turner of a story, filled with tension, violence and romance. I was rooting for Adam and Phoebe all the way through, and I was as fascinated by Karen and Tommy as everyone in the book seemed to be. I loved the Colette subplot, which I get the feeling is not entirely resolved, along with some other threads. Although it's very different, the book somehow reminded me of early Stephen King, and I wasn't surprised to read on the author's blog that King was one of his influences.
Highly recommended. I'm absolutely dying (ahem, sorry) to read the sequel, Kiss of Life.
Generation Dead is published in the UK on 7th July 2008.
Review by Alexandra
Ready for a different book? The Last Free Cat is about just what the title suggests. It’s about what could possibly be the last cat that hasn’t been tagged and made available only to people rich enough to afford its extortionate price, and it’s found in Jade’s garden.
With the help of her mum and Kris, Jade manages to keep, ‘Feela’ safe for some time, but it doesn’t take long before the authorities (Comprot) find out and try to take their furry friend away.
Jade’s mum’s heart gives out during the raid by Comprot and Jade soon finds herself on the run with Kris and the cat, looking for a safe haven.
Some fast paced, dangerous action accompany their journey as they take on the cat breeding multi-nationals and desperately try to protect the life of their free cat. I won’t say too much more so you can find out all the interesting parts of their journey if you read it!
The author has a great website where you can check out his other books and also a website for feela, where you can see his ‘real life’ inspiration for the one in the book (who I have to say looks scarily like my own!).
Whether you’re a cat lover or not, the book will inspire you to think a bit more about your pets, how valuable they are and what the world would be like if you couldn’t have them.
Recommended for younger teens.
Review by Alexandra
Review by Karen
I love Sarah Dessen’s books, and this one more than lived up to my expectations. Since the sudden death of her father, Macy has strived to give the appearance of being ‘fine’. She’s still struggling with her grief, but doesn’t feel like she can talk to anyone about it – her sister has moved out, and her mother has engrossed herself in new projects. So Macy attempts to appear perfect – she studies hard, controls her appearance, and does exactly what’s expected of her. But things change when her boyfriend puts their relationship on hold for the summer and Macy meets a new group of friends, who live life to the full. Macy’s introduced to the creative and sexy Wes, and as the two grow closer, Macy realises she can’t always control her emotions.
The characters in this book are vividly drawn, and really leap off the page. I could fully believe in Macy’s fear of the unexpected, and the way she’s trying to regain control over her life. The difficult subject of grief is dealt with compassionately, and the way Macy finally discovers how she can move on is sensitively done, but also very believable. Dessen also subtly uses humour throughout, to stop the story becoming too dark.
This is an engrossing, powerful and uplifting read, and I highly recommend it!
Review by Karen
Breaking news for Surrey residents! The long-awaited adaptation of Louise Rennison's novel, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (well, we've been long-awaiting it, that's for sure!), directed by the fabulous Gurinder Chadha and due for general release in the UK from 25th July 2008, is having an extra-special screening.
See it first on Sunday 13 July 2008 at 2pm at the Empire Cinema, St Nicholas Centre, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1AZ. Sutton station is only 7 minutes' walk away. Tickets are £10 and all proceeds are in aid of The Mayor of Sutton's charity: The Royal Marsden Hospital, Children's and Adolescent Unit, Sutton.
