Many American young adult novels, polluted by popular culture's obsession with self, are reduced to thinly-plotted problem stories about divorce, alcohol addiction, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or whatever the issue du jour happens to be. While these books can be useful, sometimes you just want to lose yourself in a great read.
You can often find one in British young adult novels. Three recently released novels have complex stories which are driven by strong plots, settings, characters and superb writing. All these combine to involve you in stories you'll never forget.
New in paperback is Sherryl Jordan's The Hunting of the Last Dragon (Eos, $5.99; ages 11-14) . The viewpoint character, Jude, who lived happily enough in his 1356 English village until it was burned to the ground by a dragon. He wants revenge, but is alone, homeless, and afraid. When he's taken in by folks from a roving circus, he makes friends with its centerpiece, a figure "half lost within folds of scarlet silk, teetering like a child on feet so small they looked to be cloven".
This "strange brown elf-child" , called Lizzie Little-feet by those who cage her, is really Jing-wei, a young Chinese noble woman with bound feet . Jing-wei is small in stature, but her courage, resourcefulness and wisdom are unlimited. She stoically bears the unbinding of her feet, understands Jude's success will put his disquiet to rest, and her knowledge of gunpowder and kites lead to their eventual success.
Jordan's language is rich and evocative. Her descriptions reach all senses and we easily understand Jude's terror as the pair travels through scorched lands where "the air smelled foul, our eyes stung constantly, and dead birds and insects lay all about on the parched ground." This is a book of brilliant pairings -- there are two unlikely heroes, a medieval history and fantasy mesh, and culture clashes and blends as east meets west. Jordan combines all these elements into one captivating book.
Also new in paperback is Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea (Puffin, $5.99; ages 9 and up) . The story opens when Maia, an orphaned young girl in a 1900's London boarding school, learns that she has relatives in Brazil who have sent for her. A book with a "tattered spine" tells her the Amazon can be either a "hell or a heaven" based on your perceptions and suggests "those who go with courage and an open mind may find themselves in Paradise".
Maia has an open mind and proves this when she accepts Miss Minton as a governess and companion even thought this tall, gaunt, black-clad woman, "looked more like a rake than a human being." While traveling, Maia dreams about the fascinating animals and twin cousins who will welcome her in Brazil.
Readers understand long before Maia that her relatives care solely about the income that arrives with her. Maia's quirky relatives create much of the story's richness. Maia's uncle fails at whatever he undertakes, except collecting glass eyeballs. Her aunt is bound and determined to impose English standards on a country that is tough to tame and Maia's cousins are disagreeable and spoiled. Maia is not allowed to mix with either the fascinating natives around her, nor investigate the intriguing country. Maia is in Amazon Hell and she puts up with sour moods, a boring course of study, horrid canned food, and inferior status for most of the novel.
At every opportunity, Maia's positive and curious nature shows. She continually reaches out to new friends, mysterious peoples, and the fascinating culture around her. Miss Minon, is reserved, but readers see how she is stilling her own sense of adventure in order to protect Maia. By the story's end, Maia and Miss Minon reject the standards imposed on them and find heaven in the Amazon. The contrast between Maia's trusting approach to life and the coldness that often surrounds her lead us to cheer for this well-drawn character and her eventual triumph.
Celia Rees' new novel takes us deep into the heart, mind, and life of a remarkable 18th century heroine, Nancy Kington, in Pirates! (Bloomsbury, $16.95; ages 11 and up) . Nancy starts out an innocent and unknowingly vulnerable merchant's daughter, becomes the owner of a Caribbean plantation, and finally takes to the High Seas as a female pirate.
The author's knowledge of this period is clear, but her research never intrudes We learn with Nancy how to deal with everything from social mores of an English ball to swilling rum aboard a pirate ship. Whether person, place or lore, Rees' descriptions are cinematic, satirical, and succinct. We willingly follow Nancy from England, to the Caribbean, and finally to Africa, savoring her adventures and watching her grow from passive young woman to a self-assured pirate lass.
The plot moves quickly with the feeling of an old melodrama made fresh. There's the missing lover, pursuit by an unsavory, evil suitor, the revelation of Nancy's relationship to a black half-sister. And at the center stands Nancy, a heroine who could be seen as a victim were she not someone who was ready to whip a cutlass from her sash, or murder a would-be rapist!
Nancy's viewpoint offers excellent period understanding and social commentary. As she is driven through "impressive stone pillars" and an overarching "curve of wrought-iron letters", Nancy sees "refuse slaves" dying alone, their "dark shapes littered the beach like flotsam cast up by the sea." Description, character growth, and perspectives invite, engage, and make this a book you can't put down!
These three books have a depth that comes from rounded characters, a sense of place, and conflicts that spring from universal human questions rather than fleeting issues. Are these books influenced by a British stiff upper lip, or centuries literary tradition? Whatever the cause, it's clear that stories, not sentiments drive these books.
Sidebar: More Recent Suck-You-In British YA's
Last year's YA Prinze and Carnegie Medal winner, Aidan Chambers' Postcards from No Man's Land (Dutton, $19.99; ages 13 and up) tells a young man who discovers his roots and himself in Amerstdam.
An idyllic English setting connects five linked that span 1910-45 novels by Ruth Harris in a series titled "Sisters of the Quantock Hills", Sarah's Story, Frances' Story, Julia's Story, and Gwen's Story .
Mary Hoffman, known for her picture books, has two books released in her fantasy series, Stravaganza in which present day heroes time travel to a world parallel to medieval Italy. City of Masks (Bloomsbury,$17.95; ages 10 and up) and City of Stars (Bloomsbury,$17.95; ages 10 and up).
Ian Lawrence sets up an amazing story structure in Lord of the Nutcracker Men (Delacorte, $15.95; ages 10 and up) when Johnny, a lonely young WWII evacuee waits for letters from a father who needs to comfort him and himself. The contrast between small village life and the horrors of war is haunting.