Sas' Top Ten Young Adults Reads 2019

Internment by Samira Ahmed
Set in a terrifying near-future America, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. In this version of the United States, a certain un-named President has banned Muslims from coming in to the country, deported any Muslims who weren’t born in the U.S.A, and turns to Internment camps for those U.S citizens he would rather didn’t exist. But as bleak as this story is, it is a story about hope, and well worth reading.

Guantánamo Kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani by Jérôme Tubiana and illustrated by Alexandre Franc. (Graphic Novel)
This is the story of Mohammed El-Gharani – A citizen of Chad (even though he was born in Saudi Arabia), treated like a second class citizen, so he travelled to Pakistan to study and try to build a good future for himself. However after 9/11 he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and at only 14 years old, he was detained, beaten, interrogated, and sold to the American government. He became one of the youngest prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, and was kept there for years before he was finally found innocent and released. This is a heart wrenching story, and one that I couldn’t put down.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 
My favourite book of 2018 was Angie Thomas’s book THUG, so I was very excited to read On the Come Up. This one is about sixteen-year-old Bri who wants to be a rapper, just like her father was before he died. She wants to get out of her bad neighbourhood, support her Mom, and be successful. However when the odds are stacked against her, and her first song has gone viral for all the wrong reason, Bri has to work out what type of person she wants to be in a world that has already decided she’s a menace.

The poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Xiomara has always kept her words to herself. Raised by a strict Catholic Mother and an emotionally distant father, with a twin brother who is a genius, she has chosen instead to let her fists do most of the talking. But inside her is a poet. She writes whenever she can, and she creates beautiful poems that she doesn’t plan on sharing with anyone, until her English teacher starts a poetry club and Xiomara finally let her voice be heard

Boxers  &
Saints by Gene Luen YangThis is two graphic novels, both set in China in 1898. The first one ‘Boxers’ is about Little Bao, who has had enough of the bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers bullying and robbing the Chinese peasants. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of ‘Boxers’--commoners trained in kung fu--who fight to free China from "foreign devils." ‘Saints’ follows Fourth-Girl, - a child so unwanted her parents didn’t even give her a proper name. She finds friends and a life in Christianity. But it is a dangerous time to be a Christian, and she must decide between her nation and her faith.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

I was VERY excited about this book, but also a tad apprehensive. I have been a fan of Hank and his brother John Green on youtube for years so I knew that Hank was funny and incredibly smart, but I didn’t know if that would be reflected in his work. Well, spoiler alert, it was. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is about April May, a girl who became an overnight celebrity because she happened to be in the right place at the right time. It is a fun contemporary sci-fi read, and I can’t wait for his next book!

Illegal by Eoin Colfer

This is a step away from Colfer’s usual work. It is the graphic novel story about one boy's epic journey across Africa to Europe. It follow’s Ebo as he tries to find his older siblings who have both attempted to make the journey overseas without passports or papers. This book genuinely made me cry. It was done so beautifully, and made me much more aware of the dangers that 'Illegal' immigrants face while trying to find a safe place to call home.

The Traitor and the Thief  & The Clockill and the Thief by Gareth Ward

The Traitor and the Thief was one of my favourite books in 2017, so I reread it this year in anticipation for The Clockill and the Thief. I had really high expectations for the second book, and was worried that it might not be able to live up to them all, but Gareth proved me wrong again. He wrote a magical adventure story that I could not put down. Spies, mysteries, and Steampunk gadgets it was a wonderfully crafted story that answered some of my questions from the first book, but left me with so many more questions. 

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

This was one of THE best received YA books of last year. Everyone was recommending it (including Jimmy Fallon as the first book for his book club), and it had secured a movie deal before it was even published. I was so excited when my copy arrived last year, until I went to book club and had most of the plot ruined for me. I put it to the side, and didn’t pick it up until this year and now I regret every second that I didn’t know the incredibleness of this book. It is an exciting fantasy book, about magic, discrimination and family relationships. I enjoyed every word, and am impatiently waiting for the next book.

Akata Witch and Akata Warrior by Nnedi OkoraforI read Akata Witch in 2016 and absolutely LOVED it, but we didn’t get the second book of the series in at the library until this year, so of course I had to reread the first one to properly prepare for the second. Akata Witch and Akata Warrior follow American born Sunny who moves back to her parents’ home country of Nigeria when she is 12. It is a bit of a culture shock, and at first she has trouble making friends. But once she meets Orlu and Chichi, Sunny is plunged head first into the world of the Leopard people (magic users). An exciting read, full of beautiful descriptions of Nigeria, the towns, the magic and beliefs of Nigerians, the people, and the food. After reading the first book I have added Nigeria to my list of places I want to visit.

Reviewed by Sas