Winter is dark and uncomfortable – so snuggle up in the blanket and read. We present exciting books for young people.
by Katja Ebbach
"Heartbreak Boys from Simon James Green
Jack and Nate’s lives look like a shambles. Both been dumped at prom by their friends who had been having an affair with each other for some time. For Nate it’s especially bad, because he had just come out as gay in front of the whole school that very evening. And as if that weren’t catastrophic enough, the two unfaithful ex-boyfriends shamelessly celebrate their new relationship on social media. But Jack is not someone who gives up quickly. Through a chain of strange circumstances, he joins Nate’s family on a camping trip. And he plans a media counterattack on Instagram. Unfortunately, this family road trip is hardly glamorous, but rather full of chaos and surprises.
Simon James Green tells an incredibly funny story. After just a few pages, you love the authentic, very contrasting characters and the warm-hearted, loopy story. Green’s heroes stumble from one crazy situation to another. Wonderful.
"Zuckerkind. Exiled to Kyrgyzstan by Stalin" by Olga Gromowa
The publisher did not identify this book as a young adult book, but in Russia, where it was first published, it ran under that label. And in fact "Zuckerkind" is a book for young people in the best sense. It tells the true story of a Russian girl growing up during the Stalin era in the first person. Little Stella lives with her parents in Moscow. Then their father is arrested as an enemy of the people and disappears in the gulag. Stella and her mother are deported to a labor camp in Kyrgyzstan. There is horror there, there is next to nothing to eat. They have to live outside for a long time because of the lack of shelters. Every day is a new fight for survival. But Stella’s mother counters the despair with hope and moral strength. And again and again they meet people who help them unselfishly.
"Sugar Child" is a heartfelt story told from a child’s point of view. A valuable contemporary document that memorializes the victims of this cruel dictatorship.
"The Inheritance Games" By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Very cool plot, with teeny tiny flaws in execution. Avery, 17, is an orphan and barely makes ends meet. Of course, she couldn’t have expected to suddenly become the heiress to $50 billion. But that is exactly what happens. What’s really crazy about this is that Avery has no idea who the deceased was and why she, of all people, is inheriting everything. A condition is also attached to the inheritance. Avery needs to move to the family estate. It almost came up empty and accordingly in a rage. The deceased’s four grandchildren, all Avery’s age, are very attractive on the one hand, but on the other hand could be dangerous to Avery. And it is still not clear what the billionaire was up to.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes pulls irresistibly into her story. Sometimes she overdoes it a bit with hints and secrets, but that doesn’t change the addictive potential of this trilogy opener.
The titles in the overview
"Heartbreak Boys" by Simon James Green
Suitable for young adults
The special: Very, very funny
14 € at One
978-3-8466-0141-9
"Sugar Child. Exiled to Kyrgyzstan by Stalin" by Olga Gromova
Genre: Biography
22 € at Aufbau
978-3-351-03816-8
"The Inheritance Games By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Suitable for teenagers from 14 years
Makes you want to: Volume two and three
13 € at cbt
978-3-570-31432-6