Invincible, Untouchable, Immortal.

Welcome to the third in the series of short lists of great contemporary YA fiction titles created by our New Schools adviser. Here’s Invincible, untouchable, immortal.

The awakening. Michael Carroll. New York: Philomel Books, 2007.
Ten years after the disappearance of superhumans, both heroes and villains, thirteen-year-olds Danny and Colin begin to develop super powers, making them the object of much unwanted attention. Suggested level: primary, intermediate, junior secondary.

Berserk. Ally Kennen. London: Marion Lloyd, 2007.
When fifteen year old Chas finds a website asking people to write to prisoners on Death Row, he thinks it would be funny to get letters from a murderer. He writes to an inmate, pretending to be his mum. When his new pen pal is unexpectedly released, Chas’ already problematic life spirals horribly out of control. Suggested level: senior secondary.

Enemy at the gate. Philippa Werry. Auckland, N.Z.: Scholastic, 2008.
It’s December 1936 when the first polio cases are suspected. Soon a polio epidemic is sweeping the country. Schools are closed, swimming pools and movie theatres banned to children, and travel is restricted. Tom is the best runner in the school, but you can’t outrun polio, and nobody knows when it will strike next. Suggested level: primary, intermediate, junior secondary.

Life as we knew it. Susan Beth Pfeffer. Orlando: Harcourt, 2006.
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.

Living hell. Catherine Jinks. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2007.
A group of humans is travelling away from the Earth on a generational spaceship called Plexus. When they travel through a ray in space, Plexus comes alive and starts killing the humans. Cheney and his family and friends must find a way to survive. Suggested level: secondary.

Peak. Roland Smith. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2007.
After several illegal skyscraper climbs in New York City, fourteen-year-old Peak is taken by his father to Tibet, where he attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.



Flickr image by rougerouge