This is another article in a series profiling young adult authors you need to read now. When people think of YA literature many of them think of classic authors like Judy Blume, Norma Fox Mazer, and Chris Crutcher, but there are a whole slew of YA authors for today’s teens (and adult fans of YA lit) that should not be missed.
Melina Marchetta is an Australian author who translates well to an American audience. Her first novel “Looking for Alibrandi” was published in 1992 and released as a feature film in 2000. It was so popular with teens it was dubbed the “most stolen library book.” Her third novel, “Jellicoe Road,” won the ALA’s Printz Award in 2009.
Marchetta’s latest American release is “Finnikin of the Rock.” Young Finnikin dreamt that he needed to sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. The son of the Captain of the Guard, Finnikin took the protection of his kingdom very seriously and convinced his two young friends--the king's son Balthazar and his cousin Lucien-- to make a blood oath to protect the kingdom they all loved. Finnikin thinks the matter is settled... and then the five days of the unspeakable happens. The King, Queen, Prince and Princesses are all slaughtered by assassins, the people turn on each other and Finnikin's father is banished from the kingdom. When things can't get any worse, a magical spell is cast dividing the kingdom from the rest of the world, trapping half the population within its borders and excluding the other half. For the full review, click here.
Other Books
- “Looking For Alibrandi”
- “Saving Francesca”
- “Jellicoe Road” (Goddess Librarian review; East Greenbush YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison’s review)
- “The Piper’s Son” (Available in Australia now and in the US in March 2011)
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