The best YA fiction for the Christmas holidays
From a laugh-out-loud comedy about a house party gone wrong to a chilling folk horror, there’s a wide range of excellent YA fiction to choose from this festive season, writes Liam McCallum
The latest book his highly successful Crongton series, Alex Wheatle’s A Crongton Christmas Party (Hachette, £9.99) is the festive feel-good novel you’ve been waiting for. Colin MacKay’s parents have headed off to Scotland a week before Christmas, leaving the teenager in charge of the family home. Cue a house party of epic proportions - what could possibly go wrong? With his friends the Crongton Knights in tow, party planning gets underway, but with the responsibility of safeguarding his dad’s vintage Aston Martin, the added complexity of looking after the neighbour’s dog and two gatecrashing school bullies to contend with, can Colin keep all of the plates spinning and still host the party of the century? In true Crongton fashion, what ensues involves dance-offs, romance and farcical antics. A heartwarming blend of laugh-out-loud comedy, teenage drama and community spirit that’ll get you well and truly in the Christmas groove.
Blood Red Sky by Sara Cullen (Arkbound, £12.99) explores Scottish society’s treatment of young people, especially those on the very fringes. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 16 year-old Aaron Smith is arrested for supposedly burning down the local high school; his reputation of being “troubled” makes him the number one suspect. With family unable to meet the bail conditions to have him released, Aaron finds himself in a juvenile holding centre, awaiting his appearance in court. Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, the first national lockdown is announced, effectively shutting down the whole criminal justice system. Arron’s incarceration is indefinite, leaving him isolated and at the mercy of the very systems that are supposed to support care-experienced young people. Cullen’s novel is a fascinating, terrifying and often difficult read as we learn more about Aaron’s life and explore issues of intergenerational poverty, family pressure and systemic injustice, but this is deftly balanced with themes of hope and resilience. Infuriating, moving and uplifting, Blood Red Sky is a triumph.
From high school dramedy to folk horror, Curtis Jobling’s Wyrdwood (Fox & Ink, £8.99), brings chills to the festive season. Returning to Merryweather-by-the-Sea for the holidays, Kiki Harper expects comfort and familiarity, but something definitely feels off. The town hums with whispers of a mysterious figure traversing the shadows at the edge of the Wyrdwood, the local forest steeped in old secrets. However, the real surprise awaits at home, because a woman named Fay, warm and alluring, has taken up residence in Kiki’s family house. Everyone seems enchanted by her presence - everyone except Kiki, who can’t shake the feeling that Fay brings more than charm to their doorstep. Local children begin having terrible nightmares as Fay tightens her grip on the local community… Kiki senses a darkness at work and sets out to uncover the mystery; who, or perhaps what, is Fay and what is her connection to the secrets of the forest? Jobling weaves a classic, eerie tale, full of dread and foreboding as our protagonist begins to discover the horrors of Wyrdwood. Pulse-pounding and atmospheric, this is a brilliantly crafted chiller.
Everything Amplified by Sarah Lipett and Ziggy Hanaor (Cicada, £18.99) is a beautifully realised graphic novel exploring how messy and complicated being a teenager can be. Fifteen year-old Nel loves music, and she has an eclectic playlist that follows her through the story. Nel is also shy, awkward and incredibly envious of her twin brother Ludo who, by contrast, appears to glide effortlessly through life without breaking a sweat. With Ludo grounded by their mum for “one-late-night-too-many”, Nel is given the opportunity to take his place in his recently formed band, The Amplifiers. It’s a dream come true… or is it? Torn between her shyness and the chance to be centre-stage, Nel finds herself in unchartered waters, with only her trusty playlist and motivation from her musician aunt to help steer her. Gloriously drawn and peppered with real-life distractions, Everything Amplified captures the sensory-overload every teenager encounters as they muddle through life, simply trying to keep their heads above water.
Owl King by Bex Hogan (Zephyr, £8.99) is a fantasy companion to Hogan’s earlier book Nettle, a standalone novel which is a sumptuous folkloric tale of love, loyalty and dark enchantments. Sisters Ilsette and Lyla never imagined they’d find themselves entering the dangerous court of the Owl King, a faery ruler whose enduring power relies on stealing magic from his brides before casting them aside. Lyla is next in line, and her gift for storytelling endears her to the king, buying her precious time… but Ilsette knows it won’t last. Determined to save her sister, she sets out on a quest across the faery realms to find the Owl King’s talisman - a single feather said to hold unimaginable power and the only hope of preventing her sister’s demise at the hands of the king. This is a sprawling epic that includes encounters in strange, magical lands with shapeshifting faeries, evil monarchs and a mischievous magpie called Corvus.
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