Blog Tour: J D Sharpe, Author of Oliver Twisted recommends must reads for Teens!

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by J D Sharpe

Pages: 274
Release Date: February 6th 2012
Publisher: Egmont Books



“FLESH, the woe-begotten moaned at Oliver, baring teeth which were ragged and black. “FLESH,” came another moan, and he turned to see two more woe-begottens behind. They began to shuffle towards him, barefoot – toes blue from cold, arms outstretched. The world according to Oliver Twisted is simple. Vampyres feed on the defenceless. Orphans are sacrificed to hungry gods. And if a woe-begotten catches your scent it will hunt you for ever. When a talking corpse reveals that Oliver will find his destiny in London, he sets out to seek the truth. Even if it means losing his soul.

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Hi, it's great to be here on Grippedintobooks, thanks for having me!   As my guest post today, I’ve been asked to recommend some teen reads.

When I started to think about this, I realised that many of the books I wanted to recommend were books that I read and loved as a teenager. I think the reason for this is that books we read when we are young have a way of shaping us and our reading tastes in ways that can’t really be appreciated until we are older.    

So here are some of the teen books that shaped my reading DNA. First up is Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder. This book had a huge influence on my understanding of the world and people when I was a teenager. I almost did a philosophy degree because of it!  I love this story for its clarity yet complexity and urge you to have a read – you won’t see the world in the same way afterwards, I promise.

Next is the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I read the books and listened to the radio plays and loved them both but for different reason. I’ve chosen these books for their sheer delight in the English language, general silliness and its cast of crazy characters.

I was a huge fan of Lois Duncan when I was younger. She wrote Stranger with My Face and I Know What You Did Last Summer. These were fab thrillers that would stick to your fingers as you raced through the pages.

And lastly, Judy Blume was another big favourite of mine. There was something amazingly honest and comforting about her writing. It’s exactly what you need when you’re a teenage girl trying to figure out the world.
So these are some of the books that shaped my reading DNA as a teenager but here are some more recent teen books that you should definitely add to your reading double helix if you haven’t encountered them yet!

Genesis by Bernard Beckett. This is an extraordinary book that fuses the exploration of complex ideas with fantastic thriller elements.  The ending of this book bothered me massively but for all the right reasons.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This book held me like a vice from the beginning and didn’t let me go once. The story is relentless and I felt exhausted by the end of it, battered even, but I loved every moment. Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes.  I read this with my book group and it really divided us. I absolutely adored it though and a lot of that is to do with the characters.  I think the Rat is one of the most engaging, unique characters in children’s fiction –she’s one in a million.

15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins. I should admit right off the bat that I am the editor of this book and I’m mighty proud of that fact! Dave Cousins is a phenomenal new talent and 15 Days Without a Head will have you crying, laughing and wanting more. Happy reading....
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Thank you J D for this interesting post! I haven't read any of these, so I really need to add them to my TBR list! And don't forget to add Oliver Twisted too :)

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