Librarian's Choice!

Sometimes the really good books you’ve just read don’t fit into a certain theme, so occasionally I just have to create the theme to fit the books! So the theme for this post is … 'good books I’ve read and want to tell you about!' 😊

Please click here to hear me talk to Jesse Mulligan about these books on Radio New Zealand on Tuesday 21 April 2026.

For Ages 10+

Exit Through the Gift Shop

By Maryam Master

Published in 2021

At first glance, everything about this seems counter-intuitive for a middle grade book as outwardly it is about a 12-year-old girl with terminal cancer. But the story is actually about being a teenager, dealing with social media, blended families, being bullied, learning to be comfortable with who you are and what you need.

This story is made by the ensemble cast – lots of messy, strong and funny characters, the step/half/blended modern family in the book is disgustingly well adjusted and loving, but still believable and likeable.

The bully story-line is appealing because it isn’t all resolved with a neat bow, and that it reflects real life, but it is dealt with enough to leave everyone in a good place and strong. It has an uplifting message and the protagonist is a great role model.

There are a lot of pop culture references and language use, squarely aimed at the target audience, which usually really grates on me because I am 1,000 years old and it all feels very ‘try-hard’ like (definitely showing my age with that term!!), but I think it probably works for this book, what feels forced to me, might be exactly right for this story and its audience.

For Ages 12+

The Lorikeet Tree

By Paul Jennings

Published in 2023

Okay, so this is another book with a dying character – sorry, I really didn’t mean for that to become secondary theme. I think maybe authors who are brave enough to write books for teenagers that include death, tend to be experienced, self-confident and talented (certainly the case with prolific Australia children’s writer Paul Jennings!) so their stories are engaging and interesting, even with a death related theme.

This is about teenage twins, Emily and her brother Alex who live on a reforested piece of land in rural Australia, which has become a haven for native animals, including wild Lorikeets, when they discover their father is dying, the siblings deal with their new reality in very different ways, which eventually leads them into conflict.

This is a sad story, there is no denying that, and Jennings is particularly cruel as there is a hint of the supernatural in the story, that makes you believe the worst might be stopped from happening, but, in the end, reality is handled gently and thoughtfully. This is a very different book – it is difficult and heart-breaking but somehow leaves you feeling uplifted and hopeful.

It’s also a nice short read, which will make it appealing to reluctant teenage readers, while the fact there is both a male and female protagonists makes it even more widely appealing.

For Ages 12/13+

The Ember in the Ashes

By Sabaa Tahir

Published in 2015

You’ll be pleased to hear this one doesn’t have a dying character … no, wait, actually it does. And a lot of characters do die in the story ... oh dear, I think I’ll quit while I am ahead!

This is the first in a quartet that has been around for a while now, so I am late to the party on this one. It is a fantasy, set in a different, magical world.

Laia finds herself alone in the world and committing herself to life as a slave as part of a resistance plan, is the only way she can see to rescue her brother, the only family she has left, from prison.

On the other hand, Elias is from an illustrious and well-connected family and a member of an elite fighting force, but he is just as trapped as Laia. Something dangerous is happening in their world and they discover they both have a part to play to change things.

So, yes, there is a little bit of romance, but unlike the fantasy trend of the last 5 years of extremely explicit romance (it has been styled ‘Romantasy’ – yes, that is a real thing, libraries, bookshops and publishers are all using it as a genre/descriptor now), these romantic relationships are quiet and mature and move the story along, giving the reader something to engage with and cheer for.  The world building in this book is nuanced, complex and studied, Tahir doesn’t dumb down for her audience but trusts them to keep up, but her storytelling and character development means that is not a chore. She keeps the story moving and there are plenty of big reveals that you don’t see coming (okay, I didn’t see coming and I am well known for being a bit slow when it comes to things like that, but I still think they were excellent plot devices), the story makes sense within the rules of the world she has created.

It does take concentration, but the story is absorbing and at the end of each book, I looked forward to the next one. This book has something for everyone, complicated hierarchical empire politics, organised resistance fighters, magical, supernatural elements, realistic, engaging characters, evil bad guys and lots of fighting, torture, betrayal and hope. What more can you ask for?

For Ages 15/16+

The Accidental Soldier

(Non-Fiction)

By Owain Mulligan

Published in 2025

Definitely not what you would class as ‘Young Adult’, but the joy of non-fiction is the fact it can be read by anyone and I chose this book, because it is a hilarious, easy read that has a lot of real truth to say about modern warfare.

The author, Owain Mulligan is actually the brother of actress Carrie Mulligan, a fact that never comes up in the book, so I didn’t put it together until I read the acknowledgement in the author’s note to his sister Carrie and this not being ‘all about her’ for once.

Owain was a disillusioned secondary school teacher, who ‘went camping’ with the Territorial Army at the weekends, when the opportunity for ‘a bit of adventure’ came up, he thought it might be a good way out of his rut ... very reluctantly. He assumed his (lack of!) soldierly experience would land him a desk job at headquarters, but instead, he ended up in charge of a platoon of soldiers, patrolling the streets of Basra during the most violent period of the Iraq war.

Every page of this book is laugh out loud funny with some caustic observation or story, but it is also poignant and eye opening. Mulligan brings home the reality of that war – IEDs, ambushes, inexperienced troops and officers and sub-standard equipment. Soldiers being injured or killed to keep territory that they end up withdrawing from just a few weeks later. Stories about getting lots while travelling in convoy, keeping supply lines open, angry goats and trying to keep the balance between friend and commanding officer, all while hiding his own inexperience and nerves. Sheltering during nighttime bombing raids on their make-shift bases, waiting until morning to see what had been hit and who had survived.

Owain’s experiences probably mirror those of all soldiers fighting in any war in any era, but his very personal, self-deprecating, caustic and genuine narrative provides the reader the opportunity to laugh while being disheartened at the reality of how war is run.

It is a great book for young adults – especially those approaching school-leaving age – to read, for entertainment but also for a reality check in the current world situation. Most soldiers are ordinary people forced into extraordinary circumstances by people thousands of miles away. Nothing changes - we never seem to learn from history.

Click here to access some of my past chats with Jesse on Radio New Zealand.