2005 Christmas reads: Teens

Mimus
By Lilli Thal
(Allen & Unwin $22.95)

German author Thal brings her expertise in medieval history to this suspense-packed story of treachery and courage. Young Prince Florian walks straight into a trap when he is invited to the court of a neighbouring kingdom by his father. Instead Florian finds his father imprisoned, and he is flung upon the mercies of the jester, Mimus, as his apprentice. Recommended for age 14-plus.

Incurable
By John Marsden
(Macmillan $32.95)

The latest from the hugely popular Australian author. This second book in the Ellie Chronicles picks up the story of teen heroine Ellie, gutsy survivor of the war which has split the country, struggling to run the family farm after her parents were murdered. The story continues with Ellie trying to protect young fellow orphan Gavin, whose terrible secrets put all her hopes and hard work in danger. Compulsive reading for those unfamiliar with previous books.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land
By John Flanagan
(Random House $16.95)

And another new instalment by an Aussie author out just in time for Christmas. This is the third book in the popular fantasy series, dubbed a Lord of the Rings for young readers (age 10 to 15). The action begins as Will and Evanlyn are bound for the land of Skandia as captives of wolf captain Erak. Halt has to use all his fighting skills on his mission to save Will from a life of slavery.

Framed
By Frank Cottrell Boyce
(Macmillan $29.95)

A new offering from Boyce who wrote one of the funniest books of last year, Millions (the movie did not do it justice). Dylan, the narrator, is one of Boyce's familiar characters, an obsessive observer and optimist. The setting this time is a small Welsh town with nothing going for it except a surprise stash of priceless art works hidden in a local quarry. Only Boyce could conjure up a crime story in which the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hotfoot it with the masters of Renaissance art.

The Highest Tide
By Jim Lynch
(Bloomsbury $35)

Like Millions, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, this is a superb crossover book which can be enjoyed by both teens and adults. Teenager Miles O'Malley lives on Puget Sound and is an expert on the marine life in this often overlooked tidal environment. His powers of observation lead to a summer full of rare, almost mystical happenings.

Maddigan's Fantasia
By Margaret Mahy
(HarperCollins $24.99)

The telly series (renamed Maddigan's Quest) is coming.next year so this is a chance to get ahead of the play. Garland Maddigan's family runs a travelling circus, outsiders in a post-Armageddon world. When her father is murdered, the circus decides to carry on with its tour and secret mission to secure an energy cell essential to the future of its home city Solaris. Epic story with some recognisably New Zealand touches and landscapes.

The Magical Worlds of Narnia
By David Colbert
(Penguin $16.95)

A timely gift as the movie of C.S. Lewis' classic Chronicles of Narnia hits the cinemas. An entertaining and informative guide in which Colbert answers such questions as, "Why a wardrobe? What does Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series have in common with Chronicles? Why did only Lucy see what Lucy saw?" Also looks at Lewis' sources of inspiration from myth and medieval literature to the Bible.