Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with youngadult

Finding an old book about teenage love and axe heads

memebake — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:27:26 -0800

[Bookfinder filter] Trying to find a book I read at school, in the UK, in about 1987. It was a book for teenagers, with two interweaving stories across different times: one thread involved a teenage couple in modern times, and the other thread was about some Norse warriors, including a berserker, in ancient England. The two threads were tied together by an ancient axe head. The final section of the book was written in a cipher. Bits I can remember: The berserker character hiding somewhere and holding the axe during some crisis, the teenagers in modern times finding the axe-head somewhere. The two teenagers meeting in a cathedral, and using a code to write to each other.

The reason I want to find the book: The last 10 or so pages were hand-written in a weird code based on rectangles and dots. It was the code that the teenage couple had used to write to each other, and I think the last 10 pages were a coded letter from one of them to the other. At the time when I first read the book, I could not crack the code, so I never found out how the book ended.

Years and years later, I realised that the characters must have been using the Pigpen cypher - the book was quite sneaky in that it described how the code looked, but didn't give you enough info to actually translate it without outside help.

From what I remember, it was a pretty good book, and I'd love to track it down now and work out the ending.

This is all a bit of a longshot, but you never know with the power of the interwebs these days. Thanks!

Weird YA book

Ziggy500 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:24:10 -0800

[Bookfinder filter] Help me identify a weird book about black magic from my childhood. As AskMefi was so helpful the last time I posted a question like this, I'm doing it again. I read this strange and wonderful book in the mid/early 90s, but have no recollection of the title or author's name. These are the (spoilery) elements I remember:
- It was set in Australia or Britain
- The main characters were a teenage schoolgirl and a young teacher who was having an affair with her (or wanted to). He was a sympathetic character, she may have been kind of annoying.
- There were 2 antagonists, a weird old married couple. They are practising black magic of some kind. They need to kill the schoolgirl, I think. He was called Robin, I can't remember her name. They are described as being quite grotesque. They die while having sex (this is described vividly - I told you it was weird). I don't think the schoolgirl or the teacher even meet them until quite late into the book.
- There was an evil wizard or necromancer who may have died a long time ago, and the weird married couple were his disciples or something.
- A pyramid in a forest definitely featured.
- The cover had a scary face on it - like Uncle Fester but scarier.
- The author, or the young teacher character, may have been called Greg.

Despite the very adult subject matter it was definitely a Young Adult novel. I'd love to find it again. Thanks for your help!

What is this book I very vaguely remember and thus can only vaguely describe?

santojulieta — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:52:01 -0800

Name This Book: Help me figure out the title of a YA novel I read in middle school before I go bonkers! I read a pretty cheesy young adult novel in 8th grade in 1994, and I'm trying to figure out some details about it.

Here's what I can remember:

There's a female, teen aged protagonist who either goes on summer vacation or visits family during the summer somewhere where there are beaches. I very distinctly remember references to dunes and sand and whatnot. The protagonist is socially awkward or shy or not popular. There is another girl in the story who is popular and snobby but I think she was the only other teenager in the neighborhood, so they hang out. At some point, there is a party and the popular girl goes off with an older boy and is presumably raped by said boy. I think it was first person perspective.

The author was a woman, and I remember the cover of the book having subtle pastel shades and dune grass on it. And the title of the book didn't specifically reference "summer" or anything.

I am NOT thinking about Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I can't believe I'm using an AskMe for this... Help!

"...and for the rest of our lives!" Who said it?

lilbizou — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:38:47 -0800

What is this quotation from? "...and tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives?" I think the beginning is something like "what are we going to do tonight..." and it might be from a young adult type novel. The person is carrying on a normal conversation and suddenly gets panicky/existential.

Name that book: super powers from imagining you're sucking on a funny shape?

vytae — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:57:29 -0800

Is this a real book? All I remember is that 1 or more characters could activate some kind of special powers or transformational abilities by imagining the shape of a particular object in their mouth. I vaguely remember a story from my youth in which the character(s) could trigger something special by very explicitly imagining how a particular shape would feel in the mouth. My memory is that they would try to vividly conjure the feeling of holding a diamond-shaped, dice-like object in the mouth. If they did it right, they would temporarily have some magical power, or they would change into another form, or something. I've also got this phrase "form the sembler" attached to this particular memory, but I have no idea whether it's really related. I think the characters had to use these powers to fight against something sinister.

I think I would have read this between the ages of 10 and 15, so early 1990s, but I was reading a mixture of youth and grown-up fiction at that point.

Does this sound at all familiar? Google is giving me nothing, probably because I can't think of a concise way to describe imagining the shape of an object in the mouth.

New York for the Young

ashaw — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:06:24 -0800

Help planning a 5 Day trip to NYC - Do you know of any secret delights that New York City has to offer? I need recommendations/advice on everything from where to stay to where to go. Much more details inside. Just to spark some ideas, I'm a twenty year old single british male traveller who has clichéd hipster young adult interests like: music (open mic, gigs, records), antique fairs, flea markets, good cheap vintage/secondhand clothes, coffee shops, cheap carnivorous food, literature, art, film as well as all the usual tourist traps (brooklyn bridge, statue of liberty, modern art museum etc).

I'm very much boggled by my research, NYC is huge and I don't know where to stay which is relatively cheap ($80 a night would be pushing it) and in a good location to get to all the areas. I know the US hasn't got the travellers mentality to hostels, so any recommendations would be excellent.

Would be great if someone could tell me if there is a sightseeing tour which can hit most of the tourist spots leaving more time to do the more unique, quirky stuff. I've been told the Lower East Side and Williamsburg are all good places to spend some time.

Remember the cheaper the better and bearing in mind I'm not of drinking age, so alternatives for night life would be really great.

What is this young adult fantasy book from 198x?

felix — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:05:53 -0800

It was a 'young adult' fantasy book I read maybe 20, 25 years ago. The story was of a young kid growing up in a world of magic; the conceit was that the magical elite of the world were akin to board game pieces. I was sure it was Mercedes Lackey but apparently not? The plot was the usual coming of age formula -- kid, smarter than but rejected by his peers, comes into unusual powers and must hide his growing powers from those who would take them from him etc., etc.

I remember the magical elite being named chesslike things -- for instance, I believe the 'bishop'-style guys were Heralds, and there were also Rook-like guys, and Pawns, and so forth. When they got together they could leverage each others' strengths to battle against the other guys -- like the Rooks could put out some kind of defensive shield and so on.

Based on my recollection of the word 'Herald' being involved, and my vague recollection that it was authored by Mercedes Lackey, I picked up 'Herald's Pawn', which turns out to be pretty super dreadful. It's possible that maybe it's one of her earlier works...but it doesn't seem to jibe with any of her books' descriptions on Amazon.

The Kingdom of Spaghetti

shii — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:44:48 -0800

Name this young adult book from my youth. It involved a land of pasta... ...and it wasn't Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was relatively text-heavy (although I'm almost certain it had illustrations), and also involved some angry-looking marble busts that talked to the main character. Yes, I'd place this firmly in the "magic realism" realm of children's books, along the lines of The Phantom Tollbooth.

If I'm actually recalling a dream, I may have to doubt my own sanity...

What was this book series I read as a kid?

spockette — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:06:28 -0800

Help me remember the book series I loved as a kid. I can't even remember the genre, but I think it had sci-fi elements, and the kids possibly solved mysteries. I don't remember much, but I know one of the main characters was called Watch, because he always wore multiple watches. Other things I remember:
- Watch was slightly older than the other kids.
- There was some mystery involving Watch's family (his parents were dead? or mysteriously missing?).
- He kept one of his watches set to the wrong time - I think possibly it was set to whatever the time was where his parents were.
- There was a scene where the kids jumped into a body of water from a lighthouse (I think), to escape, and Watch told them to throw a plank in just before they jumped to break the water (or something like that), so they wouldn't get hurt when they landed.

I'm relatively certain it was a series of books, and that it was set in America (or Canada). If it helps, I'm pretty sure I got it out of the library some time in the late '90s. I would have been around 10 years old when I read these.

Lady ad copywriter's boyfriend sleeps with a man?

Jonathan Harford — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:56:59 -0800

Dated Young Adult Book Filter: Ad copywriter's boyfriend sleeps with a man? Okay, this isn't much to go on, but I reckon it's work a shot (especially considering AskMeFi's track record on such things). My friend wrote on Facebook about a book that had a huge effect on her as a child, and I'd love to try and find it for her:

Around 1991 I read a novel about a woman who worked as an ad copywriter and it seemed like the best job ever. I've forgotten the name of this book but remember practically everything else about it and have looked for it sporadically over the past few years without success. It's probably been burned - it was so dated that when the copywriter found out her boyfriend had slept with a man, she naturally assumed she had AIDS.

Not touched by an angel...

acidic — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:37:04 -0800

Trying to remember the name of a Young Adult or children's series about guardian angels. I remember reading a few books when I was a kid (early nineties) about a girl and her guardian angels. One of them shows up as a man named "Galen" (anagram of angel). She had a collection of glass angel figurines, I believe, and may have ridden horses as well. I've googled and haven't found anything.

A child stuck in time

NoraReed — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:06:05 -0800

Young adult novel filter: A child visits a place (house? castle? other world?) and gets stuck in time there. Eventually he goes back and visits his parents, who are horrified that he has stayed the same age. If I remember correctly, every day there is a year in the real world (but it could've been every week there is a year or something like that). When he goes back, his parents think it is some kind of sick joke (since they have aged many years and he appears the same age).

I read it around 6th grade, I think, so it should be around that level.

Mystery Mapping Microchip Book

headlessagnew — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:36:50 -0800

Help me find a book about a computer chip, a map, and a mystery solving youth! Around 1981-1983, there was a series of books about a rather precocious kid that solves mysteries using his computer. (I think it was a series -- could have been a one-off.) I can't remember very much about the series, but there was one book in particular where the kid ends up realizing that a mysterious microchip that he found was in fact a map of his town.

Any ideas? It's driving me crazy, and my googling of "microchip town young adult book" really hasn't gotten me very far.

Recommend me some kiddie SF

PhoBWanKenobi — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:45:59 -0800

What are some great YA science fiction novels (other than Ender's Game)? I'm doing an independent study with a professor at my graduate school next semester on science fiction aimed at young adults. Great! Only problem is that we're having a surprisingly difficult time coming up with a book list (and, heck, she used to write in the genre!). Here's what we've come up with so far: Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, John Christopher, Lois Lowry, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Madeline L'Engle. Extra love for excellent, challenging, fairly current sci-fi and extra EXTRA love if it's about extraterrestrials, although none of these are requisites. While fantasy is a no-no, soft science fiction is fine. And we're not too worried about the age categories--so long as it might appeal to teens, even if it's shelved in the adult or children's section of your local library, it's fine with me.

So Mefites, help a girl out! There's so much great YA fantasy out there that I can't believe we're coming up so short in her sister genre!

Help me find two books I read as a kid

Caduceus — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:41:47 -0800

WhatWereThoseBooksFilter: I'm looking for several unrelated books, or possibly series of books, that I read as a kid. The first involved a family of magic users living in what was the time the modern world. It was probably written in the 80s or early 90s, and I read it in the early to mid 90s (I have the least complete childhood memories of any non-tramautized twenty something I know, so bear with me). If I'm not conflating multiple books, the book was about a family of wizards/magic users who lived in secret in the modern world. I believe it was a YA book, and it focused on the children, though the parents could use magic as well.

I remember that one kid in particular had the gift of throwing small, relatively harmless fireballs, and would get in trouble by using this on his or her siblings. I don't recall if each family member could only do one particular magic act, or if they could all use magic in general and each was just particularly gifted with a single ability. I believe that the kids somehow awoke or pissed off a dragon, and that the family had to band together and fight it. It may have been a series, as well, but I don't remember any details that could have been from other books in the series.

The second book was about trolls. Again, I think it was a YA novel. I remember even less of this one. What I most remember is that they would play this game that I recall as being vaguely like horseshoes, only it would involve throwing what I believe were rocks with etchings filled with copper, silver, or gold in them. The winners would be able to take the losers' rocks. These trolls were fairly Scandinavian, in that they turned to stone in the sunlight, but they were the protagonists of the book.

Help me find a young adults hard sci-fi book about a space medic?

ArkhanJG — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:41:23 -0800

Please-help-me-identify-a-book-filter. Trying to track down a young adults hardish sci-fi book from the mid 80s in the UK about a space medic in trouble. I read it from the young adults/teenagers library fiction section, when I was about 10 which puts it around 1984-1986.

It was fairly hard sci-fi for a YA book, and addressed the story of a travelling space-ship. There was some sort of accident or other mishap that ended up leaving the medical officer - fairly young, I think - in charge. I remember one particular incident in the book where they had to pass through a radiation storm/solar flare with insufficient shielding. The crew and passengers hid behind the water tank, and they had to jury-rig manual attitude control of the thrusters back to the safe compartment, to rotate the ship thus keeping the water tank between the radiation and the passengers for some period of time. I also believe there might have been some sort of disease that the doctor had to try and diagnose with insufficient experience and tools, that was slowing spreading amongst the crew, which he finally succumbed to near the end of the book.

hopefully my memory isn't completely wrong, and someone kind recognises this from my description. My nephew is very much into space and sci-fi, so I'm sure he'd love this if I do manage to find a copy. My google-fu has failed so far.

Please help me identify this book which traumatized me as a child (teen?)!

StrangeCharmed — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:50:14 -0800

Please help me identify this book which traumatized me as a child (teen?)! This seems to be a popular pastime around here, and people seem to be remarkably good at answering this type of question given very little to go on, so I’m incredibly hopeful you can identify this book based on my weak memory.

I recall reading a book when I was in middle school (in the early 1990’s in WI) that clearly traumatized me enough to stick with me for the past several years. I have quizzed all remaining friends I have, and although all remember the book, no one has been able to come up with a title. There are some possible spoilers ahead, but since I have no idea what book it is, I can’t really warn you not to read on:

*The main character as far as I can remember was an overweight teenage boy.
*Someone in the book collected Nazi memorabilia. I recall this being a “shocking revelation” at the time, but clearly I have no idea who it was. I’m leaning towards the main character, but I’m thinking there may have been a second character who was an elderly gentleman? Who used to be… a Nazi? Or…had been in an internment camp? My recollection is that the Nazi memorabilia was stored in some sort of “fort”, which is what leads me to think it belonged to the boy.
*The story itself centered around the tensions between the outcast main character and some of his peers. Possibly a group of boys? The story may actually have been told from the point of view of one of these other kids.
*This is the part that I think traumatized me, and that I’m hoping makes the story identifiable: near the end of the book, the main character dies by falling through a bridge? There is some debate between my friends as to whether it was a railroad bridge or a wooden footbridge, but the kid falls through it and is essentially hung by his neck and dies. You can see why this would scar a kid for life, right?? This scene may have happened after some sort of footchase, but that’s all I’ve got.

I know the details are sketchy, but any leads you have would be invaluable! And result in me purchasing at least 5 copies of the book ASAP.

Help me scratch this mental itch?

irregardless — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:53:18 -0800

When I was in elementary school, I read this young adult book about a band of children who carry an American flag all the way to Washington, D.C. (along a highway, maybe?) for some reason. Anyone know the book? This has been bothering me for about five years now. My (very fuzzy) memory of the cover has it as being white, with a big American flag flowing across it. Any ideas?

What are these books I read as a kid?

lunasol — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:05:12 -0800

Please help me identify several books I read as a preteen in the late 80s and early 90s. One involved four or five teenagers keeping diaries for school, one was about a girl whose mother was running for mayor, and one was about a boy who lived with his father, a 60s radical on the run! Oh, and one really bizarre book about a girl and her pewter animals. There's Here's what I remember from each:

Four or five teenagers keeping diaries for school: one was the bitchy, perfect girl, one was the preppy nice girl, one was the dowdy, nice girl, and one was the mysterious boy with the shadowy past. There was also the bitchy girl's boyfriend. All very 90210. I recall that the dowdy girl and the mysterious boy get together at the end. Also, the mysterious boy has some sort of horrible family secret, but I can't remember exactly what. Oh, and I believe it took place in Connecticut.

Girl whose mother was running for mayor: I barely remember anything about this book, except that her mother was running for mayor of a small town and lost in the end.

Boy who lived with his father, a 60s radical on the run! Again, I don't remember much about this book, except that the teenage boy falls in love with this girl, and they go see a reggae band together.

Bizarre book about a girl and her pewter animals: lonely latchkey kid develops an alternative fantasy universe involving her collection of pewter animals. This one I read when I was a bit younger, maybe 9 or 10 and creeped me way out.

Ring any bells?

Need Books/Movies for Kids Going to Rome

bjennings — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:55:33 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for books, movies and even music that might be relevant for a group of middle school (7th & 8th grade, ages 12-14) kids who are going to Rome over spring break. I'm a teacher, and I'm leading a group of 20 middle school kids as well as three other faculty members. I'd like to be able to recommend novels, movies and music for them.

They've all read Caroline Lawrence's "The Roman Mysteries" series. I'm very familiar with the range of children's and young adult historical fiction, especially that set in ancient times. I'd love to have any recommendations for novels set in modern Italy. Some of the students have read Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons", but teen and young adult books would be great, too.

I suggested "Roman Holiday"; all of the parents said "Oooh, I love that movie", and all of the kids were bored out of their skull. Fluff like the Mary Kate and Ashley "When In Rome" and "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" is right up their alley.

I figure music is a long-shot, but maybe there are some recommendations there as well. Thanks!

Seeking stories of kids with superpowers?

sacre_bleu — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:13:38 -0800

I'm trying to make a list of books that include the central plot element of kids learning how to use or cope with unusual powers, dramatic or mundane. (Jumper, recently made into a movie, is one example.) Extra points if the books are primarily aimed at children or young adults.

Help me identify this book.

goatdog — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 19:45:03 -0800

Help me identify this young adult book about time travel of a sort. It's about a girl who goes to her cousin's birthday part in Philly, gets caught smoking pot and sent home in disgrace. On the train she hits her head and goes back in time to when her mother was her age. She finds out that her mom was even more of a troublemaker than she is, and in the process gains some sympathy for her mom. Read sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Did I imagine the death ray?

Caviar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:03:02 -0800

What's this book from my childhood (early 80s)? I believe it came from one of the book clubs (Arrow?), it was a Young Adult book about a boy who is friends with a scientist/inventor who has invented a death ray which he then has some opportunity to use... I don't remember much else about it. The boy's name might have been Jeffrey, or something similar, and he was certainly an outcast of some kind. I don't remember if he actually used the death ray, or what the moral of the story actually was, or whether there were any consequences. I may be misremembering, but there's a distinct possibility that the boy did actually use the death ray to vaporize a school bully.

What book is this?

Help me remember a young-adult alternate future novel from 1990-ish!

GilloD — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:51:25 -0800

Another "What book was it?!" question. Inside: Alternate futures, "gargoyles", skyscrapers and a reversion to feudal living. When I was 6 or 7 (So we're talking 1990/91 here), my Mom got a book out of the library for it. I believe it may have skewed more young-adult than kids.

Here's what I remember:
The general premise was that the book seemed to take place in a sort of Medieval setting. But as the pages wore on there were references to skyscrapers and modern items, indicating that it was in the not-so-far future. There were some references to, I think, gargoyles that had either torn the buildings down or policed the skies to make sure they didn't go back up.

The main characters were children, I think they were cared for by a Grandfather.

I believe they were at a carnival at some point, almost certainly at a freakshow.

The author was a woman (I think.) and I think the book garnered some number of awards so it can't be too obscure.

I've been trying to track it down ever since. I never finished it- Hell, I don't even think I got that far in- but it's always been knocking around my memory. Help!

What books should be considered for a young adult fantasy book club?

daser — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:15:25 -0800

My wife is starting up a Young Adult (geared towards 13-18 yr olds) Fantasy book club at the local library branch. What are some good books in this genre to consider for inclusion? The first book she has picked out is "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman, which seems to have good reviews. For anyone who has read this, is this a good choice?