The Young Adult ‘issue novel’ is a difficult thing to do well. To write one that rises above the mediocre requires a careful avoidance of both sentimentality and sensationalism, and the better books succeed by either tackling an unusual or topical issue, or by looking at a situation from a novel angle. These two books – though covering very different terrain – are good examples.
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Macmillan, $16.95 pb, 340 pp
Still Waving by Laurene Kelly
Spinifex, $19.95 pb, 278 pp
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