The Witches and the Grinnygog
by Dorothy Edwards (Faber & Faber, 1981)
Somewhat abstruse and unlikely to appeal to post-millennial YA readers, Edwards’ tale of pagan magic reawakening in a small English village remains a curious, highly ambitious work, told always indirectly and sketching out its titular characters by painting the landscape around them.
Boo
by Neil Smith (Heinemann, 2015)
Two boys strike up a friendship searching for their killer in thirteen-year-old heaven. Narrated in the first person, present tense, Boo, though neither ‘instantly charming’ nor ‘wickedly funny’ (as promised by the cover), is a well-conceived, cleverly realised post-murder mystery / coming-of-age story.
Agaton Sax and the Haunted House
by Nils-Olof Franzén; illustrated by Quentin Blake (Andre Deutsch, 1975)
Bolstered by Blake’s zesty drawings, Franzén gives YA readers the perfect introduction to crime fiction. His irrepressibly competent Swedish detective Agaton Sax, along with the harried, hapless Inspector Lispington, form a memorable duo fighting the bumbling wiles of the international criminal fraternity.
The City of Gold and Lead
by John Christopher (Macmillan, 1967)
The second instalment of John Christopher’s Tripods trilogy moves from quest narrative to absorbing, fully fledged science fiction as youngsters Will and Fritz infiltrate one of the aliens’ cities and learn the awful truth of the Masters whose tripods roam the Earth.
Doctor Who: Night of the Humans
by David Llewellyn (BBC, 2010)
Whatever the story’s merits (the Doctor and Amy encounter shipwrecked aliens and bestial humans on a rubbish gyre in space), the writing makes this impossible to persist with. Not even by order of Terrance Dicks should young adult books be so unsophisticated.
The Hermit and the Bear
by John Yeoman, ill. Quentin Blake (André Deutsch, 1984)
A hermit looking to pass on his knowledge finds his work cut out for him when he takes in an enthusiastic but galumphing bear for tuition. Although not progressing much from its starting premise, this wistfully humorous YA tale retains its charm.