Celebrate Youth Month with these amazing books for young readers
It is time to celebrate the youngest of our nation, the South African youth, and what better way to do this than with books!
There is much to celebrate in the month of June. Not only is it Pride Month, but it is also Youth Month in South Africa! On Wednesday 16 June we commemorate the Soweto Uprising of 1976.
The youngest of our nation are the most vulnerable, and their stories and voices matter now more than ever.
Nurture reading of books this Youth Month
So, let’s celebrate Youth Month and all the baby bookworms among us with these wonderful stories. From the six- to nine-year-old readers to the young adult (YA) fans, this list will have something for every bookworm, no matter what age.
Give the youngest minds around us the gift that keeps giving by popping down to your local book shop and buying some of these books to share these beautiful stories with the young readers in our lives.
Ages six to nine: ‘Women in Science’ by Rachel Ignotofsky
Today’s youth will be the future leaders of our country and how better to ensure well-rounded individuals will someday take over our country than to educate them about the ones who came before. By looking to the past and exploring the incredible females who were groundbreaking in their fields, Rachel Ignotofsky tells their stories in a simple and easily understandable way and will have even the smallest bookworms enchanted.
Women in Science highlights the contributions of 50 notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world.
Full of striking, singular art, this collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary.
The women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Ages nine to 12: ‘The Hatmakers’ by Tamzin Merchant
Filled with adventure, thrills and a cast of unforgettable characters, The Hatmakers is guaranteed to get the kids off their phones and into the wonderful world of books!
Synopsis:
Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia’s world, making and crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients – is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.
When Cordelia’s father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him at all costs. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.
It’s up to Cordelia to find her father, rebuild her family and solve a mystery as old as magic itself.
Young adult: ‘The Cousins’ by Karen M McManus
The Cousins is the perfect YA mystery book and will be gobbled up by teenage readers everywhere!
Synopsis:
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know a thing about each other, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before any of the cousins were even born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised… and very curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the only opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces, so they pack their bags. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that Grandmother has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family’s really past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
Young Adult: ‘The Boy I Am’ by KL Kettle
The Boy I Am is not your average YA thriller. It tackles themes of gender roles, power dynamics and progress, making this book a must-read for all teenage readers.
Synopsis:
They say we’re dangerous. But we’re not that different…are we?
Jude is running out of time. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep in the deadly underground in the mines awaits.
Yet ever since the death of his best friend at the hands of the all-powerful Chancellor, Jude has been desperate to escape the path set out for him. What is he can change his destiny? Finding himself entangled in a plot to assassinate the Chancellor, he finally has a chance to avenge his friend and win his freedom. But at what price?