{"id":16008,"date":"2023-11-21T22:46:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T21:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=16008"},"modified":"2023-11-21T22:46:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T21:46:30","slug":"teenage-dramas-to-read-or-not-to-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/teenage-dramas-to-read-or-not-to-read\/","title":{"rendered":"Teenage dramas: to read or not to read?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018<\/span>A Good Girls Guide to Murder.\u2019- by Holly Jackson.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nAlthough this book may have a daunting and rather dark title<\/span>, <\/span>this is not a<\/span> manual on how to murder<\/span>. It is <\/span>a beautifully written coming of age story of a girl determined to solve a murder case that was closed over five years ago. <\/span>In her quest<\/span>to solve th<\/span>e<\/span> case, Pip, <\/span>the<\/span> protagonist, while being mocked by her entire community and police force, develops an unlikely friendship with the apparent murderer<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s younger brother, who is treated like and outcast by the village he calls home. <\/span>Intent<\/span>on<\/span> prov<\/span>ing<\/span> his <\/span>brother<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s innocence<\/span>, <\/span>he and Pip <\/span>come together<\/span>to solve the mystery<\/span>. T<\/span>his leads them down a sinister and twisting path<\/span> towards suspicion and paranoia about the motivations of all those around them, <\/span>even their close friends and family.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not <\/span>simply a spiral of<\/span> plot twists<\/span>; it is <\/span>also a<\/span>n uplifting<\/span>tale of the strength of true friendship, and <\/span>of <\/span>first love. <\/span>The story is told through the eyes of a teenage girl. For parents in search of a way to understand their teenagers, this novel should be required reading. <\/span>It is a captivating <\/span>novel that is followed by two enthralling sequels <\/span>\u2013\u2018<\/span>Good Girl, Bad Blood and \u2018As Good as Dead\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

This <\/span>series <\/span>is <\/span>a perfect choice for parents <\/span>trying to <\/span>encourag<\/span>e<\/span>their teenage children to read more<\/span>: <\/span>teenagers are <\/span>likely <\/span>to discuss<\/span> the <\/span>story with their friends, but <\/span>it <\/span>delves into important topics, such as toxic relationships that teenagers might not be comfortable sharing <\/span>with t<\/span>heir parents<\/span>. The book tackles <\/span>online safety as the text messages on apps such as Instagram and Snapchat are vital to the resolution of the mystery. <\/span>Such<\/span> teenage drama<\/span>s<\/span> can play a huge part in <\/span>raising <\/span>awareness of many <\/span>contemporary <\/span>problems such as bullying, toxic relationships, and online safety. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forcing t<\/span>eenagers to read classic novels<\/span> is a waste of time. <\/span>I<\/span>nstead<\/span>, they should<\/span> be allowed to mature <\/span>at their own pace<\/span>, <\/span>developing their reading through books which relate to the dangers, <\/span>adventures<\/span> and relationships of their own world.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018The Memory Book\u2019 by Lara Avery<\/span><\/span><\/strong> is another heart-wrenching drama<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nSammie<\/span><\/span>, an A-grade student, has high hopes for the future: she wants to graduate top of her class and escape from her small hometown. But her dreams are shattered when doctors tell her that she has a rare genetic disorder.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her memories will be stolen \u2013 and eventually her life too.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Facing the collapse of her world and her own mind, <\/span><\/span>Sammie creates <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>The Memory Book<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>a journal where she notes down everything<\/span><\/span> – from <\/span><\/span>the mundane, such as where she left her toothbrush that morning, to her darkest secrets, such as how much she misses her childhood best friend Cooper who has now turned into a bad boy. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span><\/span>e grow to love <\/span><\/span>and respect <\/span><\/span>Sammie<\/span><\/span>: <\/span><\/span>she continues living life to the fullest, despite being robbed not only of her future but of her <\/span><\/span>memories of<\/span><\/span> her closest friend, the love of her life, and her <\/span><\/span>beloved family<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>The seriousness of <\/span><\/span>Sammie\u2019s illness <\/span><\/span>becomes increasingly apparent<\/span><\/span> despite her <\/span><\/span>attempt to <\/span><\/span>den<\/span><\/span>y <\/span><\/span>the<\/span><\/span>disability. Sammie consistently forgets her friend\u2019s names, leaving her in a confused state<\/span><\/span>. It dawns on her that s<\/span><\/span>he is wasting what are quite possibly her last months on earth <\/span><\/span>by <\/span><\/span>studying for a graduation that she will <\/span><\/span>never<\/span><\/span> attend. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This novel <\/span><\/span>delves into <\/span><\/span>many <\/span><\/span>uncomfortable aspects <\/span><\/span>of reality: how life is not always fair<\/span><\/span> – <\/span><\/span>and no matter how much you fight it, <\/span><\/span>eventually you will be forced to accept it<\/span><\/span>. I<\/span><\/span>t details how friendships and relationships can become unhealthy, no matter how close you still are. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is an important book for teenagers as it is told from the <\/span><\/span>perspective<\/span><\/span> of a girl \u2013 a woman \u2013 who has no future due to the unfairness of fate. <\/span><\/span>The book may remind some just how thankful they should be for the wonderful fountain of life that they have \u2013 and their memories of it \u2013 no matter how annoying they may find their parents and siblings. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span><\/span>e should all value the memories that life gives us, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem at the time, as they may be stolen away by an unlikely twist of fate. We should cherish the people we love, as they could be taken away at the blink of an eye. \u00a0We should live life to the fullest every day<\/span><\/span>;<\/span><\/span>you never know when it could be your last. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Teachers and parents tell teenagers to read Dickens and Shakespeare but teenage dramas relate better to their world.
\nDickens and Shakespeare are unique but many teenagers simply cannot see themselves in the characters of these works. Most children (hopefully!) are not homeless on the streets of London: Oliver Twist has no connection to the luxurious life of Iphones, Instagram and Airpods that teenagers experience in affluent countries. Teenagers need books that relate to their own experiences: believable characters and an intriguing plot that will leave them captivated and interested in reading.
\nHere are some of them\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":16208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,94],"tags":[],"type_post":[],"column":[],"class_list":["post-16008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16008"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=16008"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=16008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}