I Wanted To Write About Robert Cormier

Some writers defy categorisation. They cannot be filed, stamped, or absorbed. Yes, you may find their books in certain areas of the book shop or the library, but essentially these writers remain difficult to anticipate, their work always surprising and interesting. I'd place Francesca Lia Block, Cory Doctorow, Sam Pink, Kathy Acker, Jason Starr, Jeff…

Review: Kamikaze Girls by Novala Takemoto

A cult smash in Japan that inspired a movie of the same name, I stumbled on Kamikaze Girls whilst on a book buying spree at Blackwell's in Edinburgh. There was something cool about the cover art: the colours, the photography, the scrawled illustration. It all appealed, so I snatched it up and read it in…

Book Battle Royale

The Kids' Lit Quiz is a worldwide literary event that pits teams from various schools against each other. One urban legend has it that Lorde scored the highest points ever at one of the heats Down Under. It isn't just pupils from schools vying for glory: authors and librarians battle it out for points, book…

Three Spooky Books and Some Creepy Tunes for Halloween

  I've always loved Halloween. It's my birthday away from my actual birthday. Christmas is for the family, Easter is for the kids, but Halloween belongs to me! I dress up too much, so Halloween is a chance for me to kick back and have fun. From the 1st of October until the 31st, I…

Spite And Malice At High School

I've spent the last few years writing fiction for younger people. I'm quite happy with what I've put out so far, because there's a market for weird books for the weirdo teens. I was one myself, and I always wanted to write books that I would have read at that age. But being an author…

Review: Black Wave by Michelle Tea

The world is ending, a slow and inexorable apocalypse on the horizon. But Michelle is too drunk and drugged up to notice the changes. She's too busy living her life from drama to drama, each incident a mess of her own making. Michelle is writer of some renown. She shares the same name with the…

Being A Teenager In The ’90s

As things change, things also stay the same. A mystery assailant with a grudge against high-profile officials sends bombs in the US Mail. Sabrina The Teenage Witch gets up to silly magical hi-jinks with the help of her two kooky old aunts. RuPaul hosts a chat show crammed with celebrity guests. You might think I'm…