Northern Lights was published in 1995 and is the first book in the trilogy His Dark Materials. Written by English novelist Philip Pullman, this young adult fantasy traces the journey of young Lyra Belacqua to the Arctic in search of her best friend and other missing children.
children books 12-14 years old
Noughts and Crosses is a popular dystopian fiction written by British writer Malorie Blackman. This young adult novel was first published in 2001 and was the first book of the three in the Noughts and Crosses series. This tale of love and friendship cleverly explores the futility of prejudice as Blackman proposes a world where black Crosses rule over white Noughts.
Coram Boy is a children’s historical fiction written by British writer Jamila Gavin and was first published in 2000. This novel explores themes of ambition, corruption, love and betrayal as the story unravels around its three narrators.
Can you imagine living in a world where everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts? The Knife of Never Letting Go is a science fiction novel written by British-American author Patrick Ness as the first book in the Chaos Walking series. This award-winning young adult novel follows twelve-year-old Todd Hewitt’s search for truth as he escapes a town of men who seem to have very nasty plans.
What is the meaning behind the title The Knife of Never Letting Go? What does the ‘knife’ in this story symbolise? How did Todd view this ‘knife’ as well as the dos and don’ts associated with it? What was the fate of the ‘knife’ in the end, and what does this ending signify?
Why do you think Ness wrote Todd’s voice in the vernacular which came with various grammatical and spelling mistakes? What does this reflect to us about Todd and the other characters such as Hildy and Wilf? How does Todd’s lack of education and knowledge affect his journey, and why do you think totalitarian governments deny citizens like Todd the access to education?
Todd was raised in a society without women. How were gender roles portrayed in the novel, and how does it compare to the contemporary gender roles in today’s society? How did Todd manage to see women and their roles through Viola?
What ethical dilemmas did Todd face in the book? What was Manchee and Viola’s role in this dilemma, and how did Viola help him resolve it?