Discovering books that teenagers will enjoy, and which don't reinforce stereotypes of teenage behaviour is no easy task. Unfortunately, the best ones are often then put on Education Department Reading Lists which instantly makes them uncool!
I try and read books before my children, but every so often I fall behind their voracious appetites. Both had been nagging me to read Jinx by Meg Cabot for quite a while. They had read it with some raised eyebrows. Finally, a small window opened for me to consume it. It was a very easy read, and one of those books which ends each chapter on a cliffhanger, which explained why both had spent some late nights while reading it.
However, I regretted not having read it before my children. For one thing, it's not that well-written: it doesn't require much patience, or imagination, or critical thinking. Secondly, it implies judgment about some but not all drug-taking with examples of illegal use of prescription as well as recreational drugs. Thirdly, there's unquestioning acceptance of sex outside of marriage, and the usual elevation of romance as the priority of teenage behaviour and use of time. Also, the lead character, Jean a.k.a. "Jinx", is a "preacher's kid" yet there is no expression of Christian spirituality or faith, just a fear of being perceived as too straight. There is also a suicide attempt, presented as a genuine option.
The real issue for me though was the treatment of witchcraft. Jinx is a witch, but a white witch, able to use her powers for good. The definition of "good" is apparently making other people happy, or protecting them from the effects of black witchcraft. I really didn't like the lack of an ethical basis of decision-making in using supernatural powers, besides the "happiness" outcome, and what suited Jinx; although there is a warning about the efficacy of such powers. There is also no questioning of the conflict between being a "white witch" and a "preacher's kid". The message is to test whether you have powers of witchcraft, and remember to use it to make people happy; very dangerous advice for power-hungry teens.
By contrast, my reading group is looking at A Small Free Kiss in the Dark. Here is a "meaty" book for teenagers that raises big questions, as well as taking the reader on a fascinating journey. It is the story of 12-year-old Skip, a foster kid who takes to the streets, befriends vagrant Billy, and gets caught up in a war.
Yes, I know that doesn't sound like sunny fare, but it is written through the street-wise innocence of Skip, and has little vignettes of hope and beauty and grace, such as the small free kiss in the dark. Skip does a lot of growing up, and rather than pap attitude coming out of the mouths of teenagers, there is hard-won wisdom such as:
"Sometimes the truest things are the hardest to believe."
The book has just enough of a sense of fantasy not to become too dark, and it finishes with a glimpse of freedom.
The question is: can I get my kids to read it? I'm hoping my daughter will be entranced by the title, and my son by the anticipation of soldiers and guns! Along the way they may imbibe some messages to prepare them for life.
