Tag Archives: juno dawson

On My Radar: 2017 YA Releases

Happy belated new year everyone! My first post of 2017 was a review of Wing Jones by Katherine Webber, a title I’d been excited about for most of last year. I thought in this week’s post I’d highlight some more 2017 releases I’m looking forward to reading!

on-my-radar

Our Own Private Universe: I am a huge fan of Robin Talley, and can’t wait for her fourth book! Each of Talley’s books so far have been so relatable and fantastic and inclusive and I just OH MY GOODNESS PLEASE GO READ THEM ALL NOW. I think this is the US cover, but I’m really loving it. You don’t see many books like this.

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera: I quite enjoyed Silvera’s debut, and this one looks great too! This is one I want to go into without any knowledge about it – I haven’t actually read any full synopses. Also, my mum has been hyped about this book for months, because she’s a fan, which is cute. So if I get a copy of this, she’ll be second to read it. (Hi mum!)

We Come Apart by Brian Conaghan and Sara Crossan: I’ve read two books by Sarah Crossan, One of which blew me away (kudos if you got that pun) and I don’t think I’ve read anything by Conoghan yet! The premise for this book sounds really interesting and I’m guessing that it’s in dual narratives. I adore dual narratives. And I can’t wait to see how this book is written, too, as Crossan writes in prose.

Margot and Me by Juno Dawson: This one is obviously on my list! I adore Juno and her books, ever since Hollow Pike – Juno’s slowly moved from writing horror to contemporary fiction and there’s not a single book I haven’t loved to pieces. I’m so excited to see what this one is like.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: I jumped at the chance to review this, and an ARC is sitting next to me as I’m writing this post – it’s one of the next books on my to-read list. This book was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, and from what I know of the plot, which centres around conflict and justice – it’s a book that needs to be out there. It’s so relevant to recent events and so it’s equally as exciting that the movie rights have been sold!

What is Gender? how Does it Define Us? And Other Big Questions by Juno Dawson: Another by Juno made this list! This is Dawson’s third non fiction book, and judging by the brilliance of Being a Boy and This Book is Gay – this is going to be fantastic. I really cannot wait to learn more about this and hopefully get the chance to review it. I want to branch out into reading more non-fiction this year! I also find it brilliant that this book is being targeted at ages ten and up – education about gender is really important because so many people are misinformed. I love that this book is going to be a resource for most ages.


So, there we go! Those are the six books on my radar for the beginning of 2016.

I have been to tied up with A-Level work and general life stuff that I haven’t been around so much on social media, to see what books other people are looking forward to. What books are on your radar? Is there anything else I need to be looking out for? Leave a comment!

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Book Review: Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson

Published 16th January 2016 by Hot Key Books.

27799078Goodreads Synopsis: We all have a mind, so we all need to take care of our mental health as much as we need to take care of our physical health. And the first step is being able to talk about our mental health. Juno Dawson leads the way with this frank, factual and funny book, with added information and support from clinical psychologist Dr Olivia Hewitt. Covering topics from anxiety and depression to addiction, self-harm and personality disorders, Juno and Olivia talk clearly and supportively about a range of issues facing young people’s mental health – whether fleeting or long-term – and how to manage them, with real-life stories from young people around the world. With witty illustrations from Gemma Correll.

My Review: It’s been fantastic to see that, over recent years, YA fiction has been increasingly representative of different mental health issues – and it was even more fantastic to see that a new, non-fiction book about it was coming out. Not only that, but Juno Dawson was writing it – arguably one of the best, versatile voices in YA fiction and non-fiction right now. I was over the moon when I received a copy!

Much like This Book is Gay, Mind Your Head is written equal part serious and witty. Juno is so great at making really important topics so easy to read for many audiences. Mind Your Head is a book you could devour in a night or so – I found all of the information in there incredibly useful and informative. It’s so brilliant that, despite not being an incredibly long book, Mind Your Head takes time to explore many different types of mental health issues and causes.

I can never fault Juno’s writing – she’s just perfect at writing anything for teenagers, no matter the genre or topic. With any similar sorts of books to this, I’d expect the information to be quite bombarding or written in a very straight-to-the-point detached style – but this book is nothing like that! The topics covered in this book are very serious and are rightly treated so – but Juno is so good at making reading about these things so engaging and accessible.

I think the input from clinical psychologist Dr Olivia Hewitt was really great! Her writing can be found in small extracts across the book, describing some details in a more in-depth style.

And, of course, I can’t not mention Gemma Correll. I adore her illustrations, as they’re all over the internet and are a fantastic addition to Being a Girl, another Hot Key non-fiction title. They’re just so funny and are a great addition to the book.

Overall, Mind Your Head is awesome – it’s a really well written, much needed book for all ages, and an important, informative book whether you are experiencing and mental health issues, or want to learn more. The book and its contents are presented in an engaign, visual way, with varied formats, visuals and illustrations. Definitely recommended. What can’t Juno write?! 🙂

My Rating:

four

I received a copy of Mind Your Head from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.