JUBILEE JUBILATION WEEK: The Best Of British...YA Books

Jubilee Jubilation Week is a special week I am hosting here, celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee - so expect a fun week of all things British!

Heya! So excited as I am officially kicking off our Jubilee Jubilation celebrations here on The Book Parade. The country is in full celebration mode - yesterday was the Thames river pageant (which I watched from the comfort of my sofa at home rather than journeying down to London and attempting to brave the wind, the rain - TYPICAL British weather! - and the MASSIVE crowds.) Right now the special Jubilee Concert is going on, featuring artists including Jessie J, Kylie Minogue, Gary Barlow, Cliff Richard and JLS and then, later on will be the lighting of all the Jubilee beacons!

Anyway, back to the point. My post for today is:

"The Best Of British"...YA books!

Although it often seems like a LOT of the books I read are by American authors, probably the majority actually, there are lots of British books out there that I love. So, without further ado, here are my favourite books by British authors...

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman 

Malorie Blackman is EPIC. This book is EPIC. Really. Honest, this is an AMAZING book. It's sort of vaguely dystopian - but not at all like all the dystopians that are flooding bookstores at the moment, with all their futuristic, unique and very 'out there' worlds. This is just a world completely like ours apart from the very strong racism that separates the white 'Noughts' from the black 'Crosses'. This book follows the story of Sephy (a Cross) and Callum (a Nought), who have been close friends all their lives. Every time I read it, it evokes so much emotion in me and I ALWAYS cry LOADS, even though I already know exactly how everything is going to turn out!! Anyway, just trust me, you NEED TO READ THIS.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling 
HOW can we have a list celebrating the best of British books without including the beloved Harry Potter? You don't even need me to explain the magic spell that J.K. Rowling has cast over the world with the power of her pen.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Okay, I don't technically know if I can classify Moira Young as a British author because I think technically she is Canadian but she's lived in the UK since 1992 so, you know what, because I love this book so much, I'm just going to cheat a little bit and include it on the list! Blood Red Road is a dystopian that I absolutely LOVED - it had just the right amount of action, adventure and romance - you can read my review of it here

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling, Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson and Angel by L.A. Weatherly
These three books are all super sweet paranormal romances that I LOVE LOVE LOVE! In Finding Sky, Sky discovers she's a 'savant' and meets her 'soulfinder', the gorgeous Zed; Lila in Hunting Lila 'has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever.' (from the blurb) ; and in Angel, Willow's life is turned upside down when she discovers she's part angel and has to go on the run with Alex after the Angels decide she's a threat to them.

You Against Me by Jenny Downham
Mikey's sister claims that she was assaulted by a boy.
Ellie's brother is the one accused.
"When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another." (Goodreads)
I loved the relationship between Mikey and Ellie, ans the story was told really well - alternating between both of their viewpoints.

Adorkable by Sarra Manning
Adorkable made me laugh, yet it also made me cry; it was light-hearted, yet it also had a really empowering message behind it. Throw in some witty, unique, but totally realistic characters and there you have Adorkable - yet another amazing teen read from the amazing Sarra Manning. (You can read my review of Adorkable here)


Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
17-year-old Rosie is grief-stricken when her mum, Trudie, dies of Huntington's Disease, only to discover that Trudie was not actually her real biological mother at all! Someone Else's Life tells of Rosie's search for her real mother, her real life, the real her. Unpredictable, touching, and beautifully written, this is definitely a book well worth reading.

Numbers by Rachel Ward
Jem has seen the numbers ever since she was little. She can't help it - every time she looks into a person's eyes, she sees a number. A date. The date they will die. Scary, right? The premise of this intrigued me, and the story itself definitely lived up to my expectations. I was so lost in the story that I felt myself completely swept along and couldn't stop myself from crying at this one particular point in the story (won't spoil it for you by telling you what it was!) And, oh! That little twist at the end! (Won't spoil that for you, either!)

These are just some of my favourites - I hope you'll try some of them out and, if you do, I hope you love them as much as I did! 
If you've read any of these - what did you think of them?
And feel free to recommend any other British books that you loved in the comments!

:) xxx