Ho ho ho
December is here, and with this change in the calendar comes the fear and loathing...of figuring out the perfect gift for your teenager.
Yep -- the hardest people to buy for, hands down. What do teens want, anyway? They HAVE everything.
But relax, gentle reader, and fear no more, for I am here to provide you with not one, not two, but a full month (well...24 days, anyway) of gift suggestions for the teens on your list -- and not one of my suggestions involves slipping them 20 bucks and a candy-cane in a brown paper envelope.
Contrary to popular opinion, teens DO have interests outside of mirrors and video games. Let's have a look, shall we?
Seasonal Suggestion #1: SISTER WIFE, an Orca Book written by Shelley Hrdlitschka.
Ideal Recipient: Hey -- for the man who has everything -- how about a new wife?
Actually, the ideal recipient of this wonderful novel would be anyone who is interested in a look inside a polygamous community. This novel could literally have been ripped from the headlines, as it examines the reality of turning 15 years old as experienced by a young girl in the fictional community of Unity.
The story unfolds within three different points of view -- through the eyes of Celeste, almost 15 and chafing under the restrictions of a religion that will not allow her to love someone her own age or of her own choosing; and of Nanette, Celeste's younger sister who longs for nothing more than motherhood as a sister wife, and finally through the voice of Taviana, an outsider who finds some solace in the bosom of the community.
Shelley Hrdlitschka weaves this tale with her usual skill -- with warmth and humour, and allows humanity to bloom in the most unexpected corners of the world she has built. It's an amazing read from an author who continues to surprise and entertain with every book she writes -- a fitting choice for our first seasonal suggestion.
And here's a little bonus -- if you'd like to make a Seasonal Suggestion of your own for Teens, go ahead and leave your ideas in the comments section. Any suggestion that I use for the blog will be rewarded by an autographed copy of MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK, my own contribution to the season for teens.
So enjoy these suggestions, add any of your own that you'd like to share, and...
Happy Holidays!
~kc
