Books for Teenagers |
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NEWLY PUBLISHED This book available in Irish only Osama, Obama, Ó, a Mhama! For 10-13 year-olds Paperback, 160 pages Eleven-year-old Naoise is blissfully unaware that his very first text on his mobile phone fails to reach his friend Virgil in America. Rather, it arrives into an office where it is about to cause confusion, mayhem and an international emergency. Behold, a story that is peppered with fun, misunderstanding and endless twists and intrigue, as the reader is taken on a roller-coaster of adventure. |
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Battle for the Burren by Ré Ó Laighléis Paperback 192 pages Price €14 An epic tale of passion, fear and darkness, set against the It is 1317 AD, some 1,500 years since the visionary Sobhartan fought her epic battle against Evil on the shores of Loughrask. Though long since dead, her spirit is embodied in the old blind monk, Benignus, who, like her, has been both blessed and cursed with the gift of vision. He is an elder of the community of Cistercians who occupy the monastery at Corcomroe on the Burren's beautiful, yet unforgiving foothills. Set against the great wars of the divided factions of the Clan O'Brien, the power of Evil has found a willing home in the heart and soul of the dark and sinister Feardorcha, a lieutenant in the forces of Prince Donough O'Brien. The opposing forces of Donough and his cousin, Dermot, are making for the holy place at Corcomroe, where, once and for all, the bloodiest of battles will be fought to determine supremacy within the Clan O'Brien. And bloody it will be, and such will be the ensuing slaughter that devastation of its kind will be unprecedented. This is the backdrop against which young Iarla O'Brien, son of Dermot, conducts his secretive and passion-filled relationship with Sorcha, daughter of Mahon, one of Prince Donough's most ardent and loyal supporters. Though fired with love and hope for a future together, the young lovers are all too aware of the divisions between their families and of the dangers that lie ahead. Their fates are outside of them and will ultimately be determined by the powers of Good and Evil. An epic tale of love, of fear and darkness. "His characters are described and their speech declaimed in formal, sometimes florid prose, but this is tempered by the author's loving descriptions of nature and some powerful battle scenes." "The two O'Brien cousins, Prince Dermot and Prince Donough, who will confront each other in one of the bloodiest O'Brien battles ever, is the backdrop to a story of love, fear and powers of darkness that sweep the reader from one plateau to another… I can highly recommend this book to all…" "It is a classic tale of star-crossed lovers… Very smart design and production." |
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Bolgchaint agus scéalta eile This book available in Irish only Ré Ó Laighléis Paperback, 104 pages Price €8 New, challenging and on the meat in all respects, as is ever the case with Ó Laighléis where both theme and language are concerned. Yet again, the noted storyteller of teenage literature has pushed out the parameters, just as he had previously done with Ecstasy, Hooked, Gafa and Punk. A new era, new material – literature for teenage readers that embraces and challenges of the world they know. Magic, artistry, imagination, skill – the defining characteristics that ooze from every page here. “Yet again, as with ‘Punk’, ‘Ecstasy’ and many others of his titles, Ó Laighléis has his finger perfectly on the pulse. Indeed, ‘Bolgchaint’ surpasses anything that he has previously written for the younger teenage reader. A master storyteller whose mastery is born out by his every word. Challenging, gripping, exquisite.” “Ré Ó Laighléis displays a definitive understanding of the thematic and linguistic requirements of the young teenage reader. These superlative stories have substance and challenge in abundance and, above all else, they bear with them that essential element of pleasure for the reader.” “Stories full of mystery, magic and imagination that show the importance of love, respect and kindness in the lives of the characters.” This book available in Irish only |
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Ecstasy and other stories Ré Ó Laighléis Paperback, 103 pages Price €10 Widely translated and winner of a Bisto Book of the Year award, a North American NAMLLA award, a European White Ravens award and an Oireachtas literary award, MÓINÍN is proud to present this edition of Ecstasy and other stories. This acclaimed collection looks at the rise, the fall and the versatility of the human spirit, touching, as it does, on almost every aspect of human trial and existence. Though unflinchingly hard-hitting, it is utterly compelling and written with great insight and sensitivity. Ó Laighléis’ greatest gift is that he is a masterful storyteller. “This combination of style and tone provides a maturity which rarely characterises writing targeted mainly at a teenage readership… It deserves the widest possible audience.” “Always there is an appropriate honed-down style that presents the narratives in crystal clear detail… Not just a book for teenagers, but for everyone who appreciates first-class writing.” “Ó Laighléis is not one for the soft option. He deals unflinchingly with major social issues that affect all our lives and deals with them with profound insight and intelligence… It is Ó Laighléis’ creative imagination that gives the collection its undeniable power. The economy of his prose allows for no authorial moralising.” Ecstasy and other stories is brilliantly written and an eye-opener for us all as to what could happen if life takes that one wrong turn. Ré Ó Laighléis is a master of his craft.” “Ecstasy is evocative of the filmography of Ken Loach, and its minimalistic story-telling, with its sparse and essential style, constitutes an extraordinarily expressive force.” “The short stories of Ecstasy… take us, in the Irish context, into new thematic territories and, more importantly, pay their characters (and, by extension, their readers) the compliment of allowing them to live with the consequences of their own choices: complex circumstances are always seen to defy easy outcomes.” |
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Fáinne Fí Fífí This book available in Irish only Meadhbh Ní Eadhra Paperback, 88 pages Price €9 A riveting read for the teenage girl reader When Fiona (Fífí of the title) leaves her native Belfast to visit Switzerland there is more ahead of her than she might ever anticipate. Her friend, Sabine’s upcoming wedding vanishes from her thoughts as soon as she encounters the handsome Swiss Johann. Immediately, it is obvious that Cupid is going to need far more than the one bow to fire the multiplicity of arrows that young love will demand. But what hidden mystery lies behind Roberto, the flirtatious Latin hunk to whom Sabine is engaged? Why is Fiona so suspicious of his motives? Fun, jealousy, love and crime pepper the pages of this contemporary novel. The reader is given an intriguing insight into the 21st Century thinking of its characters, and their tensions and rivalries are vividly brought to life for us. All here presents in a modern European setting, which lends extra life to an already fast-moving story. The style is lively, flitting and experimental. The vocabulary is chic and on the button. A compulsive read for teenage girls in second level schools. This book available in Irish only |
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Gafa This book is also available in English Ré Ó Laighléis Paperback, 144 pages Price €10 |
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Goimh & scéalta eile Available in Irish only Ré Ó Laighléis Paperback, 104 pages Price €7 Racism in Ireland and internationally forms the backdrop for this consuming collection. A compulsive combination of the imaginative and the creative defines the presentation here, and neither the teenage or adult reader can be blind to the import, power and undeniable modernity of these stories. There is an unflinching and decisive truthfulness that sets this pioneering collection apart. “In these stories, Ó Laighléis seizes the imagination of the reader – most particularly that of the mid-to-older teenager – while, at the same time challenging and stretching our sensibilities and understanding.” “I greatly welcome this work, most especially because it is geared towards an age group – teenagers – that will form our society’s future attitudes towards racism. The author here pushes out the parameters of our understanding of racism.” Available in Irish only |
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New Edition Now more relevant than ever Ré Ó Laighléis Paperback, 129 pages Price €12.50 Ó Laighléis’ highly acclaimed novel tells the horrific and gruelling tale of teenager Alan’s slide into the world of drug addiction and his involvement with its murky and danger-filled underworld. Equally importantly, Hooked also relates the parents’story: Sandra’s world is thrown into turmoil, first by the realisation that her seventeen-year-old son is in the throes of heroin addiction and then by the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. There are no ribbons wrapped around the story here – it is hard, factual and written with sensitivity and skill. “It is a riveting story based on every parent’s nightmare.” “Ó Laighléis deftly favours creating a dark side of urban life over sledge-hammering the reader with ‘Just Say No’ messages; the horrors of heroin addiction are revealed within the story itself and, thankfully, the author avoids any preachy commentary.” “Hooked inhabits the world of well-off middle-class Dublin… with all its urban angst, moral decay, drug addiction, loneliness and teen attitudes and problems.” “Ré Ó Laighléis speaks the language of those for whom Hooked will strike a familiar chord. If it makes people stop and think – as it undoubtedly will – it will have achieved more than all the anti-drug promotional campaigns we could ever begin to create.” “Ó Laighléis deftly walks that path between teenage and adult literature, resulting in a book that will have wide appeal for both young and older readers.” “The book pulls no punches and there are no happy endings.” "Not for the faint-hearted." "His raw and concise writing style peels the layers from a shadowy topic and makes it accessible for both teenagers and their parents." |
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Terror on the Burren Paperback, 114 pages Price €12.50 This multiple award-winning and critically acclaimed novel is a superlative mix of the supernatural and the real. Set against the archaeological and geological richness of the Burren landscape in Ireland’s County Clare, the author weaves a mesmeric and multi-layered tale of barbarity and beauty, of the imaginative and intrigue, of good and evil. “Measured, even against his own already high standards, Ré Ó Laighléis has given us an exceptional work of beauty and terror here. This, quite simply, stands apart.” “Another example of Ó Laighléis shining creations…Undoubtedly, Ó Laighléis is a gifted writer and we wait with hungry curiosity to see what he will come up with next.” “You’ll never look at the Burren in the same way after you read this tale… Anyone even slightly intrigued by alternatives to the 20th century’s blueprint for living will find this account of life in 200 BC enchanting… The whole saga unfolds within a slim 114 pages, with the mystical beauty of the Burren permeating every page.” “This is an unusual work of rich and cinematographic prose, a work of excellence in the fantasy genre and one which bears the scope of The Mists of Avalon.” “Though ostensibly set on the Burren in the period of pre-history, Ó Laighléis’ horrific story of destruction is inextricably connected to more recent murky happenings.” “A brilliant and fascinating read, which will hold you enthralled to the very end.” “This is epic story-telling at its very best.” |
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