Raven Summer by David Almond

David Almond (Skellig) has done it again: another great book for teens about the complexities of growing up. Boys in northern England can be both tender and violent. They struggle to understand friendship and art and what it means to be alive as fighter jets fly above them towards the war in Iraq. A young man from Liberia is seeking asylum from war in his country. An abandoned baby is found when two friends follow a raven. To Almond, there are mysteries bordering on the numinous in everyday life, no matter where we live. Grade 6-10