HCM CITY - A new book for teenagers by best-selling writer Nguyễn Nhật Ánh has been printed by the HCM City-based Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House. 

The novel, Mùa Hè Không Tên (Nameless Summer), features boys and girls living in a village in the South. 

Childhood, friendship, teen love, hopes and dreams are highlighted. Rural life and family are also included.  

The 292-page book includes pictures by Hoàng Tường. 

Ánh told his fans at a book-signing ceremony in HCM City on September 19 that he wrote books aimed at children and teenagers because he “wanted to talk, share and understand youngsters, who have the most pure love in the world”.   

“I love reading teen books by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh. I think his writing style is a mix of reality and romanticism,” said Pham Quang Đại, a first-year student at the HCM City University of Economics. 

Ánh began writing in 1984 and is known for his simple style and accurate depiction of children’s minds. In 2007, Ánh's Cho Xin Một Vé Đi Về Tuổi Thơ was a hit and sold more than 20,000 copies in the first weeks of its release.

The book tells the story of an urban boy named Mùi and his magic journey returning to childhood. 

It won the Southeast Asian Writers Award presented by the Thai royal family in 2010. It has been translated into Thai and published by Thailand-based publisher Nanmee Books.

One of his highlighted books, Cô Gái Đến Từ Hôm Qua (The Girl Comes from Yesterday), released in 1995, remains one of the country’s best-selling kids’ books and Moscow University included it in the curriculum for Vietnamese-language students in 2014.

Some of his novels have been adapted into films. 

Ánh has released more than 100 books, including short stories, non-fiction books and poems. 

More than 80,000 copies of Ánh’s new book Mùa Hè Không Tên have been printed and distributed in bookstores and online shopping websites. 

Books for teenagers have become popular in big cities. Leading printers have encouraged talented writers, such as Nguyễn Ngọc Thuần, Đàm Huy Đông, Nguyễn Thị Châu Giang, Nguyễn Thu Thuỷ and Đoàn Phương Huyền, to develop their careers. 

Last year, five teen books by famous writers from the early 2000s, including Thuần and Giang, have been reprinted by the Kim Đồng Publishing House.

The publication celebrates the 20th anniversary of Books for Teenagers - a long-term project aimed to support books for young readers by the children's publishing house. — VNS