When Shadows Fall Sita Brahmachari Kai, Orla and Zak grew up together, their days spent on the patch of wilderness in between their homes, a small green space in a sprawling grey city. Music, laughter and friendship bind them together and they have big plans for their future – until Kai’s family suffers a huge loss. Trying to cope […] Environment/Climate Change, Fiction, Friendship, Migration/ Refugees, Personal/social issues AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ The Wolf Road Richard Lambert A tale of loss that is also a gripping thriller, a realistic study of grief that skirts the margins of fantasy, it walks wolf-like between worlds and genres. Richard Lambert writes with a poet’s eye; he has created something magical here. The storytelling is as bold, sinewy and uncompromising as the beast that shadows Lucas […] Adventure, Bullying, Emotion/ Feelings, Family, Fear, Fiction, Grief/Loss, Mental Health and Wellbeing AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ The Sound of Everything Rebecca Henry The Sound of Everything is a heart-felt coming of age story for all those who struggle to feel like they deserve love. Betrayal, rejection, violence Kadie has known it all. She’s tough and prepared for everything. Everything except love. Kadie has has just arrived in yet another foster home. She trusts no one and lives […] Communication, Family, Friendship, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Love, Violence AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Second Best Friend Non Pratt Jade and Becky have always been best friends; inseparable and often indistinguishable. They’re not quite chalk and cheese, but are quite different: Jade is outgoing, swinging from one crush to another, and likes a good party. Becky’s quieter, not interested in relationships, and prefers to stay in. Jade’s never really noticed the differences before, but […] Friendship, Love, Romantic, School/ Learning AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Great Lives: Marie Curie Agnieszka Biskup & Sonia Leong The remarkable scientist, Marie Curie, is profiled in an entertaining graphic novel! Learn about Marie’s childhood and her days as a bright young student in Russian-occupied Poland all the way to her Nobel Prize–winning work in Physics and Chemistry. Help older children learn about some of the most exciting men and women who have ever […] Graphic Novel/ Comic, Learning, Science Fiction AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The Girl who Speaks Bear Sophie Anderson Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside. But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers […] Adventure, Fairy tales and folk tales, Folklore & Folk Tales AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The Castle of Tangled Magic Sophie Anderson The magical bestselling adventure book by acclaimed author Sophie Anderson. Magic awaits, all you have to do is believe… When thirteen-year-old Olia, steps through a magical doorway, she discovers another land. A land tangled by magic, where hope is lost, and a scheming wizard holds all the power. Soon Olia learns that she is destined […] Adventure, Fairy tales and folk tales, Family, Fiction AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The House with Chicken Legs Sophie Anderson A spellbinding adventure, bound-up with traditional folk and fairy tales, The House with Chicken Legs transports readers to a world of spells and spirits bound by ancient rules and one girl who longs to break free. Marinka dreams of a normal life, she dreams of standing still, but her house has chicken legs and a will […] Fairy tales and folk tales, Fiction, Identity AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The Garden of Inside-Outside Chiara Mezzalama & Regis Lejonc & Sarah Ardizzone Inspired by the childhood of the author, whose father was appointed Italian ambassador to Tehran in 1980, this picture book is a beautiful evocation of a country struck by war, where friendship arises despite the rising walls. In the summer of 1981, Chiara and her family join their father in Iran. At their beautiful palace, […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, War AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 AGES: 7-10 Mohinder’s War A thrilling World War II adventure set in occupied France, featuring an Indian RAF pilot. Great for fans of Michael Morpurgo and John Boyne, and those who want diverse historical fiction. Thirteen-year-old Joelle Breton stumbles across Indian-born RAF pilot Mohinder Singh when his plane crashes in occupied France and it’s up to her and her […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, World Wars 1&2 AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 How I Saved The World in a Week Polly Ho-Yen A brilliantly imagined new 8+ adventure about resilience, family and hope. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Ross Welford, Lisa Thompson and Onjali Rauf. Even when you can’t believe what you’re seeing, you’d better get ready to run for your life, because […] Adventure, Emotion/ Feelings, Family, Fiction, Government, law and crime, Illness / Hospitals AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Good Dog, Bad Dog: The Golden Bone Dave Shelton Kirk Bergman and Duncan McBoo are pedigree police: the finest canine cops in all Muttropolis. And they’re never short of work. The Golden Bone of Alexandria has been stolen by malevolent mongrels and our doggy duo are the perfect pooches to take on the case… CRIMINALS BEWARE: Bergman and McBoo are on your tail! Adventure, Animals, Fiction, Graphic Novel/ Comic AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Boy, Everywhere A. M. Dassu 13 year old Sami has a good life in Damascus, playing football and computer games with his friends, nagging his parents for new trainers and trying to get time on the iPad. Although he knows there is war in the rest of the country, he never seriously imagines it will reach Damascus. It’s a normal […] Family, Fear, Fiction, Personal/social issues, Politics/human rights, Travel, War AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Arrowhead Ruth Eastham When thirteen-year-old Jack moves to Norway, he’s sure there’s no truth in the local myths and legends. But then he comes face to face with one: the body of a Norse warrior boy, frozen in the ice, and carrying with him an ancient arrowhead – that contains a terrible curse. If Jack’s going to survive, […] Adventure, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Friendship, Historical, Myths and Legends AGES: 12-14 Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black Alexis Deacon & Julian Sedgwick & Marcus Sedgwick Harry Black is lost between the world of war and the land of myth in this illustrated novel that transports the tale of Orpheus to World War II-era London. Harry Black, a conscientious objector, artist, and firefighter battling the blazes of German bombing in London in 1944, wakes in the hospital to news that […] Fiction, Graphic Novel/ Comic, Historical, Historical Fiction, War, World Wars 1&2 AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Rose, Interrupted Patrice Lawrence Being a teenager is hard enough, but it’s even harder in a world you’ve never known … Eighteen months ago, 17-year-old Rose and 13-year-old Rudder escaped a strict religious sect with their mum. They are still trying to make sense of the world outside – no more rules about clothes and books, films and […] Family, Fiction, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Personal/social issues, Romantic AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Snap Patrice Lawrence When Soraya’s younger brother Farhad runs off into the freezing night, Soraya and her friend, Austin, are in a race against time to find him. High above the streets, Farhad’s guilt closes in. He doesn’t want to be found. A story of two friends, one missing boy and a secret as precious as gold. Family, Fiction, Friendship, Personal/social issues AGES: 12-14 Aya Takeo No.1 Sonia Leong Aya.Takeo is a story of Space, Time, Civilization and Star-Crossed Love. Set in a distant wrinkle of space where some things are familiar and others are forever surprising. Noblewoman Aya perseveres with her love for the lowly warrior Takeo amidst a backdrop of a neo-classical Japan under invasion by spider mecha… but who is the […] Adventure, Graphic Novel/ Comic, Love, Space/ Rockets AGES: 12-14 Once Upon a Time Sonia Leong Once Upon a Time… stories of our time, the here and now. What challenges do we face when we have to grow up? Look through the eyes of different people as they deal with their personal battles, face the truth and determine their futures. Life’s lessons can only be learnt from living it. Graphic Novel/ Comic, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Personal/social issues AGES: 12-14 The Last Zoo Sam Gayton Pia lives on the last zoo: a floating armada that houses the strangest collection of creatures the world’s ever seen, from genies to mirror-orangutans to hummingdragons. Collectively called ‘voilas’, they each have a special ability, and everyone hopes these will help save the world from environmental catastrophe. Pia looks after the angels, their greatest hope. […] Adventure, Animals, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Friendship, Funny, Magic, Mystery/murder AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Old Dog, New Tricks Bali Rai When the Singh family move into a new house, their neighbour Mick is far from welcoming. He’s mean to everyone and his racist beliefs make living next door to him hard for the Singhs. But Harvey is convinced that Mick just needs help and that he’s the one to do it – he just needs […] Family, Fiction, Friendship, Racism AGES: 12-14 Can You See Me? Libby Scott & Rebecca Westcott Tally is eleven years old and she’s just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is. If she tries really hard to be. Because there’s something that makes Tally not the same as her friends. Something she can’t cover-up, no matter how hard she tries: Tally is autistic. Tally’s autism means there are things that […] Emotion/ Feelings, Empathy, Family, Fiction, Friendship, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Special Needs AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Wolf Brother Michelle Paver Six thousand years ago. Evil stalks the land. Only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion can defeat it. Their journey together takes them through deep forests, across giant glaciers, and into dangers they never imagined. In this page-turning, original, and spectacularly told adventure story, Torak and Wolf are joined by an incredible cast of characters […] Adventure, Chiltern Open Air Museum, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Identity, Myths and Legends, Nature/ Outdoors, Survival AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Star Dancer Beth Webb It is the end of the Iron Age. In the face of the Roman Invasion, the druids believe a warrior-magician will appear when the stars dance. Two children are born that night, a girl, Tegen, and a boy, Griff, a ‘half head.’ Both are rejected. As they grow, Tegen and Griff struggle against treachery […] Chiltern Open Air Museum, Historical AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Now or Never Bali Rai A gripping adventure in an exciting new series reflecting the authentic, unsung stories of our past! Now or Never brings a young soldier, Private Fazal Khan, from his home in India to the battlefields of the Second World War. Fazal’s world is now focused on Company 32 and the animals he cares for in the […] Adventure, Bletchley Park, Chiltern Open Air Museum, Empathy, Faith/ Culture, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Multicultural/international, Prejudice, Violence, War, World Wars 1&2 AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The Messenger Bird Ruth Eastham Nathan’s father has been arrested. He works for the Ministry of Defence and is accused of leaking top secret information. But as he is dragged into a police car, he gives Nathan a message. It leads to a riddle, but it’s not from Dad. It’s from an ex-Bletchley Park employee, Lily Kenley, and was written in […] Adventure, Bletchley Park, Government, law and crime, Mystery/murder, War, World Wars 1&2 AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Brace Mouth False Teeth Sita Brahmachari A heartwarming tale of wit, warmth, friendship and self-confidence. Zeni’s week goes from bad to worse when she is fitted for braces and then sent to Magnolia Gardens Care Home for her Work Experience placement. But then Zeni meets Alice, an old lady with a story to tell and some lost false teeth to find. […] Fiction, Friendship AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Secrets of the Henna Girl Sufiya Ahmed Life as Zeba knows it could be over for good . . . Zeba Khan is like any other sixteen-year-old girl: enjoying herself, waiting for exam results . . . and dreaming of the day she’ll meet her one true love. Except her parents have other plans. In Pakistan for the summer, Zeba’s world is […] Family, Fiction, Romantic AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Vango: Between Sky and Earth Sarah Ardizzone & Timothée de Fombelle In the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, a young man on the cusp of taking priestly vows, despite his interest in Ethel, Vango is suddenly made a fugitive. Fleeing the accusations of police who blame him for a murder, as well as more sinister forces with darker intentions, Vango attempts to trace the […] Adventure, Fiction, Historical, Mystery/murder, Romantic, War AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Line of Fire: Diary of an Unknown Soldier Barroux & Sarah Ardizzone One winter morning, Barroux was walking down a street in Paris when he made an extraordinary find: the real diary of a soldier in World War I. Barroux rescued the diary from the trash and illustrated the soldier’s words. In this striking black and white graphic novel adaptation of a 100-year-old diary, the events of the first two […] Fiction, Graphic Novel/ Comic, Historical AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 What Manor of Murder? Christopher William Hill A BLEAKLEY BROTHERS MYSTERY by OSBERT THE AVENGER author Christopher William Hill What’s that you say? You’re off to Bleakley Manor? On Michaelmas eve? But dear child, hasn’t anyone told you the legend of Old Bramble Head, who rises once a year to claim another victim from the unfortunate Bleakley household… Which one […] Adventure, Crime/ Thriller, Fiction, Government, law and crime, Mystery/murder, Spooky/Scary AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The Survival Game Nicky Singer In a world full of checkpoints and controls, can love and hope defy the borders? A searing, timely story, as arresting as it is beautiful. Imagine a world … Where there are too many people on a too-hot earth and your only chance of salvation is to journey north. Where you must prove […] Environment/Climate Change, Science Fiction, Survival AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Feather Boy Nicky Singer Robert Nobel, the school pariah, triumphs over his own fears and the school bully, in this extraordinary tale of self-empowerment, legend and death. Robert is a boy who can do anything – or so old Edith Sorrel at the nursing home tells him. Robert doesn’t think so, knowing as he does that he is the […] Adventure, Bullying, Fear, Fiction, Friendship, Power AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Graphic Canon of Children’s Literature Rachael Ball The original three-volume anthology The Graphic Canon presented the world’s classic literature – from ancient times to the late 20th century – as eye-popping comics, illustrations and other visual forms. In this follow-up volume, young people’s literature through the ages is given new life by the best comics artists and illustrators. Fairy tales, fables, fantastical […] Fairy tales and folk tales, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Funny, Graphic Novel/ Comic AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ That Asian Kid Savita Kalhan Published in August 2019. It was Pick of the Week for Love Reading 4 Schools, and Book of the Week at Letterbox Library. Jeevan’s an A star student in every subject apart from English. He suspects his English teacher, Mrs. Greaves, of marking him down on purpose. But no one believes him – even […] Family, Fiction, Friendship, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Identity, Justice, Racism, School/ Learning AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Behind Closed Doors Miriam Halahmy Fifteen year olds Tasha and Josie are near-neighbours. But when their families let them down, they find themselves unlikely allies in a battle for survival. Josie s mum is saving the planet by collecting most of it, but her house is no longer safe for her own daughter. Tasha has all the clothes and kit […] Emotion/ Feelings, Empathy, Family, Fiction, Friendship, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Romantic, Self-discovery AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Here be Witches Sarah Mussi All Ellie Morgan wants is to be with her one true love, Henry. But she’s caught in the middle of a BATTLE as old as SNOWDON itself. A battle between GOOD and EVIL. A WITCHES’ SPELL, cast high on the mountain, has sped up time and made matters MUCH WORSE. The dragons are awake; mythical […] Adventure, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Friendship, Magic, Romantic AGES: 12-14 Here be Dragons Sarah Mussi Ellie Morgan wants a boy who’s all hers. Just for once, it would be nice to meet someone that Sheila the cow hadn’t got her claws in to. A remote farmhouse on Mount Snowdon is hardly the ideal setting for meeting anyone – unless, of course, you count her best friend George or creepy Darren […] Adventure, Fiction, Friendship, Love, Mount Snowdon, Myths and Legends, Spooky/Scary, Welsh myths AGES: 12-14 Illegal Andrew Donkin This is a powerful and timely story about one boy’s epic journey across Africa to Europe, a graphic novel for all children with glorious colour artwork throughout. Ebo: alone. His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to […] Empathy, Fiction, Graphic Novel/ Comic, Grief/Loss, Identity, Migration/ Refugees, Multicultural/international AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Race to The Frozen North Catherine Johnson Matthew Henson was simply an ordinary man. That was, until Commander Robert E. Peary entered his life, and offered him a chance at true adventure. Henson would become a navigator, craftsman, translator, and right-hand man on a treacherous journey to the North Pole. Defying the odds and the many prejudices that faced him to become […] Adventure, Crime/ Thriller, Fiction AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Clouds Cannot Cover Us Jay Hulme The poems have been carefully selected to chart the poet, Hulme’s journey from growing up in a working-class family in Leicestershire to his feelings and thoughts about school life and his experience as a transgender teenager. As Hulme says himself: “When it was decided that this collection would be for teenagers I was left with […] Friendship, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, LGBT/ Gender, Personal Stories, Poetry, Prejudice AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Everything All At Once Steven Camden An achingly beautiful collection of poems about one week in a secondary school where everything happens all at once. Zooming in across our cast of characters, we share moments that span everything from hoping to make it to the end of the week, facing it, fitting in, finding friends and falling out, to loving lessons, […] Family, Friendship, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Poetry, School/ Learning AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Island Chris Riddell & Nicky Singer Urban teenager Cameron arrives on an uninhabited Arctic Island. He’s prepared for ice and storms and, stripped of his smart technology, possibly boredom. But he’s not prepared for 24-hour daylight and erupting graves! At first Cameron believes the explanations of his research scientist mother. But, as the island reveals itself to him, he begins to […] Animals, Environment/Climate Change, Faith/ Culture, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Friendship, Historical, Multicultural/international, Myths and Legends, Nature/ Outdoors, Travel AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Thirteen Chairs Dave Shelton Jack stands in the dark on the landing of the old house, and looks at his feet – He has been here for minutes, his hand on the door handle, debating whether or not to go in. A high-ceilinged room lit only by candles. Thirteen chairs, one empty. Twelve ghostly storytellers, waiting to begin. Come […] Fantasy/ Supernatural, Graphic Novel/ Comic, Spooky/Scary AGES: 12-14 AGES: 14+ Emily Lime, Librarian Detective: The Book Case Dave Shelton Daphne is off to St Rita’s, an exclusive girls’ boarding school. It sounds awfully respectable and Daphne herself is awfully respectable too. She loves to read, and is delighted to be offered the chance to interview for Librarian’s assistant’s assistant immediately upon arrival. But it turns out nothing is quite what you’d expect at St […] Adventure, Crime/ Thriller, Funny, Government, law and crime, Mystery/murder AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14
