What Are You Looking For?

A reflective, illustrated story told in short conversations rather than continuous prose. Its appeal lies in pausing over the friends’ thoughts and the drawings, and returning to individual pages as well as reading from cover to cover.

The story follows Sydney through the unsettled period after a transplant, as she seeks a connection to her likely donor and her relationship with Clayton develops. Chloe’s worsening health and Sydney’s changing sense of purpose complicate that new beginning.

A child-centred fantasy adventure about friendship across very different ways of life, with a final episode that invites readers to decide what really happened.

A nature-rich animal adventure follows a young vole family travelling in search of safety.

A gentle Christian adventure combines a woodland search with a story about angels, prayer and friendship. Antrew’s separation from the others brings some suspense, while the search is supported by faith.

Expect a strong shift in mood: early comedy and school antics give way to sustained conflict and tragic drama. The light opening does not represent the tone throughout.

A magical search story links flowers in the human world with fairies’ petals. Rachel and Kirsty help Danielle and the other Petal Fairies look for what has been scattered.

The chain-letter mystery sits alongside a family complication: Livvie does not want Peter’s father to date her mother. Her work with Peter on a school project makes keeping the families apart difficult.

At its heart, this is a playful story about a child making a robot companion from ordinary things. Its illustrations are described as bright and comic, with imaginative details to notice together.

A historical adventure told as a young scribe’s journal, combining an expedition plot with an ancient Egyptian setting.

Spark’s search involves accepting friends’ offers while recognising that their homes do not suit him. The story ends with friends helping him create a place of his own.

A wintry fantasy adventure pairs truck-driving and mechanical problem-solving with magic, rebellion and a difficult journey. Sylvi’s attachment to Winter and her response to change sit alongside the action.

A fantasy about balancing an extraordinary responsibility with friendship and uncertainty about life after school; humour and Bailey’s grounded teenage voice help connect the supernatural elements to everyday concerns.

Katie’s move and efforts to make friends place her first-love experience within a wider story of adjusting to a new school and family life.

A gentle picture-book quest about waiting to be imagined, finding a friend and feeling more at home in an unfamiliar world.

This is a high-stakes fantasy quest centred on a fractured team, an elusive animal kingdom and a guarded talisman. The book is part of a continuing series.

Expect a high-stakes fantasy conflict with shifting alliances, repeated attempts to stop Darquesse, and a focus on Valkyrie and Skulduggery’s bond.

This story combines an imaginative out-of-body premise with a child’s experience of bereavement. Its central appeal may be the way supernatural events and the longing for a lost friend sit alongside one another.

A friendship-led supernatural mystery turns into horror as Laine investigates Debbie’s death through the board. Expect a focus on eerie events and a threatening presence rather than a light account of friendship.

This is a turbulent story about a teenager facing legal consequences and a difficult choice involving a friend and an almost-boyfriend. Expect a plot that includes several crises and a fictional drug.

A warm, everyday school-and-family story follows Ramona through friendship, spelling struggles and the adjustment to a baby sister, with both awkward moments and small successes.

A serious family story about finding belonging amid unstable housing, grief and caring responsibilities, with Cora’s tree-climbing and friendships offering threads of connection.

A school story about balancing newspaper work with a crush, friendship disagreements and a wish to try gymnastics.

This combines zombie attacks and an evolving undead threat with school, work, college plans and friendships. Courtney’s attempt to fund her future by selling a zombie-derived drug gives the survival plot a morally complicated starting point.

A family story about Floss’s choice to live with her father, whose failing café brings financial strain and upheaval. School friendships add another thread, and the ending is open rather than fully settled.

This is an emotionally intense story about a teenager’s eating disorder, self-harm, grief and family relationships, with a thread of hope around recovery.

The mystery pairs seasonal spookiness with a more personal puzzle: how to judge coincidences when you are worried. Mary Anne’s friends are part of the investigation, not just bystanders.

This is a magical rescue adventure built around Greta’s friendship with Boris and her partnership with Kyrie Mi-ke. Their journey brings them through strange lands and into conflict involving cats, mice and the Rat King.

A gentle friendship story about trying to fit in and finding company. Its upside-down illustrations make Batty’s unusual point of view part of the reading experience.

A short, high-interest story about a teenager facing distress, secrets and changing friendships. The plot centres on Darcy’s efforts to recover and support a friend, rather than on an informational account.

A reflective story about Ruby’s grief and regret, with friendship tensions and a quirky town celebration alongside the serious feelings.

This is a camp friendship story built around Gaby’s effort to attract attention and a lie that creates a difficult social predicament.

This is a spooky, folksy fantasy about two girls whose quarrel unleashes a graveyard full of angry ancestors. The story pairs that supernatural danger with questions of friendship, family history and finding a place to belong.

A playful, offbeat tale that pairs an unusual word sequence with colourful illustrations; its story may feel deliberately odd rather than neatly explained.

A school popularity story that centres a well-liked girl rather than an outsider, and follows her as she takes on a leadership role.

Expect a supernatural quest shaped by Lela’s determination to reach Nadia, with danger from the city’s inhabitants and a developing connection with Malachi.

A lyrical fairy tale with atmospheric illustrations and a cinematic flow. Its central appeal is the developing bond between Maude and Tony.

Expect a fast-moving fantasy adventure built around a global monster attack, Charlie’s efforts to confront the Fifth, and the difficult demands placed on his friends.

This is a sports-focused account of two celebrated rivals, with attention to how different backgrounds and playing styles coexist with a shared drive to excel.

Sticky notes spread around the school, carrying both friendly and cutting messages.

A playful fantasy adventure built around a birthday party repeatedly interrupted by monster alarms, with Princess Magnolia balancing her guests’ celebration and her secret superhero identity.

This is a fantasy adventure built around a search, a resistance and a mystery about stolen powers. Its appeal may lie in the blend of strange technology and magic.

This is a magical friendship adventure built around a camp-night problem: the girls are kept awake by bad dreams while Sabrina has yet to recover her magic.

This is a comic-sounding adventure built around friendship, changing superpowers and a deliberately unpleasant practical problem. Its appeal may lie in the boys’ imaginative challenge rather than realistic everyday situations.

This is a supernatural adventure about friendship and a hidden world, mixing demons, martial arts, strange creatures and large-scale battles.

This is an ensemble story of affluent teenagers whose spring-break plans bring friendships and romantic relationships into contact. The plot moves between Sun Valley and Manhattan.