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Louis’s reasons for joining include wages and the Union’s fight to end slavery. The story follows his experience in the Irish Brigade and brings together the perspectives of an Abenaki teenager and the Civil War.

Meet women who served as nurses, pilots, engineers and soldiers, among other roles. The biographies span US military history and show how duties and responsibilities changed over time.

The story centres on Bettina’s changed understanding of her family history and her investigation with Eugenia. Murder, copycat crimes and the town’s true-crime attention form the thriller’s central material.

The tale connects dwelling on what is unavailable with missing the good things already around you.

Little Else’s circus acts are a hit, but Ma Calico withholds payment. With the horses tired of pulling Ma and the performers urging Little Else to act, she goes looking for bushranger Harry Blast.

This is a basketball-centred mystery about bereavement, a murder trial and Brian’s decision whether to share information that could affect the case. Historical injustice and racial prejudice also enter the story.

The children respond to an unfair arrangement by growing vegetables and proposing a trade. Their plan depends on whether the ruler will value the produce, so the story’s hoped-for resolution centres on negotiation.

Dit and Emma’s friendship develops amid racial prejudice in 1917 Alabama. When a Black barber is condemned after a trial, they make a daring plan to save him.

Billie’s hope for change gives way to a harder choice about whether to stand up for what she believes. The story centres on her changing understanding of racism and the people around her.

Maggie’s prized Shopkin disappears during a camping trip with her friends. Her suspicion falls on Ava, who has been admiring it; Maggie follows clues while the group’s friendships are under strain.

A magical-object theft sets up an adventure around lifeguards, helpfulness and an award. Rachel and Kirsty are involved as the fairies’ plans are disrupted.

The book traces Harris's path from a child attending civil-rights marches to a senator and Vice President, highlighting moments when she spoke up for herself or others.

A life of Thoreau is paired with projects that invite readers to try activities connected with nature and everyday observation, from gardening and hiking to keeping a journal.

The central tension is how a group’s attempts to pursue justice can shift towards revenge, with consequences the friends cannot control.

A murder accusation drives this family-centred story, with Dovey trying to clear her name while her sister’s future and her brother’s safety are caught up in the conflict.

Ben’s paid desert-guiding trip turns into a fight to survive when Madec tries to silence him after a prospector is shot. The suspense centres on exposure, thirst, gunfire and the difficulty of being believed.

Expect a fantasy sequel built around a covert struggle with royal authority, dangerous secrets and changing loyalties. Its action and suspense sit alongside Celaena’s past and complicated relationships.

A school hero whom classmates still regard as a nerd takes on a graffiti mystery, while protecting his secret identity and facing an attempt to shift blame onto him.

A fantasy adventure follows Pong, marked as a fugitive after escaping prison, and Nok, who sets out to capture him. Their paths raise questions about inequality and whether law is always just.

Two young sisters leave home to join men and women preparing to march for freedom and justice. The story foregrounds young people taking part in the Civil Rights movement.

A comic fantasy about an impossible hat problem becomes a story of a boy facing royal authority. Its absurdity and escalating predicament may suit a shared read with room to pause and talk.

A picture-book biography about how Billie Holiday made a protest song her own, set against racial discrimination and the history of lynching.

A lively historical mystery rooted in theatre life, with a resourceful young heroine and a web of uncertain loyalties. Expect adventure alongside glimpses of Georgian social divisions and political ideas.

A historical story about a girl’s attachment to a Japanese doll during wartime, and the pressure to choose between that personal bond and national loyalty.

A child’s love of dance meets unequal opportunities: she is allowed into lessons but kept at the back. The story also brings her aspiration into contact with Janet Collins’s achievement.

A puzzle-led fantasy adventure, with riddles readers can try alongside the characters. The appeal is the unfolding quest and imaginative mix of worlds; the story is part of a continuing series.

A historical family story about wartime change, German-American prejudice and Carl’s first summer living away from home.

A broad historical survey combines movement, conflict and individual lives, including artists, workers and people challenging racial exclusion.

A Christmas-gift caper centres on a boy’s strong wish for a games console and his plan to recover the presents taken from him and his cousins.

A familiar Cinderella framework is recast as a Faerie-court adventure, with Ornella bargaining for freedom while becoming involved in danger surrounding the Winter King.

This is a handover story about a new Batman whose approach differs sharply from Bruce Wayne’s. Its central tension is whether harsh methods can deliver the order Jean-Paul seeks.

This is a comic animal-detective adventure built around an investigation, a mistaken accusation and a race involving a lost city and treasure.

A structured introduction to race and policing, combining historical context with current issues and discussion of possible improvements in police-community relationships.

This is a coming-of-age story about Andy’s first relationships as a gay man, set alongside memories of a painful family life and his attempt to make a new start at college.

A three-case detective collection, centred on a group of young investigators. Its hooks are a mysterious fire, a missing cat and secrets surrounding Banshee Towers.

A historical story about Marnie and Raver’s friendship, communication and the villagers’ response. Their misjudgement of Raver and suspicion of Marnie set up the central conflict.

This is a space-race adventure in which three cadets monitor rival ships and become involved in uncovering foul play connected to Titan’s crystal-mining operations.

This is a supernatural adventure built around Kerry’s pursuit of answers and her growing knowledge of witchcraft. Its central tension is deciding whom to trust while her plans are unsettled.

A story about María, who has Down syndrome, and her slow progress as she learns to ride a bicycle. It connects her experience with a broader message about understanding difference.

This verse novel follows a teenage artist through wrongful imprisonment and his effort to preserve his humanity and pursue the truth.

A concise historical account centres on Parks’s refusal and places it in the civil rights movement. The book also uses cut-paper images alongside Nikki Giovanni’s text.

A practical introduction to how laws may protect or restrict LGBT young people, with attention to decisions made by schools and other local officials.

A comic farmyard contest drives the story, while the contestants’ prize turns out to be something quite different from the honour they expect.

A historically grounded adventure that also asks who receives credit for exploration and what costs expeditions impose on the people they encounter.

A Christmas gathering brings Evelyn together with children from three other families. Their shifting enthusiasms, quarrels and plans, including attic explorations, shape a story described as a fictionalised account of childhood.

This picture-led story uses archival photographs and imagined children’s dialogue to bring school desegregation into view. It offers a historical perspective through children’s experiences, rather than a purely factual account.