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Expect a fantasy adventure centred on a riding competition, a lost magical helmet and help from two friends. Horses, fairies and goblins are part of its story world.

A fantasy finale about a young hero confronting a death prophecy and defending a city under attack. Family protection and the prospect of peace sit alongside the danger of war.

A witty, sharp-edged Cinderella variation follows Becky through sudden glamour and public attention, while she tries to hold on to who she was before the transformation. Expect satire alongside questions of beauty and belonging.

This is a friendship story shaped by serious illness and anticipated loss. Jory’s changing relationships and her struggle with anger sit alongside the practical and emotional support the characters offer one another.

Bat and Squirrel communicate through notes while awake at different times. Their misunderstandings shape a humorous friendship story about finding common ground across differences.

A fast-moving adventure mixes cousinly competition and outdoor challenges with a science-fiction mystery about a meteorite—and what it may have brought with it.

Dogs drive cars, run through mazes and take part in a party high in a tree. A recurring hat question adds a small comic thread to this lively, colourful story.

Mare searches for people like herself and tries to gather them against the new king. Alongside rebellion and shifting loyalties, the story follows her reassessing her identity and past relationships.

A famine-era story links Giovanni’s change of heart to the St Joseph’s altar tradition. Faith, prayer, food and generosity are central, with a practical altar-making guide at the end.

This is a comic school mystery as well as a friendship story: the newcomers must piece together what is happening while learning how the school’s social world works.

This adventure follows Alfred and his animal companions across the Pacific, where historical sites and present-day marine damage shape his travels. Encounters with an environmental crew prompt him to pursue ocean protection.

Expect a varied story collection rather than one continuous plot: familiar myths and literary tales sit alongside tall tales, folk stories and a selection of poetry.

A missing magic hoop gives Rachel and Kirsty a clear quest amid preparations for the Fairy Olympics. The goblins’ threat makes the competition’s fate part of the adventure.

A Batman mystery combines a threat to Gotham’s bridges with flashbacks to the city’s formation. Dick Grayson is Batman, and other costumed allies take part.

Shane's dating advice reaches classmates and a teacher, while his own feelings complicate the rules he offers others. Friendship, attraction and the fallout when the formula becomes public sit alongside comic romantic entanglements.

Fuzzoola and Katherine share adventures and stories, then help others learn to communicate with their friends. A closing tips section gives children suggestions for listening well.

Miu Lan can take many imagined forms but is unsure how to describe who they are. School brings difficult questions and trouble finding accepting friends; their mother’s love gives them comfort.

Gerald’s loyalty to Angel and efforts to withstand abuse sit alongside bereavement and family instability. The story also includes trusted support from Aunt Queen and Mr Washington, rather than focusing only on danger.

Robbie’s attempt to follow his father into the air force takes him from training to dangerous wartime missions, despite being assigned as a navigator rather than a pilot.

A dragonrider fantasy with political upheaval at its heart, the story follows two young competitors whose shared past and opposing family histories complicate their choices about power and loyalty.

Expect a layered fantasy mystery, with Polly piecing together memories and the significance of stories she and Tom invented. It also follows her changing friendships and sense of self as she grows up.

A real-life adventure about a runner and a stray dog whose companionship develops during an ultramarathon, followed by Leonard’s effort to bring Gobi home.

This is a suspense story about a frightening encounter, a violent act and friends trying to keep a secret while searching for evidence.

This is a poetic homecoming story, moving from animal families to a sailor and his son. Its central idea is fathers returning to their children, framed as a tribute to fathers serving during the Second World War.

Expect a supernatural fantasy built around Daire’s visions, her newly discovered abilities and the uncertain identity of the boy she dreams about.

A playful Easter hunt pairs a story with opportunities for children to help locate and count chocolate eggs and notice a dotted pattern.

Russ’s attempt to make a short film sets off a chain of trouble, and a message from his future self draws him into changing the past. The resulting time-travel glitches put his own wellbeing and other people’s lives at risk.

This is the third Everworld book. The friends’ search for Senna continues, while Merlin’s possible knowledge and separate agenda complicate their hopes of finding her.

Emily and Stanley investigate a noise and try to help the crying Thing get to sleep. Their attempts do not work, leaving the question of what is troubling it at the heart of the story.

Elly has bonbons, pretty clothes and help from maids, but wants to be with other children and join in their baseball. A fairy godfather arrives as she hopes for a change.

A strange lift mystery drives Álex and Olga to investigate an unlisted floor, where wishes have sinister consequences and require a sacrifice.

A close-knit scout group’s summer outing becomes a supernatural adventure, with friendship, camp routines, an unexpected encounter with the Cloud People and unicorns.

The story pairs magical transformations with practical kindness: the hedgehog makes gifts for visitors, then needs their help when the wool is gone.

Expect a collection of California curiosities: haunted locations, unexplained happenings, unusual figures and creatures, rock formations said to move, and desert drawings visible from the air.

Expect a horror-survival story with dark humour: a blizzard-stranded camp, missing campers and a zombie outbreak drive the action. A mystery about the camp’s supposed obesity cure runs alongside the fight to survive.

A family-centred story about June preparing for a church choir solo, with Sunday routines and encouragement from relatives woven into the lead-up.

A historical story of friendship under pressure, following Leah and Jeff as the Civil War puts them on opposing sides and faith becomes part of their separate experiences.

This is a large-scale conflict story in which the Nephites prepare to defend Hill Cumorah while facing threats both outside and within their community.

This is a horror mystery about ambition, apprenticeship and an unsettling disturbance at an animation studio. Buddy and Dot investigate what is happening as the studio works towards a deadline.

A haunted-house mystery drives the story: Amethyst is drawn to a strange home and becomes increasingly connected to it while trying to uncover what has happened to its residents.

This fantasy brings a rescue adventure into the run-up to a wedding. Creel’s friendships and loyalties are central, alongside the possibility of peace between humans and dragons.

A first-person diary gives the Ender Dragon space to tell its own story, looking at its life and at what may lie behind its legendary reputation.

This fantasy instalment follows several connected conflicts: Zoey’s opposition to Neferet, Rephaim’s struggle to remain free of his father’s influence, and the arrival of Aurox, created as a weapon.

A coming-of-age novel about a young man who leaves for Buenos Aires with a study plan and a romantic motive, then encounters work, new people and a life unlike the one he imagined.

A school mystery grows into a suspense story with gothic and fantastic touches. Blanka’s investigation draws on the convent’s history, while the Wolves’ hostility and uncertainty about whom to trust keep tension close to school life.

The companions’ goal is to restore the Belt of Deltora by finding its seven gems and overthrowing the Shadow Lord, who has taken control of the land.

This is a Moon-colony mystery about a boy seeking answers after his father fails to return from a mission officials deny ever happened.

This is a playful story about turning an impossible wish into a sequence of experiments. Its appeal lies in the boy’s imaginative plans and the surprising distinction between a star in the sky and something star-shaped.

A focused, dual-narrative historical novel about displacement, survival and access to water. Its language is spare, but the experiences include war, deaths and severe deprivation, balanced by perseverance and collective problem-solving.

A gentle story about moving from a very small comfort zone into wider experiences. Mabel’s journey offers opportunities to discuss fear, curiosity, confidence, changing seasons and supporting someone who is hesitant.

A family’s fear grows as a huge black dog watches their home. Small Hope faces it, leads it on a chase, and discovers a playful way to bring it inside.

A gentle nature story combines a small character’s change of circumstances with information about oak trees, seasons and the many species associated with them.

This is a creative introduction to feelings, using alphabetic rhymes and animal imagery to give emotions memorable forms and language. It may work especially well as a shared conversation book.

This is an active read-aloud: children can watch each animal, hear a movement prompt, and answer “I can do it!” before copying the action. The sequence introduces body parts and movement words through repetition and colourful collages.

This is a gentle story about staying emotionally connected when physical contact is not possible. It offers several concrete, non-touching ways to show affection, while keeping the reason and duration of separation unexplained.