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The boy’s hope of helping his family gives his night in the haunted house a practical aim, alongside the challenge of facing a frightening ghost.

A classic quest premise drives Alex from an unusual shop encounter towards a dragon's lair. The adventure is framed around courage, fear, friendship and choices that may change his life.

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.

A teen’s attempt to turn grief into a list of brave experiences drives this novel. Drawing, friendship, family strain and a developing crush all shape Georgia’s search for what living fully means to her.

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 fantasy adventure combines monster battles and a perilous rescue with Cameron’s struggle against anxiety. Friendship, danger and the consequences of loss drive the journey.

This historical adventure centres on Chico’s friendship with a donkey amid wartime animal transport. The story also brings together people of different ages and nationalities.

Fox’s friendship with Star shapes his familiar forest life. After Star’s light goes out, Fox feels the change and journeys beyond the world he knows to search for Star, encountering new friends.

This fantasy-adventure follows Wolf’s efforts to protect animals and investigate their deaths. The story also brings friendship, courage, greed and revenge into the conflict.

This is a coming-of-age story about a troubled teenager sent to live and work with an older rancher. A turquoise bear carving, Cloyd’s Ute heritage and a dangerous mountain journey shape the story.

A modern fairy-tale fantasy brings together bereavement, nightmares and a magical threat. Angel and Bavar must learn to rely on one another as they face monsters and a rift between worlds.

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

Expect a mystery-driven adventure grounded in Ranofer’s aspiration to practise goldsmithing and his effort to expose his half-brother’s theft. The ancient Egyptian setting is described in substantial detail.

A child’s attempt to turn gardening into a way to earn money becomes a story about balancing a personal goal with friendship and neighbourhood pressures.

A linked fantasy collection with different heroines and challenges: a rescue journey, a princess finding her own magical abilities, and a girl learning to manage dragon transformations.

A determined girl searches for her missing father in a forest associated with a deadly beast, in a magical Beauty and the Beast retelling.

This is a supernatural school story in which Rose balances friendship and romantic complications with escalating danger. A winter trip becomes a rescue mission after three friends leave to face the Strigoi threat.

A childhood story about music, friendship and adapting when illness interrupts a much-loved activity. Millie is an imagined character; Oscar Peterson’s childhood and musical path provide the real-life inspiration.

The story follows CC as she considers her future, guided by an ancient book, alongside children from different backgrounds. Its historical notes may add context to the adventure.

A fantasy adventure about Midge’s encounter with fairies facing a threat to their existence, as their world meets the human one.

This is a fantasy adventure about training for a war, but it also puts Evie's ideas about princesshood, family and compassion under pressure.

This is a fantasy adventure that pairs a missing-sister search with a wider threat to a kingdom. Collun's belief that he is a coward gives his journey a personal challenge as well as external dangers.

The story pairs an escape adventure with questions of identity and friendship: Arthur gains a name and a loyal companion after a life of harsh treatment. Its fantasy world includes animal-human groundlings and a ban on music.

This blends a child’s worry about a missing parent with a story-within-the-story about Marco Polo. The historical adventures give Mark something absorbing to follow while he waits.

This is an animal adventure about three pets travelling through the Canadian wilderness to search for their owners. Their arduous journey involves suffering and stress, alongside loyalty and courage.

The premise centres on a young person wishing for the problem-solving certainty of fiction while facing school and family pressures.

This is a fantasy adventure about a newly adopted child who discovers a hidden connection to his family’s past and chooses to help someone trapped in another world.

This is a family-and-friendship story about a boy facing a personal challenge: finding the courage to express his feelings. Its emotional centre appears to be Louis's inner experience.

A fantasy quest puts a timid sister in an unfamiliar role: seeking a cure while facing dangers she feels unready for. Sisterly devotion and the search for courage are central.

This is an adventure about a group of young heroes facing a puzzling search, alongside a story of friendships and romances reaching a turning point.

This is a magical-creature adventure built around a hidden sanctuary, family ties and rules that can be broken. Its central conflict grows from a threat to the refuge and Kendra’s need to face her fears.

This is an animal-led adventure built around a search for missing friends, with courage and wit tested by a difficult mountain journey.

A steampunk family adventure centres on Maggie’s loyalty to Lizzie as a reunion gives way to suspicions, family mysteries and danger.

Scott is known at school for being afraid, while his best friend Amanda helps him face their younger sister’s frightening antics and trouble from neighbourhood children. At Halloween, they decide to spend time in a creepy old house said to be haunted, hoping to overcome their fears and perhaps get revenge. The outcome is unclear.

This is a gentle-sounding adventure about wanting to explore beyond a familiar view and accepting help from friends. The story centres on Tiny Narwhal’s growing readiness to venture out.

This is a science-fiction adventure about a would-be pilot investigating her father’s wartime actions while confronting unsettling discoveries about her world.

This is a wartime friendship story in which childhood play sits alongside an attempt to track down Nazi spies. Cory’s desire to be brave is tested by mistakes and hurtful choices.

At its heart, this is a story about a young adventurer reconsidering solitude and facing a test of courage while travelling with two horses.

This is a wartime adventure centred on two friends’ interest in flying and their wish to assist the Norwegian Resistance. Finn’s ambitions and the risks of taking action sit alongside the military setting.

A fantasy quest centres on a girl whose unusual ability to understand dragons may help her find a way to aid someone she loves.

The story centres on Anaxandra’s resourcefulness as she repeatedly adopts another identity to stay safe. Greek mythological figures and the growing conflict between Sparta and Troy frame her struggle to find security and a sense of home.

A gentle poolside story about Peanut learning to enjoy water with friends' encouragement. Friendship and helpfulness are part of the book's stated focus.

This is an imaginative fairy-tale adventure about family, friendship and finding missing people, combining modern Virginia with an older magical world. Its shifting settings, time structure and recognisable story figures may appeal to readers who enjoy elaborate retellings.

Expect an imaginative fantasy journey centred on a brother and sister. Alongside crystal landscapes, unusual characters and confrontations, the book explores family strain, inner fears, courage, forgiveness and finding a sense of home.

A culturally rooted fantasy adventure combining Filipino mythology, humour, friendship and a quest involving a stolen soul key. It places grief and family longing alongside supernatural peril, while presenting courage, empathy, gratitude and teamwork as important values.

A lively mystery set around art, deception and relationships, with a bold young investigator at its centre. Alongside suspense, it explores artistic value, loyalty, jealousy and the difference between legal wrongdoing and deeper moral harm.