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This is a grief-centred story about a teenager facing her mother's death, state care and successive foster homes. It also follows her relationships with friends and the possibility of finding family in unexpected places.

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.

The story combines family tensions, a ghost and Sami’s adjustment to life at the manor. Her attraction to Adan crosses the boundary of the old feud, though romance is not the sole focus.

A family-and-basketball story: Billy is caught between his father’s expectations on court and the upheaval at home, while his brother Ben’s piano recital competes with the championship game.

A lively family wedding story, with Ellie’s worries about bad luck alongside humour, mishaps and Jewish wedding traditions.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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 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.

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 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.

The guide describes possible changes after divorce: a teenager may be asked to work or help at home, while spending on shopping or activities may be reduced.

This is a horse-centred adventure combining film-horse training with Issie’s effort to protect a group of wild ponies. Her friends and the farm manager become potential allies in that effort.

Expect a speculative adventure combining a search for a missing brother with demon-hunting work and interdimensional intrigue. Ehrich must also conceal his origins and work out whom to trust.

A group of exiled teenagers face a survival choice in an undead-infested setting, while secrets among them complicate their search for safety and other survivors.

A young diarist’s family duties and fear at home are set against the turmoil of witchcraft accusations and trials in her village.

Glorieta wants her mother remembered and buried with the family. Her efforts bring her into conflict with an aunt over faith and the possibility that her mother is in Hell.

Shabanu’s betrothal and her sister’s impending marriage sit alongside her own dreams of freedom, making personal choice and family obligation central to the story.

Tina sees the Ohio River as peaceful and worries about railway safety; Charles values the railway’s power and speed. Their family’s views on slavery and a possible move to Kansas bring the period’s conflicts into family life.

Nora investigates a family mystery while trying to work out whether she can rely on Patch.

A family under financial pressure is at the heart of this story. Jackson’s imaginary cat brings humour and companionship as he faces the possibility that his family’s housing troubles may return.

A little girl offers tips for keeping her grandmother entertained, spending time together at the park and getting settled for an overnight visit. The tone is light and affectionate.

Expect a character-led ghost story, with the supernatural mystery intertwined with bereavement, loneliness and the effort to belong in a new family.

Claire’s arrival in Paris brings new sights, people and language, alongside the pleasure of exploring with Camille. Her curiosity about why she was sent there drives the mystery.

Expect supernatural mystery alongside questions of loyalty: Zoey and Stevie Rae share a secret, while friendships and enmities shift around them.

A collection of true childhood stories, written by children and adults recalling their own childhoods. They touch on friendship, choices and qualities including honesty, kindness, forgiveness and perseverance, with cartoon strips featuring the Souper Kids.

Cassie the cat and Moses the crow are presented as unlikely friends. Alongside their story, the book offers photographs of them at play and fun facts about both kinds of animal.

A teenage heroine’s strange inheritance draws her into a perilous struggle involving monsters, assassins and a family appeal to join the “family business”.

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 is a family-and-rodeo story about a boy drawn towards his father’s ambition while afraid of the danger involved. Jana and Layne’s younger sister help him confront that conflict.

This is a supernatural coming-of-age story about Adam’s difficult family life and his collision with a hidden world between life and death.

The story centres on a family’s displacement and Chris’s growing awareness of poverty, cultural identity and belonging. His pull towards the landscape of his Wiradjuri ancestors gives the novel a strong focus on connection across generations.

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 gentle, participatory read-aloud built around rhyme, repetition and counting. Its central pleasure is noticing both the individuality of babies and the shared features that connect them.

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.