What Are You Looking For?

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.

This is a comic story about two boys whose efforts to influence their parents’ relationship bring together family upheaval, a school event and the boys’ own changing relationship.

An adventure about belonging and independent decision-making, with Wisp’s difficulty reading stars shaping both his relationships and his attempt to migrate.

A perilous group journey drives the story, with the bears pursuing an imagined refuge while facing dangers, divided directions and a lasting change to their travelling group.

A coming-of-age story about trying to build genuine friendships after relying on an invented social life, with college offering Caroline a chance to start over.

A school dance troupe’s journey becomes a story of friendship and helping a young prince in danger, set against the threat of Nazi persecution in 1939.

A magical village adventure sits alongside a story about siblings finding a more welcoming home. Expect mysteries and eccentric characters, with the children taking an active part in what happens.

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.

Expect a comic zombie story built around a prom-night spell gone wrong, teenage romance and Mia’s unexpected position as leader of the infected class.

This is a contemporary relationship story shaped by differences in family circumstances and by immigration enforcement. Alma and Evan each have ambitions to leave their town, but their relationship confronts them with difficult choices.

This is a story about a young person confronting uncertainty over belonging and family security, alongside an urgent journey and a new friendship.

Sunny’s confidence in a prophecy is shaken, setting up a fantasy adventure about whether destiny can be changed. The book also foregrounds friendship and questions of identity.

A family-transition story centred on Leah’s difficulty settling into a new household and school, with friendship and acting offering ways to explore her feelings and sense of belonging.

The story pairs a magical transformation and a search for chocolate-making work with Aventurine’s changing sense of identity. Friendship and betrayal are part of her new life in the human city.

This is an emotionally focused story about a fatal skating accident, a heart transplant and two families changed by loss and survival. Its speculative connection between the girls sits alongside realistic tensions about grief, dependence, independence and parental expectations.

A reassuring story about starting school, separation from a beloved comfort object and discovering that independence can include support. Bear’s experience gives children permission to find a new situation hard without treating that difficulty as failure.

This is a dark, imaginative continuation built around consequences, identity and dangerous attempts to repair a damaged world. It may suit readers who enjoy elaborate fantasy settings more than tightly focused character development.

This is a light, episodic school fantasy in which magical animals appear from Ms Plum’s cupboard and become catalysts for pupils’ changing behaviour, confidence, friendships and worries.

A poetry collection about young people using classic and spoken-word forms to explore identity, relationships, belonging and social issues, with personal narratives connecting poems to lived experience.

A fast-moving finale combines mythological adventure with questions of identity and belonging. Its emotional centre lies in characters confronting painful memories and deciding what they owe to friends, communities and the wider world.

This appears to be lively contemporary fiction about a girl balancing environmental convictions, musical ambitions, friendship and romantic feelings as exciting opportunities begin to reshape her world.

This is a child-centred mystery adventure combining seaside exploration, hidden places, secrecy and a rescue involving a royal child. Its appeal appears to lie in teamwork, discovery and sustained pursuit, though the ending and the intensity of the danger are not described.

This is a young-adult story focused on Marisa’s family party, with social life, dating and driving forming part of its adolescent setting. Its distinctive angle is the meeting of Cuban family customs and an uptight neighbourhood.

This is a myth-inspired fantasy about coercion, resistance and identity. Its central tension comes from Jae Hwa’s struggle to retain her humanity while serving a powerful god, alongside a damaged relationship and a threat to Korea.

This is a character-led family story balancing humour with poignant questions about divorce, remarriage, family reputation and growing into a more compassionate understanding of oneself and others.

Expect a historical adventure centred on Sally and Roger, their mother’s efforts to protect gold, and the threat posed by approaching British forces. The book also foregrounds family loyalty, courage and a woman taking charge.

This is speculative young-adult fiction about a young woman and her male counterpart negotiating an unusual shared existence. It combines departure from a hometown where Jill faces public judgement with romance, sexual choices, family conflict and the practical question of how either identity can build an independent life.

A lively historical adventure centred on Nell’s resourcefulness and her relationship with Aunt Kitty. Investigations, disguises, humour and puzzles drive the story, while family mysteries and the realities of loss add emotional weight.

This is a lively coming-of-age story about a rebellious teenager negotiating parental boundaries, a new relationship with her biological father and an unfamiliar family. Its central interest is Cyd’s shifting sense of belonging, confidence and personal value.

A whimsical journey follows Olive as her beloved hair outgrows ordinary ways of managing it. The central appeal is imaginative problem-solving: she explores striking possibilities while looking for a place where both she and her hair can belong.

A comic story about Tuffy’s decision to leave home after family members object to his troublesome behaviour, followed by an uncertain attempt to manage life elsewhere.

A horse-centred story about returning home, changing relationships and deciding whether to remain with a familiar life or pursue an uncertain new opportunity.

A reflective coming-of-age story about discovering family roots and negotiating more than one sense of home. Its strongest elements are relationships, vivid place-writing, cultural encounter and questions of identity.

A playful ensemble drama turns five animal tales into acted stories, then shifts towards a more personal final episode. Its distinctive appeal is imaginative performance alongside friendship and self-understanding.

This is a character-focused story about friendship, identity and growing independence. Henry’s heritage and Marcus’s emerging self-confidence create different but connected journeys, with humour and affection balancing angry confrontations and social pressure.

A fast-moving supernatural thriller about friendship, belonging and resisting pressure, with a frightening bodily transformation at its centre. The plot combines school conflict, investigation and action.

This is a gentle story about a child’s wish to wear a ribbon skirt and a grandmother’s loving response. It offers a family-centred way into conversations about self-expression, cultural belonging and openness to new experiences.

This is an adventure about two sisters facing repeated bereavement, separation from familiar homes and an uncertain journey. The sisters’ resourcefulness and choices drive the available premise.

A stark historical journey about a young woman claiming an independent life, while discovering that escape does not remove poverty, danger or responsibility. Its restrained style and unsettled emotional relationships may reward readers who prefer serious, atmospheric fiction over easy comfort.

A buoyant, unusual adventure pairs a determined child with a loving guardian and a rooftop community. Its imaginative freedom sits alongside peril, precarious living, family uncertainty and moments of physical harm.

This is a character-led fantasy about recovery, political negotiation and widening loyalties. Chaol’s treatment and Nesryn’s separate path give Antica importance beyond scenery, while romance and the approaching wider conflict develop alongside them.

This is a fast-moving science-fiction fairy-tale reworking, centred on determined young characters facing divided loyalties, prejudice, identity and difficult choices about power. Its adventure is accompanied by graphic violence, frightening attackers, torture, deaths and some romantic and drinking-related content.

This is a story about enjoying an unexpected passion and resisting pressure to conform. Arthur’s dancing becomes a way for the group to reconsider its assumptions, with acceptance, apology and friendship central to the resolution.

This is a family-and-community story about cultural identity, belonging and resilience. Its period details, family interactions and humour sit alongside racism, economic pressure and the difficult work of translating between languages and expectations.

This is a young-adult mystery with musical, family and cosmic elements. Its premise combines a cold-case murder with a teenager’s move from Hartford to her Native American grandfather’s home in New Hampshire.

A winter camp story about a boy wanting to prove himself while working for his demanding father. It combines period logging life, unusual camp personalities, bereavement, and a friendship that also becomes a rivalry.