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Jemmy has been made to take the prince’s beatings; when Prince Brat runs away, Jemmy is forced to go with him. Their flight turns into a ransom plot involving two highwaymen, and the boys have to cooperate.

Ophelia is set a diamond-stealing challenge, while Oscar’s inventions and a rival cousin add complications. The caper combines a mystery-adventure plot with comic illustrations and frequent feline puns.

This is a spooky, folksy fantasy about two girls whose quarrel unleashes a graveyard full of angry ancestors. The story pairs that supernatural danger with questions of friendship, family history and finding a place to belong.

A useful introduction to video games as an industry rather than simply a pastime, showing the many specialised workers, skills and educational routes involved in making them.

A lively account of how dinosaur bones become a museum display, this book connects prehistoric life with modern work. Its strongest feature is the collective effort: discovery, excavation, movement, preparation, curation and exhibition all receive attention.

A lively introduction to Franklin’s changing roles, from printer and experimenter to civic organiser and statesman. It presents a broad historical journey supported by period images and reference material, with perseverance and inventive thinking prominent in the portrait.

A fast-moving survival adventure places Sam and Delphy in immediate danger from wildfire while their developing friendship becomes central to their effort to reach safety.

This is a wartime story about a child trying to understand occupation, separation and moral choice. Its strongest thread is Marit’s changing view of courage, loyalty and compassion amid danger.

A dark, imaginative adventure for readers who enjoy secret societies, mythological creatures and determined protagonists. Its strongest hooks are the hunter trials, the forest’s threats and Winnie’s effort to reclaim her family’s standing.

This is a richly layered historical coming-of-age novel about a book-loving girl negotiating family duty, education, friendship and romance while a murder’s consequences reach into her community.

This is a symbolic story about colours whose town becomes divided after one colour claims superiority. Friendship, mixing and cooperation challenge exclusion, making the book particularly useful for starting conversations about racism and belonging.

This is a lively choice for a child who enjoys mischief, silly bodily humour and action. Its Viking setting, school episodes and group problem-solving provide variety, while the short, episodic structure can support shared reading or growing independence.

A warm story about a child whose busy family weekend becomes an unexpected learning experience. It offers a lively picture of shared work, celebration and community, while making room for a child’s worry about disappointing school expectations.

A warm wilderness adventure combines a new family arrangement, practical outdoor activity and animal characters with comic community problems. It offers a gentle route into discussing belonging, cooperation and care for the natural world.

A fast-moving rescue adventure about courage, loyalty and learning to trust. Wolves are central companions, while Feo’s journey brings danger, humour and a friendship that develops under pressure.

Expect an imaginative, creature-filled adventure centred on finding sanctuary. Friendship, loyalty, courage and environmental loss sit alongside danger, threatening creatures and occasional insulting language.

A tense boarding-school mystery about disappearance, grief and alliance-building. Its international, multi-ethnic and multi-religious cast includes positively portrayed queer characters, while Gothic atmosphere and several intertwined storylines create a more demanding emotional and structural experience.

Expect a quest-led fantasy centred on bravery, friendship and teamwork. Magical creatures create danger, while the conflict is framed as a struggle against an evil wizard’s spell rather than realistic wrongdoing.

A cheerful school celebration becomes a lively water fight, with children, teachers, costumes, inflatables and a hose. The rhymes, repeated splashy sounds and colourful illustrations make the event feel energetic and playful.

Expect a gently comic adventure in which a boy, a dragon and St George confront expectations about what dragons and heroes should be. The story makes room for poetry, friendship and a staged solution rather than presenting fighting as the only answer.

A lively, comic team caper in which classmates use specialised talents and improvised devices to recover a confiscated ceramic cat. The noir-like text, expressive illustrations and exaggerated characters make the adventure feel deliberately outlandish.

This is a short, poetic remembrance of a childhood home where prominent Black cultural and political figures gathered. Its words are spare, while the paintings make the people, rooms and atmosphere expansive.

A chaptered fantasy adventure about investigating a group that trades promises of protection for wealth. It combines suspense, political danger, action and questions about trust, leadership and the use of fear.

A comic fantasy apprenticeship story becomes a tense encounter with an invisible mind-entering creature. Tiffany’s learning involves practical care, responsibility and confronting powerful influences, alongside magic, community conflict and imaginative humour.

A faith-centred historical adventure about rebuilding Jerusalem, political danger and a young person discovering where he belongs. Expect biblical themes, journeys, opposition and an emphasis on courage, loyalty and service.

This is a comic family story about children learning to see beyond their grandmother’s intimidating manner. Its linked episodes mix practical hardship, rule-breaking schemes and generosity, with the relationship developing across successive summers.

This is a family-centred historical novel about Black children growing up amid racism and hardship. Its conflicts involve a death sentence, racial identity, land ownership, voting rights, work, community pressure and the effort to preserve dignity.

A parent-preview choice for a teenager ready to discuss unequal relationships, grief and financial pressure.

A useful bridge from enjoying animal stories to thinking about how an ecosystem works.