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A royal contest drives the plot: September must face others who believe they have a rightful claim, as familiar companions and her searching parents become part of events.

A moonlit route draws David from his fishing village into an enchanted garden. The adventure includes a giant to battle, along with a flying horse and golden riches.

A group of four children takes on a rescue mission in a magical island setting, facing a cursed maze and its Guardian. The story also involves a revenge-seeking sorceress.

Ready’s resourceful exploits and the balloon ascent set an adventure in 1853 San Francisco, with the city’s post-gold-discovery daily life as part of the setting.

A young artist paints animals in imaginative colours and forms, taking pleasure in the finished pictures. The story celebrates making art freely rather than trying to match familiar expectations.

Kim’s friend Natalie is pregnant and set to marry Ben, who does not love her. Meanwhile, Kim considers whether to reconnect with her birth mother and whether she and her father might take in her cousin Maya.

Readers navigate friendship tensions, a shared crush, discomfort about body hair and an invitation to join a popular group that comes with a price. Their decisions determine how their story unfolds.

The renewed Empire’s assault on the Rebels unfolds alongside a threat to Han and Leia from Jabba’s heirs. Luke’s possible opposition adds a close personal uncertainty to the struggle.

A gently described adventure follows Solo from one discovery to the next. The mystery of her mother’s whereabouts gives the exploration a thread of uncertainty, alongside a fright in the cellar.

Expect angelic training, exams and supernatural conflict, alongside a faith-focused story about Jonah facing setbacks that touch several parts of his life.

This is a magical retrieval adventure: Rachel and Kirsty try to get Scarlett’s stolen garnet back. Its loss disrupts the fairy’s size-changing magic, while the larger series quest concerns finding seven jewels.

The siblings face a mysterious forest, Aunt Eda’s many rules and questions about their missing uncle. Strange creatures, night-time sightings and the contrast between chills and humour shape the story.

A fast-moving contest against a corporation unfolds through activism, public revelations and suspicions of a concealed operation. This is the concluding instalment, so the conflict belongs to a larger series arc.

Expect physics explained through puzzles, familiar phenomena and entertaining anecdotes, rather than a continuous story. Topics include mechanics, light, sound and heat, with questions ranging from knots to jumping from a moving car.

This is a historical story about dynastic marriage and an unsettled future, centred on Catherine’s patience and resolve while the possibility of marriage to Henry or return to Spain remains open.

Quinn’s inability to feel physical pain shapes a life of risky choices and little structure. Following his father’s death and a car accident, he takes a job; his growing closeness to Reese coincides with increasing instability and a blurring of art and reality.

This novel brings a missing-child crisis into the same small-town setting as Samara’s strained family life and changing relationship with faith.

This is a relationship-led coming-of-age story: Jan’s connection with Al helps him consider a different direction, while his bond with Jodi, books and writing also enters that change.

Three siblings discover they are heirs to a legendary kingdom and flee north. The route includes monsters, hostile people and a threatening factory, while tensions within the family add another challenge.

A school mystery with science-fiction and spooky elements follows Duncan as he tries to work out which teacher may be an alien. The aliens’ interest in pupils’ qualities adds an unsettling twist to the school setting.

A paranormal mystery follows Cassidy as she pieces together missing memories and investigates whether her death was other than the suicide people assume. Romance and regret are part of her effort to understand her past.

Bailey’s account links her three dogs to relationships that did not work out. Romance and dating sit alongside her wish for enthusiasm, loyalty and unconditional love.

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 family’s secret journey away from home, the long uncertainty of waiting, and hopes of reunion shape Mahtab’s story.

A fantasy rescue adventure centres on friendship and helping Mae search for Pan Pan, who may be taken to Jack Frost’s icy zoo.

The scouts are unsettled after time-related events, and Jen sets out to encourage them through a search for a jackalope. They encounter a young cowgirl living in the woods with unusual animals.

The book broadens the story of the First World War by looking at women’s home and social lives, paid employment and anti-war campaigning in Britain.

A friendship-group story about choices and learning from mistakes, with loyalty at its centre. JP's choice around a contest gives the theme a concrete focus.

A lively introduction to Jack Russell terriers combines breed history and traits with stories of dogs doing unusual activities.

This historical tale centres on Melkorka’s efforts to survive captivity, learn about the people holding her and care for frightened children. Her silence becomes part of how others respond to her.

A horse-and-friendship story with a ghostly mystery: Ellie and Jonah try to discover whether a haunting lies behind the guests’ worries and the threat to the family business.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Three supernatural romances place characters amid secret-society rules, danger and divided loyalties. The stories centre on Gillian, Rashel and Hannah, with each facing a different threat or uncertainty.

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.

Crawford’s routine moves through washing, reading, brushing his teeth and using the bathroom before he settles in bed. The story also connects staying in bed with waking happy.

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.

This is an outdoor adventure about a child investigating her grandmother’s disappearance, helping eagles in difficulty and discovering a stronger sense of belonging in the mountain community.