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This historical adventure centres on a child facing a frightening wartime decision: whether to carry out her mother's order to destroy the shipyard they have been left to protect.

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.

The central appeal is Charlie’s comic knack for getting into scrapes, with sibling and friendship dynamics alongside a spooky-house adventure.

A gentle-feeling story about a dinosaur facing familiar fears, with the focus on gradually becoming braver. Notes and further resources offer an additional way for adults to support discussion.

A school lesson in getting lost on purpose sets off fantastical adventures. The overview says the girls learn about courage, strength, bravery and teamwork, but does not explain what happens in each adventure.

This historical story centres on Young-Wolf’s suspicion of Kirkland and his growing uncertainty about the missionary’s teachings.

This is a mother-daughter adventure in which a princess's choices have consequences for her family and kingdom. Bravery and the mother-daughter bond are central to its premise.

A school-and-friendship story centred on Lucy’s place in her group, with her friends’ public exploits providing a contrast to her private fear.

This is a fantasy adventure about a lonely girl whose bond with a magical keepsake opens a route into an imagined world. It also sets her new school life alongside a family discovery.

Choose this for a child drawn to imaginative adventure, airborne fantasy and unusual inventions. The central appeal appears to be entering an extraordinary kingdom rather than following a realistic everyday story.

Expect a cat-centred adventure that combines fear, monsters, friendship and comic mischief.

A visually rich, unsettling adventure about children resisting monstrous forces, The Wrenchies combines action, loneliness, loyalty and artistic imagination. Its fragmented storytelling leaves some mysteries unresolved rather than explaining every element.

This is a brisk child-centred mystery in which Benjie’s enthusiasm for spying and Pete’s protective actions help uncover burglaries. Suspense comes from the family’s vulnerability and Benjie’s capture, while humour and animal loyalty soften the danger.

This may offer a concise way into historical fiction about the Underground Railroad, with bravery and moral opposition at its centre.

A fast-moving Hardy Boys mystery combines exploration, investigation and danger. Frank and Joe follow the mystery of a swallowed statue into tunnels and an abandoned underground city, where a criminal group threatens Bayport.

A folklore-infused fantasy about a cursed princess undertaking dangerous trials to save her brothers. Its strongest threads are family loyalty, courage, sacrifice and repairing harm, while its trials include physical danger, death and bereavement.

This is a young-reader title in the Babou sequence, written by Lucie Papineau and illustrated by Romi Caron.

A faith-centred retelling of Rahab’s story, focusing on courage, secrecy, escape and protection of family. The telling strongly foregrounds Christian belief and presents Rahab’s earlier profession only obliquely.

A reassuring story about losing a treasured comfort object, nighttime fears and becoming more understanding towards a younger sibling. Bella’s growing bravery is shown through a concrete family problem rather than through a lecture.

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 fast-moving spy adventure centred on Cammie, Macey and their friends. Kidnapping attempts, presidential politics, school secrets and a developing relationship create a blend of danger, mystery and personal loyalties.

This is a compact Norse fantasy about an overlooked boy who responds to hardship with ingenuity rather than force. Its adventure introduces gods, giants and morally complicated mythology while leaving room to reflect on courage, loss and belonging.

A visually imaginative story about fear, self-soothing and growing independence. Toby’s rescue of Henry shifts bravery from something supplied by an object to something he begins to practise himself.

Expect a vivid underwater fantasy adventure led by a determined engineer, with a submarine expedition, imaginative creatures, perilous conditions and a group learning to trust one another.

This is a spooky, funny family adventure centred on a child’s fear of a pirate ghost and an older brother’s teasing. Its appeal lies in the uncertainty between an alarming story and a practical joke.

A lively read-aloud about a lost dog’s imagined adventures, using rhyme, humour and expressive illustrations to explore survival, landscape, curiosity and the pull of home.

This is an adventurous, emotionally charged animal-led quest. It offers talking animals, friendship and humour alongside a bleak altered world, separated families, imprisonment, disease and threats to survival. The ending appears to open into a continuing story rather than resolving every possibility.

A family’s fear grows as a huge black dog watches their home. Small Hope faces it, leads it on a chase, and discovers a playful way to bring it inside.

Expect a lively rescue adventure centred on Molly’s courage and cleverness. The pirate setting, island peril and treasure chase offer momentum, while Molly’s role gives the story an assertive child protagonist.

A spooky fantasy adventure about a girl who enters a dangerous forest to understand what happened to her sister, with the story’s central mystery challenging simple ideas of bravery and rescue.

Expect a warm adventure built around protecting a vulnerable creature. Charlie’s school troubles and family uncertainty sit alongside magical danger, while friendship and practical ingenuity help move the story forward.

This is an imaginative adventure combining friendship, mystery and a robot with a society changed by water scarcity. It also gives sustained attention to Auden’s experience of achromatopsia and his changing relationship with that difference.

This is a historical mystery about a child navigating wartime separation, an unwelcoming household and unanswered questions. Gardens, hothouses and a Suffolk estate provide a vivid setting for secrets, suspicion and friendship.

This offers a warm, satisfying fairy tale with magical transformations, unusual characters and artwork rich in small visual details that create an intimate, familiar feel.

This offers a collection of less familiar fairy tales from around the world, with heroines who solve problems through wit, courage and resourcefulness rather than needing rescue.

A brisk, humorous rescue adventure in which Dulcinea uses her wits to confront a witch and navigate enchanted obstacles, with illustrations that contrast her calm manner with the witch’s theatricality.

A dark, fast-moving faerie adventure that combines monsters, romance and town danger with more reflective questions about self-invention, family secrets, community complicity and whether apparent gifts or beauty can conceal coercion.

This is a fast-moving virtual-reality adventure with a capable but vulnerable protagonist, combining tournament gameplay with a mystery about a threatening player and technology’s real-world consequences.

This is a spooky rescue adventure centred on a frightened boy trying to protect his brother. Expect cemetery and crypt imagery, supernatural games, riddles and sustained suspense, alongside friendship and compassion.

This is an emotionally charged historical animal adventure: Delta uses courage and resourcefulness to search for separated friends while Pompeii faces catastrophe. It offers suspense, relationships and a window onto Roman life, including the unequal position of enslaved people.

A clue-driven historical adventure centred on a determined violinist, with friendship and perseverance alongside bereavement, abandonment, deception and threats. Its journey spans India, the sea voyage and Victorian England.

This is a magical forest adventure centred on Hilda and Twig’s partnership. Its distinctive offer is a more active role for Twig, alongside storm sheltering, mysterious surroundings and a rescue-shaped challenge.

A lively historical-fantasy mystery follows two young detectives through Parisian streets and sewers. Its strongest appeal is the blend of family questions, magical folklore, riddles, danger and a richly used city setting, with Zélie and Jules sharing the adventure.

A lively fantasy quest with a determined heroine, comic creatures and a school setting. Bronte’s pursuit of knighthood challenges traditional expectations while the story explores courage, responsibility and standing by others.

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.