What Are You Looking For?

A sombre, imaginative story about sisters, a sleeping princess and a dreamworld shaped by inner struggles. Expect more emotional and psychological exploration than fast-moving adventure, with fairy-tale wonder alongside painful material.

A humorous, emotionally serious story about a boy facing bullying, family disruption and caring responsibilities, with a fantastical wish premise. It may offer reassurance while still presenting difficult circumstances that merit thoughtful discussion.

This is a serious, emotionally intense YA novel about three girls whose connection begins in a suicide pact and develops into mutual support. Its hopeful direction is accompanied by continuing struggle rather than an easy cure.

This is a high-stakes school thriller centred on a student’s planned revenge with an explosive device. Its central appeal is likely suspense, while its subject matter invites reflection on bullying and changed identity.

This is an emotionally focused verse novel about a teenager balancing school, friendships, violin performance and a changing home life. Its short, varied pieces concentrate on feelings and key moments rather than extended conventional narration.

A tense, emotionally serious survival story follows Ade through a collapsing city while his mother withdraws and neighbours become an unexpected support network. Its strongest offering is a child-centred exploration of vulnerability, responsibility and collective care.

This is a thoughtful story about a child carrying adult responsibilities who finds friendship, creativity and adventure while visiting Italy. An injured otter and the people Jakub meets help broaden his sense of who he is.

A warm, imaginative school mystery combining animal shapeshifting with friendship, sensory overwhelm and family pressures. Alice’s investigation offers adventure while bringing several pupils’ struggles with belonging into the story.

This is a character-centred story about a bereaved young person trying to manage ordinary responsibilities while carrying several earlier losses and a turbulent inner life.

This is a comic adventure about resourcefulness, friendship and family loyalty, set against the pressure of possible eviction. Magical potions and their possible use in the pizza shop set up energetic slapstick, while the story gives serious subjects space without presenting humour as belittling them.

A funny, contemporary story about a teenager using an online identity to gain attention offline. Its central appeal is the tension between belonging, performance and accountability, with serious online and social issues handled through humour.

A contemporary family story that brings mystery, romance and social pressures together. Its emotional centre is the siblings’ struggle with grief, secrecy, anxiety, poverty and the possibility of finding joy and support.

This is a verse novel about two young people whose friendship develops amid homelessness, mental-health difficulties, family strain, disappearance and guilt. Molly’s wish to help Red also prompts her to face her own unresolved pain.

This is a thoughtful, emotionally intense coming-of-age story in which the mystery and romance frame Aza’s experience of intrusive thoughts. Friendship, empathy and the effort to keep living with ongoing difficulty matter more than solving the case.

A tense supernatural crime story about belonging, frightening visions and trying to prevent danger. Darla’s new-school difficulties sit alongside a mystery that asks whether the future can be understood in time.