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This is a paranormal school adventure about discovering an extraordinary identity, navigating exclusion and questioning rules. It combines dragon lore, friendship, attraction, danger and a determined protagonist who resists simply going along with authority.

This is a character-led story about trying on a new identity, seeking acceptance and discovering that gossip can involve people close to home. Its central tensions combine workplace belonging with changing family relationships.

A relationship-centred coming-of-age story about loyalty, reputation and self-trust, with romance and mystery around a past assault. It may suit discussion of how social approval can shape difficult personal choices.

A tense school story about belonging and the cost of acceptance. Jericho’s growing unease gives readers a close view of how group loyalty can compete with judgement, while the initiation exposes humiliation, coercion and danger.

Expect a suspense-led supernatural story in which danger develops through withheld information, strained relationships and the threat of losing control. Its effect depends more on accumulating pressure than on immediate, nonstop escalation.

This is a character-led story about a teenager’s self-image and changing relationships, set alongside Cassie’s disability and her family’s circumstances. Its several viewpoints invite readers to consider how people’s inner lives may differ from what others can see.

A character-led coming-of-age novel about seeing beyond glamour, managing peer influence and becoming more independent. Humour, romance and suspense sit alongside family difficulties, social uncertainty and a serious later turn.

A tense friendship story about pressure, risky bravado and the consequences of hiding the truth. Its central movement is towards honesty, vulnerability and more considered ideas of strength.

Choose this for a reader who enjoys urgent thrillers, secrets and complicated teenage relationships. Its examination setting gives the suspense a tight time pressure, while grief and academic expectations add emotional weight.

This is a fast, emotionally charged story about risk-taking and its aftermath. Rory’s experience opens space to think about peer pressure, friendship, blame, accountability and whether people can rebuild trust after serious harm.

This is a character-led dystopian thriller in which an apparently helpful happiness project becomes increasingly strange. Its strongest material concerns pressure, identity and the meaning of wellbeing; its ending is abrupt and leaves the story hanging.

This offers a contemporary child’s perspective on poverty and family difficulty, deliberately read beside Oliver Twist. Its strongest feature is the connection between classroom literature and problems affecting Shona’s life.

This is a school drama about the attraction and fragility of popularity. Its central mystery gives the story suspense while Rick’s changing response to Jake provides a route into questions about trust and identity.

This is a relationship-focused story about identity, secrecy, belonging and pressure. It places Evan between a secret boyfriend and a friendship drawn towards a group promising protection and status.

Expect a suspense-led story about belonging, loyalty and secrets, moving between a boarding school and a town marked by witch-trial history. Its central tension involves Maddie’s choices around family and a powerful social clique.

A lively fantasy adventure about two boys whose money-making scheme and search for popularity lead them to bewitched costumes. Its strongest possibilities are questions about responsibility, friendship and the pressures behind apparently selfish behaviour.

This is a values-focused story about a young child who feels excluded, faces pressure to keep a dangerous secret, and considers whether honesty and faith can guide his choice.

This is a relationship-centred story about a teenager navigating divided family life, a new school and an upsetting experience that becomes difficult to disclose.

A tense relationship mystery about betrayal, exclusion and the consequences of sharing or threatening to share private material. The disappearance and uncomfortable discoveries move the story beyond a straightforward romance.

This is a magic-centred story about changing other people’s view of you. Mike’s progress at school sits alongside a challenge involving reputation and resourcefulness when an exciting family possibility becomes public.

This is a teenage coming-of-age story shaped by mourning, secrecy, attraction and social pressure. Its focus is Skim’s emotional confusion as school events and personal relationships unsettle her.