What Are You Looking For?

Two characters from sharply different circumstances confront upheaval as the Inquisition arrives. Saulo’s hardships include witnessing his father’s arrest, enslavement at sea and a vow of vengeance; Zarita’s privileged life also changes.

A child’s perspective brings the storm and its flooding close, while Lanesha’s relationship with Mama Ya-Ya and her ability to see spirits shape the story.

A contemporary young-adult story about Ariana, consent and accountability, it follows her from a sexual encounter without clear agreement through rumours, new friendships and a group effort to expose Luis.

Michelle’s flight from home leaves her isolated in New York. Devon first appears to offer kindness and shelter, but the story turns towards her exploitation and a struggle to survive.

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.

This is an alien-invasion survival story centred on Jesse, whose escape and unexpected powers leave others treating him as a possible saviour. The immediate stakes are stark: most people have been killed or enslaved, and further aliens are expected.

Expect a horror-survival story with dark humour: a blizzard-stranded camp, missing campers and a zombie outbreak drive the action. A mystery about the camp’s supposed obesity cure runs alongside the fight to survive.

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.

This dystopian survival story centres on Melody’s resourcefulness: she tries to turn a tale about an imagined refuge into a way out of captivity.

Sola’s tightly monitored society uses public battles in which Demonstrators kill criminals. After a kiss draws her into the role, she faces more fights and a romance with a killer while hoping to return to her father.

A Holocaust novel centred on a teenager confronting camp life and her father’s involvement in Nazi propaganda. It also follows her thoughts about friendship, romance, family and religion.

The central pressure is practical: Pierre takes on a long voyageur journey to earn money for his family after his father is injured. The trip is physically demanding and places him among older, teasing brigade members.

A fast-moving survival predicament sits alongside camp friendships and uncertainty about whether Will can be trusted. The group’s escape attempt keeps danger close as they try to make sense of the animal attacks.

A comic animal adventure driven by clever schemes and escalating trouble. Mr Fox’s efforts to feed his family widen into a rescue for other hungry animals.

Ben’s paid desert-guiding trip turns into a fight to survive when Madec tries to silence him after a prospector is shot. The suspense centres on exposure, thirst, gunfire and the difficulty of being believed.

A prehistoric survival adventure follows Dusk, an unusual bat-like creature rejected by his colony. When predators attack, he helps lead survivors towards a new home, while facing questions of belonging and difference.

Victor’s search for work becomes a struggle to survive, shaped by his responsibility to his family and his friendship with Rico. The journey brings him into contact with smugglers and the risks of crossing the border.

Jocelyn and Alex are stranded and lost in the Northwoods after a rafting mishap, facing threats from the elements with only wet bags’ contents. As they try to get home, the former best friends must also confront the strain between them.

This is a survival story centred on five teenagers from different circumstances, brought together by a risky trip at sea. Their changing situation gives the book a strong focus on what they may need from one another.

A dystopian survival adventure about Jen and Father, an AI who has cared for her since she was a baby. Their search for a new home brings danger, new connections and a difficult secret.

Expect a high-action fantasy about survival, loyalty and choosing what sort of person to become, rather than a romance-led story. Aina’s assassin role and the consequences of her choices are prominent.

Expect a perilous escape through a bleak fantasy setting, with two alternating viewpoints, action and a romance threaded through the danger.

A historical romance turns into a survival story when the Titanic sinks. The immediate tension is whether Nicole can reach safety and whether she can find the two men before then.

This is a family-centred story about migration, bereavement and belonging, with Sophie’s own growth alongside Pedro’s uncertain future. A refugee’s experience is also part of the family’s story.

A wilderness survival story about a young mountain lion, with hunting and animal danger central to the conflict. It may suit a reader drawn to stories focused on wildlife rather than human characters.

This combines zombie attacks and an evolving undead threat with school, work, college plans and friendships. Courtney’s attempt to fund her future by selling a zombie-derived drug gives the survival plot a morally complicated starting point.

This is a captivity-and-escape story, with a frightening abduction at its centre. Consider whether your reader is comfortable with suspense built around a character being held against her will.

Expect a historical novel that shifts between ancient, wartime and present-day settings, with an emotional thread linking experiences across time.

A family-and-adventure story follows twins in a Swiss mountain setting, with geography and history woven into their experiences.

This is a story of survival and a divided sense of self, set against Victorian London's criminal underworld. Cora's attempt to distance herself from her actions drives the central tension.

Three separate dog-centred adventures offer distinct starting points: Alpha’s life before leadership, Sweet’s search for a Pack, and Moon’s transition after disaster. The collection’s emphasis is on survival and life among Packs.

The siblings’ journey is framed around hardship and the hope of a new life, with survival left uncertain. It may suit readers drawn to historical adventure and difficult journeys.

A new leader inherits a weakened Clan, with strained relations among the four Clans and an approaching threat. The story’s central pressures are leadership, survival and rebuilding after a major battle.

This is a story of a vulnerable cat and two people she meets, with fear and hardship set against the possibility of trust and belonging.

A quest to find others of her kind combines fantasy adventure with reflections on love, loss and the joys and sorrows of life.

A wilderness adventure about Matt’s wish for solitude, his new acquaintance with Forrest, and the choices that arise as their relationship develops.

A linked collection of love stories, it ranges across family ties, relationships and community life, rather than following one central plot. Its situations include both comic passion and serious family and wartime pressures.

This is a speculative story about survival under strict social rules, centred on a young protagonist whose unexpected choices bring serious stakes.

This is a survival-focused fantasy about mountain cats facing a deadly disease after a battle. It also follows characters dealing with bereavement, uncertain belonging and leadership pressure.

A history-focused collection of personal accounts, centred on children’s experiences of hiding and the people who sheltered them.

This is an animal-survival adventure told through a young wolf’s journey, with family and the natural world among its stated themes.

This is a wilderness survival adventure centred on resourcefulness, urgent choices and a journey to find help after a plane crash.

A fantasy adventure about Midge’s encounter with fairies facing a threat to their existence, as their world meets the human one.

This is a suspenseful underground adventure, combining a missing-child predicament with mystery, treasure and a hazardous journey towards home.

This combines an adventure about surviving natural disaster with Zoey’s family-history questions and hopes about her parents. The two diary voices offer a way into both girls’ experiences.