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Expect a brisk historical adventure centred on bereavement, trust and belonging. Maggie’s errand expands into an international race, with shifting loyalties, danger and friendships providing momentum.

This is an adventure about survival and an unusual cross-generational friendship. Alongside practical danger, it gives substantial space to loneliness, care, learning and the ways a relationship can change someone’s view of the world.

This is an intricate fantasy adventure combining magic, legends, secret societies and peril with a bereaved boy’s search for identity. Its quick movement is balanced by layered clues, relationships and questions about loyalty.

A summery island setting frames a mystery about friendship, family and a missing part of Clara’s memory. The story appears to combine exploration and emotional discovery, with its central truth deliberately held back.

This is an imaginative fantasy adventure about siblings entering a winter-bound world and taking part in its liberation. Its moral framework includes courage, sacrifice, repentance, forgiveness and explicitly Christian allegory.

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.

Expect a brisk, spooky adventure led by a frightened but determined child. The book foregrounds mystery, supernatural danger and emotional bonds rather than realistic horror, with hope alongside its darker elements.

A tense historical adventure about separated siblings and Jan, a young thief who joins them. Its strongest qualities are resourcefulness, loyalty and compassion, alongside a serious portrayal of children navigating war’s aftermath.

This is a historical family story about rebuilding after hardship. Ellie’s practical courage, connection with nature and willingness to help others sit alongside grief, difficult choices and uncertainty about what people have experienced.

Expect an imaginative treasure hunt in a world of vampirs and werwolves, driven by danger, mystery and changing trust. The book combines supernatural adventure with Tibor and Roza’s need to decide whom to believe.

This is a contemporary survival story about two children carrying adult worries, seeking trustworthy help and finding support in one another. Its central concerns include family instability, homelessness, friendship and the meaning of home.

Expect a fast-moving, imaginative adventure in which time travel connects family relationships, grief and responsibility. The story also makes room for humour, friendship and emotional growth, with Al facing both practical dangers and difficult choices.

A fast-moving mystery-adventure about a girl investigating her father’s disappearance, with clockwork inventions, pursuit and an unusual animal companion at the centre of the journey.