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A lively, premise-led adventure about a young K-pop fan and her headteacher experiencing each other’s lives. Expect humour from their contrasting ages and personalities, alongside questions about friendship, family relationships, authority and seeing life from another person’s position.

This offers a school-start story about friendship and belonging, with a particular focus on how Pelly’s difference affects her relationships with Tangle and Eno.

A lively, first-person school story combines farcical problem-solving and slow-burn romance with serious family instability. Its emotional centre is Aideen’s habit of helping others while struggling to address her own circumstances.

A thoughtful verse novel about the upheaval of starting secondary school. Nate encounters friendship, rules, family change, anger and conflict, while a returning figure from the past makes life more complicated.

A character-led teen romance about revenge, filmmaking and changing assumptions. Its strongest appeal may be the tension between Wren’s determined judgement of Beckett and her growing uncertainty about whether she understands him.

A socially engaged teen romance about challenging gendered expectations while navigating popularity, leadership, family pressures and cultural identity. Its central tension asks whether pursuing justice can coexist with fairness, empathy and personal relationships.

This is a school and family drama about a quiet teenager confronting public lies, persistent bullying and a frightening home atmosphere. It also follows her growing connections with Elijah, Aunt Polly and the mysterious ‘red pen’ correspondent.

This is a lively university romance built around an advice column: Mary-Elizabeth gives relationship guidance while navigating attraction, questionable choices, shaken confidence and changing views of the people around her.

Expect a tense mystery driven by anonymous messages, exposed secrets and changing alliances. The book combines a fast-moving school thriller with commentary on racism, privilege and the pressures placed on marginalised students.

The book’s central offering cannot yet be described: neither its subject nor its narrative, characters, themes, tone, or conclusion is established. Its YA presentation is the only clear orientation.

A playful supernatural mystery about reputation, friendship and suspicion, with a popular witch at its centre. It offers magical-school atmosphere, social drama, a murder investigation and romantic tension rather than a purely cosy school story.

This is a determined young protagonist’s story about completing personal ambitions while navigating a prosthetic leg, a lost friendship, school travel and the gap between online presentation and lived difficulty.

Expect a brisk, surreal adventure in which Max uses communication skills, friendship and cooperation to help a divided miniature society. The story also gives deafness a central, plot-relevant place.

A lively illustrated mystery with several interwoven pressures: Nina wants to free a trapped ghost and win class captain, while negotiating friendship, rivalry, family arrangements and questions about social-media personalities.

A lively monster-school adventure combines comic rule-breaking, inventive creatures and investigation. Eddie’s friendships become central as she learns more about herself and tries to protect others from danger.

A thoughtful school-transition story about the pull of popularity and the cost of trying to meet everyone’s expectations. Its strongest interest lies in Sabina’s changing friendships, family pressures and uncertainty about whether unusual abilities genuinely improve her life.

This is a school story about belonging, family pressure and finding confidence through drama. Daniel’s acting gives him a valued interest and supportive relationships, while his fear of ridicule creates secrecy and mounting complications.

This is a school-based story about first romantic feelings, friendship, creative ambition and self-acceptance. Astrid’s changing emotions are central, while her relationships and disappointments give readers opportunities to consider identity and resilience.

A lively school story about rebuilding friendships while organising to save a much-loved library. It offers humour, urgency and a strong sense of libraries as welcoming places for different interests and activities.

A funny, expressive story about facing the unknown. Pigeon’s objections make school worries visible, while the playful presentation may help a child recognise nervousness without making the situation feel overwhelming.