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A fast-paced adventure follows Ollie into The Haven, a child-run refuge and investigation network. The story combines criminal danger, missing children, bereavement and a threat to London, with friendship developing between Ollie and Dodge.

A short, visually expressive story about a newcomer, suspicion and the possibility of belonging. Its emotional centre is the contrast between what the animals assume and what they learn about the stranger’s past.

Expect a richly illustrated, surreal story rather than a straightforward cosy tale. The Greenling brings abundance and connection, yet its arrival and departure carry an ominous, folkloric atmosphere.

A serious, emotionally charged story about a bereaved child facing prejudice, instability and threats to her bond with Joe. It may invite empathy, but its portrayal of rescue and belonging appears partly sentimentalised.

This is a tender but potentially painful story about a child living alongside a seriously ill sibling. Nature, friendship and imaginative activity offer connection, while the family faces worsening illness and possible bereavement.

A warm picture-book story about welcoming a mysterious, vulnerable stranger, forming attachment, experiencing sudden separation and extending hospitality to others like him. Its imaginative setting leaves room to discuss belonging without explaining everything about Mister Toots.

A quiet story about losing someone important, carrying grief, and finding understanding. Bear’s friendship with the Wildcat offers companionship without demanding that he simply forget, while music and memory accompany his movement towards healing.

A tender story of Waverley the cat and Donald’s separation, set alongside illustrations of a homeless war veteran. Its emotional focus is friendship, waiting and the contrast between kindness and people being overlooked.

A mythic sea adventure carries Phoebe through danger, quests and encounters with gods and monsters, while her real-world worries about Cass, memory and loss remain central.

A warm, imaginative friendship book that treats caring for a ghost as an everyday responsibility. It combines playful instructions and gross-out food details with a broader portrait of companionship lasting through major changes in life.

This is a lively, comic adventure about identity, family and belonging. Film-making, mistaken identity and celebrity create the fun, while Rafa’s disrupted home life and concern for Cillian give the story a more serious emotional thread.

A richly atmospheric story about a hidden garden and friendship. Its movement from selfishness towards care sits alongside bereavement, illness, colonial prejudice and older attitudes that may need thoughtful discussion.

Expect an imaginative, creature-filled adventure centred on finding sanctuary. Friendship, loyalty, courage and environmental loss sit alongside danger, threatening creatures and occasional insulting language.

Expect a series of self-contained, startling tales rather than one continuous plot. Children encounter odd powers, unusual creatures, bodily changes, animals in danger and emotionally difficult family situations, usually within a comic or bizarre framework.

This is a coming-of-age story in which Scout and Jem encounter racism, inequality and adult moral choices. Its child’s-eye perspective presents these difficult social realities, but does not make its language or events gentle.

This is a demanding, historically grounded family story that combines severe hardship with compassion, solidarity and social criticism. Its emotional force comes from people trying to preserve dignity and connection while facing displacement, hunger and injustice.

A witty, emotionally serious story about teenagers confronting illness, love and mortality. It combines an accessible prose style with grief, brief sex, some swearing, drinking and reflections on literature, fate and what makes a life matter.

A myth-rich adventure that joins friendship, cultural detail and care for the natural world. Its imaginative journey gives children an active role in responding to environmental damage.

Choose this for a reader who enjoys atmospheric mysteries, eccentric characters, supernatural adventure and comic wordplay. Its central appeal is following clues through an unusual seaside world while Herbie and Violet face escalating danger.

This is a family-centred coming-of-age story: Katy’s energetic adventures give way to pain, dependence and gradual change. Its strongest appeal lies in a vivid household, an imperfect heroine and a sustained focus on how relationships respond when ordinary life is disrupted.

A tender animal friendship drives the story, alongside real fear about death and being eaten. Charlotte’s efforts to protect Wilbur invite reflection on loyalty, courage and sacrifice, while the ending’s loss may be deeply affecting.