Foul Play
Tom Palmer
Book summary
A football-centred mystery with a young investigator, kidnapping and criminal danger.
Explore
Type a book, author, topic, idea or reading experience.
Find a Book
Scan the ISBN, scan the front cover, or type what you know.
Combine filters when useful. Values show what a book addresses, not what it endorses.
Clear filtersAvailable when the book information gives usable age guidance.
Requests, popularity, awards and recommendations—not just age. A list is a starting point, not a suitability verdict.
Popular themes
Type to search the full theme index.
Fresh mix gives you a varied selection that stays steady while you browse, so returning from a guide does not reshuffle the page.
Tom Palmer
A football-centred mystery with a young investigator, kidnapping and criminal danger.
Katherine Rundell
A fast-moving survival adventure where four children must depend on one another in an unfamiliar rainforest. Alongside practical dangers, it explores courage, trust, fear, friendship and the difficult choices needed to keep going.
Preet Chandi
A lively guide for children who enjoy practical discovery, linking real expedition experiences with achievable activities close to home. Its emphasis is on learning by trying: outdoor skills, observation, planning and cooperation rather than simply reading about distant adventures.
A.M. Howell
This is a historical mystery about a child navigating wartime separation, an unwelcoming household and unanswered questions. Gardens, hothouses and a Suffolk estate provide a vivid setting for secrets, suspicion and friendship.
Marie Lu
This is a fast-moving virtual-reality adventure with a capable but vulnerable protagonist, combining tournament gameplay with a mystery about a threatening player and technology’s real-world consequences.
Trang Thanh Tran
A supernatural horror story rooted in a family homecoming, with queer romance and questions of belonging. It combines frightening events with explorations of Vietnamese American identity, colonialism and family history.
Geoffrey Trease
An energetic historical adventure where two young performers move from local danger into espionage, using acting, observation and quick thinking while travelling between Cumberland and London.
Piers Torday
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.
Ashley Thorpe
A high-stakes myth-inspired adventure about rescuing a sister and confronting powerful gods. It offers determined protagonists, alliances between unusual characters, imaginative battles and a story shaped by African and Caribbean cultural and spiritual influences.
Ross Welford
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.
Michael Morpurgo
This is a wartime story about a child whose ordinary village life is disrupted by evacuation, military preparations and a missing cat. It combines danger, friendship and a later family connection across generations.
Philip Pullman
This is a brisk, fantastical adventure about determination, danger and becoming a firework-maker. Lila’s journey combines perilous tests, a family predicament and a spectacular public performance, with illustrations contributing to the imagined world.
Tom Palmer
This is a tense wartime story about an ordinary teenager taking increasingly dangerous steps to help others. Its strongest emphasis is on courage that exists alongside fear, rather than fearlessness.
Hiba Noor Khan
A tense wartime adventure about a young Muslim protagonist whose family and community face Nazi occupation. Safiyyah undertakes dangerous errands, while the mosque becomes a place of sanctuary for persecuted Jewish people.
Kieran Larwood
Expect a lively, illustrated fantasy quest built around an underdog team. The story combines dungeon challenges, comic world-building and a friendship arc, while Kit’s impulsive decision creates the central problem.