What Are You Looking For?

A tender, focused true story about a child’s forced displacement and growing loneliness, balanced by the emotional significance of an unexpected gift. Its strongest offering is a humane entry point into refugee experience and kindness.

A tender story about a child whose extraordinary friendship is tested by growing older and a family move.

This is a moving family journey shaped by war, displacement and hope. Its strongest offering is the combination of a child’s viewpoint, expressive artwork and a closing emphasis on love, gratitude and what families carry with them.

A funny, contemporary story about a teenager using an online identity to gain attention offline. Its central appeal is the tension between belonging, performance and accountability, with serious online and social issues handled through humour.

This is an intimate, melancholy friendship story in which grief, family love and first romance are closely entwined. Its gradual revelations and ghostly possibility invite emotional attention rather than straightforward plot-following.

This is an emotionally layered YA novel about two Muslim Somali girls whose difficult family circumstances bring them together. Its central movement is from resentment and isolation towards understanding, with school, faith, culture and community shaping their experiences.

This is an emotionally serious historical story that helps readers encounter Partition through three children’s friendships and families. Expect cultural and religious detail, danger and loss, alongside courage, human connection and an unresolved sense of what may happen next.

Expect an energetic adventure built around Lunar’s survival, a dragon-human bond and the threat facing Mars. The story offers dangerous journeys, planetary mythology and young characters learning that protecting home may involve wider responsibilities.

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.

A suspenseful fantasy about discovering identity and belonging, with a resourceful protagonist, dragon lore and a friendship shaped by loneliness. It offers emotional themes alongside danger, loss and a history of conflict between humans and dragons.

Birdie offers a historical story about a child seeking belonging after leaving care, set against racism and suspicion. Her friendship with Mr Duke, a pit pony, provides an important strand of connection and care.

This is a gentle-looking story about displacement, loneliness and rediscovering nature. Its central movement is from seeing the city as barren to noticing wildlife and hidden natural life within it.

A magical, atmospheric fairytale retelling centred on Red’s curiosity, a threatened relationship between village and woodland, and questions about who is treated as dangerous. It combines mystery, grief, disability representation and collective strength.

Consider this for a teenager interested in family identity and history; make space for questions about parentage and the lasting effects of war.