What Are You Looking For?

A story about ambition, friendship and being seen as more than a pretty face, set around Destiny’s secret beauty-contest entry and the challenges that follow.

A fantastical adventure pits three friends against a cereal company’s world-taking scheme, with goblin impersonators, faeries and a journey through a space-time rift. The friends aim to rescue the Queen and halt an invasion.

This combines a young woman’s magical calling with court intrigue and a family connection to the Tudor monarchy. Mary’s distrust of love is tested by her attraction to an opponent.

A lively-sounding fantasy premise combines Greek-mythology influences, magic, an immortal princess and an unlikely quest. Ana’s own wish to choose her future sits alongside the threat posed by her tutor’s search for power.

This is a high-stakes fantasy adventure built around a group of morally complicated outsiders, a dangerous magical object and uneasy cooperation.

This is a tale of young Rangers trying to thwart a bid for the throne, with political schemes and a tournament of duels driving the conflict.

This is a fantasy adventure centred on a young thief navigating a city where words mislead and trust is difficult. The plot also brings together loyalty to family, friendship and a dangerous rescue.

This is a competition-centred story that combines equestrian ambition with questions about trust, rivalry and a coach’s past.

This is a mystery shaped by Gwen’s music-school ambitions and her effort to find out what has happened to her grandfather. Robert joins her as a fellow auditioning student.

This is a teen relationship story set against the prospect of a band’s success. Its focus is on friends balancing music ambitions with romantic uncertainty.

A school-and-horses story about ambition, belonging and building trust with a guarded pony. Malory’s hopes for her future at Chestnut Hill are tied to whether she can bring out Tybalt’s potential.

This is a friendship story set alongside Zoey’s interest in fashion and sewing. Its central appeal may be watching her manage creative ambitions while trying to keep two friendships on track.

The central dilemma is whether Caitlin can pursue acting while facing the consequences of lying about her age and hiding her choices from people close to her.

A science-fair setback leads Amanda to a scholarship at an elite school for aspiring scientists, where a troubling discovery changes the picture.

A time-travel adventure turns on Luis’s pursuit of buried treasure and his decision to take a special book home. The outline hints at trouble, leaving the nature and resolution of the consequences open.

The story brings together Rebecca’s interest in acting and her concern for her cousin Ana.

A horse-focused story about balancing care, ambition and personal priorities. Amy’s dilemma gives the book an emotionally serious centre, while the Heartland setting emphasises trust, responsibility and helping horses recover.

This is a story about making something creative while trying to remain loyal to people who matter. It may particularly suit a child interested in writing, imagination or the challenge of improving work over time.

This is a child-centred historical mystery about uncovering a town’s African-American past. It combines cemetery restoration, family stories, community reticence, and Raisin’s personal consequences after she sneaks out.

A light, wintry pageant story combines competition, friendship and romance.

A lively story about a child whose entrepreneurial idea grows rapidly, testing friendships and responsibilities. It offers an engaging way to think about ambition, persistence and the consequences of taking risks.

Choose this for a romance-led story with mystery elements, emotional fallout and social themes. It offers a second-chance relationship alongside questions about scholarships, reputation, secrecy and whether competitive systems genuinely support young people.

This is a character-led YA romance combining K-pop, classical cello, Seoul, family ties and coming-of-age pressures. Jenny and Jaewoo’s ambitions matter alongside their relationship, while school, performance and family obligations shape their choices.

A lively comic story about ambition, family pressures and unexpected fame. Kamari’s attempts to make money lead to trouble, while a mistaken musical identity creates a sustained question about honesty and responsibility.

This is a warm, mystery-led story about wanting to belong while pursuing an unusual ambition. Its seaside setting, humour, family secrets and theme of self-acceptance may particularly suit readers drawn to determined protagonists and magical possibilities.

A dramatic fantasy romance about survival and self-determination, this book offers a Cinderella framework reshaped by court politics, deception, magic and peril. Yining’s search for her past and future sits alongside questions about whom to trust.

This is a dark, visually distinctive folktale about a poor fisherman, Death’s unusual fairness, medicine, deception and consequences. Its accessible story shape is paired with a bleak ending that may invite thoughtful discussion.

This offers a football-centred adventure with a secret-agent twist: academy training and matches sit alongside investigation, gadgets and chases. Its central appeal is the tension between Ethan’s sporting ambition and concealed mission.

A lively coming-of-age adventure where friendship, family banter and entrepreneurial schemes meet questions about words, responsibility and belonging. Humour and musical energy sit alongside more serious experiences involving prejudice, peer pressure and policing.

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.

Expect a twisty, atmospheric ghost story with humour, danger and a morally ambiguous central character. Harriet’s pursuit of power drives the tension, while the surrounding friendships and queer romantic thread add warmth and complication.

A brisk historical adventure about a determined young performer entering London’s theatrical world, with family pressure, friendship and danger shaping his efforts to follow William Shakespeare. Its glossary and postscript can support interest in period language and the boundary between invented story and historical fact.

This is a dual-perspective queer romance about learning to resist pressure from friends and family. It combines warmth and humour with uncomfortable moments involving identity, belonging, prejudice and competing expectations.

A dark, romantic retelling built around inherited identity, scientific experimentation and family secrets.

This is a relationship-centred summer story about returning to a meaningful family place while navigating grief, an old crush and a sister’s complicated history with the same boy. Kate’s ambitions and self-understanding also form part of the story.

This is a historical school story combining basketball, friendship and a risky practical joke. Manny’s wish to stay connected to his friends leads to invented sports reporting, while wartime uncertainty affects family conversations and everyday choices.

This is a determined horse story about Leslie’s commitment to an unwanted animal and the demands of bringing him back towards racing. Its emotional centre is the bond between a young person and a horse facing uncertain prospects.

A contemporary coming-of-age story combining Parisian discovery, piano ambition, blended-family tensions and first love. Sophie’s summer brings emotional strain as well as opportunities for friendship, independence and changing family relationships.

This is a historical mystery about ambition, family connections and compromised choices. Kit’s attempt to build an independent life becomes entangled with Nate’s demands, Billy’s absence and secrets reaching into the past.

This is a character-led family story about a child making sense of adult failures without surrendering her own needs. Cooking, artistic ambition and friendship offer purposeful threads alongside uncertainty and emotional upheaval.

This is a lush fantasy adventure about two opposing royals navigating a wish-granting contest. Its pleasures lie in mythic world-building, clever trials, banter and a developing relationship, while unfamiliar folklore terms may require patience.

This is a relationship-focused story about honesty when exciting opportunities and new attention make a promise harder to keep. It may invite discussion about choices, loyalty and communicating clearly with others.

A dark fantasy adventure built around mistaken identity, hidden power and an ancient object. Parallel storylines gradually point towards Dullitch, promising mystery and a larger rescue quest rather than a straightforward standalone confrontation.

This is a teen relationship story about control, first impressions and living alongside someone who challenges your assumptions. Rachel and Nick’s connection develops through friction and a secret from Nick’s past.

A fast-moving YA thriller about a teenager entering a secretive training programme, where academic pressure, team-building and suspicion intensify after someone is accused of betrayal.