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A broad account of post-1945 US history, with civil rights at its centre and political, social and cultural developments also in view.

This is a fast-moving Tudor adventure centred on loyalty, injustice and a child’s effort to protect his father. It offers contrasting views of courtly wealth and London poverty, alongside historical detail about power and religious change.

This is a child-centred historical story about family work, community strain and changing social relationships. Its central challenge is how a small act of welcome might matter when prejudice and hardship affect a whole town.

This is an intense historical coming-of-age novel about Nora’s attempt to find a future while danger surrounds her home and neighbourhood. Its period detail, family conflict and social history offer substantial material for discussion.

Expect a football-centred childhood story rather than an account of Burglar Bill. Its unofficial team, friendships and setbacks provide comic energy, while the reflective voice gives the book a poignant, nostalgic dimension.

A character-focused story about wanting recognition and facing a sibling’s departure. The pageant provides a lively setting for exploring rivalry, while the family storyline brings a more serious emotional thread.

This is a historical coming-of-age story about how proximity to power can distort a child’s judgement, while friendship, conscience and resistance remain possible responses to injustice.

A fast-moving historical crime novel with alternating viewpoints, moral uncertainty and romantic tension. Caitlin’s determination drives a search through sharply unequal New York, while William’s divided loyalties complicate ideas of justice and personal change.

This is a supernatural thriller about a transgender teen whose post-operative recovery is interrupted by a werewolf attack. Friendship, bodily change, prejudice and the pull of revenge sit alongside the horror premise.

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.

A lively introduction to women’s contributions across history and different fields, presented through colourful illustrations, short profiles, facts and quotations. Its page-by-page structure supports dipping in, revisiting individual figures and noticing links between personal achievement and wider social change.

This is an encouraging, action-focused introduction to caring for oneself, other people and the planet. Its strongest offering is turning large global aims into small, concrete things children can try, discuss or make together.

This is a warm, issue-led story about a child challenging binary school rules with friends. Its humour and friendship sit alongside sustained frustration, public activism and encounters with adults who misunderstand or minimise Jamie’s identity.

A supernatural friendship story follows Suzy as she lives with bereavement, self-consciousness and uncertainty about Rhiannon. Its emotional centre is the possibility of reconnecting with life while learning that friendship can change.

A lively school-and-family story about handling change, friendship and unfair treatment through humour and imagination. Omar’s Muslim identity is part of everyday life, not a separate lesson.

This is a cricket-centred story about belonging and persistence. Kerry-Ann’s love of the game, family connection to Jamaica and grandfather’s history sit alongside a conflict over who is welcomed at the club.

This is an emotionally heavy story about loss and its aftermath, combining a dead girl’s perspective with the family’s attempts to cope. Its strongest appeal may be its focus on love, hope and change after trauma.

This is a sharp, often comic story about Elizabeth Bennet’s relationships and mistaken judgements, set within a society where marriage, money and social rank strongly shape women’s choices.

A sweeping, emotionally serious story linking personal betrayal and family relationships with Afghanistan’s recent history. Its movement towards forgiveness and redemption is set alongside graphic cruelty, sexual assault, death and distressing language.

A discussion-led introduction to values and civic ideas, linking right and wrong with society, justice, democracy, prejudice, discrimination, fairness and equality. It combines explanation with personal experiences and named contributors’ perspectives.

This is an imaginative fantasy adventure about siblings entering a winter-bound world and taking part in its liberation. Its moral framework includes courage, sacrifice, repentance, forgiveness and explicitly Christian allegory.

This is a socially serious novel about a child living under strict religious and family control. Its central tension concerns secrecy, loyalty and whether Martha should help reveal what her parents want hidden.

Expect a brisk moral fantasy rather than a cosy animal adventure. The story turns outrage about hunting into comic, threatening reversal, asking readers to feel the consequences from the animals’ perspective.

This is a short, poetic remembrance of a childhood home where prominent Black cultural and political figures gathered. Its words are spare, while the paintings make the people, rooms and atmosphere expansive.

This is a historical family story about fitting in, responding to school teasing and deciding whether to challenge unfair blame directed at Japanese-American friends. Its central interest lies in personal choices made amid wider wartime uncertainty.

A visually rich historical introduction that connects segregation, collective action and civil rights with the unfinished pursuit of freedom and justice.

This is comic fiction about Norm’s difficult day-to-day world: blame, family embarrassments, moving house, bodily jokes and a friend’s apparent changes.

A school-year story about Gabriela navigating friendship changes, hurtful attention towards her stutter, intimidating classmates and a potentially difficult election campaign.

This is a dark fantasy about protecting someone you love when power seems absolute. Stories become a means of survival and change, while grief, fear and mysterious magic connect two sisters across distance.

A chronological introduction to LGBT civil-rights history, told through people’s experiences, major struggles and contributions. Its creative activities make the subject participatory, while the historical scope connects earlier activism with more recent events.

Take it as a historical biography linking one person’s experiences with apartheid, civil-rights struggle and political change.