What Are You Looking For?

A lively-sounding fantasy pairs two very different heroines in a cosmic rescue mission, blending magic, adventure and a mathematical idea.

A fantasy adventure following four bear cubs from different circumstances as their paths lead to a shared destination and a struggle to survive.

This historical biography brings together two contrasting figures whose shared concern for the American colonies leads them to cooperate. It offers a way into both individual lives and a period of American history.

This is a socially engaged sports novel: football brings two North American teenagers into contact with marginalised local players, while different experiences of race, class and belonging become increasingly difficult to ignore.

A lively superhero story about an overlooked helper finding recognition on his own terms. Its strongest appeal is the combination of visual energy, comic reversals, inventive narration and Nick’s determination to keep contributing.

A culturally grounded vampire story pairs supernatural suspense with a teenager’s struggles over home, family, trust and belonging. Its unusual perspective may invite thoughtful discussion as well as emotional preparation.

An imaginative, action-led science-fiction adventure built around odd powers, unusual companions and a dangerous quest. Its elaborate world and mysteries may appeal to persistent readers, though the journey is deliberately expansive.

This is a gothic teen romance about an outsider drawn to a mysterious family, with a vampire question at its centre. Its main appeal is atmosphere, romantic fascination and a story about finding belonging beyond surface judgement.

Choose this for a reader who enjoys ambitious fantasy, mythic worlds and protagonists who challenge restrictive communities. It is better approached as an imaginative, sometimes confusing journey than as a straightforward adventure.

A brisk comic adventure about children investigating suspicious adults at a phone-free retreat. Expect secret trips, lizards, alligators, captivity and criminal schemes alongside friendship, teamwork and characters learning from new information.

This is a creepy, story-rich fantasy about a young writer using imagination under pressure. Its strongest appeal is the blend of escape adventure, friendship and attention to how stories are made.

This is an inclusive, informational picture book that introduces children to different conditions and abilities through a shared gardening project. Its central invitation is to ask respectful questions, recognise individual strengths and see difference as part of community life.

This offers a lively quest built around an inexperienced performer, an unusual travelling companion and a widening circle of allies. Humour, peril and court intrigue sit alongside questions of courage, usefulness and inherited expectations.

Expect a period adventure centred on moving-picture work, sisterly contrast and performance.

A bleak, high-pressure small-town horror story combining mystery, supernatural menace and survival. Its central appeal is the group of very different teenagers forced to work together while adults lose control and the town becomes increasingly dangerous.

This is a character-led friendship story about two girls confronting assumptions shaped by place, money and family life. It offers gradual mutual understanding across sharply contrasting circumstances.

This offers a school-start story about friendship and belonging, with a particular focus on how Pelly’s difference affects her relationships with Tangle and Eno.

A bright, rhythmic school-community portrait where children learn, play, share food and celebrate together. Its central refrain gives the book a clear, reassuring shape, while the illustrations carry much of the representation.

A lively, first-person school story combines farcical problem-solving and slow-burn romance with serious family instability. Its emotional centre is Aideen’s habit of helping others while struggling to address her own circumstances.

A stranger arrives by sea and is confined, mistreated and expelled as the islanders’ fear becomes hatred. Their final wall leaves a bleak image of exclusion rather than reconciliation.

This is a relationship-focused school and family story about donor conception, confidence, friendship and adapting to change. It offers two children’s perspectives as they move from resentment towards working together, though the final resolution is unclear.

This is a symbolic story about colours whose town becomes divided after one colour claims superiority. Friendship, mixing and cooperation challenge exclusion, making the book particularly useful for starting conversations about racism and belonging.

A visually rich, wordless comparison of family life in Australia and Morocco. Its mirrored structure and detailed collages encourage children and adults to notice routines, places, relationships and connections rather than relying on written explanation.

A visually led story about migration, courage and belonging, with no written narration to settle meaning. Its animals and expressive images invite readers to infer what leaving, travelling and arriving might involve.

A warm, illustration-rich story about rebuilding a neglected hotel through practical work, creative problem-solving and cooperation. Its main tension comes from whether Anna and her team can meet an inspector’s challenge.

A gentle read-aloud about children whose lives may look different but who share feelings and everyday experiences. It pairs direct, simple wording with colourful paintings that invite children to look closely.

Expect an imaginative fantasy built around a dangerous darkness, paired roles and a developing relationship. Its strongest focus appears to be how people resist restrictive expectations while learning to trust someone very different from themselves.

A gentle family story centred on two male penguins who care for an egg and raise Tango. Its main emphasis is belonging, parenting and adoption, with wider questions about what makes a family.

This is an action-led fantasy about a trans teen navigating a dangerous divine competition, with friendship and social inequality at its centre. Its imaginative mythology and representation may appeal, while the sacrifice premise and sustained peril make the emotional stakes substantial.

This is a clue-led historical mystery with an active young protagonist, a strong seaside setting and a family crisis at its centre. It offers atmosphere, teamwork and a determined character whose limb difference is part of her life, not the whole plot.

Expect a darkly funny, morally complicated fantasy heist: Elle rebuilds her crew to pursue a seemingly impossible rescue from the Afterlife while translating a mysterious manuscript and avoiding powerful syndicates.

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 character-led YA novel about a Muslim teenager negotiating prejudice, family background, self-protection and first love in post-9/11 America. Music and breakdancing provide important ways for Shirin to cope and express herself.

Louie’s grief after his brother’s death unfolds alongside parental separation and a community’s devastation. The story uses ghosts and Endlander mourning traditions to explore how people remember the dead, communicate loss and begin rebuilding.

A grief-centred verse novel combining letters, school and home life, and cryptid mystery. Its emotional focus is Noah’s search for connection and belonging while navigating loss and identity.

Fox dies after a long life, and his friends share memories that help a tree grow. The story moves through grief, remembering and renewal, while keeping Fox’s influence alive in their community.

A fast-moving fantasy adventure about mermaids, Vikings, gods and a threatened ocean. Alongside magic and danger, it offers a clear route into conversations about environmental damage, leadership, friendship and how communities respond to conflict.

This offers a tense zombie-survival story alongside a developing romance between two boys. Its distinctive appeal lies in combining wilderness adventure with questions about belonging, prejudice, fear and how communities respond to outsiders.

A creepy, energetic adventure that combines frightening creatures and suspense with banter, humour and an emphasis on four unlike students learning to support one another.

This looks like a lively friendship adventure built around contrasting personalities, imaginative inventions and a sudden encounter with a threatening figure. Its strongest appeal may be the trio’s teamwork and playful world-building.

This is a socially engaged Manchester story about three Black teenagers whose lives become connected after a stabbing. Its central interest lies in contrasting viewpoints, unequal experiences and the friendships formed in the aftermath.

This is a warm, richly observed set of island stories about a child whose moods, wishes and adventures feel changeable and recognisable. Family routines, community life and humorous mishaps provide the setting, while the illustrations add substantial detail to explore together.

A clue-heavy ensemble mystery for readers who enjoy solving puzzles alongside characters. Its appeal lies in twists, red herrings, humour and changing partnerships, while its many characters and social tensions may require patient attention.

A gentle magical story about making, companionship and renewed connection. Its wonder comes alongside an older character’s loneliness and a child’s experience of missing her father, holding sadness and happiness together.

A humorous adventure about a reluctant child facing unfamiliar activities, social pressure and team expectations. Tim’s practical idea in a challenge suggests that contribution need not depend on sporting ability.