What Are You Looking For?

This is a wartime friendship story in which childhood play sits alongside an attempt to track down Nazi spies. Cory’s desire to be brave is tested by mistakes and hurtful choices.

At its heart, this is a story about a young adventurer reconsidering solitude and facing a test of courage while travelling with two horses.

A lively historical mystery follows Scooter from helping with staged séances to investigating a death after finding a dead man in Houdini’s torture tank. It offers adventure, period atmosphere, supernatural imagery and a brisk first-person voice.

This is a poignant historical family story about isolation, hardship and perseverance. Its emotional centre is Laura’s longing to help, belong and reunite her family, alongside compassion for a vulnerable turtle.

A mythic rescue adventure centred on Marcy’s fear, determination and relationship with her father. Egyptian gods, the Sphinx and a legendary book create a vivid fantasy setting, while the illustrations carry substantial visual detail and action.

Expect a brisk, comic swashbuckling story: pirates take Molly, but her courage and cleverness unsettle them. The story’s main pleasure is the reversal of who appears powerful and who needs to be feared.

This is a character-led school story about a young person who is often judged by her behaviour but wants to belong, make friends and change direction. Its central appeal is the possibility of second chances.

This is a high-pressure family and sports story about twins whose ambitions, rivalry and difficult circumstances lead them towards separate dangers. It combines emotional conflict with themes of loyalty, adversity and recovery.

This is a family-centred coming-of-age story: Katy’s energetic adventures give way to pain, dependence and gradual change. Its strongest appeal lies in a vivid household, an imperfect heroine and a sustained focus on how relationships respond when ordinary life is disrupted.

This is comic fantasy adventure about an underestimated boy whose intelligence, courage and loyalty matter more than physical strength. Its lively illustrations, eccentric names and slapstick tone may make the story especially inviting.

This is a high-stakes survival adventure built around six very different young people learning to depend on one another in extreme circumstances.

A supernatural coming-of-age story about inherited responsibility, private secrets and a choice with potentially enormous consequences. Adam’s wish for normality collides with a frightening vision and a demand to act.