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This is a character-focused story about friendship, identity and growing independence. Henry’s heritage and Marcus’s emerging self-confidence create different but connected journeys, with humour and affection balancing angry confrontations and social pressure.

A buoyant, unusual adventure pairs a determined child with a loving guardian and a rooftop community. Its imaginative freedom sits alongside peril, precarious living, family uncertainty and moments of physical harm.

This is a humorous but emotionally unsettled school-and-family story about coping when several losses and humiliations arrive together. Camille’s resilience is central, though the path towards it is described as difficult.

This is a visually rich wartime memoir about service, segregation, friendship and artistic persistence.

This is an adventurous, emotionally charged fantasy combining dragons with Cold War intrigue. It follows danger, friendship, romance and hope while confronting racism, bereavement, political violence and the destructive consequences of power.

A lively fantasy mystery for readers who enjoy hidden worlds, supernatural beings, competition and surprises. Its emotional centre is Amari’s search for her brother and her movement from feeling like an outsider towards recognising her strengths.

This is a serious, fast-moving story about living under unequal rules and trying to tell the truth when authority decides who is believed. Creative expression and close relationships provide its strongest sense of hope.

This is a visually contrasting, rhyming story about a boy who loves the natural world, faces homophobic bullying at school, and develops a plan to reclaim his school through creativity and nature.

A suspenseful mystery about a child pursuing truth while separated from her family. Its science-fiction ideas sit alongside friendship, courage and self-discovery, with a hopeful emotional thread reported alongside danger and uncertainty.

Expect a compact, poetic story with two narrative voices, intense emotions and significant moral and social issues. Its short verse sections may aid momentum, while the subject matter can remain deeply affecting.

This is a compact, serious story about two migrant workers pursuing work and a shared dream. Its strongest elements are loyalty, loneliness and the pressures placed on vulnerable people when hopes collide with harsh circumstances.

This is a dark, suspenseful revenge thriller centred on three girls’ bond, sexual violence, misogyny and the disturbing possibility that bear attacks are connected to their situation.

A high-stakes fantasy about two young people facing an oppressive society, dangerous magic and threats to their families. Its strongest focus is courage joined with cultural pride and resistance to injustice.

This is a contemporary YA novel about students resisting school book bans. It combines activism and community conflict with Noor’s relocation, family strain, Muslim identity, friendship, grief and tentative romantic feelings.

A gentle story about a child’s strong attachment to a treasured toy, the upset caused by losing it, and the difficulty of getting it back after it is bought at a fair.

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

This is an ambitious story about music, courage and human connection across several historical settings. It offers mystery, fantasy and emotionally serious struggles, with separate children's stories eventually shown to be interwoven.

This is a high-stakes fantasy conclusion about Eragon and Saphira confronting a powerful ruler. It combines adventure, battles and moral stakes with loss, hope and the difficult question of what restoring justice may require.

This is a historical story about an enslaved woman using literacy and a formal appeal while separated from family and facing mistreatment. Its focus is both personal distress and a determined attempt to seek change.

This is an encouraging, idea-led collection inviting children to reflect on life, their place in the world and the possibility of making a positive contribution.