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This is a character-led story told through the girls’ different accounts of one friendship group. Their varied perspectives may help readers notice how the same group dynamic affects its members.

This is a pony-camp story that brings together fitting in and the possible loss of a valued shared place. Brooke also turns to online friends for help.

Agustín's yellow shadow sets him apart in a city where everyone else has a black one; nobody invites him to play.

Chester’s canine viewpoint makes the friendship central, while the story also explores how Gus’s behaviours are understood at home and school.

A gentle animal story about a colt who struggles to stand and join the other colts. His mother and a little girl offer care and encouragement, while friendship and acceptance shape his effort to become a runner.

This is an emotionally engaging school story centred on a bright child whose thoughts are overlooked because she cannot communicate conventionally. It offers sustained attention to dignity, family advocacy, friendship and the consequences of assumptions.

A lively, imaginative visit combines a public setting, friendship and a touch of rule-breaking. The book may work especially well as a shared read-aloud, with pictures and rhythm supporting discussion.

This is an imaginative fantasy sequel centred on magic, competing loyalties and conflict between magical and anti-magical groups. It offers friendship, compassion, courage and teamwork, but its adventure includes disturbing death imagery and broad comic material.

This is a historical family story about innocence changing under wartime pressure, balancing a distant conflict with quarrels, responsibilities and emotional strain within one household.

Kate Ferris works towards establishing a riding stable, faces disruption before a show, and must decide how to respond when Melissa’s horse is injured. The story is character-led and centres on Kate’s changing attitude.

This is a myth-influenced fantasy adventure about friends mounting a rescue, confronting an ancient foe and relying on one another. Its emotional centre appears to be loyalty, belonging and the pressure of trying to save someone.

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 bright, direct introduction to adoption and family belonging, using repeated language and diverse family images. Its emotional centre is welcome, but its one-sided account of need may not fit every family’s experience.

This is an emotionally direct school-and-family story about being misread, finding ways to communicate and learning to recognise a person beyond appearance or speech. Harriet’s perspective gives disability, irritation, humour and courage a central place.

A fast-moving London quest places a blind heroine at the centre of a supernatural crisis. Its strongest offering is Ella’s practical experience of blindness, alongside friendship, family tensions, mythology and a high-stakes struggle against darkness.

A warm, visually led celebration of how people show love: through friendship, kindness, consideration, comforting gestures, family events and ordinary routines. Six families and recurring named children give young listeners details to notice across different settings.

This is an environmentally focused adventure about an outsider seeking friendship and a place to belong, with dolphins, Scottish legend and a family mystery adding emotional and imaginative interest.

This is a fast-moving, illustrated adventure about a vulnerable robot trying to recover its past and return to Beth. Friendship, fear, memory and the treatment of discarded things sit alongside danger and humour.

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 poetic picture book follows a girl whose ordinary school day is shattered by war. Alone, she travels through dangerous displacement before encountering a school that initially excludes her. The story presents destruction, bereavement and possible drowning indirectly, then turns towards welcome, solidarity and hope through children’s practical kindness.

A romance about two teenagers navigating disability, belonging and pressure: Ellie confronts ableism after leaving her Deaf school, while Jackson faces frightening bodily changes and demanding expectations. Their connection is presented alongside anger, uncertainty, compassion and questions of self-determination.

A character-led YA novel about Deaf identity, changing schools and deciding how far to trust new people. It offers a perspective on agency, communication and inclusion, alongside friendship and romance.

A thoughtful school-transition story about the pull of popularity and the cost of trying to meet everyone’s expectations. Its strongest interest lies in Sabina’s changing friendships, family pressures and uncertainty about whether unusual abilities genuinely improve her life.

A school-transition story about Frankie finding ways to join in, protect her privacy and build friendships through music, while facing sensory challenges and the return of a bully.

A school story about August’s first experience of mainstream education, Wonder explores friendship, prejudice, family relationships and self-acceptance. Its difficult incidents are set alongside reconciliation, supportive adults and acts of kindness.

This is a school drama about disability prejudice, bullying and self-worth. Billy and Mia’s friendship provides a counterpoint to classmates’ treatment of Billy and to a football hero who proves disappointing.

A thoughtful adventure about losing home, feeling misunderstood and building trust across profound differences. The sea-world premise supports curiosity about biology and communication, while Ginika’s family situation gives the story emotional weight.

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 young elephant wants to join a lifeboat crew, but his size appears to prevent this. When a storm puts the crew in trouble, Gabriel may be able to help, creating a story about belonging, courage and finding a way to contribute.

A culturally rooted historical story about a boy finding confidence through football while negotiating family expectations and hostility at school. It offers a child’s perspective on belonging, tradition and personal freedom.

This is a gentle school story about feeling unseen, noticing someone on the margins and making room for them. Its central movement is from social isolation towards connection through thoughtful, practical acts.

This is a warm, socially focused story about a child questioning expected crushes and trying to preserve friendships. It offers room to discuss belonging, queer self-discovery, honesty and the possibility that friendships can change without ending.

A lively group adventure built around treasure hunts, secret communication and pirate clues. Its strongest appeal is likely the mix of teamwork, island exploration and mystery, with a fingerspelling-based code included in the children’s shared activities.

A biography about difference, persistence and practical problem-solving, linking Temple Grandin’s visual thinking with her scientific work and concern for livestock. It combines personal history with explanations and visual material rather than offering only a straightforward life story.

A friendship-centred winter sports story about a new team that excludes Hannah, tests Brian’s loyalty and pressures Snowstream’s children to choose between friends and belonging.

A football series opener about joining a youth-club team and then taking part in matches. It may appeal to readers who enjoy football, club life and friendship.

A pony-centred friendship story about caring for animals, preparing them for television filming and managing uncertainty over who will be chosen.

A historically framed biography about Daisy Gordon Low’s creation of a national girls’ organisation, with particular attention to outdoor participation, wider opportunities for women and inclusion of girls with disabilities.

A classroom story about difference becoming connection: Jennifer’s Jewish identity prompts a club centred first on being unique, then on recognising distinctive qualities in every classmate.