What Are You Looking For?

A child’s ambition develops into a life in art: Hopper studies, works as an illustrator and pursues paintings shaped by light, shadow and scenes he observes. The book also shows how he combined real details with imagination.

This is an adventure about a grandson’s attempt to honour his grandfather while climbing Kilimanjaro. The journey challenges DJ’s belief that talent and determination will make everything easy.

The story follows Harry’s effort to build a life through work, with his resolve and moral judgement tested along the way.

A first-person account of a life-changing injury and a return to competitive surfing, alongside reflections on faith, family and surfing itself.

Consider it for a child curious about inventions or the history behind familiar attractions; its biographical focus offers a person-centred entry into engineering.

This is a Cambodian Cinderella retelling centred on Angkat’s endurance of family-caused wrongs and her effort to regain her rightful place.

This is a turning-point adventure: reaching the sought-after wilderness brings fresh uncertainty, and the bears must act together when one of them needs saving.

This is an adventure about learning a demanding warrior’s way while facing pursuit and fear. Jack’s training and the frightening ritual give the story a strong focus on courage under pressure.

This is a fantasy adventure built around being stranded in a dangerous, unfamiliar world. The central pull is whether the group can find a lasting route home while Senna remains missing.

Grandpa recounts pioneer experiences, and Janie draws encouragement from the hardships those early settlers endured.

A true-life account of Carter’s long search for King Tut’s tomb, set against his earlier fascination with Egyptian artefacts and his work in archaeology.

This is a fantasy journey shaped by Dakin’s three wishes: reaching a distant mountain, meeting a gargoyle and finding a prince. Her choices and encounters appear central.

This is a peril-filled journey home, followed by a return to a household changed during Odysseus’s absence.

Expect a brisk, peril-filled adventure focused on a king's efforts to meet threats to his country. This is the trilogy's conclusion, so earlier instalments may matter for following the characters and stakes.

Expect an outdoor adventure centred on a dog’s determination to find her team, rather than an account of the race rules or a factual guide to the Iditarod.

This is a career-focused biography, moving between Olympic milestones and Phelps’s early experiences. Its emphasis is on persistence and achievement rather than a broad account of his life.

Simon’s creative ideas bring comic disruption: his parents worry about his inventions, and one machine goes wrong during housework. He continues pursuing his ambition after a setback and brings a later invention to 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 a concise, illustrated Christian biography combining life events with Calvin’s writings, ministry, theology and sixteenth-century setting. It includes personal relationships, bereavement and illness, while presenting Calvin within a distinctly Reformed understanding of church history.

A faith-centred biography that presents Isobel Kuhn’s personal change and missionary journey as an adventurous, challenging life story.

A disadvantaged horse moves from failed racing to carriage work, learning about history, reading, languages and different political systems. His later involvement in a crisis gives the story an adventure arc, but the precise resolution is unclear.

A purposeful, visually striking account of collective action for water, combining biography, environmental concern, Indigenous language and spiritual practice. Its central invitation is to consider how people might show respect for water and act on that responsibility.

A portrait of Chanel’s rise in fashion sits alongside discussion of poverty, prejudice, self-invention and wartime controversy. The book offers achievements and faults together rather than presenting an uncomplicated style icon.

A gentle story about feeling worried by science, then using research, friendship and persistence to develop a science-fair project. Its central message links confidence with thoughtful choices and continued effort.

A myth-inspired adventure combines family consequences, supernatural threats and a heroine who acts despite fear. The premise offers suspense and humour, while Charlotte’s resistance and choices invite attention to courage under pressure.

A focused sports profile of Michelle Kwan, linking competition, injury and disappointment with continued achievement. It offers a compact account of an athlete’s setbacks and successes, accompanied by high-action photographs.

This is a fictional story about Susanna’s attempt to secure an international magazine scoop while navigating professional pressure and changing circumstances.

A historically grounded creative-life story in which the origins of Curious George are closely tied to a Jewish couple’s flight from wartime Europe. Its strongest elements are human connection, artistic work, and a tense escape.

A lively introduction to Franklin’s changing roles, from printer and experimenter to civic organiser and statesman. It presents a broad historical journey supported by period images and reference material, with perseverance and inventive thinking prominent in the portrait.

A playful fantasy adventure turns ordinary holes into a doorway to familiar story characters. Andrea’s journey combines imaginative problem-solving with a heartfelt wish connected to her mother’s lost smile.

Choose this for a reader drawn to Greek mythology, modern fantasy and high-stakes competition, provided graphic violence and mature themes are not likely to overwhelm them.

This offers an accessible introduction to a pioneering doctor and inventor, combining a poetic life story with scientific and historical detail. Its strongest appeal is the connection between personal ambition, medical discovery and wider questions of equality.

This is a fast-moving supernatural mystery about trust, responsibility and courage under pressure. Will must investigate his apparent involvement in the theft while confronting escalating threats to his community.

This offers a brisk, magical quest built around recovering a missing charm. Fairies, goblins, candyfloss and a village fête create a playful setting, while the conflict provides a simple mystery and adventure framework.

This is a high-stakes fantasy sequel combining a love triangle with battles, prophecy and threats to whole populations. Its strongest appeal is likely the mixture of romance, magic, creatures and extreme peril.

A playful, participatory story combines repeated wind sounds, a determined spider and shape recognition. Its strongest offer is shared looking and joining in, rather than a realistic account of how spider webs work.

The Ocean Fairies are described as keeping sea creatures safe and happy, while the quest aims to restore peace and safety to the oceans.

A good choice for discussing how an apparently exciting journey can become exhausting and dangerous, while relationships and shared celebrations help people endure prolonged hardship.

A lively visual story about making a home from mishaps. Its strongest pleasures are comic accidents, inventive machinery, expressive illustrations and the animals’ growing community.

A gentle intergenerational story combines farm life, family memory and a practical challenge: a grandson helps his grandfather learn to read and write before travelling to Australia.

This is a participatory beach adventure rather than a detailed plot: children help Niko build, move through interactive elements and encounter a small anticipated setback while sharing the rhyming story.

A lively football story about a struggling team, a supposed cursed kit and Stanley’s efforts to restore confidence. Expect comic superstition, setbacks and team-focused action, with the ending centred on the last game.

A true, illustrated account of a boy who wonders how things work, teaches himself from old science books and builds a windmill for his drought-ravaged village. The emphasis is on persistence and practical invention.

A focused, dual-narrative historical novel about displacement, survival and access to water. Its language is spare, but the experiences include war, deaths and severe deprivation, balanced by perseverance and collective problem-solving.

A gentle environmental story about a small, quiet character whose observations are initially overlooked. Whisper’s eventual advocacy involves friends, creativity and persuasion rather than simply becoming louder.

A focused, dual-narrative historical novel about displacement, survival and access to water. Its language is spare, but the experiences include war, deaths and severe deprivation, balanced by perseverance and collective problem-solving.