What Are You Looking For?

A comic fantasy mystery built around unusual weather, an imprisoned uncle and a determined group of friends.

This is a serious, trauma-focused novel in which two sisters face the effects of abuse, family disruption and foster care. It also follows attempts to find support, speak openly and begin recovering.

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.

This is a time-travel adventure centred on friendship, fairness and an orphan’s vulnerability. Its historical setting and Christian-life framing may offer a lively starting point for discussing how stories represent justice and belonging.

This is a family-and-community story about cultural identity, belonging and resilience. Its period details, family interactions and humour sit alongside racism, economic pressure and the difficult work of translating between languages and expectations.

A lively story about a wronged schoolgirl choosing increasingly risky ways to recover her future. Its strongest discussion point is the gap between understanding Bernetta’s predicament and approving of her solution.

This is a supernatural thriller about a transgender teen whose post-operative recovery is interrupted by a werewolf attack. Friendship, bodily change, prejudice and the pull of revenge sit alongside the horror premise.

This is a sports-centred coming-of-age story about a transgender teenager balancing football, privacy, romance, family relationships, and the possibility of advocating for other trans young people.

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.

This is a grief-focused family story told through Jamie’s limited understanding. It combines painful circumstances with comic moments, friendship and movement towards hope, while showing how adults’ responses to loss affect children.

This is a lively university romance built around an advice column: Mary-Elizabeth gives relationship guidance while navigating attraction, questionable choices, shaken confidence and changing views of the people around her.

A story about facing prejudice while navigating family worries, friendship and uncertainty about identity. It combines painful school experiences with warmth, music, LGBTQ+ history and a hopeful sense of personal agency.

This is a socially serious novel about a child living under strict religious and family control. Its central tension concerns secrecy, loyalty and whether Martha should help reveal what her parents want hidden.

This is a socially focused YA novel about racism, Muslim identity and belonging, balancing painful conflict with family, friendship, faith and Somali community. Its central movement is from enforced quietness towards speaking up.

A moving historical war story about Stephen and Danny, whose growing love unfolds amid trench warfare, bereavement and hostility towards gay men. Expect both tense action and quieter attention to vulnerability, friendship, identity and the emotional costs of conflict.

Choose this for a young reader who enjoys brisk adventure, teamwork and high-stakes missions. Its central appeal is action: a television project becomes a dangerous situation involving a terrorist, hostages and a bushfire.

A story about openly expressing identity when family disapproval, peer abuse and romantic uncertainty create pressure. Evan’s determination is central, alongside the consequences of hostility towards his sexuality and gender expression.