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Expect a grim, disorientating fairy tale rather than a reassuring adventure: Otto is often frightened and uncertain, while magic offers power without straightforward control.

Expect a topical collection rather than one continuous account: articles present contrasting claims about television’s effects, industry practices and possible regulation.

Expect a high-action fantasy about survival, loyalty and choosing what sort of person to become, rather than a romance-led story. Aina’s assassin role and the consequences of her choices are prominent.

A historical novel in verse about Phoebe’s struggle towards freedom, told through several perspectives. Learning to read and write is central to how she begins to understand her circumstances and choices.

Expect an action-led dystopian story that asks what happens when a society sorts people into fixed groups. Identity and belonging sit beneath the suspense; a romance is also part of the plot.

This is a sweeping fantasy about Zélie’s attempt to restore magic, pursued by the crown and complicated by her feelings for an enemy. Its imagined kingdom also carries themes of racial oppression and resistance.

This family story follows Cassie through a crisis at home, a period away from her family and the difficult possibility of repairing damaged relationships.

This is a story about Diego’s probation and efforts to manage his anger, with trust in an adult becoming important as he begins to disclose difficult experiences.

A reference-style companion for readers interested in going beyond the story, combining series background with information about Collins and discussion of broad themes.

This is an issue-focused account that brings together violence against women, the term femicide and debate about how such crimes should be categorised.

Expect a lively pirate-themed adventure blending time travel, historical-seeming encounters and references to classic pirate stories.

A haunted-house mystery links Harper’s forgotten accidents and her brother’s unusual behaviour with spirits, while bringing Korean traditions and Jamaican cultural details into the story.

A school bullying story that turns towards lethal violence, Burn centres the perspective of a bullied student while also asking readers to consider victimisation and the actions that may provoke it.

This is a return-to-school story about Cole trying to live differently after seriously harming another student. Reconciliation has happened, but the school environment still presents a difficult challenge.

A fantasy adventure about experienced fighters and magic-users called back from private life when violence spreads across their nation.

This is a family-centred story about escaping abuse, making a new identity and discovering that a flight framed as an adventure has practical consequences.

A supernatural justice-bringer sets frightening trials for people who have done wrong, while Mara’s unexplained apprenticeship forms a continuing mystery.

This is a vampire horror story with a mystery at its centre: how are more vampires being created? A reader also mentions romance, but the relationship and its role in the story are unclear.

This is a deliberately dark, comic reworking of a high-school social drama: friendship trouble and irritation become motives for attempted and threatened killings. Its defining shift is from gossip and relationships towards slasher violence.

This is horror built around a violent act and a disturbing question: what if the people Mary calls monsters are no longer human? Angela's investigation drives the tension.

Dani’s diary follows her as she faces the aftermath of rape and a court case, adjusts to a new school, and draws on support from Reggie and people around her.

This is a coming-of-age road story in which a young man’s hopes for his future meet financial strain, a risky offer and complications during a long journey.

This is a historical account centred on the assassination and its aftermath, with attention to how Lincoln’s death affected the causes of freedom and equality.

This paranormal novella centres on Emily’s transition from constrained family responsibilities into a supernatural life, with grief, romantic longing and a wish for vengeance shaping her situation.

A travel mystery follows Maddie’s first trip abroad and her search with Ryan for the truth about his father’s death. Their journey also prompts Maddie to consider what she wants from life.

A concise illustrated account of racial violence in Tulsa, centred on the 1921 massacre and its consequences for Black families and Greenwood.

A character-led story about Gabe’s transgender identity, radio work and relationships, with a threatened opportunity adding pressure to his efforts to build a life on his own terms.

A fast-moving historical time-travel adventure links haemophilia, gene therapy and the Romanovs’ fate through a journey between 1916 and 2010.

A historical fantasy mystery about a young woman pursuing answers and independence, with magical disguise-making at its centre. The chapter titles suggest a brisk mix of secrets, social complications and danger.

This is a relationship-focused story about two teenagers seeking change: Félix wants to turn his life around, while Frédérique wants to make choices for herself.

This is a relationship-led coming-of-age story with a serious gang-violence strand. Its central tension brings Misha’s attraction to Dwayne into conflict with her mother’s warning and Dwayne’s concealed life.

This is a dystopian survival story built around a stark rule: each activated person must kill their double. West's entry into the system gives the premise a personal focus.

This is a relationship-centred story framed by domestic violence and alcoholism, rather than a light romance.

A supernatural mystery follows Mackenzie as she investigates disappearances that seem connected to her, while trying to regain her footing after a dangerous encounter.

This is a high-stakes story of witness protection, rival gangs and an emerging romance. Maddie's position as a witness places her at the centre of the danger, while Lobo's intentions add uncertainty.

This is a Western lawman story centred on a Black marshal whose life began in slavery. Its blend of history and invention may appeal to readers interested in a real historical figure recast through a frontier adventure.

This is a high-stakes story of cooperation under threat, alongside a relationship strained by a recent break-up and betrayal.

This is a sports history and biography, but its scope reaches beyond football: it examines the Carlisle school’s treatment of Native American students and racism in sport and wider society.

This is a high-stakes historical adventure about a teenager caught between hopes of wealth and the violence surrounding diamond mining. It offers sustained emotional intensity alongside questions about family, freedom, exploitation and recovery.

Expect a futuristic thriller centred on two teenagers from sharply different social positions. The book combines pursuit, military conflict, romance and a challenge to official narratives, with a graphic presentation of action.

This is a high-stakes survival story about three teenagers fleeing danger, with friendship and hope providing emotional counterweights to fear, loss and an uncertain journey.

A fast-moving speculative thriller about genetically modified young people, authoritarian power and escape. It combines a flood-threatened future with assassination, secret-police pursuit and freedom-fighter conflict, while placing Kai’s changing loyalties and Phoebe’s relationship with him at the centre.

A fantasy novel with an unusual time-based world and a forbidden romance at its heart. It may particularly appeal to readers interested in steampunk-like settings and LGBT protagonists, while its darker content merits advance discussion.

A lively fantasy adventure built around two very different twins: Myles plans and analyses, while Beckett acts instinctively and communicates unusually well with nonhuman beings. Their complementary strengths drive a chaotic struggle involving magical creatures, powerful technology and determined enemies.

This is an inventive, fast-moving apocalypse fantasy built around Vincent’s attempt to protect his family.