Journey to the River Sea – Eva Ibbotson

It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at thirteen, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She is accompanied by an eccentric and mysterious governess who has secret reasons of her own for making the journey. Both soon discover an exotic world bursting with new experiences in Journey to the River Sea, Eva Ibbotson's highly colourful, joyous adventure.

Skulduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy

Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course).

Oh yeah. And dead.

Then there's his sidekick, Stephanie. She's... well, she's a twelve-year-old girl. With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out...

Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction.

Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard.

When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture... Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

Invisible City – M.G. Harris

When his archaeologist father goes missing after an air crash in Mexico, UFO-obsessed Josh Garcia suspects alien abduction. On the Internet Josh soon finds like-minded friends. But after he discovers his dad was murdered, he’s propelled into an urgent race to find a lost book of ancient Maya.

Could the mysterious ‘Ix Codex’, missing for centuries, contain the secret to surviving a prophecy of apocalyptic doom?

Josh might be the only person alive who can find it – but there are forces out there who’ll do anything to make the prophecy come true. Will Josh survive long enough to unravel the mystery of what happened to his dad?

Thirteen – Tom Hoyle

Thirteen boys. Twelve dead. One survives. For now . . .

Adam was born at the stroke of midnight at the start of a new millennium. He is the target of a cult who believe boys born at that time must die before the end of their thirteenth year. Twelve boys have been killed so far.

Coron, the crazed cult leader, will stop at nothing to bring in his new kingdom.

And now he is planning a bombing spectacular across London to celebrate the sacrifice of his final victim . . .

Kerb Stain Boys – Alex Wheatle

Life on the Crongton estate can be rough for Briggy. Dad's lost his job, Mum's working so hard to make ends meet, and big brother Kingsley just wants out. With all of the shouting and arguing it's difficult not to get lost in the mix. So when his best mate Terror and coolest chick in the year Caldonia, cook up a plan to make a quick buck, Briggy hopes this time it might be his chance to shine. Robbing the Post Office ... what could go wrong? A brilliantly real and funny novella of life on one of London's toughest (fictional) estates.

Looking for JJ – Anne Cassidy

Three children walked away from the edge of town one day – but only two of them came back…

A gripping and emotionally searing novel from a talented author, Looking for JJ explores the circumstances and motives behind the murder of a child – by her friend. Six years later, JJ has now been released, and has a new identity. But is there any way that she can lead a “normal” life?

Perfect for readers looking for a more mature theme.

How I live Now – Meg Rosoff

Fifteen-year-old Daisy thinks she knows all about love. Her mother died giving birth to her, and now her dad has sent her away for the summer, to live in the English countryside with cousins she's never even met.

There she'll discover what real love is: something violent, mysterious and wonderful. There her world will be turned upside down and a perfect summer will explode into a million bewildering pieces. How will Daisy live then?

It’s not Summer without you – Jenny Han

One girl. Two boys. An impossible decision to make . . .

When something is perfect, you hope it lasts forever. But Isabel's lazy, long hot summers at her family friends' beach house are over.
Conrad is the only boy she's ever loved. But he's left for college, taking her heart with him. Jeremiah, his gorgeous younger brother, is still Isabel's best friend - but maybe friendship isn't enough for him anymore . . .

Isabel just wants everything to stay the same, because change means moving on. But if she stops looking back, could she find a future she never knew she wanted?

I am David – Anne Holm

‘You must get away tonight,’ the man had told him.

David escapes from the concentration camp where he has spent his entire life and flees across Europe. He is utterly alone – who can he trust? What will await him? And all the while, how can he be sure that they won’t catch up with him . . .

This is the remarkable story of David’s introduction to the world: sea, mountains and flowers, the colours of Italy, the taste of fruit, people laughing and smiling, all are new to David.  David learns that his polite manner, his haunted eyes and his thin features are strange to other people. He must learn to fend for himself in this strange new world.

An incredible story of survival against all odds and self discovery, for readers of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Book Thief.

Things a Bright Girl can do – Sally Nicholls

Through rallies and marches, in polite drawing rooms and freezing prison cells and the poverty-stricken slums of the East End, three courageous young women join the fight for the vote.

Evelyn is seventeen, and though she is rich and clever, she may never be allowed to follow her older brother to university. Enraged that she is expected to marry her childhood sweetheart rather than be educated, she joins the Suffragettes, and vows to pay the ultimate price for women's freedom.

May is fifteen, and already sworn to the cause, though she and her fellow Suffragists refuse violence. When she meets Nell, a girl who's grown up in hardship, she sees a kindred spirit. Together and in love, the two girls start to dream of a world where all kinds of women have their place.

But the fight for freedom will challenge Evelyn, May and Nell more than they ever could believe. As war looms, just how much are they willing to sacrifice?

The Ruby in the Smoke – Philip Pullman

Soon after Sally Lockhart's father drowns at sea, she receives an anonymous letter. The dire warning it contains makes a man die of fear at her feet. Determined to discover the truth about her father's death, Sally is plunged into a terrifying mystery in the dark heart of Victorian London, at the centre of which lies a deadly blood-soaked jewel.
Philip Pullman's ever-popular, action-packed Victorian melodramas are rejacketed for the bicentenary of Charles Dickens in 2012.

Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo

A stunning edition of this modern classic of World War One, featuring an introduction by the author and insightful testimonies from soldiers.

Told in the voice of Private Tommo Peaceful, the story follows twenty-four hours at the front, and captures his memories of his family and his village life by no means as tranquil as it appeared.

Full of vivid detail and engrossing atmosphere, leading to a dramatic and moving conclusion, Private Peaceful is both a compelling love story and a deeply moving account of the First World War.

Fagin’s Girl – Karen McCombie

Orphan Ettie Shaw is penniless and homeless on the streets of London when she is spotted by her older brother, Joe. Joe has fallen in with a notorious pickpocket gang run by a man called Fagin, and Ettie has to disguise herself as a boy so she can go back with him to Fagin’s lair. At first Ettie is able to help out with mending and other domestic jobs, but when one of the other boys falls ill, Fagin demands that Ettie go out pickpocketing with Joe - and everything goes horribly wrong...

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun, and the Galaxy is a very strange and startling place.

Middle School – James Patterson

Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest stand-up comedian - even if he always seems to 'choke' in the spotlight. When Jamie finds out about a contest called the Funniest Kid on the Planet, he knows it's time to face his fears and enter. But are the judges rewarding him out of pity because he happens to be in a wheelchair, like his bullying cousin Stevie suggests? And will Jamie ever share the secret of his troubled past - and reason for his disability - instead of hiding behind his comedy act?

Hexed – Julia Tuffs

Jessie Jones has just discovered she's a witch. Too bad there isn't a hex to make slimy Callum Henderson and his friends disappear ... yet. The first book in a feisty, funny YA series about discovering your place and your power.

New girl, new school, new life on stupid island - thanks Mum. All Jessie Jones wants is to keep her head down, avoid school douchebag Callum Henderson, and coast - middle-of-the-road-like. But when strange powers start to manifest during crippling period pains, flying under the radar seems highly unlikely.

Can Jessie embrace her new-found witchiness, control her erratic powers and work out a way to bring down Callum and his cult of toxic masculinity?

Sheets – Brenna Thummler

Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen-year-old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything she's worked for.

Wendell is a ghost. A boy who lost his life much too young, his daily routine features ineffective death therapy, a sheet-dependent identity, and a dangerous need to seek purpose in the forbidden human world.

When their worlds collide, Marjorie is confronted by unexplainable disasters as Wendell transforms Glatt's Laundry into his midnight playground, appearing as a mere sheet during the day. While Wendell attempts to create a new afterlife for himself, he unknowingly sabotages the life that Marjorie is struggling to maintain.

Illegal – Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin

Ebo: alone.

His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe.

Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his sister.

The Red Pyramid – Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson fought Greek Gods. Now the Gods of Egypt are waking in the modern world....

I guess it started the night out dad blew up the British Museum....

Carter and Sadie Kane's dad is a brilliant Egyptologist with a secret plan that goes horribly wrong. An explosion shatters the ancient Rosetta stone and unleashes Set, the evil god of chaos.

Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin and Carter and Sadie must run for their lives. To save their dad, they embark on a terrifying quest from Cairo to Paris to the American Southwest and discover the truth about their family’s connection to the House of Life: an Egyptian temple of magic that has existed for thousands of years. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt are far from dead and buried. And so, unfortunately, are their gods....

The Giver – Lois Lowry

Percy Jackson fought Greek Gods. Now the Gods of Egypt are waking in the modern world....

I guess it started the night out dad blew up the British Museum....

Carter and Sadie Kane's dad is a brilliant Egyptologist with a secret plan that goes horribly wrong. An explosion shatters the ancient Rosetta stone and unleashes Set, the evil god of chaos.

Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin and Carter and Sadie must run for their lives. To save their dad, they embark on a terrifying quest from Cairo to Paris to the American Southwest and discover the truth about their family’s connection to the House of Life: an Egyptian temple of magic that has existed for thousands of years. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt are far from dead and buried. And so, unfortunately, are their gods....

The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett

When Mary Lennox is sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody says she is the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It is true, too. Mary is pale, spoilt and quite contrary. But she is also horribly lonely. Then one day she hears about a garden in the grounds of the Manor that has been kept locked and hidden for years.

And when a friendly robin helps Mary find the key, she discovers the most magical place anyone could imagine...

The Maze Runner – James Dashner

When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone.

He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade – a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there – or what's happened to the world outside.

All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything – even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try and find out ...

The Extinction Trials – S.M. Wilson

Betrayal. Sacrifice. Survival. Welcome to The Extinction Trials...

In Stormchaser and Lincoln's ruined world, the only way to survive is to risk everything. To face a contest more dangerous than anyone can imagine. And they will do anything to win.

But in a land full of monsters - human and reptilian - they can't afford to trust anyone. Perhaps not even each other…

Uglies – Scott Westerfield

Tally lives in a world where your sixteenth birthday brings aesthetic perfection: an operation which erases all your flaws, transforming you from an 'Ugly' into a 'Pretty'. She is on the eve of this important event, and cannot wait for her life to change. As well as guaranteeing supermodel looks, life as a Pretty seems to revolve around having a good time. But then she meets Shay, who is also fifteen - but with a very different outlook on life. Shay isn't sure she wants to be Pretty and plans to escape to a community in the forest - the Rusty Ruins - where Uglies go to escape ' turning'. Tally won't be persuaded to join her, as this would involve sacrificing everything she's ever wanted for a lot of uncertainty.

When she is taken in for questioning on her birthday, however, Tally gets sent to the Ruins anyway - against her will. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she could ever imagine: find her friend Shay and turn her in, or never turn Pretty at all. What she discovers in the Ruins reveals that there is nothing 'pretty' about the transformations... And the choice Tally makes will change her world forever.

The Tulip Touch – Anne Fine

Nobody wants Tulip in their gang.

She skives off school, cheeks the teachers and makes herself unpopular with her classmates by telling awful lies.None of this matters to Natalie who finds Tulip exciting.

At first she doesn't care that other people are upset and unnerved by Tulip's bizarre games, but as the games become increasingly sinister and dangerous, Natalie realises that Tulip is going too far.Much too far.

Racing, in fact, to the novel's shocking ending.

Wink – Rob Harrell

Ross Molloy just wants to be normal. He doesn't want to lose his hair, or wear a weird hat, or deal with the disappearing friends who don't know what to say to 'the cancer kid'. But with his recent diagnosis of a rare eye cancer, simply blending in is no longer an option. Ross - and his friends and his family - all need to work out how to deal with this devastating challenge that Life has thrown down. Maybe Batpig can come to the rescue?

Based on Rob Harrell's own real life experience of eye cancer, and including amazing comic-strip artwork, this poignant and authentic novel is unforgettable, hilarious and uplifting.

Welcome to Nowhere – Elizabeth Laird

Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar doesn't care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes . . .

Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their home with only what they can carry. Yet no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you can't go home?

Stay a Little Longer – Bali Rai

Aman's dad is gone, leaving her feeling lost and alone. She struggles to talk about it, but it's a fact and he isn't coming back. When a lovely man called Gurnam moves in to her street and saves Aman from some local bullies, he and Aman quickly become friends, perhaps even like family. But Gurnam has his own sadness. One that's far bigger than Aman can understand, and it's tearing his life apart. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 13+

The Mystery of Me – Karen McCombie

Karen McCombie explores identity, friendship and fresh starts in this touching tale perfectly pitched for struggling teen readers.

Ketty doesn’t remember anything about the accident, or much from before. The doctors say her memories will come back, but in the meantime school is a frightening and confusing place. Otis seems to be her only friend – he’s kind and caring, funny too. And he may hold the key to remembering the old Ketty ... But will Ketty recognise or even like the girl she used to be?

The Bone Sparrow – Zana Fraillon

Born in a refugee camp, all Subhi knows of the world is that he's at least 19 fence diamonds high, the nice Jackets never stay long, and at night he dreams that the sea finds its way to his tent, bringing with it unusual treasures. And one day it brings him Jimmie. Carrying a notebook that she's unable to read and wearing a sparrow made out of bone around her neck - both talismans of her family's past and the mother she's lost - Jimmie strikes up an unlikely friendship with Subhi beyond the fence.

As he reads aloud the tale of how Jimmie's family came to be, both children discover the importance of their own stories in writing their futures.

Speechless – Kate Darbishire

Eleven-year-old Harriet has Cerebral Palsy. At her new Secondary School, she is bullied and ridiculed every day and she doesn’t know how to make friends.
Charlotte tries – but how do you talk to someone who won’t talk back?
When Harriet’s mum is rushed into hospital, her Grandmother, Gloria has far more important things to worry about than Harriet. Like whether her nail polish matches her outfit.
Jake, Harriet’s brother, starts skipping school and acting weird. Harriet can see he’s in danger but what can she do?
Harriet is plucky and resilient but is she brave enough to face up to her challenges?

Be Resilient – Nicola Morgan

The essential teenage guide to building resilience for challenging times, from award-winning well-being expert Nicola Morgan, author of the bestselling Blame My Brain and The Teenage Guide to Stress.
Some events in life will always be out of our control, whether it's a global crisis or a traumatic event at home – but Be Resilient shows that the power to cope is in our hands. Discover how to develop the skill of mental resilience in this fascinating guide from award-winning author and teenage brain expert Nicola Morgan. From building a support network to building optimism, find positive, practical advice for preparing for, coping with and bouncing back from the toughest of times. Authoritative and backed by the latest science, this is a reassuring companion for teenagers everywhere.

Dosh – Rashmi Sirdeshpande

A fun and accessible financial handbook helping boys and girls build their confidence and develop a positive money mindset.

Having some dosh in your pocket can be really exciting. And when it's used as a force for good, those pennies have the power to change the world. But managing money can seem daunting, especially in uncertain times. This book is here to build your confidence, transform you into a money expert and look toward the future.

Whether you want to become an entrepreneur, be a savvy shopper, save all your pennies or splurge on something you really want, children's author and former lawyer, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, is here to help you make the right decisions. Discover what money is, why it matters, how to spend it and ways to make more of it in this fun and brilliant guide.

A Change is Gonna Come – Various Authors

Featuring top Young Adult authors and introducing a host of exciting new voices, this anthology of stories and poetry from BAME writers on the theme of change is a long-overdue addition to the YA scene.
Contributors include Tanya Byrne, Inua Ellams, Catherine Johnson, Patrice Lawrence, Ayisha Malik, Irfan Master, Musa Okwonga and Nikesh Shukla.

Lionesses European Champions – Emily Stead

Celebrating the success of the phenomenal Lionesses, this book follows four key players in their journey from the playground to the pitch, as they prepare for the biggest match of their lives.

Learn how star players Lucy Bronze, Ellen White, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead stepped up to help the Lionesses secure the title of European Champions 2022.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Ripley's Believe It or Not! transports readers of all ages to a world beyond imagination - where truth is stranger than fiction!

Every turn of the page reveals all-new and all-true stories from around the globe - an artist who paints with cow poop, a disappearing waterfall, whales that hunt with bubbles, and hundreds more. Packed with astounding facts, hair-raising stories and stunning photography, this all-new edition of Ripley's is every curious reader's ticket to the extraordinary.