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Senior Fiction

Senior Fiction

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Action and Adventure

The Dark Artifices – Cassandra Clare

Emma Carstairs is a Shadowhunter – the best in her generation. Together with her best friend and parabatai Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where faeries – the most powerful of supernatural creatures – teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters.

But when bodies of murdered humans and faeries continue to turn up, Emma and Julian must strike an uneasy alliance with their supposed enemies in order to find the killer.

Meanwhile, an extremist faction of Shadowhunters called the Cohort will do anything to seize power and turn Shadowhunters against Downworlders once and for all. Emma, Julian, and their friends must embark on a series of quests into the realms of Faerie and beyond in order to save the Shadow World as they know it – even as a deadly and ancient curse threatens to destroy them and everyone they love. . .

 

The 5th Wave – Rick Yancey

After the1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

NOW IS THE DAWN OF THE 5TH WAVE

On a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs.
Runs from the beings that only look human, who have scattered Earth's last survivors.

To stay alone is to stay alive, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be her only hope.

Now Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death.

 

Survivor – Tom Hoyle

People are dying. One mysterious death on the Ultimate Bushcraft adventure holiday is tragic. But when a second, and then a third person dies, something suspicious is going on . . . But who can you trust when everyone around you is a suspect? As numbers dwindle, the chances of survival plummet. Staying alive has never seemed so guilty. Nobody is safe.

 

 

Historical Fiction

Out of Shadows – Jason Wallace

Zimbabwe, 1980s.
The fighting has stopped, independence has been won and Robert Mugabe has come to power offering the end of the Old Way and promising hope for black Africans.
For Robert Jacklin, it’s all new: new continent, new country, new school. And very quickly he learns that for some of his white classmates, the sound of guns is still loud, and their battles rage on.
Boys like Ivan.
Clever, cunning Ivan.
He wants things back to how they were, and he’s taking his fight to the very top.

 

Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

In the heat of the French summer of 1910, young Englishman Stephen Wraysford arrives in Amiens to stay with the Azaire family. But soon a secret passion emerges that threatens to destroy the household. Six years later, Stephen finds himself on the Western Front with civilization itself in the balance. And in a maze of tunnels under the trenches he will fight for everything he has known and loved.

An epic of love, death and redemption, Birdsong has moved millions of readers all over the world to become a contemporary classic.

 

The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

Comedy

We are all made of Molecules – Susin Nielsen

Meet Stewart. He’s geeky, gifted and sees things a bit differently to most people. His mum has died and he misses her all the more now he and Dad have moved in with Ashley and her mum. Meet Ashley. She’s popular, cool and sees things very differently to her new family. Her dad has come out and moved out – but not far enough. And now she has to live with a freakazoid step-brother.

Stewart can’t quite fit in at his new school, and Ashley can’t quite get used to her totally awkward home, which is now filled with some rather questionable decor. And things are about to get a whole lot more mixed up when these two very different people attract the attention of school hunk Jared. . .

 

This will be funny someday – Katie Henry

Sixteen-year-old Izzy is used to keeping her thoughts to herself—in school, where her boyfriend does the talking for her, and at home, where it’s impossible to compete with her older siblings and high-powered parents.

When she mistakenly walks into a stand-up comedy club and performs, the experience is surprisingly cathartic. After the show, she meets Mo, an aspiring comic who’s everything Izzy’s not: bold, confident, comfortable in her skin. Mo invites Izzy to join her group of friends and introduces her to the Chicago open mic scene.

The only problem? Her new friends are college students—and Izzy tells them she’s one, too. Now Izzy, the dutiful daughter and model student, is sneaking out to perform stand-up with her comedy friends. Her controlling boyfriend is getting suspicious, and her former best friend knows there’s something going on.

Mystery/Crime/Thriller

The Inheritance Games – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

A BILLION-DOLLAR FORTUNE TO DIE FOR.
Avery has a plan: keep her head down, work hard for a better future. Then an eccentric billionaire dies, leaving her almost his entire fortune. And no one, least of all Avery, knows why.

A DEADLY GAME.
Now she must move into the mansion she's inherited. It's filled with secrets and codes, and the old man's surviving relatives - a family hell-bent on discovering why Avery got 'their' money.

WINNER TAKES ALL.
Soon she is caught in a deadly game that everyone in this strange family is playing.
But just how far will they go to keep their fortune?
 

Five Survive – Holly Jackson

 

Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break.

Spirits are high. Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident.

There’s a sniper out there. He’s watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for.

As a game of cat-and-mouse plays out, the group desperately tries to get help. Buried secrets are forced to light and tensions within the group reach deadly levels. Only one thing is for sure. Not everyone will survive the night . . .

 

 

 

The Honeys – Ryan La Sala

When Mars Matthias loses his sister Caroline under horrific circumstances, it propels him to learn all he can about the once-inseparable sibling who'd grown tragically distant.

Mars's gender-fluidity means he's often excluded from the traditions - and expectations - of his politically-connected family, including attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister devoted so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place.

The setting may be pristine and sun-drenched, but there's an undercurrent of tension buzzing ominously. Mars seeks out his sister's old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying - and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death. But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars's memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can't find it soon, it will eat him alive...


The Girls I’ve Been – Tess Sharpe

As an ex con artist, Nora has always got herself out of tricky situations. But the ultimate test lies in wait when she's taken hostage in a bank heist. And this time, Nora doesn't have an escape plan ...

Meet Nora. Also known as Rebecca, Samantha, Haley, Katie and Ashley - the girls she's been.

Nora didn't choose a life of deception - she was born into it. As the daughter of a con artist who targeted criminal men, Nora always had to play a part. But when her mother fell for one of the men instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con herself: escape.

For five years Nora's been playing at normal - but things are far from it when she finds herself held at gunpoint in the middle of a bank heist, along with Wes (her ex-boyfriend) and Iris (her secret new girlfriend and mutual friend of Wes ... awkward). Now it will take all of Nora's con artistry skills to get them out alive.

Because the gunmen have no idea who she really is - that girl has been in hiding for far too long ...

 

The Magpie Society – One For Sorrow – Zoe Sugg/ Amy McCulloch

 

Welcome to the Magpie Society...

Tragedy has struck Illumen Hall, a prestigious boarding school of tradition and achievement.

The body of student Lola Radcliffe is discovered on the beach, and on her back someone has tattooed an elaborate magpie.

For new student Audrey, it's just another strange and unsettling thing about her new surroundings.

For her roommate Ivy, the death of her friend Lola is something she's desperate to get past - and Audrey's presence isn't helping.

But the two girls are thrown together when a mysterious podcast airs, with a sinister headline:

I KNOW WHO KILLED LOLA. AND ONE OF YOU IS NEXT.

Romance

PS. I Love You – Cecilia Ahern

Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. Childhood sweethearts,no one could imagine them without each other.

Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry's death devastates Holly. But Gerry has left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, guiding Holly into her new life, each note signed 'PS, I Love You'.

As the notes are gradually opened, the man who knows Holly better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing – and being braver than ever before.

Life is for living, she realises – but it always helps if there's an angel watching over you.


They Both Die at the End – Adam Silvera

On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure - to live a lifetime in a single day.

 

You’ve Reached Sam – Dustin Thao

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out: move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s phone just to listen to his voicemail. And Sam picks up the phone . . .

What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?

Comic and Graphic Novels

Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson/ Emily Carroll

Resonant and fiercely authentic. This timely, critically acclaimed and award-winning modern classic is now a powerful graphic novel.

'I said no.'

Melinda is an outcast at Merryweather High. Something happened over the summer - something bad - and now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen. So what's the point in speaking at all?

Through her work on an art project, Melinda is finally able to face what really happened that night. But before she can make peace with the ghosts of the past, she has to confront the reality of the present - and stop someone who still wishes to do her harm. Only words can save her. She can't stay silent. Not any more.

 

An Inspector Calls – J.B.Priestley

The classic novel brought to life in full colour. A respectable household is shocked when a strange man visits them shortly after dinner and proceeds to unravel their prejudices and lies.

 

Macbeth – William Shakespeare

The complete play translated into plain English, in graphic novel form. A great way to study GCSE text in an alternative format.

 

 

Fantasy, Science Fiction and Dystopia

Happy Head – Josh Silver

We are in an epidemic. An epidemic of unhappiness. 

Friends, here is the good news: HappyHead has the answer.

When Seb is offered a place on a radical retreat designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to change how people see him and make his parents proud. But as he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Finn, Seb starts to question the true nature of the challenges they must undergo. The deeper into the programme the boys get, the more disturbing the assessments become, until it’s clear there may be no escape...

‘Like Hunger Games but better.’ Sue Wallman

A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin

A Song of Ice and Fire, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A Game of Thrones is the first volume in the series. 

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plot, lusts and intrigues, to the vast and savage eastern lands, all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men...all will play the Game of Thrones.

Winter is coming....

 

The War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells

When an army of invading Martians lands in England, panic and terror seize the population. As the aliens traverse the country in huge three-legged machines, incinerating all in their path with a heat ray and spreading noxious toxic gases, the people of the Earth must come to terms with the prospect of the end of human civilization and the beginning of Martian rule.Inspiring films, radio dramas, comic-book adaptations, television series and sequels,The War of the Worlds is a prototypical work of science fiction which has influenced every alien story that has come since, and is unsurpassed in its ability to thrill, well over a century since it was first published.

The Loop – Ben Oliver

Luka Kane has been inside hi-tech prison the Loop for over two years.

A death sentence is hanging over his head but his day-to-day routine is mind-numbingly repetitive, broken only by the books brought to him by the sympathetic warden, Wren.

Then everything starts to change: rumours of war are whispered in the courtyard and the government-issued rain stops falling.

On Luka's last, desperate day, Wren issues him a terrifying warning: breaking out of the Loop might be Luka's only chance to save himself – and the world ...

The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood

I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light.

Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. She is placed in the household of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'. She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. As she recalls her pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men upon which her future hangs.

Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction.

Realistic Fiction/Family Life/Diverse/Inclusive

The Fault in our Stars – John Green

I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.

Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis.

But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

 

You’d Be Home Now – Kathleen Glasgow

The quiet one, the obedient one, the reliable one. Emmy has spent her life being told exactly who she is. Not strong-willed like her beautiful sister Maddie and not in rehab like her wild brother Joey. But when a tragic accident changes life in her small town forever, can Emmy keep up the act?

 

Concrete Rose – Angie Thomas

With his King Lord dad in prison and his mom working two jobs, seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter helps the only way he knows how: slinging drugs. Life's not perfect, but he's got everything under control. Until he finds out he's a father...

Suddenly it's not so easy to deal drugs and finish school with a baby dependent on him for everything. So when he's offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. But when King Lord blood runs through your veins, you don't get to just walk away.

 

The Places I’ve Cried in Public – Holly Bourne

A must read for any young feminist and it teaches the importance of love, respect and empowerment in any relationship. Basically, it's a girl power knockout! - Shout

It looked like love.
It felt like love.
But this isn't a love story.

Amelie fell hard for Reese. And she thought he loved her too. But she's starting to realise that real love isn't supposed to hurt like this.

So now she's retracing their story, revisiting all the places he made her cry. Because if she works out what went wrong, perhaps she can finally learn how to get over him.

 

Five Feet Apart – Rachael Lippincott

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control - even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

 

(Un)Arranged Marriage – Bali Rai

MANNY WANTS TO BE A FOOTBALLER. OR A POP STAR. OR WRITE A BESTSELLER. HE DOESN'T WANT TO GET MARRIED...

'Harry and Ranjit were waiting for me - waiting to take me to Derby, to a wedding. My wedding. A wedding that I hadn't asked for, that I didn't want. To a girl who I didn't know... If they had bothered to open their eyes, they would have seen me: seventeen, angry, upset but determined - determined to do my own thing, to choose my own path in life...'

Set partly in the UK and partly in the Punjab region of India, this is a fresh, bitingly perceptive and totally up-to-the-minute look at one young man's fight to free himself from family expectations and to be himself, free to dance to his own tune.

 

The Sound of Everything – Rebecca Henry

Life has taught Kadie to be cynical and not to trust anyone. She thinks she is prepared for everything, but then she meets Lips, also an outsider. However she has secrets of which she must let go, if she is to make a stab at friendship and love. Can she do it? Can she outwit the bullies? A thrilling story about love and daring to be yourself. Nominated for the Carnegie. Shortlisted for the Jhalak Children's & YA prize. Shortlisted for the Sheffield's children's and YA prize.

Non-Fiction

The Teenage Guide to Life Online – Nicola Morgan


From the award-winning author of Blame My Brain, The Teenage Guide to Stress and The Teenage Guide to Friends comes The Teenage Guide to Life Online, a balanced look at what happens to us all – young and old – when we spend time on the internet. Nicola Morgan explores the pros and cons of life in the Digital Age, from the information explosion to the growth of social media. Opening with a brief history of the web she then explores hot topics like fake news and online privacy, and draws on fascinating, cutting-edge research into how the internet and screen-use affect our ability to concentrate, our mood and sleep patterns. This is a book for families to share: a way for teenagers, their parents and carers to inform themselves about the many advantages and risks of life online.

 

Becoming – Michelle Obama

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the United States and around the world. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. 

In her memoir Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations - and whose story inspires us to do the same. 

 

The Careers Handbook

Do you have a passion but can't work out how to make a career out of it? Do you want to change your career but don't know where to start? Are you worried about career development? Or are you overwhelmed by so much advice you are lost in a sea of information? You're not the only one - and The Careers Handbook is here to steer you in the right direction.

This indispensable guide is ideal for teenagers and newly qualified graduates. Career counsellors will also find this a trustworthy companion for helping students with their future career planning. So, whether you want to become a nurse or home decorator, a chef or cyber-security analyst (or you simply have no idea!) this book is your ultimate source.

 

Life Skills for Teens – Karen Harris

The teenage years are an exciting yet ever-changing period of your life. New challenges and tasks seem to pop up almost daily—not to mention all the transitions your body is going through.

As you get older and take on more responsibilities, you have probably wondered how to do many of the adult tasks your parents or older siblings seem to breeze through daily. Everyday challenges like how to tell if the chicken in the fridge has gone bad to how to get rid of dandruff has likely crossed your mind. As you learn and experience new things, questions about basic life skills will arise. This book is here to help you solve the daily problems adults take for granted.

While the internet provides a wealth of knowledge, it can be overwhelming to navigate at times. I mean, which of the thirteen articles about budgeting and saving money is actually accurate? And yes, you can ask your parents or other trusted adults in your life to teach you specific skills, but sometimes you just want to figure it out on your own. That’s where this guide comes into play.

 

Rise Up – Stormzy/ Jude Yawson (2019)

In four years Stormzy has risen from one of the most promising musicians of his generation to a spokesperson for a generation. Rise Up is the story of how he got there. It’s a story about faith and the ideas worth fighting for. It’s about knowing where you’re from, and where you’re going. It’s about following your dreams without compromising who you are.

Featuring never-before-seen photographs, annotated lyrics and contributions from those closest to him, Rise Up is the #Merky story, and the record of a journey unlike any other.

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