Recommended Reads for Year 9

Classics

1984

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities.

Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent - even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101.

First published in 1949, 1984 is George Orwell's terrifying vision of a totalitarian future in which everything and everyone is slave to a tyrannical regime.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with a serious crime. Through the young yes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s.

The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

Lord of the Flies

A plane crashes on a desert island. The only survivors are a group of schoolboys.

By day, they discover fantastic wildlife and dazzling beaches, learning to survive; at night, they are haunted by nightmares of a primitive beast. Orphaned by society, it isn't long before their innocent childhood games devolve into a savage, murderous hunt ...

The Handmaid’s Tale

Discover the dystopian novel that started a phenomenon. Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead.

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.

Pride & Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, which opens with one of the most famous sentences in English Literature, is an ironic novel of manners. In it the garrulous and empty-headed Mrs Bennet has only one aim - that of finding a good match for each of her five daughters.

In this she is mocked by her cynical and indolent husband. With its wit, its social precision and, above all, its irresistible heroine, Pride and Prejudice has proved one of the most enduringly popular novels in the English language.

Brave New World

Welcome to New London. Everybody is happy here. Our perfect society achieves peace and stability by dispensing with monogamy, privacy, money, family and history itself.

Now everyone belongs. You can be happy too. All you need to do is take your Soma pills.This is the brave new world of Aldous Huxley’s deeply sinister and prophetic novel, a society based on maximum pleasure and complete surveillance – no matter the cost.

The Twelfth Day of July

Sadie is Protestant, Kevin is Catholic - and on the tense streets of Belfast their lives collide.

It starts with a dare - kids fooling around - but soon becomes something dangerous. Getting to know Sadie Jackson will change Kevin's life forever. But will the world around them change too?

Fantasy

A Language of Dragons

Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons. London, 1923.

Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job’, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort – if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again.

If she doesn’t, they’ll all die. At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realises that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must decide: What war is she really fighting?

Throne of Glass

Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend.

In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. Celaena Sardothien has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom.

If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a deadly competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion. But something rotten dwells in the castle – and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying mysteriously, one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival – and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world, and the people she has come to love.

Twin Crowns

One throne. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown? Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she would steal her sister’s place in the palace. Trained from birth to avenge her parents’ murder and usurp the princess, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves.

Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility including marriage into a brutal kingdom. Life outside the palace walls is a place to be feared and she is soon to discover that it’s wilder than she ever imagined. Twin sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other’s lives a whole lot better…

Girl, Goddess, Queen

To hell with love, this goddess has other plans... Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride.

How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying. The real story is much more interesting. Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped.

There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her. Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.

But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .

Sisters of Sword and Shadow

What if the Knights of the Round Table had a female counterpart? An epic Arthurian fantasy reimagining.

An interesting thing happens, when a man is defeated in combat by a woman… He tells nobody.' Destined for an arranged marriage, Cass dreams of freedom.

So when a fierce and beautiful leather-clad woman rides up and offers to take her away, Cass doesn’t hesitate to join her. She is introduced to the Sisters of Sword and Shadow - a group of female knights training to fight, protect their community and right the wrongs of men. Drawn into a world of ancient feuds, glorious battles, and deadly intrigue, Cass soon discovers she holds a power that could change not only her own fate but that of her entire sisterhood.

The Dandelion Riots

The destruction I was destined to cause was unfathomable...

Cursed at birth, 16-year-old Drinn has been hidden away from the world - moved from house to house to ensure that she never finds love. But this year, she has decided to break free. Fleeing, Drinn finds herself in Oblison, surrounded by others just like her - cursed girls whose lives are dangerous and wild.

They vow to liberate themselves once and for all. But rebellion is dangerous, and if Drinn finds love before the curse can be broken, a terrible fate could befall them all...

A Tempest of Tea

Join the high-stakes heist into a dark vampire underworld… Arthie Casimir is a collector of secrets.

At night her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse, feeding the vampires who stalk the streets. But when her livelihood is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike a deal with an unlikely – and frustratingly handsome – ally. Desperate, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society.

But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. For in the vampire-laden streets of White Roaring, things are never as they seem . .

Sci-Fi/Dystopian

They Both Die at the End

What if you could find out your death date from a single phone call? Death-Cast is calling… will you answer?

A love story with a difference - an unforgettable tale of life, loss and making each day count. 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. 

Gone

In the blink of an eye all the adults disappear in a small town in southern California and no one knows why. Cut off from the outside world, those that are left are trapped, and there’s no help on the way.

Sam Temple and his friends must do all they can to survive. Chaos rules the streets. Gangs begin to form.

Sides are chosen – strong or weak. Cruel or humane. And then there are those who begin to develop powers … The GONE series is Lord of the Flies for the 21st century.

Good Omens

What if, for once, the predictions are right, and the Apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea? It's a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, now find themselves in. They've been living amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse.

And then there's the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

It's an ordinary Thursday lunchtime for Arthur Dent until his house gets demolished.

The Earth follows shortly afterwards to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and his best friend has just announced that he's an alien. At this moment, they're hurtling through space with nothing but their towels and an innocuous-looking book inscribed, in large friendly letters, with the words: DON'T PANIC. The weekend has only just begun .

The Things We Leave Behind

Just Imagine Civil unrest in London has reached an all-time high after years of a growing authoritarian regime, and it’s no longer safe for Clem and her half-sister Billie in the city. Clem tells of their treacherous journey to Scotland, by road and then by sea, fleeing with nothing but a notebook filled with stories and memories of home.

But is there something Clem's not saying? And how will this journey – and the sisters’ story – end? With the start of a new life? Or a mirror held up to the past?

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in a constant, overwhelming Noise.

There is no privacy. There are no secrets. Then Todd Hewitt unexpectedly stumbles on a spot of complete silence.

Which is impossible. And now he’s going to have to run…

Uglies

In Tally Youngblood’s world, looks matter. At sixteen everyone undergoes a transformation from “Ugly” to “Pretty” and is catapulted into a high-tech paradise where the only thing that matters is having a great time and you never have to worry or think for yourself. Tally can’t wait.

But then, with just weeks to go to Tally’s birthday, her friend Shay runs away and the ugly truth about the world of the Pretties starts to reveal itself. What if the beauty of the Pretties utopia really is just skin deep?

Thriller/Adventure

The Inheritance Games

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?

Ketchup Clouds

Ketchup Clouds tells the story of one teenage girl with a very big secret. Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret - a dark and terrible secret that she can't confess to anyone she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal, Stuart Harris, locked up on death row in Texas.

Like Zoe, Stuart is no stranger to secrets. Or lies. Or murder.

Full of both heartache and humour, Zoe tells her story in the only way she can - in letters to the man in prison in America. Armed with a pen, Zoe takes a deep breath, eats a jam sandwich, and begins her tale of love and betrayal.

The King is Dead

James has been a prince all his life, and since he was born, he’s been thrust into the spotlight as the first Black heir to the throne. But when his father dies unexpectedly, James is crowned king at the tender age of seventeen, and his life irrevocably changes.    When James’ boyfriend suddenly goes missing, threatening envelopes appear in the palace, and gossip and scandals that only he knows are leaked to the public. As the anonymous informant continues to expose every last skeleton in the royal closet, James realises even those in his inner circle can’t be trusted.

Thieves’ Gambit

Join the Thieves’ Gambit, a cut-throat competition to crown the world’s greatest thiefRule 1: Never fall in love with your opponentRule 2: The only thief you can trust is yourselfEndgame: Win the heist to save your family - and yourself…

Seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest was raised by a legendary family of thieves with one rule: trust no one. When her mother is kidnapped, her only chance to save her is to win the Thieves’ Gambit – a deadly competition for the world’s best thieves, where the victor is granted one wish. To win, she must outwit all of her backstabbing competitors, including her childhood archnemesis.

But can she take victory from the handsome, charming boy who makes a play for her heart and might be hiding the most dangerous secret of all?

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth … ?

Ace of Spades

Buried secrets come to light when two students are targeted by an anonymous bully with an explosive agenda. Hello, Niveus High. It's me. Who am I? That's not important. All you need to know is...I'm here to divide and conquer.

- AcesWelcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is revealing the darkest secrets of two students.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both.

Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game... Unputdownable and utterly compulsive, this high-octane thriller takes a powerful look at institutionalized racism.

Heir of Storms

I am the girl who wove the storm that shook the world.

And I’m coming for my crown. When Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it. Blaze, a Rain Singer, is born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire.

Her birth summoned a devastating storm that resulted in the deaths of thousands, and she has spent her life as an outsider, reviled and feared. When Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, are selected to compete in the Choosing Rite, the trials which decide the future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight – and into battle. Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome suitors: the enchanting Crown Prince and a dangerously alluring newcomer at court.

As her powers strengthen and her fellow competitors fall, the throne is suddenly within her grasp. But in order to take the crown, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her and find the courage to write her own.

Historical Fiction

Baby Love

A heartbreaking, compelling and timely story for older readers about teen pregnancy and its consequences, family trouble and unlikely friendships, set in 1960. When Laura meets a French exchange student, Leon, she is flattered by his interest in her.

She's never had any sort of boyfriend before. One night, Leon walks Laura home - and her life will never be the same again. Things start to change for Laura - first her moods, and then her body.

Laura isn't prepared for what she learns next - and doesn't even know how it could have happened. When her family learns her secret, they are horrified. Sent away to save them from shame, Laura meets girls just like herself, whose families have given up on them - and they become a family for each other at the most difficult time in all their lives.

The Book Thief

Here is a small fact - You Are Going To Die.

1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath.

Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp.

Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow

A year ago, before the revolution, Salama watched her brother marry her best friend, Layla, and wondered when her own love story might begin. Now she works at the hospital – helping those she can, closing the eyes of those she can’t. Layla and her unborn baby are all Salama has left.

Unless you count Khawf. But he’s a hallucination; a symptom of the horrors she’s seen. Every day he urges Salama to leave.

Every day she refuses. Until she crosses paths with Kenan, the boy with the vivid green eyes, who wants to stay and risk his life for everything Syria could be …

When The World Was Ours

Vienna, 1936. Elsa, Leo and Max have always been best friends, a special team of three. Then the Nazis come.

As a growing darkness descends around them, Leo and Elsa run for their lives, taking two very different paths across Europe. And Max, once their closest friend, now becomes the enemy as he is drawn into the Hitler Youth. Will the friends ever find their way back to each other? Will they want to?   Inspired by a true story, WHEN THE WORLD WAS OURS is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking, and shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times. Three friends.

Two sides. One memory.  

Cane Warriors

Nobody free till everybody free. Moa is fourteen. The only life he has ever known is toiling on the Frontier sugar cane plantation for endless hot days, fearing the vicious whips of the overseers.

Then one night he learns of an uprising, led by the charismatic Tacky. Moa is to be a cane warrior, and fight for the freedom of all the enslaved people in the nearby plantations. But before they can escape, Moa and his friend Keverton must face their first great task: to kill their overseer, Misser Donaldson.

Time is ticking, and the day of the uprising approaches . . .

Kata & Tor

A tale of star-crossed young love set against the backdrop of the Viking invasion of York, from a master storyteller. Tor is the youngest son of Harald Hardrada, King of Norway and leader of the Viking fleet, whose countless victories have been woven into song, his prowess the stuff of legend. Kata knows little of her parents, but her heart yearns for something beyond the small world of her Anglo-Saxon village south of the great city of York.

When Tor is sent to scout ahead of the Viking fleet after their invasion of Scarborough, he relies on his charm and his guile to learn the lie of the land and the location of the regional earls' forces, ready to report back to his father. Soon, however, he meets Kata, a caring and capable young woman whose fierce nature sets Tor's heart alight. But these are troubled times.

Mistrust and rumours ripple through the land: the mighty Hardrada is coming and help is far from hand. As the eve of battle draws closer, Kata and Tor must question to whom their loyalty lies: heart or home?

Refugee

This action-packed novel tackles topics both timely and timeless: courage, survival, and the quest for home.

JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . .
ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America
MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe
All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge.

All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Contemporary

Little Bang

A bittersweet romance that takes a new look at teen pregnancy, the magic and mess of first relationships, and a young woman's right to choose her own future. Beneath the New Year's Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble – but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal.

Mel's religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid's feminist mum pushes for a termination. Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her.

If My Words Had Wings

When fifteen-year-old Tyrell Forrester gets caught up in a high-profile armed robbery, he's sentenced to eighteen months in a young offenders’ prison.

Now he’s getting out, and he’s determined to turn his life around. Despite his release, systemic discrimination makes it difficult for Ty to truly be free. Inspired by a visiting poet while inside, Ty discovers a whole new world through spoken word and is finally finding his voice.

But will society ever see him as anything other than a criminal?

The Hate U Give

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer.

Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.

Needle

Charlene is a demon knitter.

It’s the only thing she enjoys and the only thing she believes she’s really good at. So when her foster mum’s son destroys her latest creation, Charlene loses it and stabs him in the hand with her knitting needle. It damages a nerve and she gets sucked into the criminal justice system for assault.

Charlene's not sorry and she’s never apologised to anyone in her life. But people keep telling her that if she says sorry, they’ll go easier on her. Can she bring herself to say it and not mean it when her freedom’s at stake?

Happy Head

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...

Treacle Town

Con O’Neill is stuck in a world of brutal gang violence, sectarian vendettas and personal tragedy. The lack of opportunities for him and the rest of his gang is all too apparent. No money.

No prospects. A social design that entraps inhabitants of Treacle Towns up and down the country. Connor is desperate to get away, to find another life where he can experience happiness and fulfilment.

When he stumbles upon the new world of slam poetry, Con senses a glimmer of hope - a hope that might just lead to his escape from Treacle Town. But it won’t be easy.

You Could Be So Pretty

BEAUTY COMES AT A PRICE. AND GIRLS MUST PAY.

In Belle and Joni's world there are two options for girls:One, follow the rules of the Doctrine like Belle: apply your Mask, work hard to be crowned at the Ceremony, be a Pretty. Or two, fight the rules like Joni: leave your face bare, work hard to escape to the Education, be an Objectionable. But maybe there is a third option...

Change the rules. Reclaim your power. If you can...

Romance & Relationships

The Fault in Our Stars

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.

Noughts and Crosses

'Stop it! You're all behaving like animals! Worse than animals - like blankers!'Sephy is a Cross: she lives a life of privilege and power.

But she's lonely, and burns with injustice at the world she sees around her. Callum is a nought: he's considered to be less than nothing - a blanker, there to serve Crosses - but he dreams of a better life. They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go.

Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies - love is out of the question. Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these star-crossed lovers choose each other. But this is love story that will lead both of them into terrible danger… and which will have shocking repercussions for generations to come.

Poweful

Adena and Paedyn have always been inseparable. Fate brought them together when they were young, but friendship ensured they’d always protect each other and the home they built in the slums of Loot. But now Paedyn – an Ordinary – has been selected for The Purging Trials, which means almost certain death. Now alone in Loot, Adena must fend for herself. After attempting to steal, it’s a mysterious man from the market who comes to her rescue. Mak’s shadowy past and secretive power set him apart from the other low-level Elites of Loot.

And as the pair team up to see their loved ones before the Trials begin, the quest tests their loyalty, their love, and their lives…

Four Eids and a Funeral

Let's get one thing straight: this is a love story. Said Hossain hates Tiwa Olatunji.

And Tiwa would happily never see Said again in her life. Growing up, the two were inseparable, but they have barely spoken since the incident many Eids ago and both of them would like to keep it that way. But when Said comes home for a funeral and the town's Islamic Centre burns down on the same day, they have to face each other again and sparks fly.

Both of them want to see the Islamic Centre rebuilt. For Tiwa, it represents the community that she loves and a way to keep her fractured family together. For Said, it's an opportunity to build his portfolio for his secret application to art school, where he hopes that he'll be able to pursue his dreams of becoming an artist, rather than a doctor.

Working with your sworn enemy is never easy, and this could be the hardest thing that Said and Tiwa have ever done. But in trying to save the Islamic Centre and Eid, could these enemies become something else...?

Glasgow Boys

Two boys can't remember the last time they had a hug. Meet Finlay.

He's studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow University, against all the odds. But coming straight from care means he has no support network. How can he write essays, find paid work and NOT fall for the beautiful boy at uni, when he's struggling to even feed himself?Meet Banjo.

He's trying to settle in with his new foster family and finish high school. But he can't forget all that has happened, and his anger and fear keep boiling over. How can he hold on to the one good person in his life, when his outbursts keep threatening his already uncertain future?Can Finlay and Banjo let go of the past before it drags them under?

All That It Ever Meant

‘I’m going to tell you exactly how everything happened. Baba always says, Mati mwana’ngu, I love a good story but I don’t have time for a long one, so make it short.’ When Mati and her two siblings travel from London to Zimbabwe with their father, they are forced to confront the knotty family dynamics caused by the loss of their mother.

Along for the trip is Meticais, a fabulously attired gender-neutral spirit — or ghost? or imaginary friend? — who only Mati can see and talk to. Guided by Meticais’s enigmatic advice and wisdom, Mati must come to terms with her grief and with the difficulty of a life lived between two cultures, while her family learn to forge their way in a world without their monumental mother.

Better Than The Movies

Liz hates her annoyingly attractive neighbour but he’s the only in with her long-term crush … Perpetual daydreamer and hopeless romantic Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away.

Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet. The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbour might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make.

Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in. But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must re-examine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.

Coming of Age

The Thread That Connects Us

A story of shared blood and bad blood, endings and beginnings... Safiya has struggled to pick up the pieces of her family since her dad left them and moved to Somalia.

She refuses to trust in love, despite wishing she could fall for boy-next-door Yusuf... And then her dad moves back to town with his new family, shattering her life all over again. Halima doesn't want to move to England.

She resents her stepdad for dropping her in a strange new life with a new language to learn - replacing her friends with bullies who set out to shame her. When the girls are thrown together at school, it's hate at first sight. But as they uncover life-changing secrets from their parents' past, they begin to realize...What if the key to all their problems lies in their sisterhood?

Liccle Bit

What's worse than hiding a secret? Liccle Bit's about to find out... Venetia King is the hottest girl at school.

Too bad Lemar is the second shortest guy in his year. Everyone calls him Liccle Bit, and his two best friends, McKay and Jonah, never tire of telling him he has no chance with girls. Things aren't much better at home. His mum is permanently hassled, his sister a frustrated single mum and his dad moved out years ago. Liccle Bit wishes he could do something - anything! - to make life better. A new phone would be a start... When Venetia starts paying Liccle Bit attention, he secretly hopes he's on a fast track to a first date. Unfortunately, as a new gang war breaks out, he finds himself on a fast track to something much more sinister. South Crongton's notorious gang leader has taken an interest in Liccle Bit.

Before he knows what's happening, he finds himself running errands. But when he hears about a killing on the estate, Liccle Bit is forced to question his choices. How can he possibly put things right?

We Are All Made of Molecules

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.

When Our Worlds Collided

A powerful coming-of-age story about chance encounters, injustice and how the choices that we make can completely change our future.

When fourteen-year-old Shaq is stabbed outside of a busy shopping centre in Manchester, three teenagers from very different walks of life are unexpectedly brought together. What follows flips their worlds upside down and makes Chantelle, Jackson, and Marc question the deep-rooted prejudice and racism that exists within the police, the media, and the rest of society.

Elsewhere

Welcome to Elsewhere.

It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are beautiful. It's quiet and peaceful. You can't get sick and you can't get older. In Elsewhere, death is only the beginning …Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she is killed in a hit-and-run accident. It is a place very like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backwards from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth.

But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driving licence. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college.

She doesn't want to get to know a grandmother she's never met before and have to make all-new friends. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Or is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

Wink

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.

King of Nothing

ANTON AND HIS FRIENDS ARE THE KINGS OF YEAR 9. They're used to ruling the school and Anton wears the crown. The other kids run away when he's about but that's the way he wants it - he's got a reputation to live up to after all.

So when he gets into serious trouble at school, he doesn't really care, but his mum most definitely does. She decides it's time for Anton to make some new friends and join the Happy Campers, a local activity group. Anton would quite literally rather do anything else, especially when he finds out Matthew, the biggest loser in school, is also a member.

But after Matthew unexpectedly saves Anton's life, Anton figures maybe this kid is worth a shot. Teaching him some game is the least Anton can do to repay the debt. As the boys strike up an unlikely friendship, Anton finds himself questioning everything he thought was important. Does he want ruling the school to be his crowning glory or should he set his sights on better things?

Non Fiction

Failosophy

A game-changing guide to being happier, healthier and succeeding better! A handbook for when things go wrong. Pretty much all of us would like to feel happier, less anxious, more successful and at ease with ourselves. Right? The key may surprise you: FAILURE! Failosophy For Teens is an inspiring and empowering guide to those moments when life doesn’t go to plan. Using personal experience and stories shared by guests on her award-winning podcast, How to Fail, Elizabeth’s book is full of creative and inspiring advice on how to: - talk openly about failure- turn failure into success- build resilience for when life sends you curveballs- reframe negative thoughts about yourself and much more!

Failing better is the key to learning, growing and ultimately loving yourself as the truly AWESOME human being you are.

A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

Adapted from A Short History of Nearly Everything, this stunningly illustrated book from Bill Bryson takes us from the Big Bang to the dawn of science, and everything in between! Ever wondered how we got from nothing to something?Or thought about how we can weigh the earth?Or wanted to reach the edge of the universe?Uncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book - a journey from the centre of the planet, to the dawn of the dinosaurs, and everything in between. And discover our own incredible journey, from single cell to civilisation, including the brilliant (and sometimes very bizarre) scientists who helped us find out the how and why.

Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry

Tyson has—for the first time—served up the universe in a handy, portable package designed specifically for young readers. From the difference between a star and a supernova to what matter and dark matter really are, Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry will turn young people into budding experts on the fundamental rules and unknowns of our universe.

Along the way, Tyson’s characteristic wit ensures a journey packed with fun.

A Life On Our Planet

As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day - the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline.

A Life on Our Planet contains my witness statement, and my vision for the future - the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake, and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have the opportunity to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited. All we need is the will do so.

Graphic Novels

The Crossover

With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .

The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering.

Cuz tonight I'm delivering’12-year-old Josh and his twin Jordan have basketball in their blood. They’re kings of the court, star players for their school team. Their father used to be a champion player and they each want nothing more than to follow in his footsteps.

Both on and off the court, there is conflict and hardship which will test Josh’s bond with his brother. In this heartfelt novel in verse, the boys find that life doesn’t come with a play-book and it's not all about winning.

Homebody

Hello! I’m Theo. I like cats, Dungeons & Dragons . .

. and I’m trans and non-binary. Ever since I was young, I’ve been on a journey to explore who I am.

To discover the things that make me . . . me. Sometimes it can feel like the world is trying to fit you into a box, to label you one way or another, but there is nothing more wonderful than finding your true authentic self, whoever you are. Whether you are transgender or cisgender, we are all searching for ways to make our houses feel like homes .

Long Way Down

AND THEN THERE WERE SHOTS. Everybody ran, ducked, hid, tucked themselves tight. Pressed our lips to the pavement and prayed the boom, followed by the buzz of a bullet, didn't meet us.

After Will's brother is shot in a gang crime, he knows the next steps. Don't cry. Don't snitch.

Get revenge. So he gets in the lift with Shawn's gun, determined to follow The Rules. Only when the lift door opens, Buck walks in, Will's friend who died years ago.

And Dani, who was shot years before that. As more people from his past arrive, Will has to ask himself if he really knows what he's doing. This haunting, lyrical, powerful verse novel will blow you away.

Sapiens

he first volume of the graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari's global phenomenon and smash SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER. Featuring 256 pages of gorgeous full-colour illustrations and wrapped in a beautiful package. One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth.

Yet today there is only one-homo sapiens. What happened to the others?And what may happen to us? In this first volume of the adaptation of his ground-breaking book, renowned historian Yuval Harari tells the story of humankind's creation and evolution, exploring the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human". From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens challenges us to reconsider accepted beliefs, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and view specific events within the context of larger ideas.

Poetry

Punching the Air

One fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy.

‘Boys just being boys’ turns out to be true only when those boys are white. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal Shahid’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art.

This never should have been his story. But can he change it? With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both.

Black Star

Set during the turbulent segregation era, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination and the unflappable faith of an American family. Twelve-year old Charley is set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional baseball, even if that’s a lofty dream for a Black girl in the American South in the 1920s. Even so, her grandfather Kofi’s thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big.

She knows he has so much more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn’t old enough to know about certain things, like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge, and why she can never play on the brand-new baseball field on the other side of town. When Charley challenges a neighbourhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. Then a dispute on the field leads to Charley making a fateful decision, one that will bring consequences she never could have imagined.

The Poet X

Xiomara has always kept her words to herself.

When it comes to standing her ground in her Harlem neighbourhood, she lets her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But X has secrets – her feelings for a boy in her bio class, and the notebook full of poems that she keeps under her bed. And a slam poetry club that will pull those secrets into the spotlight.

Because in spite of a world that might not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to stay silent. A novel about finding your voice and standing up for what you believe in, no matter how hard it is to say. Brave, bold and beautifully written – dealing with issues of race, feminism and faith.

Where the Heart Should Be

Ireland, 1846. Nell is working as a scullery maid in the kitchen of the Big House.

Once she loved school and books and dreaming. But there's not much choice of work when the land grows food that rots in the earth. Now she is scrubbing, peeling, washing, sweeping for Sir Philip Wicken, the man who owns her home, her family's land, their crops, everything.

His dogs are always well fed, even as famine sets in. Upstairs in the Big House, where Nell is forbidden to enter, is Johnny Browning, newly arrived from England: the young nephew who will one day inherit it all. And as hunger and disease run rampant all around them, a spark of life and hope catches light when Nell and Johnny find each other.

Horror/Paranormal

How to Survive a Horror Movie

Horror movie enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she's enrolled at a girls' boarding school on a remote island. That is, until someone starts killing off her senior class! From elaborate scare tactics to severed heads in fridges, Charley has found herself at the centre of a teen horror movie. And that's not the only alarming thing that's happening - she's now seeing the ghosts of her former classmates!?Haunted by her peers, and with everyone beginning to suspect her, Charley decides to do something about it.

She and her only best friend Olive are going to solve the murders and find out who's killing off the class before graduation. Charley just needs those pesky ghosts to shut up and give her a hand.

Wranglestone

Winter was the only season every Lake-Lander feared. In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there's nothing to stop them from crossing the ice.

Then homebody Peter puts the camp in danger by naively allowing a stranger to come ashore and he's forced to leave the community of Wranglestone. Now he must help rancher Cooper, the boy he's always watched from afar, herd the Dead from their shores before the lake freezes over. But as love blossoms, a dark discovery reveals the sanctuary's secret past.

One that forces the pair to question everything they've ever known.

The Spook’s Apprentice

‘Someone has to stand against the dark. And you're the only one who can’For years, the local Spook has been keeping the County safe from evil. Now his time is coming to an end, but who will take over? Many apprentices have tried.

Some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Just one boy is left. Thomas Ward.

He is the last hope. But does he stand a chance against Mother Malkin, the most dangerous witch in the County?

Dracula

It begins when Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, and makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England - an unmanned ship is wrecked; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; a lunatic asylum inmate raves about the imminent arrival of his 'Master' - and a determined group of adversaries prepare to battle the Count.