Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services

Category: Book/Resource Lists

  • Must Read 2021

    Must Read 2021

    44 of the best new fiction titles for your primary school Library, aimed at years 5 and 6.

    The Must Read Book list is one of our annual selections of the best fiction for primary schools chosen by librarians from the Schools Library Service and primary and secondary schools, and is a suggested list to buy for your school library.

    For fiction for years 3 and 4, take a look at our Takeoff! booklist.

    The book list represents a selection of the best new fiction first published in paperback within the last year, and covers a diverse range of subjects, genres, authors and interests.

    Titles from the 2021 Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Tower Hamlets Book Award short list. Don’t forget to register for this event!

    Posters and Bookmarks for the 2021 booklists will be delivered soon to subscribing schools

    Please contact the library for any further information about the book list.

    Click to view the books!
    The Infinite Patience Agbabi Elle is a leapling, born on 29th February, so has a birthday every four years.  But some leaplings have a special gift – they can leap into the future.  When Elle finds she is one of these, she is excited about being able to travel to the future, but there are dark forces at work, and suddenly, she is in a race against time to save the world.
    The Space We’re In Katya Balen Frank feels a whirlpool of emotions towards his younger brother Max, who is on the autistic spectrum, and resents the parental time that Max demands.  Just when it seems life couldn’t be more difficult for Frank, tragedy happens, and the whirlpool deepens.  Can Frank and his family through the most painful of times.
    Wonderscape Jennifer Bell Three children find themselves trapped aboard The Principia – a scientific research ship sailing through hazardous waters, captained by Isaac Newton, after they investigate a mysterious explosion on their way to school.

    Lost in the year 2473 in the Wonderscape, an epic in-reality adventure game, they must call on the help of some unlikely historical heroes, to play their way home before time runs out.
    Tamarind & the Star of Ishta Jasbinder Bilan Tamarind never knew her Indian mum, Chinty, who died soon after she was born. So when she arrives at her ancestral home, a huge mansion in the Himalayas surrounded by luxuriant gardens, she’s full of questions for her extended family. But instead of answers, she finds an ominous silence.
    Stars with Flaming Tails Valerie Bloom I traveled once around the world
    On stars with flaming tails,
    And touched the colors of my dreams
    Along some silver trails.
    Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age Amy Bond Morgana loves robots and longs to attend robotics school in the city. But when she finally finds a way, she learns of a troubling secret hiding beneath its gleaming surface: a secret that threatens the balance of civilisation. Caught between two worlds, only Morgana has the power to find a solution.
    My brothers name is Jessica John Boyne Jason is Sam’s beloved older brother. He’s looked out for him from the moment of his premature birth, through his struggles with dyslexia and has always been his hero. Their bond is especially important because their parents are ambitious politicians, totally focussed on their work and with little time for their teenage boys.

    When Jason sits the family down to tell them his ‘secret’ everything goes into freefall for Sam.
    The Restless Girls Jessie Burton For her twelve daughters, Queen Laurelia’s death is a disaster beyond losing a mother. Their father cannot bear the idea of the princesses ever being in danger and decides his daughters must be kept safe at all costs. But the eldest still has one possession her father can’t take: the power of her imagination. A feminist retelling of a classic fairytale.
    Freddy Vs School Neil Cameron Okay humans, listen up! My name is FREDDY. I live with my Mum and Dad. I go to school. Oh yeah, the MAIN thing: I am an AWESOME ROBOT! With awesome robotic SUPERPOWERS! But I’m hardly ever allowed to USE them, and definitely not at SCHOOL. Which is going to be a PROBLEM…
    Zombierella: Fairy Tales Gone Bad Joseph Coelho A yellow moon hangs in a satin sky the night Cinderella, barefoot and in hand-me-downs, slips at the top of the stairs … and dies. But not for long. Cinderella goes forth as Zombierella. With her skin as cold as ice, can she seek revenge on her three cruel, fake sisters, once and for all?
    Stick Boy Paul Coomey When you’re drawn with a round white head and a stick body which can fall apart and be put back together again, it’s hard to fit it.  Stick boy is at his third school in three years and it’s still hard to make friends.  But when he uncovers a plot involving an evil ICT teacher, hacking computers and the opening event of The New Mega Mall, he must work with Gretchen and Sam to prove to unsuspecting families that their new HOMEBOT is part of a sinister plot plan to rule their lives.
    Boy Everywhere A M Dassu Sami and his family travel from privilege to poverty, across countries and continents, from a comfortable life in Damascus, via a smuggler’s den in Turkey, to a prison in Manchester. A story of survival, of family, and of bravery.
    The Soup Movement Ben Davis Jordan promises his very good friend he would do an act of kindness whenever he could and help change the world. Was that really why he gave up his mum’s wholesome soup to a homeless man? In any case, that one small gesture became life changing, and helped Jordan adjust to a world without Rio.
    Undercover Robot: My First Year as a Human David Edmonds Year 7 is tough enough without having to pretend you’re a human, but that’s exactly what Dotty has to do. Only she now also has to worry about a boy in her class outing her in order to win a reward…
    Vi Spy: Licence to Chill Maz Evans Vi has an unusual family – her mother is ex-secret service and her father is one of the bad guys – so there’s plenty of secrets to be uncovered, and supervillains to defeat.
    The Boy Who Met a Whale Nizrana Farook Set in Sri Lanka, Razi, a fisherboy, meets Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too.
    Darwin’s Dragons Lindsay Galvin Syms Covington has landed the job of a lifetime – cabin boy on Charles Darwin’s Beagle – but when he is separated from the crew during a storm, his life takes a truly extraordinary turn.  Shipwrecked on a Galapagos island, he makes a discovery that could change the world – and make his fortune. But should he share his find, or will it lead to the extinction of a legendary species?
    When life gives you mangoes Getten Life in rural Jamaica seems idyllic but Clara is trouble by an unmentionable event last summer. Old friend Gaynah is acting mean towards her, quirky new friend Rudy friend is causing ripples all round, but it takes a big storm to reveal secrets and clear the air.  A multi-layered story about community with an amazing twist.
    Twisted threads of polly freeman Pippa Goodhart A moving tale of hard times in the 1830s. Polly and her Great Aunt Jem scratch a living by their sewing and mending but when their landlady throws them out on the street they end up in a workhouse in St Pancras.

    Visions of Oliver Twist ensue with grey, sloppy gruel and hard, unpaid work until Polly befriends Min and together they are sold as apprentices to a Manchester cotton mill.
    Proud of Me Sarah Hagger-Holt Not quite’ twins Becky and Josh take turns to tell this two mums family story from different angles.  Both are born through donor donation and Josh is desparate to find his so called real dad.  Beth is not bothered. She’s too busy with teenage angst – so confused about her feelings for sassy new girl in her school!  Will they be able to sort out their feelings and learn to accept who they are?
    When stars are scattered Victoria Jamieson Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their young lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care that Omar’s non-verbal brother needs.  But it’s better than their life in Somalia. Heartbreak, hope, and the joy of friendship come together in this graphic novel about day-to-day life in the biggest refugee camp in the world
    Queen of Freedom Catherine Johnson 1720 in Jamaica, a group of ex-slaves – Maroons – buildthemselves a town but need the wisdom and tactical skills of Nanny to ensure their freedom from the English Redcoats who are determined to wipe them out.  Based on a true story.
    More to the Story Hena Khan When Jameela Mirza is picked to be feature editor of her middle school newspaper, she’s one step closer to being an award-winning journalist like her late grandfather. The problem is her editor-in-chief keeps shooting down her ideas. ~Inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’, featuring four sisters from a modern American Muslim family living in Georgia.
    The Strangeworlds Travel Agency L.D. Lapinski The Strangeworlds Travel Agency is not like any travel agency you might have encountered before. It stores hundreds of suitcases which are the gateways to different, magical worlds where Flick and Jonathan are led on a series of adventures and a quest to rescue a world struggling to survive in the magical multiverse.  Along the way, they are also desperate to find out what has happened to Jonathan’s Dad…..
    Evernight Ross Mackenzie Thousands of years ago, the Evernight came to the Silver Kingdom and turned everything to darkness and chaos. It was only defeated thanks to the skill and bravery of the Witches. But now the Evernight is about to return…
    The Beast and the Bethany Jack Meggitt-Phillips Ebenezer Tweezer is  511-year-old. He keeps a beast in the attic of his mansion, who he feeds all manner of things and in return the beast vomits out presents for Ebenezer, as well as potions which keep him young and beautiful. But the beast grows ever greedier, and soon only a nice, juicy child will do.
    Planet Omar: increditble rescue mission Zanib Mian When Omar and his friends come back after the school holidays, their lovely teacher seems to have been replaced by somebody much more grumpy. Overhearing other teachers talking about her, Omar decides something terrible has happened. Could she possibly have been abducted by aliens?!
    Children of the Benin Kingdom Dinah Orji Papa Eze found Ada as a baby in the forest, and brought her up as his own.  Sh;es always known this, but now she is 12, it is time for him to tell her the whole truth about where she is from – a truth that sends her on a journey deep into the rainforest to the ancient Edo kingdom of Benin.
    Where The World Turns Wild Nicola Penfold Juniper and her brother live in a walled city from which nature has been banished, following the outbreak of a deadly man-made disease many years earlier. When scientists discover that they hold the key to fighting the disease, the pair must flee for their lives. As they journey into the unknown, they soon learn that there’s cruelty in nature as well as beauty.
    Lightfall: the Girl and the Galdurian Tim Probert Bea’s grandpa goes missing (he’s a Pig Wizard by the way) on a mysterious trip and worse still he’s left the Jar of Eternal Flame behind him! Concerned for his safety, Bea teams up with Galdurian Cad to search for her Pig Wizard Grandpa and, since they’re searching, the rest of the vanished Galdurian people. However, eternal darkness is stirring…
    Swordswoman Devika Rangachari It’s 1854 , the British are taking over India and they refuse to recognise Queen Lakshmibai’s’s adopted son as rightful heir to the Jhansi kingdom.   The queen is determined to save her kingdom for her son and, using her skill and teactical expertise, sets about training are army of both men and women to fight for their rights.  But will they be strong enough to defeat the British?
    The Forest of Moon and Sword Amy Raphael Twelve-year-old Art lives in a small village in Scotland. Her mother has always made potions that cure the sick, but now the townspeople say she is a witch. One cloudless night, Art’s mother is arrested and taken to England. Art mounts her horse, taking a sword, a tightrope, and a herbal recipe book, and begins a journey through wild forests, using nature’s signs and symbols to guide her.
    The Night Bus Hero Onjali Rouf Hector is always in detention; his family are in despair and Hector just keeps getting nastier each day. Until he goes too far and picks on a homeless man. That starts a chain of events involving thefts from famous London landmarks (all along the N15 night bus route) and a daring finale at St Paul’s Cathedral.
    The Good Thieves Katherine Rundell Do two wrongs make a right?  Is stealing OK if you are only stealing back what is rightly yours? Vita’s beloved grandfather Jack has been cheated out of his home and possessions by a notorious conman with Mafia connections and Vita is determined to get it back for him.
    The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh Helen Rutter Billy is good at making lists, but most of his lists are about how to get rid of his stutter -which he absolutely must do if he is to follow his dream to become the world’s funniest stand-up comedian
    The Boy who fooled the world Thompson Cole’s family are always struggling for money, and kids at school laugh at him for his old clothes and old trainers, but when his Mum is made redundant from her job at the art museum, things get worse.  To save the museum, and Mum’s job, Cole must solve the puzzle of the museum’s most famous painting
    The Phoenix Colossal Comics Collection : Race to adventure Various A bumper comic book full of the laugh-out-loud humour, thrilling adventure and general awesome from the Phoenix. Race across the country with the fastest girl in the land; follow the misadventures of a beefy barbarian chef; embark on a crazy odyssey through Ancient Greece alongside its hapless hero, and more!
    The Prince and the dressmaker Jen Wang Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride–or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia–the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!
    How to Be a Hero Cat Weldon When trainee valkyrie Lotta mistakes an unconscious thief, Whetstone, for a fallen hero and takes him triumphantly to Valhalla, things are definitely not turning out to be epic or glorious. But things really start to go wrong when Loki gets involved with a plan to unleash chaos across the nine worlds. Can Whetstone prove himself a hero after all?
    Turtle boy M Evan Wolkenstein Will is learning that life is too short to live in a shell. Kids at school call Will Turtle Boy because of his funny-looking chin. But when Will meets RJ – suffering from an incurable disease – he learns not everyone is his enemy. RJ has a bucket list of adventures which extends way beyond his hospital room, and he needs help ticking them off.
    Vote For Effie Laura Wood The fact that she is new at the school, not made many friends yet and the current junior class preseident is the mos popular boy in school does not put Efie off running for high office.  The injustices – there’s no girl’s football team, no recycling system and the school doesn’t have a librarian – are so great, SOMETHING needs to be done.
    Roxy and Jones: the great fairytale coverup Angela Woolfe Once Upon a Modern Time, in the city of Rexopolis, in the Kingdom of Illustria, lived twelve-year-old Roxy Humperdinck, half-sister to Hansel and Gretel (not that she knows it). Now Roxy’s about to discover the truth about her world and her family: that witches are real, magic is real and fairy tales are not only real … but recent history.
    Time School Nikki young When you’re running late for school, then you find your usual train has turned into an old steam train, you know it’s not going to be a normal day. And today, Jess, Nadia, Tomma and Ash find themselves spending the day at Hickley School. One hundred years in the past.
    The Creature Keeper Damaris Young Cora just knows she’s the right person for the job of creature keeper at the mysterious Direspire Hall, and she has a knack with all the strange and magical creatures kept there. But there’s one stranger than all the others and someone wants it….
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  • Teen booklist 2021

    Teen booklist 2021

    33 of the best new fiction titles for your secondary school Library

    The Teenage Book list is selected annually by librarians from the Schools Library Service and secondary schools, and is a list of recommended fiction to buy for your school library.

    The teen list represents a selection of the best new fiction first published in paperback within the last 12 months, and covers a diverse range of subjects, genres, authors and interests.

    Titles from the Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Tower Hamlets Book Award short list in July. Remember to let us know if you want to participate in this event!

    Posters and Bookmarks for the 2021 booklists will be being delivered soon to subscribing schools!

    Please contact the library for more information on the Teen List or to request additional posters or bookmarks (subscribing schools only).

    Click to view the books!
    Clap when you land Elizabeth Acevedo Two 16-year old half-sisters, one living in New York and the other in the Dominican Republic, discover each other and hidden family secrets when their beloved Papa dies in a plane crash. With both girls’ families crushed – but in different ways – by the tragedy, and amidst bitter feelings of anger, betrayal, grief and guilt, Camino and Yahaira meet each other in Dominica to bury Papa, and search for a way forward.
    Children of Virtue and Vengeance Tomi Adeyemi In this gripping sequel to Children of Blood and Bone, Zélie has achieved her goal of returning magic to the magi but it has made the people of Orisha more divided than ever before. Both Zélie and Amari want to fix what they have done and unite the people, but they end up having very different ways of going about it.
    Cinderella is Dead Kalynn Bayron It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. This fresh take on the classic tale roots for girls to break down the gender constructs of the world around them.
    Song beneath the tides Beverely Birch While on holiday in Africa with her family, Ally begins an intense friendship with Leli, a local teenager.  Set against the backdrop of Ally and Leli’s tender love story, Song Beneath the Tides is a sophisticated story that both looks back at colonialism, and also explores the modern issues pf poverty and cultural devastation caused by big business and mass tourism.
    The Short knife Elen Caldecott It is the year 454AD. Mai has been kept safe by her father and her sister, Haf. But when Saxon warriors arrive at their farm, the family is forced to flee to the hills where British warlords lie in wait. A stunning novel that celebrates difference and finding your own way, when even speaking your mother tongue can be dangerous.
    Tiger Heart Penny Chrimes Fly never meant to end up in a cage with a man-eating tiger. And though she’s sure she’s no princess, when the tiger addresses her as ‘your majesty’, she can’t help but vow to free him and return him home. But the bird-filled jungles and cloud-topped mountains of the tiger’s homeland are an ocean away. And not everyone wants the tiger – or Fly – to get there alive.
    Blood Moon Lucy Cuthew During Frankie’s first sexual experience with Benjamin, she gets her period. It’s only blood, they agree. No shame. Then a graphic meme goes viral, turning their intimacy into something mortifying and damaging. As the online shaming takes on a horrifying life of its own, her universe implodes. But can laughter, bravery and the fiercest of friends help Frankie find her way out of the darkness?
    On Midnight beach Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick Donegal, 1976. When a dolphin takes up residence in Carrig Cove, Emer and her best friend feel like they have an instant connection with it. Then Dog Cullen and his sidekick, Kit, turn up, and the four friends begin to sneak out at midnight to go down to the beach, daring each other to swim closer and closer to the creature. As the summer days get longer and hotter the fame and fortune the dolphin brings to thevillage builds resentment amongst their neighbours across the bay, and simmering tensions erupt into something worse…
    The Life I’m In Sharon G Flake Char is not a good person, a bully who has made lives a misery. Thrown out of her home, she boards a bus and sets out to find her own path, but finds herself trapped in a web of human trafficking. Trapped in an underbelly of society that exploits the vulnerable, Char will need to direct all her strength and determination to help herself and her fellow victims.
    The Gilded Ones Namina Forna Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity – and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death .The Gilded Ones is a empowering fantasy tale that deals racism, misogyny, inequality and much more.
    The Lost Soul Atlas Zana Fraillon Told in both the past and present, Twiggy wakes up in the Afterlife with no memories, a raven for a guide and a mysterious Atlas to guide him along his path. We then go on to learn about Twiggy’s missing father and his life on the street in a glorious questing tale of fantasy, family, love and belonging which shines a light on homelessness and poverty.
    Deeplight Frances Hardinge Good money can be made from relics of the gods, and these are plentiful beneath the waves if you are brave enough to dive down and get them.  But there are people who want to do more with the relics than just sell them – they want to ressurrect the gods themselves, regardless of the danger.  Hark realises he has to stop them…
    The Deathless Girls Kiran Millwood Hargrave In their traveller community, divining day is the day young people find out their destiny, but twins Lil and Kizzy are captured and enslaved before they can learn theirs.  In the harsh and brutal castle kitchens of the cruel Boyar Valcar, Lil meets Mira, a fellow slave and learns about the Dragon, a terrifying creature who takes girls as gifts…
    Hijab and Red Lipstick Yousra Imram Being a teenager isn’t easy. And it doesn’t help when you have a mega strict Egyptian dad who tells you that everything is “haram” – forbidden. All Sara wants to do is experiment with makeup and fashion, but her dad’s conservative interpretation of Islam makes it impossible. Things get even harder when her dad lands himself a job in the Arabian Gulf and moves his family to a country where the patriarchy rules supreme.
    Mic Drop Sharna Jackson It is October half-term and the pop star TrojKat is filming a music video in the The Tri.Sister  super-slueths Nik and Norva set out to solve the case when a mysterious tragedy strikes the singer, in this exhilarating sequel to the phenomenal High Rise Mystery.
    Henna Wars Adiba Jaigirdar When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants – as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, which only gets harder once Flávia walks into her life.
    The Boy I Am K. L. Kettle Jude is running out of time, ever since the death of his best friend at the hands of the all-powerful Chancellor, Jude has been desperate to escape the path set out for him. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep underground in the mines awaits.
    Skulduggery Pleasant : Bedlam Derek Landy On a desperate journey to recover her sister’s lost soul, Valkyrie Cain goes up against the High Sanctuary itself, and there’s nothing Skulduggery Pleasant can do to stop her. Or help her. And with Abyssinia’s grand plan about to kick off in a night of magic, terror, and bloodshed, it falls to the hapless Omen Darkly to save the lives of thousands of innocent people.
    Boy Queen George Lester Robin Cooper’s life is falling apart. While his friends prepare to head off to University, Robin is looking at a pile of rejection letters and facing a future without the people he loves the most. Unsure about what to do next, he and his best friends go and drown their sorrows at a local drag show, where Robin realizes there might be a different, more sequinned path for him…
    A Kind of spark Elle Macnicoll 11-year-old Addie campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard. A engrossing story of friendship, courage and self-belief.
    Run Rebel Manjeet Mann Amber is trapped – by her father’s rules, by his expectations, by her own fears. Now she’s ready to fight – for her mother, for her sister, for herself. But freedom always comes at a price.
    Gut Feelings C. G. Moore This is the story of Chris, of what happened to him at age eleven and how that would change the rest of his life. A life-affirming and powerful coming of age verse novel that explores chronic illness, who we are and how we live.
    Burn Patrick Ness On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waits with her father in the parking lot of a gas station for the dragon he has hired to work on their failing farm. Sarah is mixed race and faces awful discrimination in her tiny backwards town of Frome, but the dragon, called Kazimir, is about to change her life forever.
    And the ocean was our sky Patrick Ness With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live are engaged in an ongoing war against the world of men. With stunning illustrations by Rovina Cai , this book is a unique reverse retelling of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick , published in 2019 to celebrate the bicentennial of  Melville’s birth.
    The Black Kids Christina Hammonds Reed Los Angeles, 1992, and everything changes one afternoon in April, when four police officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids. As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble.
    Forever Ends on Friday Justin A. Reynolds Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know that he died, and that he’s about to die again. He doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save him. And that the reason they haven’t been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents. But what if Jamal could have a second chance? A new technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies – permanently. And Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling Q about his impending death. So how can Jamal fix everything if he can’t tell Q the truth?
    Concrete Rose Angie Thomas For seventeen-year-old Maverick ‘Mav’ Carter, the son of a former gang legend, it is not easy to sell dope, finish school, and raise a child. In this prequel to  Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart in  this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.
    Girl boy sea Chris Vick Bill narrowly survives the sinking of his yacht in a storm off the coast of Morocco. After many days alone, he rescues another survivor, a girl called Aya, from the nomadic Berber tribe, whose migrant ship was destroyed by the same storm. Hungry, sunburned, and with no idea what will happen next – Aya tells Bill the tales of Shahrazad of the Arabian Nights, who told 1000 stories to quell the murderous desire of the Persian King.  What starts out as a thrilling nautical survival story soon transforms into something much more mystical.
    Other words for home Jasmine Warga Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. American movies haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US – and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises. New friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.
    The Enigma Game Elizabeth Wein It is 1940 and Louisa just lost her parents to the war. Louisa is part Jamaican and struggles with the racism of the time, and the added difficulty this causes for her in finding work. When she moves to Scotland for a new job, Louisa immediately becomes a member of a secret spy operation, in this exciting war time adventure. I hand Elizabeth Wein my heart on a platter every time I begin one of her stories, and she smashes it to a pulp each time with characters and stories full of love and feeling and the immeasurable sense of loss and destruction that WW2 brought with it.
    And the stars were burning brightly Danielle Jawando When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al, has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart. Al was special, talented. He had so many dreams, so why did he do it? Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan decides to retrace Al’s footsteps. As he does, he meets Megan, Al’s former classmate, who is as determined as Nathan to keep Al’s memory alive.
    Genesis Begins Again Ailcia D Williams There are ninety-six reasons why thirteen-year-old Genesis dislikes herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. She is determined to fix her family, and she’s willing to try anything to do so… even if it means harming herself in the process. But when Genesis starts to find a thing or two she actually likes about herself, she discovers that changing her own attitude is the first step in helping change others.
    Windrush child Benjamin Zephaniah Leonard is torn from his idyllic childhood home and beloved Grandmother to start a new life in Manchester. Then, as we know, the streets are not paved with the promised gold and there are many struggles for a black boy growing up in a racist environment. A very personal story following the life of Leonard from 1947, when he was born in Maroon Town Jamaica, until 2018 at the height of the Windrush scandal in Britain.
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  • International Women’s Day

    International Women’s Day

    8th March is International Women’s Day

    From www.internationalwomensday.com the theme for 2021 is ‘Choose to Challenge’

    A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.
    So let’s all choose to challenge.

    How will you help forge a gender equal world?
    Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

    Here’s a selection of books suitable for your schools for celebrating this day (at any time of the year!). Place any requests via www.towerhamlets-sls.org.uk/request

    THSLS International Womens Day Booklist
  • Online storytelling

    Online storytelling

    Sankofa storytelling

    Storytelling with a global dimension and with links to philosophy for children from Global Learning London (formerly HEC GLobal Learning)

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxNd8my-BfVxmCf4yv4zeww

    COVID 19 is throwing up all sorts of big questions for us and our children. What wisdom do stories, old and new, hold to help us examine these questions about ourselves, our communities and how we are living on this earth? At HEC and CDEC we’re talking about COVID 19 in a different kind of way. We’re inviting children and their families, learners and their teachers to join the conversation by following us on @hecglobal and @cdec, as well as on facebook.com/SankofaStorytellingForDigitalAge

    Laura the Librarian

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6FHIQJJsy6CtyA819ar8kQ

    Our very own school librarian, Laura, reads stories. Email schoolslibraryservices@towerhamlets.gov.uk for additional story links (required for copyright reasons)

  • THe List 2020

    THe List 2020

    40 of the best new fiction titles for your secondary school Library

    The Teenage Book list is selected annually by librarians from the Schools Library Service and secondary schools, and is a list of recommended fiction to buy for your school library.

    The teen list represents a selection of the best new fiction first published in paperback within the last 12 months, and aims to cover a diverse  range of subjects, genres, authors and interests.

    Titles from the Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Tower Hamlets Book Award short list in July. Remember to let us know if you want to participate in this event!

    Posters and Bookmarks for the 2020 booklists will be delivered a little later than normal this year – look out for them from September.

    Please contact the library for more information on the Teen List or to request additional posters or bookmarks (subscribing schools only).

    Click to view all of the books and blurbs
    Title Author notes
    You must be Layla! Yassmin Abdel-Magied Layla, Australian girl of Sudanese heritage, is ambitious and impulsive  When she takes up a scholarship in a prestigious new school her hijab singles her out and inevitably she faces more than educational challenges. She has to confront Islamaphobia and racism not to mention her own emotional journey in this entertaining and thoughtful story.
    Internment Samira Ahmed One thing 17-year-old Layla Amin never thought she’d face in life was INTERNMENT by the American government simply because she and her family are Muslim. They join thousands of other Muslims at Camp Mobius in the Californian desert, but Layla is determined to fight back.
    Joe Quinn’s Poltergeist David Almond Enter the strange world of writer David Almond and mixed media artist David McKean where there is much darkness and inexplicable happenings in a Tyneside council house.  Is there a poltergeist?  Is it a metaphor? Two boys on the brink of adulthood have much to discover…
    The Crossover (graphic novel) Kwame Alexander Dynamic, rhythmic rapping basketball story that just pounds its way through your head like a running, bouncing ball. Josh and his twin brother are having a great winning season, can they keep up the momentum?  Graphic artist Dawud Anyabwile fits the illustrations to the drama brilliantly.
    The Black Flamingo Dean Atta Michael is trying to find out who he is and where he fits in, but he struggles – mainly because he is gay and mixed-raced. Written in verse, Black Flamingo is a story of the bittersweet and exciting years of growing up – of heartbreak, dreams of fame, cute boys and making and losing friends.
    Crossfire Malorie Blackman Set in the alternative world of Zafrica, the White underclass, the Noughts, encounter constant racial prejudice from the Black Crosses. Accused of a murder he insists he did not commit, Tobey, a Nought, asks his teenage sweetheart Callie-Rose, a Cross, to defend him. The two have a complicated past, and an even more dangerous present as they take it in turns to tell their side of a highly dramatic story.
    The places I’ve cried in public Holly Bourne Amelie’s back story shows that she has so much potential for a full and rewarding life but clearly something went wrong.  She tries to work out how she got to a bad state by visiting places full of painful memories. On the way she charts how she ended up in a coercive and abusive relationship with Reese. This is a raw, honest story for upper teens.
    Wranglestone Darren Charlton This post-apocalyptic zombie thriller has a gay romance at its heart. Set in a unique location by a frozen lake where the community have much to fear from outsiders, Peter puts lives in danger by an act of kindness.  Help comes from nearby rancher Cooper to overcome the dangers, to discover what is really going on and to show how true love can win through.
    Chinglish Sue cheung English and Chinese merge in this story told by Jo Kwan in diary entries and doodles, a girl growing up in 1980’s Midlands above her family’s take away.  It’s not just about language mash ups, there’s humour and hard realities here too.  It’s clear Dad is a hiding a terrible secret – will Jo’s optimism see her through?
    The M Word Brian Conaghan There are some dark places in Maggie’s life, coping with her mum’s depression, and issues of self harm and suicide. Talking to her best friend Moya helps…but what has happened to Moya? Starting art school and finding her way in a relationship may be a good start but as this is made very explicit, it ain’t gonna be easy.
    You’re crushing it! Lex Croucher Social media sensation Lex gives her advice on to teens on how to live. It’s chatty, funny, helps you feel good about yourself when the whole world is telling you differently.
    Becoming Dinah Kit de Waal Dinah feels compelled to flee everything she’s ever known.  After being home-schooled, a recent period in mainstream schooling has turned her world upside-down, as has turbulent upheavals at home. Becoming Dinah is a road-trip re-invention of Moby Dick with a gripping mystery about what Dinah is running from to find a place to call home.
    Meat Market Juno Dawson When 16-year-old Jana Novak is scouted at Thorpe Park, she decides to take up a modelling career.  Jana’s story does not shy away from the dark underbelly of the fashion industry.  Of course, modelling can be a very glamorous career, especially for a working class girl for whom other opportunities may be scarce, but there is a price to be paid for the glitz and glamour.
    Monsters Sharon Dogar An intricate historical romance.  Two teenage stepsisters run away to Switzerland and join a scandalous circle of poets.  In this passionate hothouse Mary Shelley draws upon the monstrous elements in her own life to write the novel Frankenstein and challenges the way we think about faith, science and life forever.
    Good Hawk Joseph Elliott On a Scottish island Agatha, a girl with Down Syndrome, is a Hawk, keeping watch for the safety of the clan, and Jaime is an Angler, though he hates the sea.  When danger arrives from a rival clan they must put their worries aside and find new strengths to fight for survival.  A thrilling, historical fantasy full of Gaelic and Old Norse references and told as a dual narrative.
    Only Mostly Devastated Sophie Gonzales Smart and funny high school gay romcom which is a reimagining of Grease.  It’s about Ollie and Will, one out and proud, the other in the closet at school and struggling.  How’s it going to work out?  With some sassy support from three school girl friends, love may find a way in those summer days…
    Boy Meets Ghoul Birdie Milano Dylan is packed off to football camp at half term, just when he had planned to hook up with Leo, a gorgeous would-be ballet dancer. Add to the mix the arrival of a former crush, and best friend Kayla’s mission to see her favourite band, Deathsplash Nightmares, and the result is a funny, warm hearted delight.
    Pieces of ourselves Maggie Harcourt You know the plot, girl bumps into boy, girl hates boy, boy likes girl, girl starts to think maybe he’s not so bad after all. Throw into the mix the fact she’s struggling with bipolar, and he’s researching the mystery of a missing soldier in WW1, and together they uncover the story of a lost love and just maybe the start of their own.
    Wink Rob Harrell Just when Ross thought he had enough troubles fitting in at school he’s thrown a real curved ball – diagnosis of a rare eye cancer – which means he stands out even more. But this is a warm hearted story of the ups and downs of friendship, and how to cope with life’s problems both small and life threatening.
    A Pinch of Magic Michelle Harrison Betty Widdershins is reckless and rebellious and longs to break free from the island of Crowstone.  Betty convinces her sisters Fliss and Charlie to help her end the Widdershins Curse, which forces them to remain in Crowstone
    I Am Not a Number Lisa Heathfield Dystopian story set in the present day when The Traditionals are voted into power and start eroding civil liberties.  Life gets harder for those like Ruby who don’t fit in, labour camps are set up, and the real horror begins.  With references to the Holocaust and history repeating itself, there are present day references to set you thinking.
    Unpregnant Jenni Hendriks Veronica with her best-friend-but-weird Bailey sets off to get an abortion nine hundred miles away and they have a roller coaster adventure on the way.  Of course it’s not really light hearted – there are serious issues of women’s rights and moral judgements – and it sure makes for a road trip with a difference.
    Isles of Storm and Sorrow:  Viper Bex Hogan Pirates, murder and action abound in this absorbing fantasy.  Marianne must fight to save the Twelve Isles from Viper who prowls the seas and kills all in his way.  She is destined to succeed him but can she overcome this merciless man, who just happens to be her father?
    Floodworld / dustroad Tom Huddleston In the aftermath of climate change London is flooded and and Kara and Joe have to live as best they can in a dangerous sunken city.  The finding of a mysterious map leads to danger from cops, robbers and pirates in high tec submarines.  A gripping story in an all too believable world.  Followed by DustRoad, where adventures continue in USA.
    High Rise Mystery Sharna Jackson When their community art teacher Hugo is murdered, sisters Nik and Norva are determined to use their super sleuth skills (which are mighty) to solve the case. There are suspects aplenty. Horribly, one of them is their lovely dad who had a public row with Hugo the night before he died!
    That Asian Kid Savita Kalhan It’s hard to shine in class when your teacher hates you – and Jeevan is convinced he is a victim of racial prejudice.  But coming upon his teacher in the woods outside school in a compromising situation with another teacher, he films the scene on his phone and gleefully thinks he can get his own back at last – but does he dare upload it to social media – would the consequences be too dreadful after all?
    Rules for vanishing Kate Alice Marshall Once a year, a road appears in the forest, and at the end of it, the ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons. It’s been exactly one year since Sara’s sister, Becca, disappeared, and Sara knows that the only way to find her is to follow the road when she has the chance– but is she brave enough?
    No fixed address Susan Nielsen Felix Knutsson lives with his mother and pet gerbil Horatio and is brilliant at memorising facts and trivia. But Felix and his mom Astrid have a secret: they are living in a stolen van. Astrid promises it’s only for a while until she finds a new job. But Felix has a plan to turn their lives around: he’s going to go on his favourite game show Who, What, Where, When and win the cash prize.
    Wain: LGBT reimaginings of scottish folklore Rachel Plummer The poems in this collection are delightful and magical, perfectly balancing a contemporary sensibility and approach to gender and sexuality with a deep familiarity with the original stories, using language carefully and deliberately to create something beautiful and thought-provoking.
    Heartstream Tom Pollock Cat is in love. She can’t believe that she’s actually dating a pop star. But the fandom can’t know – they would eat her alive. Amy uses Heartstream, a social media app that allows others to feel your emotions. She broadcasted every moment of her mother’s degenerative illness and death, but on the day of the funeral, Amy finds a strange woman in her kitchen. Who is she? What does she want? Amy and Cat are about to discover how far true obsession can go.
    Jelly Clare Rees Martha and her friends have been drifting on a giant killer jellyfish, finding life incredibly boring, ever since sea levels rose and the world ended. They are tantalisingly close to the shore and safety, or so they think, but what is waiting for them on the shore?  In this era of environmental hazards and plastic oceans, a thought-provoking read.
    Patron saints of nothing Randy Ribay A coming-of-age story about grief, guilt and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin’s murder.  Jay Reguero finds out that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. When no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.
    Wilder Girls Rory Power You will change.  You might survive.  A boarding school is in lockdown as a deadly virus kills the teachers one by one and school girls’ bodies change into something sick and foreign. When Hetty’s best friend Byatt goes missing she has to break out and confront whatever horrors lie beyond the fence. Compelling, shocking and brilliant.
    Are you watching? Vincent Ralph Jess takes part in a reality series on YouTube as a way of finding out who killed her mother when she was seven.  The murderer went on to kill many more…and now is watching Jess.  Fascinating and scary thriller which makes clever use of social media.
    The Tzar’s curious runaways Robin Scott-Elliot Katinka, a dazzling ballerina with a hunched back, and her friends Alexei the Giant and Nikolai the dwarf are different – which is why they are part of Tzar Peter the Great’s Circus of Curiosities. But it’s not the only life she’s known, and when the Tzar dies and they must flee the Winter Palace, Katinka is determined to guide her friends to the safety of her erstwhile home far away across the Russian Steppe.
    Watch Us Rise  Renée Watson Jasmine and Chelsea’s “Write Like a Girl” club has gone viral, with its messages of women’s rights and gender and racial equality – but as well as acclaim, there are trolls and people who want to silence them – are they prepared for trial by social media?
    The Wren Hunt Mary Watson Every winter, Wren Silke is chased through the forest in a warped version of a childhood game. The boys who hunt her are judges, powerful and frightening pursuers, who know nothing of her true identity. If they knew she was an augur, their sworn enemy, the game would turn deadly…
    Dancing the Charleston Jacqueline Wilson It’s the 1920s, and Mona’s life in a little cottage on the edge of the Somerset estate with her dressmaker aunt changes when things change up at the big house.  Suddenly she is invited to dazzling balls, dinners of delicious food and on glamorous trips to London – but there is something about Mona’s past that really ought to stay hidden…
    Jemima Small Versus the Universe Tamsin Winter Being forced to join the school’s healthy eating club (aka the fat club) as well as all the snide comments made by others does nothing for Jemima’s self-esteem.  Can she find a way to rise above the bullying and shine ?
    Kerb Stain boys Alex Wheatle Home’s not good for Briggy. Mum and Dad are always fighting. Briggy’s older bruv, Kingsley, wants out – he can’t stand Mum and Dad “cursing the tonsils outta each other”. School’s no better than home. His best bredrin, Terror, suddenly announces a plan to jack the local Post Office to impress Caldonia, the coolest chick in  Year 10 …

     

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  • Takeoff! 2020

    Takeoff! 2020

    The Takeoff! 2020 list is 20 great books for children in years 3 and 4 published (paperback) between April 2019 and April 2020.

    These books are selected each year by Schools Library Services librarians and aim to cover a diverse  range of authors, subjects and genres.

    For new primary fiction for years 5 and 6, see our Must Read booklist!

    Posters and Bookmarks for the 2020 booklists will be delivered a little later than normal this year – look out for them from September.

    View the list of books
      Title Author Blurbs
    1. Too Small Tola Atinuke Tola might be small, and overshadowed by her bossy, fast, clever family in their flat in the busy city of Lagos in Nigeria, but when there is a crisis, Tola usually manages to save the day!
    2. The Funny Life of Teachers James Campbell Have you ever wondered what teachers do when they’re not in the classroom? Are they undercover detectives, champion roller-blade dancers or do they spend their evenings playing with their 576 cats?  But be warned – no teachers are allowed to read this!
    3. Phoenix of Persia Sally Pomme Clayton When the king abandons his newborn son because of his white hair, Simorgh, the wise phoenix, adopts him, brings him up with her own chicks and teaches him forgiveness. Background resources, including music, available from the Schools Library Service
    4. Adventure Duck vs Power Pug

    Adventure Duck vs The Wicked Walrus

    Adventure Duck vs The Armadillo Army

    		 Steve Cole A new series of adventures as Adventure Duck, discovering he has superpowers after a meteor lands in his pond, battles with Power Pug, a dastardly dog who hatches up dastardly and evil plans to take over the world.
    5. The Dog Who Lost His Bark Eoin Colfer In his short doggy life, Oz has suffered at the hands of bad people and learned that if he barks, he doesn’t get fed.  But he is the perfect companion for Patrick, lonely and confused by his father’s absence, who finds him at the animal shelter and gives him a home at last.
    6. My Babysitter Is a Robot Dave Cousins The twins’ inventor grandmother invents a robot to look after them and programmed to make them do their homework, so they must stop their squabbling and work together to get rid of him…
    7. Ariki and the Island of Wonders Nicola Davies Sequel to Ariki and the Giant Shark, Ariki and her pet pig, Bad Boy, skip school to go sailing around their island home, but don’t notice the storm clouds gathering.  Washed up on an unfamiliar island, they discover another castaway, living with the giant Mweep birds –but all is not as it seems.
    8. Kids Fight Plastic Martin Dorey Have you got 2 minutes? That’s all the time it takes to become a #2minutesuperhero. Plastic is everywhere. It is in the rivers and it is in the sea. We need superheroes to fight plastic and help save our oceans.
    9. Agent Weasel and the Abominable Dr Snow

    Agent Weasel and the Fiendish Fox Gang

    		 Nick East Agent Weasel, woodland superspy, gets kidnapped by the Fiendish Fox Gang who are spreading mayhem throughout the forest, and in the second story, animal athletes are mysteriously disappearing on the opening night of the Winter Whopper Games… can Agent Weasel discover what is going on?
    10. Granny Magic Elka Evalds Will didn’t realise the magical importance of the jumpers his Gran knits.  It is only when she dies and evil Jasper Fidget appears on the scene looking to steal all that she knitted does he realise that the knitting has powerful and unexpected powers – and he is launched into a magical adventure to save them!
    11. Yasmin the Superhero Saadia Faruqi Yasmin is a superhero! She’s got the cape. She’s got the mask. Now she just needs a villain to defeat!  Read more about Yasmin in this series of eight books about a spirited, creative and curious Pakistani-American little girl and her family
    12. The Dragon’s Breakfast Vivian French Legend has it that there’s pirate treasure hiding in Bullion Island’s sea-caves, guarded by a fearsome dragon – but nobody knows for sure, because no sailor has managed a return trip. But Princess Persephone Stephanie Tiffany Jane (“Pom” for short) isn’t afraid of dragons … or anything else!
    13. The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare Shannon Hale, Dean Hale In this sixth adventure for the masked heroes, the Princess in Black and the Princess in Blankets must confront the goo monster, and with a little bit of  scientific problem-solving, save the science fair for Princess Magnolia
    14. Invasion of the Living Ted Barry Hutchison As all teddy bears come to life to help Grizz take over the world, Lisa Marie and Vernon must battle a King-Kong-sized teddy bear with a mind for evil.  Third in the series that started with Night of the Living Ted and Revenge of the Living Ted
    15. The Day I Found a Wormhole at the Bottom of the Garden

    The Day I Started a Mega Robot Invasion

    		 Tom McLaughlin All sorts of people from the past clamber up through the weird wormhole Billy finds in his garden, but if Billy doesn’t round them up and send them back, history will be changed forever!  Look out, too, for “The Day I started A Mega Robot Invasion” when the robot Molly invented to do her homework decides to make more robots to take over the world.
    16. Hotel Flamingo: Holiday Heatwave

    And Hotel Flamingo: Carnival Caper

    		 Alex Milway  There’s a heatwave on, and a huge ice shortage, which could spell problems for Anna when Hotel Flamingo get a booking for their Royal Suite from King Penguin… and at Carnival time, Anna is determined to win the prize for Hotel Flamingo for the best display, but will rain wash the parade away?  Two more exciting stories about Anna and her fabulous hotel for animals
    17. Anisha, Accidental Detective Serena Patel Anisha is all set to be a (reluctant) bridesmaid at Aunty Bindi’s wedding…until a secret ransom note arrives. Bindi’s groom has been kidnapped and will only be released if the wedding is called off! With best friend Milo and some super skills of logic and observation, it’s up to Anisha Mistry to find her uncle and save the day.

     
    18. Kevin’s Great escape: legend of Kevin 2 Philip Reeve Misty Twiglet is a famous pop star and used to getting everything she wants, and she wants Kevin, the roly poly flying pony!  Kevin’s best friend Max and his sister Daisy must come to Kevin’s rescue, and there’s no way they’re giving up on him without a fight.
    19. My Parents Cancelled My Birthday! Jo Simmons “It all started when a pig fell off the roof” and this is the first of all the disasters tht ruin the day Tom has been looking forward to for months!  Undeterred, Tom decides to put on his own birthday party – thank goodness for little sisters!
    20. Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Spiders! Katie Tsang Sam Wu’s not going to let anyone know he’s afraid of spiders. And so when Tulip, the school tarantula, disappears from her cage, Sam decides it’s up to him and his friends to save the school from the eight-legged escapee . . .  Sam is not afraid of ghosts, sharks, zombies or the dark – but those are all other stories!

     

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  • Must Read 2020

    Must Read 2020

    40 of the best new fiction titles for your primary school Library, aimed at years 5 and 6.
    The Must Read Book list is one of our annual selections of the best fiction for primary schools chosen by librarians from the Schools Library Service and primary and secondary schools, and is a suggested list to buy for your school library.

    For fiction for years 3 and 4, take a look at our Takeoff! booklist.

    The book list represents a selection of the best new fiction first published in paperback within the last year, and aims to cover a diverse arange of subjects, genres, authors and interests.

    Titles from the 2020 Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Tower Hamlets Book Award short list. Don’t forget to register for this event!

    Posters and Bookmarks for the 2020 booklists will be delivered a little later than normal this year – look out for them from September.

    Please contact the library for any further information about the book list.

    Click here to see the full list
    Title Author Notes
    The Girl Who Speaks Bear Sophie Anderson Fairy tales ancient and modern weave in and out of this entrancing story of Yanka, the girl who as a baby was cared for by a bear.  Struggling with acceptance in her village as she grows up, Yanka must leave and journey through the forest full of dangers as well as extraordinary friends to the find the answer of who she really is.
    Asha & the Spirit Bird Jasbinder Bilan Asha leaves home in the foothills of the Himalayas to save her family after her father disappears and her mother is threatened by a cruel money lender. With help from her friend Jeevan and Nanijee, the spirit bird of her grandmother, she crosses mountains and faces many dangers including child exploitation. An exciting and uplifting story.
    No Ballet Shoes in Syria Catherine Bruton Aya’s dreams and love of ballet help her through heartrending situations. She, her mother and baby Moosa seek asylum in the UK after leaving her father behind in war torn Syria. A chance friendship enables her to attend a ballet class and her talent is recognised but will she find a new home in this challenging place?
    A Pocketful of Stars Aisha Bushby A magical story which begins with clashes between Safiya and her mum. But when mum falls ill, to save her Safiya is transported to Kuwait, mum’s childhood home, and she needs to use all her gaming skills to overcome dangers and rescue their relationship.
    Orion Lost Alastair Chisholm Fast paced science fiction. Space craft Orion is taken over by outside forces and only children are left awake and able to take control. Beth has to learn who or what to trust – the other children, the Artificial Intelligence system, or her own judgement – to save the ship and all aboard.
    What’s That in Dog Years? Ben Davis George’s beloved dog Gizmo is fourteen and won’t be around for much longer and George is helping him fulfil his bucket list, leading them into many adventures.  A loving, humorous read.
    Fire Girl Forest Boy Chloe Daykin An intense and exciting adventure in Peru. Maya from Scotland and Raul from the cloud forest alternately tell the story of environmental destruction, family pain, and rescue from the clutches of a logging company, with more than a splash of magical realism.
    Captain Rosalie Timothée de Fombelle Beautifully illustrated and poignant story told by five-year-old Rosalie living in hardship with her mother during World War One. Her father is away fighting and writes loving letters home. Rosalie is inspired to go on her own secret mission, but its revelation tells her, and us, more about grief and love than hard facts ever can.
    Talking to the Moon S E Durrant Iris loves living with her grandma and away from her noisy family, but grandma sometimes puts clothes on inside out, and her memories are fading away.  Who is Coral, the girl in the old photo?  Can Iris find her and bring comfort to her grandma? A tender and uplifting story.
    The Longest Night of Charlie Noon Christopher Edge Charlie, Dizzy and Johnny are determined to find out what lies in the heart of the wood, but as night falls, they become lost and time begins to twist around them. Charlie begins to fear for the future as they wonder whether this night in the forest is all that there is and ever will be…
    The Girl Who Stole an Elephant Nizrana Farook Chaya is a rebellious child. Daughter to the headman of her village in Sri Lanka, she feels perfectly justified to take from the rich to help those in need. Except one day she goes too far and steals the Queen’s jewels, unwittingly putting her village in danger – leading to an escape into the jungle with her friends. And the King’s elephant.
    To Night Owl From Dogfish Holly Goldberg-Sloan Avery’s very close to his Dad – it’s been the two of them his whole life, they’re best friends and tell each other everything. So he’s quite surprised when a stranger – Bett – sends him an email claiming that their fathers are now a couple.
    The House of Light Julia Green Nothing in the world is normal any more. There are poisonous dangers to be found on the seashore but Bonnie and Granda make their living there and risk discovery by the guards. When Bonnie finds a boat and a barefoot boy she knows she must act to change her world for the better.
    Nothing Ever Happens Here Sarah Hagger-Holt Izzy lives in Littlehaven where nothing ever happens. The most exciting thing is the upcoming auditions for the school production of ‘Guys and Dolls’ – until her dad breaks the news that he’s transitioning to become a woman and suddenly the spotlight is on Izzy’s family…
    The Cosmic Atlas of Alfie Fleet Martin Howard Meet Alfie Fleet. In this book, we’ll be travelling to the ends of the universe with him. On the way we’ll encounter brains-in-jars, twang bears, giant sand lobsters and other things that are not quite so wonderful.
    The Unexpected Find Toby Ibbotson William is different, and people don’t really like that. Judy is difficult, and people don’t like that either. So when they become friends, it’s unexpected. And everything that comes next is unexpected – teaming up with eccentric Mr Balderson and his campervan, the search for Judy’s father, the journey to Sweden, the crash, the fight and the fact that, somehow, William’s unexpected find turns out to be useful in the most truly unexpected way
    White Fox Chen Jiatong Dilah the white fox wants more than anything to be human and embarks on a quest guided by a magical moonstone. This is an exciting tale of animal transformation.  If it could happen the other way round, what animal would you like to be?
    Pog Pádraig Kenny There’s something powerfully strange in the woods, and Pog, a brave furry creature who acts as guardian, needs the help of David and Penny to overcome the evil unleashed.  The children are battling with their own troubles, the loss of their mother and their grief stricken father, and must find strength to win trials both fantastic and real.
    Small Mercies Bridget Krone Mercy lives with two eccentric but loving foster aunts in a crumbling house in South Africa.  Family life and school life can be a challenge, and then a housing developer threatens to make things really fall apart. What Mercy needs is a miracle…
    Pie in the Sky Remy Lai When his family move to Australia, Jingwen struggles to fit in, and his pesky younger brother doesn’t help either. Fun illustrations throughout make this book about baking, broken hearts and family love hugely entertaining.
    A House Without Walls Elizabeth Laird The Syrian war brings hardship to 13-year-old Safiya and her family. They flee to Jordan and have to live in a tent near relatives and Safiya is forced to stop school to look after everyone. All her dreams are endangered including the longed-for reunion with her lost twin, but will hope see her through?
    The Faraway Truth Janae Marks Do innocent people end up in prison? Really?

    Zoe’s never asked herself this question until a letter arrives from her father on her twelfth birthday. She’s never met her father. He was sent to prison before she was born. Her mum always said he was dangerous but he seems… nice.
    The Land of Roar Jenny McLachlan When twins Arthur and Rose were little they were heroes in Roar, their imaginary world which was filled with the things they loved – dragons, mermaids, ninja wizards – as well as the things that scared them the most. Now they are eleven, Roar is almost forgotten until strange things start to happen…maybe, just maybe, Roar is real?
    Planet Omar: Unexpected Super Spy Zanib Mian Omar is a lively and imaginative boy who goes into action to save the local mosque when it is threatened with closure. The story teems with characters, including the world’s grumpiest sister, not to mention a money-making scheme, a talent contest, a secret thief…and loads of cookies.
    Nevertell Katharine Orton “Imagining tends to give people inconvenient ideas, and those in power don’t like being inconvenienced.” Lina has ideas – she wants to see beyond the prison camp that has been her life for eleven years. One night she escapes across the snowy Russian wilderness but finds herself pursued by a sorceress and her wolves…
    Anna at War Helen Peters It’s 1939 and Jewish refugee Anna arrives in Kent on one of the last kindertransport trains to leave Germany.  Life with a foster family in England is not easy for Anna – local people are suspicious and don’t trust anyone or anything German, so when it looks like there is a spy in their midst, Anna must be brave and devises dangerous plan to prove her loyalty.
    Way of the Waves Janina Ramirez Viking girl Alva has stowed away, crossing the North Sea on a longship. There’s no turning back for this shield maiden – exploring new lands, solving mysteries and – she hopes – finding her father.
    Empire’s End: A Roman Story Leila Rashid The Roman Empire 207 AD – Camilla’s family are called to the Emperor’s side from their home in North Africa, but instead of Rome, Camilla’s family are sent to the furthest corner of the Empire, Britannica. After a traumatic journey, tragedy strikes and Camilla finds herself alone, navigating life in a cold and dangerous land at the mercy of a capricious Empress.  Based on a true story, we see that Roman Britain was a cultural ‘melting pot’ with a mix of ethnicities and religions at all levels of society.
    Demelza & the Spectre Detectors Holly Rivers Demelza is an inventor. She believes that everything in the universe can be explained by science and numbers and that there definitely isn’t such a thing as life after death and ghosts.

    On the other hand, she has no rational explanation for what just happened in the greenhouse…
    Spylark Danny Rurlander Tom has struggled to walk since the accident. His drone – Skylark – gives him the freedom he craves, exploring his world from above. But he finds more than freedom when he stumbles on a terrorist plot.
    Lampie: a seaswept fairytale adventure Annet Scaaf A lighthouse light not lit, a ship wrecked on the rocks, a drunken father – Lampie must leave her lighthouse home and work as a maid at the Admiral’s house – a dark foreboding place with rumours of a monster up in the tower.   But what Lampie discovers is not a monster….  An enthralling adventure that defends everyone’s right to be different.
    The Paninis of Pompeii Andy Stanton In Roman times there lived a fat merchant called Caecilius Maximus Panini. He was so fat he looked like a large football with a face on top, and this is what the name ‘Caecilius’ means: large football with a face on top.
    Extraordinary Birds Sandy Stark-McGinnis December knows all about getting kicked out of foster homes. And birds.  All she wants is to fly away, but when she’s placed with Eleanor, her new foster mum, she wonders if she’s found somewhere she belongs.
    Malamander Thomas Taylor This visit to Eerie-on-sea isn’t your normal English seaside holiday. Not just because it’s the middle of a bitterly cold winter, but because it’s quite likely that there’s a fish-man monster lurking in that shipwreck. And just what are the mysterious Violet Parma and Sebastian Eels up to?
    Some Places More Than Others Renée Watson Amara visits Harlem, New York, for the first time to see where her Dad grew up, and discover not just her roots but also the importance of place and family. Thoughtful and emotionally engaging.
    Cloud Boy Marcia Williams Harry and Angie are as close friends as could be, and explore lots of interests together including their love of clouds. When Harry develops a serious illness their reliance on each other starts to deepen. Written as a diary by Angie this is a life affirming story dealing with the hardest of issues.
    The Girl with Space in Her Heart Lara Williamson Mabel has a lot of worries – why has her father left home?  Why does her older sister hate her Mum’s new boyfriend so much?  At school, why is Dolly Rose so prickly and angry?  Mabel packs all her worries in a suitcase that is getting so full that it is going to explode – is there anyone who can pick up the pieces?  A funny but sensitive exploration of mental health.
    Gorebrah: Mightiest Chef in the Universe James Stayte He’s tough, he’s a barbarian…

    And he’s out to save the world with the most amazing cooking known to humans or monsters! Hilarious comic adventures to be taken with a pinch of salt or your choice of table sauces.
    The Way Past Winter Karen Millwood Hargraves It has been winter for five years, and when older brother Oskar is lured away by the same evil force that took their father away, Mila and her sisters decide to follow his trail to the frozen north, find a way past winter and bring their brother home
    Children Who Changed the World: Incredible true Stories About Children’s Rights! Marcia Williams Marking 30 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed by the United Nations General Assembly, discover the incredible true stories of child activists around the world. Important issues, such as the right to a safe place to live, the right to education and the right to protection from harm, are explained and explored through the stories of children who have stood up for them.

     

    [associated_posts]

  • Must Read 2019

    Must Read 2019

    40 of the best new fiction titles for your primary school Library, aimed at years 5 and 6.
    The Must Read Book list is one of our annual selections of the best fiction for primary schools chosen by librarians from the Schools Library Service and primary and secondary schools, and is a suggested list to buy for your school library.

    For fiction for years 3 and 4, take a look at our Takeoff! booklist.

    The book list represents a selection of the best new fiction first published in paperback within the last year, and aims to cover as diverse a range of subjects, genres, authors and interests as possible.

    Titles from the 2018 Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Tower Hamlets Book Award short list in July. Don’t forget to register for this event!

    A set of posters and bookmarks for the book list will be sent to all subscribing primary schools.

    Please contact the library for any further information about the book list.

    To request additional posters/ bookmarks email jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk (subject to availability)

    View the list of 40 books

    Anderson, Sophie

    The house with chicken legs

    Orphan Marinka does not want to follow tradition and become a Yaga, whose only friends are the dead who depend on the Yaga to guide them back to the stars from whence they came.   But when Marinka learns a devastating truth about herself and at the same time, her beloved Baba (grandmother) disappears, her life changes forever.

    Bell, Peter Gwilym; Sorrentino, Flavia

    The train to impossible places : a cursed delivery

    Disturbed by a noise in the middle of the night, Suzy wakes to find that someone’s run a railway track through her house. When the train arrives, she finds herself whisked away to work for an interdimensional post office…

    Brown, Peter

    The wild robot

    Robot Roz finds herself alone on a remote island, with only animals for company.  She has no idea how she got there, but in her programming is knowledge of what she ought to need to survive.  But then her programming was not designed for dealing with storms and vicious, unwelcoming animals….

    Burnell, Cerrie

    The girl with the shark’s teeth

    Minnow has grown up on a boat and is closer to the sea than to the land. When her mother is taken from her, protecting her for reasons she doesn’t understand, her journey takes her to the enchanted ocean of the Wild Deep.

    Cameron, Neill

    Mega Robo revenge

    The Mega Robo Bros return to battle not only with a rogue robot intent on destroying the world, but with school rules on wearing the colour pink, and which school football team they’re allowed to play on.

    Carroll, Emma

    Secrets of a sun king

    The mysterious death of a Professor of Middle Eastern art, connected with her own grandfather, sparks the journey of a lifetime for Lilian. She must return the priceless and secret remains of Tutankhamen to his true tomb and try to release her grandfather from their suspected curse .

    Cooper, Helen

    The hippo at the end of the hall

    Visiting the local museum of curiosities, Ben finds out that its existence is under threat from a property tycoon and rival museum, but he is also shocked to discover that the exhibits at the museum can speak!  The magical world of the Museum become entwined with reality as Ben and his mum cope with grief and financial worries.

    Cotterill, Jo

    Jelly

    Angelica (Jelly) is the class joker, but her Mum’s new boyfriend realises that this is all an act, and that she’s hiding something behind the comedy. But can she risk showing her real feelings to the world?

    Doyle, Catherine

    The storm keeper’s island

    There is power in the Island – both Fionn and Tara can feel it.  Tara is determined to find the sea cave, a secret place reputed to grant one wish per generation.  Fionn would use the wish to find his father, lost at sea, and save his mother from depression, but will Tara throw it away on a temporary crush?

    Durant, Alan

    Clownfish

    Dak wants to get away from everybody asking him how he is after his dad dies from a heart attack. He heads for the local aquarium, his Dad’s favourite place, and to his amazement, finds his dad there – alive and well, and a clownfish!

    Durrant, S. E.; Biddulph, Rob

    Running on empty

    AJ’s parents both have learning difficulties. His Grandfather helped out with things like bills, money for the electricity meter and parents evening. But after he dies, AJ has to take on a lot more responsibilities and his ambition to be a runner suffers.

    Edge, Christopher

    The infinite lives of Maisie Day

    Maisie Day is a ten-year-old genius who wakes on her birthday, alone, the universe collapsing around her. How can this be connected to her older sister? And is she running out of time, or does she have all the time there is?

    Ellis, Deborah

    The breadwinner (graphic novel)

    Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul,. Parvana’s father is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education. Forbidden to earn money as a girl, Parvana must transform herself into a boy, and become the breadwinner.

    Elson, Jane

    Will you catch me?

    Animal lover Nell finds it hard looking after her pet menagerie when she has to look after her mum as well. Things would be a lot easier if she had a dad, especially when she’s getting bullied. But will Nell’s grand plan to find her dad work in time?

    Fischel, Emma

    Walls

    When his divorced mum and dag build walls to divide his home into two houses, Ned is driven by fury to barge through them as if they are not there.  This magical ability to “wallboggle” is a way to vent his anger, but can he use his new power to positive ends as well?

    Fisher, Catherine

    The clockwork crow

    Seren didn’t want to look after the newspaper parcel left with her by a stranger when she was on her way to a new life in Wales, but the contents – a clockwork crow that she has to piece together – proves very handy when embarking on a perilous journey to the enchanted snow world of “Them” to bring happiness back to her new family.

    Forrest, Juliette

    Twister

    A witch, a necklace, a rainstorm, a river – and the terrible White Eye wants it all. Follow courageous rebel Twister as she tries to find her Pa and escape White Eye’s clutches.

    Gino, Alex

    George

    George really really REALLY wants to play Charlotte in the “Charlotte’s Web” but no one will even consider her, because, after all, she’s a boy, isn’t she?  But George knows that she is not a boy.  She knows that she is a girl, and together with her best friend Kelly, she comes up with a plan to not only get to play Charlotte, but to let everyone know once and for all who she really is.

    Green, Julia

    To the edge of the world

    Jamie loves the wild beauty and remoteness of the island in the outer Hebrides where he lives.  The Island is also home to Mara, a wild spirit not much older than Jamie, whose ambition is to sail her boat to St Kilda, another island that really is on the edge of the world.  When she finally sets out, pretty well accidentally, Jamie goes too…

    Harbour, Vanessa

    Flight

    Austria 1945. When a German officer finds the precious Lipizzanner stallions in their rural stable, Jakob and his guardian know they must get the horses to safety before Hitler sends his soldiers to steal them.  Joined by Kizzy, an orphan Roma girl, the three must guide the horses across the perilous Austrian mountains. Will they reach safety? What will be waiting for them on the other side?

    Howe, Cath

    Ella on the outside

    Ella desperately wants to make friends with popular girl Lydia, she seems so kind and friendly. But why is it Ella never feels that confident around her, and why does Lydia want her to spy on shy and quiet Molly? Torn between having a best friend and spilling Molly’s big secret, which will Ella choose?

    Jennings, Paul; Kelly, Geoff

    A different boy

    “The ship was a towering fortress looming over the pier. Anton stared enviously at the emigrants lining up in front of the wide gangplank. Heading off on a voyage to a land of peace and plenty. Leaving the land of broken buildings and crushed hopes behind… How he wished that he was one of the lucky ones.”  But life as a stowaway brings its own problems….  Also by Paul Jennings –  “A Different Dog”

    Johnson, Catherine

    Freedom

    Nathaniel doesn’t want to move to England with his master’s family and leave behind his mother and sister on the Jamaican plantation. But then he remembers what his mother told him: once a slave sets foot on English soil, they’re free…Also by Catherine Johnson,  Race to the Frozen North

    Kenny, Pádraig

    Tin

    Christopher is ‘Proper’: a real boy with a real soul, orphaned in a fire. He works for an engineer, a maker of the eccentric, loyal and totally individual mechanicals who are Christopher’s best friends. But after a devastating accident, a secret is revealed and Christopher’s world is changed for ever. What follows is a remarkable adventure, as Christopher discovers who he really is, and what it means to be human …

    Khan, Hena

    Amina’s voice

    Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” While Amina grapples with this she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized…

    Lewis, Gill

    The closest thing to flying

    Semira is desperate for a friend. One who gets what it’s like to be lonely, to have a lot going on. When Semira finds a one hundred year old diary though written by a  girl called Hen, Semira finds the inspiration to be brave and uncover a few of the pieces that are missing in her own past.

    MacDibble, Bren

    How to bee

    Peony lives with her sister and grandfather on a fruit farm outside the city. In a world where real bees are extinct, the quickest, bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand. Then Peony’s mother arrives to take her away from everything she has ever known…

    McKay, Hilary

    The skylarks’ war

    Clarry and Peter love their summers in Cornwall, running free with their cousin, Rupert.  But the shadow of a terrible war looms ever closer and when Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them.

    Nicholls, Sally; Helquist, Brett

    A chase in time

    Alex and Ruby fall through their aunt’s mirror into 1912 and find themselves in a scarily dangerous car, racing around catching criminals and having other exciting adventures.  Now they just need to find their way home….

    O’Connell, David; Powell, Claire

    The chocolate factory ghost

    Archie knows his lucky underpants must really work, because when he is  summoned to Honeystone Hall in the Scottish village of Dundoodle, he finds he’s inherited not only the hall, but the world-famous McBudge Confectionery Company!

    Pastore, Luize

    Dog Town

    All Jacob wants is for the rivers to swallow his city, Riga, and for a tall ship to sail down the street, right past his dining-room window … but now his wish has got him into big trouble. He meets the Boss, leader of the Dog Town pack and everything changes. They need Jacob to help them fight tooth and paw to save their home from the evil Skyler Scraper.

    Peretti, Paola

    The distance between me and the cherry tree

    Mafalda is a nine-year-old girl who knows one thing: in the next six months she will be blind. Can Mafalda find a way through a seemingly dark future and still go to school, play football and look after her beloved cat? With the help of her family and her friends, Mafalda needs to discover the things that will be important to her when her sight has gone.

    Rai, Bali

    Now or never: a Dunkirk story

    Private Fazal Khan, from India, is proud to be in the British Army in World War Two, but is that pride misplaced when his comrades turn on him during the frightening evacuation at Dunkirk

    Rauf, Onjali Q.

    The boy at the back of the class

    There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy, Ahmet, is sitting in it. He’s nine years old and very strange. He never talks, never smiles and doesn’t like sweets.

     

    But then I learned the truth: He isn’t strange at all. He’s a refugee who’s run away from a War. With bombs and fires and bullets that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help.

    Renner, Ellen

    Storm witch

    Is she a child of Air, Water, Earth or Fire? Now that she is thirteen, Storm must undertake The Choosing and be claimed by one of the Elementals which will determine her whole life’s work. But for Storm, daughter of a father murdered by Water and a warrior mother claimed by Earth, there will be no easy destiny.

    Saunders, Kate

    The land of neverendings

    Emily’s bizarre interactions with world of Smockeroon help her to cope with the death of her disabled sister, Holly.  The doorway between Smockeroon and reality is broken, a black toad of despair has forced its way into the imaginary work spreading gloom and bereaved humans like Emily must take the lead in searching for the Sturvey, the authority that can establish order in the other world.

    St. John, Lauren

    Kat Wolfe investigates

    When Kat starts pet-sitting for pocket money, she finds some dark and dangerous secrets in the town where she lives.  A pet owner vanishes from his clifftop mansion and so Kat turns to her new friend, Harper Lamb, for help. What began as mystery-solving holiday fun quickly turns deadly for Wolfe and Lamb. Can they count on their unruly animals to save their lives?

    Torday, Piers

    The lost magician

    They have survived the Blitz, but when three children step through a mysterious library door, it is the beginning of their most dangerous adventure yet. They discover the magical world of Folio, where an enchanted kingdom of fairy knights, bears and tree gods is under threat from a sinister robot army.

    Ventrella, Kim; Assanelli, Victoria

    Skeleton tree

    Twister’s father has gone missing and searching for him, she stumbles across a witch living in the woods. She is given a magical necklace that can turn the wearer into a wolf,  a rushing river or a rainstorm. But there’s a dark foe on the hunt for this necklace too.

    Welford, Ross

    The dog who saved the world

    When eleven-year-old Georgie befriends an eccentric retired scientist, she becomes the test subject for a thrilling new experiment: a virtual-reality 3D version of the future.

     

    But then a deadly disease threatens the life of every dog in the country – and that’s only the start of her troubles.

     

    [associated_posts]

     

  • Teen Booklist 2019

    Teen Booklist 2019

    40 of the best new fiction titles for your secondary school Library

    The Teenage Book list is selected annually by librarians from the Schools Library Service and secondary schools, and is a list of recommended fiction to buy for your school library.

    The teen list represents a selection of the best new fiction first published in paperback within the last 12 months, and aims to cover as diverse a range of subjects, genres, authors and interests as possible.

    Titles from the Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Tower Hamlets Book Award short list in July. Remember to let us know if you want to participate in this event!

    Posters and bookmarks will be sent to subscribing secondary schools.

    Please contact the library for more information on the Teen List or to request additional posters or bookmarks (subscribing schools only).

    View the list of 40 books

    1

    Acevedo, Elizabeth

    The poet X : a novel

    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.

    2

    Adlington, L. J.

    The red ribbon

    14-year-old Ella is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop and hers are no ordinary clients. Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz. Every dress she makes could mean the difference between life and death. And this place is all about survival.

    3

    Alexander, Kwame

    Rebound

    It’s 1988. Charlie Bell is still mourning his father, and struggling to figure out how he feels for his best (girl) friend, CJ. When he gets into trouble one too many times, he’s packed off to stay with his grandparents for the summer. There his cousin Roxie introduces him to a whole new world – basketball – and a legend on the courts is born.

    4

    Almond, David

    The Colour of the Sun

    One hot summer morning, Davie steps boldly out of his front door. The world he enters is very familiar, but as the day passes, it becomes ever more mysterious. A boy has been killed, and Davie thinks he might know who is responsible. The real and the imaginary start to merge, and Davie knows that neither he nor his world will ever be the same again.

    5

    Black, Holly

    The cruel prince

    One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal. As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the Fey to ever truly belong.

    6

    Blankley, Bridget

    The ghosts & Jamal

    13-year-old Jamal has spent his life  separated from his family due to the “bad spirits” or rather the epilepsy that plagues him. Waking up in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, he tries to piece together what has happened whilst simultaneously trying to evade capture by the attackers.

    7

    Bourne, Holly

    How hard can love be?

    All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber is hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

    8

    Burgess, Melvin

    The lost witch

    Bea has started to hear and see things that no one else can – creatures, voices, visions. Then strangers visit Bea and tell her she is different: she has the rare powers of a witch and they warn her she is being hunted.

    9

    Camden, Steven

    Everything all at once

    Poems about one week in a secondary school -sharing moments that span everything from hoping to make it to the end of the week, facing it, fitting in, finding friends and falling out, to loving lessons, losing it, and worrying, wearing it well and worshipping from afar.

    10

    Crossan, Sarah

    Moonrise

    They think I hurt someone.

    But I didn’t. You hear?

    Cos people are gonna be telling you

    all kinds of lies.

    I need you to know the truth

    11

    Curham, Siobhan

    Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow

    14-year-old Stevie cares for her depressed mum and they are plunged into poverty when disability benefits are cut.  Hafiz, talented footballer and Syrian refugee is far from his family and has his own problems, but together their friendship helps each to follow their dreams.

    12

    Dawson, Juno

    Clean

    When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she’s hit rock bottom. She’s wrong. Because rock bottom is when she’s forced into an exclusive rehab facility. From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.

    13

     

    Children of Blood and Bone

    They killed my mother.

    They took our magic.

    They tried to bury us.

    Now we rise.

    14

    Duffy, Malcolm

    Me mam, me dad, me

    Danny loves his mum, and he thought he loved his stepdad, until he started hitting his mum – that’s when he decided to have him killed – and maybe his Dad, the one he’s never met, will help….

    15

    Fountain, Ele

    Boy 87

    Shif is just an ordinary boy who likes chess, maths and racing his best friend home from school. But one day, soldiers with guns come to his door – and he knows that he is no longer safe. Shif is forced to leave his mother and little sister and embark on a dangerous journey; a journey through imprisonment and escape, new lands and strange voices, and a perilous crossing by land and sea.

    16

    Freestone, P. M.

    Shadowscent : The darkest bloom

    When disaster strikes and the crown prince lies poisoned, long suppressed rivalries threaten to blow the empire apart.  It’s up to a poor village girl with a talent for fragrances and the prince’s loyal bodyguard to find an antidote.

    17

    Gourlay, Candy

    Bone talk

    It’s 1899 in the Philippines where

    Samkad and his people live according to ancient traditions, but their lives are turned upside down with the arrival of an American boy, who brings news that an army is preparing to invade….

    18

    Gray, Julia

    Little liar

    Nora is a pathological liar – compulsively reinventing the truth to manipulate people. After she gets a teacher fired, the real trouble starts when she befriends someone even more unpredictable than she is…

    19

    Hardinge, Frances

    A skinful of shadows

    When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding. Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard for a moment.

    20

    House, Rowena

    The goose road

    France 1916. Angélique Lacroix is haymaking when the postman delivers the news: her father is dead, killed on a distant battlefield. In a last-ditch attempt to save her farm from bankruptcy, Angélique embarks on a journey across France with her brother’s flock of magnificent Toulouse geese.

    21

    Kalhan, Savita

    The girl in the broken mirror

    Jay and her mother are moving in with distant relatives, and they have strict rules for girls. Jay is expected to have only Indian friends, if she has any at all. But this is only the beginning of a nightmare for Jay. When her life implodes, how can she hide the shame and how will she find a way to keep going?

    22

    Khan, Muhammad

    Kick the moon

    15-year-old Ilyas is under pressure from everyone: GCSE’s are looming, his dad wants him to join the family business and his mates don’t care about any of it. There’s no space in Ilyas’ life to just be a teenager. He finds a kindred spirit in Kelly, who is fed up with being pigeonholed as the good girl. But when Kelly catches the eye of one of the local bad boys, Ilyas is faced with losing the only person who understands him.

    23

    Khan, Sabina

    The love and lies of Rukhsana Ali

    17-year-old Rukhsana Ali tries her hardest to live up to her conservative Muslim parents’ expectations, but lately she’s finding that impossible to do. If she can just hold out another few months, Rukhsana will be out of her family home and away from her parents’ ever-watchful eyes. But when she is caught kissing her girlfriend, her parents take Rukhsana to Bangladesh, where everything she had been planning is out of reach.

    24

    Leonardo, Cory

    Call me Alastair

    Born in the back of a pet store, Alastair the African grey parrot dreams of escape, to fly off with his beloved sister, Aggie. But when Aggie is purchased by 12-year-old Fritz and Alastair is adopted by Mrs Albertina Plopky, Alastair’s hopeful vision for the future crash-lands. In between anxiously plucking his feathers, chewing a few books and finding his own poetic voice, Alastair plots his way back to Aggie and their flight to freedom.

    25

    Lowery, Mark

    Charlie and me : 421 miles from home

    Thirteen-year-old Martin adores his brother Charlie but he’s not like ordinary kids. He’s one in a million. He was born far too early, and ought to have died. They are now on a very special journey, travelling 421 miles all the way from Preston to the very tip of Cornwall to see the dolphins. But is that the only reason they are going?

    26

    Mayhew, Julie

    The Electrical Venus

    Life in Grainger’s Side Show that travels around Georgian England is hard – Mim works alongside a learned pig, a parrot that speaks four languages and Alex a one-armed boxer.  But when Dr Fox arrives with his science and his magic, and chooses her to be is his Electrical Venus, giving kisses that give an electric shock, she is catapulted to stardom – but is this really what she wants?

    27

    Norriss, Andrew

    Mike

    Floyd is good at tennis, really good.  So good that he might win Wimbledon one day. Then Mike appears on the scene.  Mike is different, so different that it seems only Floyd can see him, and he’s not really sure who’s side Mike is on….

    28

    Pan, Emily X. R.

    The astonishing colour of after

    Leigh Chen Sanders is sixteen when her mother dies by suicide, leaving only a scribbled note: ‘I want you to remember’. Leigh doesn’t know what it means, but when a red bird appears with a message, she finds herself travelling to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time.

    29

    Pollock, Tom

    White rabbit, red wolf

    17-year-old Peter Blankman is a maths prodigy. He also suffers from severe panic attacks. Afraid of everything, he finds solace in the orderly and logical world of mathematics and in the love of his family. However, when his mother is found stabbed before an award ceremony and his sister is nowhere to be found, Peter is dragged into a world of espionage and violence where state and family secrets intertwine.

    30

    Pullman, Philip

    The Book of Dust : La Belle Sauvage

    Malcolm Polstead’s Oxford life has been routine, ordinary even. He is happiest playing with his daemon, Asta, in their canoe, La Belle Sauvage. But now as the rain builds, the world around Malcolm and Asta is, it seems, set to become increasingly far from ordinary.Finding himself looking after a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua, Malcolm is forced to undertake the challenge of his life and to make a dangerous journey that will change him and Lyra for ever.

    31

    Rai, Bali

    Stay a little longer

    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 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.

    32

    Reynolds, Jason

    Long Way Down

    Sixty-seven seconds – that’s the time it takes for the elevator to reach the ground floor, and it’s also the time it takes Will to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.

    33

    Rhodes, Jewell Parker

    Ghost boys

    Twelve-year-old Jerome doesn’t get into trouble. He goes to school. He does his homework. He takes care of his little sister. Then Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, watching his family trying to cope with his death, Jerome begins to notice other ghost boys. Each boy has a story and they all have something in common.

    34

    Sheppard, Alexandra

    Oh my gods

    Life as a half-mortal teenager should be epic. But for Helen Thomas, it’s tragic. She’s just moved in with her dorky dad and self-absorbed older siblings – who happen to be ancient Greek gods, living incognito in London! Between keeping her family’s true identities secret, trying to impress her new friends, and meeting an actually cute boy, Helen’s stress levels are higher than Mount Olympus.

    35

    Tasane, Steve

    Child I

    A group of undocumented children with letters for names, are stuck living in a refugee camp, with stories to tell but no papers to prove them. As they try to forge a new family amongst themselves, they also long to keep memories of their old identities alive

    36

    Thomas, Angie

    On the come up

    Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died just before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But when her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bri finds herself at the centre of controversy.

    37

    Thomas, Emily

    Mud

    It’s 1979, and 13-year-old Lydia has no idea how she’ll cope when her dad announces that the family has to sell up and move onto a Thames sailing barge in Essex. With his girlfriend. And her three kids. Between trying to keep her clothes dry in a leaky cabin, disastrous hair-dye attempts, awkward encounters with local boys and coping with her suddenly enormous and troublesome family, Lydia fears she’ll sink rather than swim…

    38

    Walton, Leslye J.

    The price guide to the occult

    When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island over a century ago, her other-worldly skills led the island’s original eight settlers to burn “the witch” out of her home. So Rona invoked the privileges of a witch; she cursed them and future generations. But such a spell always comes with a terrible price – eight generations later, Nora Blackburn is finding out just how terrible.

    39

    Wein, Elizabeth

    Firebird

    Nastia is no traitor. She is a daring pilot, the daughter of revolutionaries, and now, as the Second World War descends on Russia, she must fight to save the glorious Motherland. But all is not as it seems and when the battles begin, secrets are revealed and everything that she once knew is challenged…

    40

    Make more noise : new stories by female writers in honour of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.

    An incredible collection of brand new short stories from ten of the UK’s very best storytellers celebrating inspirational girls and women, published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the UK.

     

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