Tag: Teen Booklist

Teen Book List 2017

40 of the best new books for your collection for secondary schools.

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 year, 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 full list

Authors	Title	Synopsis
Bessora; Barroux	Alpha: Abidjan – Gare du Nord	Alpha Coulibaly is just one of millions of refugees on the move and at the mercy of people traffickers, endlessly frustrated, endangered and exploited as he attempts to rejoin his family who are already in Europe
Lawrence, Patrice	Orangeboy	Sixteen-year-old Marlon has made his mum a promise – he’ll never take his life down the wrong path. So far, it’s been easy, but then the consequences of his brothers’ actions catch up with him…
Alexander, Kwame	Booked	Football, family, love and friendship take centre stage as Nick tries to figure out how to navigate his parents’ break-up, stand up to bullies and impress the girl of his dreams.
Bedford, Martyn	Twenty questions for Gloria	Gloria is bored with her life, so when the mysterious, rule-breaking boy walks into school, she believes he’s the one she’s been waiting for to take her away from everything…. But is he?
Benjamin, Ali	The thing about jellyfish	Suzy, silent and mourning the death through drowning of her best friend, refuses to believe the explaination that “bad things just happen”. Her determination to find the truth will mean travelling to the other side of the world. Alone.
Blackman, Malorie	Peace maker	Michela lives in a society where violent thoughts are prevented by the wearing of ‘peace maker’ devices. But when a hostile starship attacks her people, Michela discovers that violence is sometimes necessary…
Brooks, Kevin	Five hundred miles	For brothers Cole and Ruben it’s another rainy morning in the badlands of East London, selling dodgy paperwork for even dodgier motors. But what they find in a grimy pub – their latest errand – knocks their entire day off course.
Cassidy, Cathy	Looking glass girl	Alice has spent two years watching herself grow apart from her friends. An invitation to a sleepover seemed like a chance to fit in again, but an accident plunges her into an unconscious world of dreams and broken memories. Can Alice find her way back?
Clammer, James	Why I went back	Aiden needs his bike to stop the bad things from getting worse – like delivering the mail that his postman Dad’s been hoarding. When it’s stolen, Aiden follows the thieves and finds not just his bike, but a prisoner chained to the floor…but what business is it of his?
Cotterill, Jo	A library of lemons	Calypso has shut herself away in books and stories since her mother’s death. So has her father who has been growing ever more distant and needing more care than Calypso can give. When she discovers the sad secret hidden in his library, she knows that there is something wrong. Perhaps her new friend, Mae, and her family hold the key to fixing both their lives.
Curham, Siobhan	The moonlight dreamers	After chance encounters with Maali, Sky and Rose, Amber recruits the three girls to the Moonlight Dreamers -people who crave excitement and adventure! It’s high time they started pursuing their dreams, and how better than with the support of friends?
Foster, Stewart	The bubble boy	Joe has spent his entire life in hospital, trapped. He shares his frustrations with another ‘bubble boy’, dreaming of a day when they can venture outside. When the possibly mad Amir turns up, it looks as though Joe’s wish might come true (after all, a hospital wouldn’t let a crazy person in).
Fraillon, Zana	The bone sparrow	Born in a refugee camp, all Subhi knows of the world is that he’s at least 19 fence diamonds high, the nice Jackets (guards) never stay long, and at night he dreams that the sea finds its way to his tent, bringing with it unusual treasures.
Gamble, Paul	The ministry of strange, unusual and impossible things	The Ministry of SUITs is hidden away in the far reaches of the Ulster Museum in Belfast. It deals with all the things we don’t want to have to think about or deal with as perfectly-normal-thank-you-very-much people – such as aliens, monsters, pirates and much more…..
Hamill, Christine	The best medicine	Philip’s happy-go-lucky life is disrupted when his mother gets breast cancer. Through it all, he’s writing letters to his hero, the comedian Harry Hill, looking for advice.
Hesse, Monica	The girl in the blue coat	Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods. One day she’s asked to find something – a person – a young Jew who has vanished from a secret room.
Hitchcock, Fleur	Bus stop baby	On her way home from school, 13-year-old Amy finds a newborn baby abandoned at the village bus stop. It’s wrong, just like when Mum walked out on Amy and her sister ten years ago – so she tries to fix it
Johnson, Catherine	Blade and bone	Ezra, a young surgeon, is on his way to France to find his missing friends, despite the danger that an Englishman faces in revolutionary Paris. In the city he finds Renaud, another ‘surgeon’ making the most of the work of the guillotine to further his research into reanimation…
Keil, Melissa	The incredible adventures of Cinnamon Girl	Alba is facing one of the most important summers of her life. School is over and while her friends want to escape their sleepy hometown, she just wants to stay put. But when a viral video about the end of the world announces that Eden Valley is the only safe place to be, thousands of people descend on the town.
Landman, Tanya	Hell and high water	Devon, 1752 – Caleb is left alone when his father is arrested and transported to the Colonies. Then a body washes up on the nearby beach. As Caleb tries to clear his father’s name, he is caught up in a terrifying net of lies and intrigue.
Levez, Olivia	The island	Frances is alone. Cast away on a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, she has to find water, food and shelter. But survival is hard, especially when she is haunted by memories of the things that she did before, the things that made her a monster.
Lingstrom, Eric	Not if I see you first	Parker Grant doesn’t need perfect vision to see right through you. That’s why she created the Rules: Don’t treat her any differently just because she’s blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances, as Scott is finding out.
Mayo, Simon	Blame	Ant and her family find themselves locked away in a new kind of prison. None of the inmates are themselves criminals, but wider society wants them to do time for the unpunished crimes of their parents.
McCombie, Karen	The OMG blog	In the first weeks of secondary school, four girls are thrown together in a blogging project. The one thing they have in common? Their frustrations with their mothers.
McNiff, Dawn	How not to be weird	Woody is forever worried about being different. He thinks himself weird and a bit of a wuss, and the bullies make sure he doesn’t forget that. It doesn’t help that his mum dresses up as a sheep for a living. Now he’s got until the start of new school to un-weird himself.
Nadin, Joanna	White lies, black dare	Having to move back to Peckham with her ill mother – ambitions of private school shattered – Asha knows that she has to fit in. But that means playing Angel’s dangerous games…
Nielsen, Susin	The reluctant journal of Henry K. Larsen	Henry used to have a normal life until ‘IT’ happened. Now he’s moved away with his father. New home, new city, new nosy neighbours. Henry wants to keep under the radar, but secrets have a habit of coming out…
Polonsky, Ami	Gracefully Grayson	Grayson Sender has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: ‘he’ is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender’s body. The weight of this secret is crushing, but sharing it would mean facing ridicule, scorn, rejection or worse.
Reeve, Philip	Rail head	The Network Empire. A star-spanning web of rails traversed by sentient trains, ruled by rival families. Just the place for a lowlife thief like Zen Starling to meet his destiny…
Russo, Meredith	If I was your girl	Amanda is 18, pretty and popular. But she hasn’t always been Amanda. When she was born, she was named Andrew. Now, at her new school, she finally feels like herself. But does she owe her new friends the truth about her past?
Sepetys, Ruta	Salt to the sea	It’s early 1945 and a group of people trek across Germany, bound together by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. Four young people, each haunted by their own dark secret, narrate their unforgettable stories.
Sheinmel, Alyssa B.	Faceless	When Maisie is struck by lightning, her face is partially destroyed. She’s lucky enough to get a face transplant, but how do you live your life when you can’t even recognize yourself any more?
Smith, Dan	Boy X	Kidnapped and drugged, Ash wakes up on a remote tropical island. His mum – a genetic scientist – has been imprisoned and infected with a deadly virus. Where is he? And what must he do to survive?
Stead, Rebecca	Goodbye stranger	Bridge has always been a bit of an oddball, but since her serious accident she’s found fitting in with her friends increasingly hard. It’s getting harder to keep their promise of no fights, especially when they start keeping secrets from each other.
Wheatle, Alex	Crongton knights	Since his Mum died, McKay’s life on the South Crongton estate has been tougher. He hardly sees his Dad who’s been working all hours and his brother’s out tempting trouble. Now McKay’s strayed off his turf and he’s in for one night of danger…
Millard, Glenda	The stars at Oktober Bend	Alice doesn’t speak well since the assault, so she leaves her poems around the town, expressing what she can no longer say. Manny was a child soldier, who hasn’t stopped running from a past he wants to forget.
Hitchcock, bonnie Sue	The smell of other people’s Houses	Ruth wants to be remembered by her grieving mother. Dora wishes she was invisible to her abusive father. Alyce is staying at home to please her parents. Hank is running away for the sake of his brothers. Four very different lives are about to become entangled. Because if we don’t save each other, how can we begin to save ourselves?
Roy, Nilaijana	The Wildings	Prowling, hunting and fighting amidst the crumbling ruins of one of Delhi’s oldest neighbourhoods, are the proud Wildings. These feral cats fear no one, go where they want and do as they please – but change is in the air…
Dawson, Juno	Margot and Me	Fliss’s mum needs peace and quiet to recuperate from a long illness, so they both move to the countryside to live with Margot, Fliss’s stern and bullying grandmother. Life on the farm is tough and life at school is even tougher, so when Fliss unearths Margot’s wartime diary, she sees an opportunity to get her own back.
Chopra, Zuni	The House that spoke	Fourteen-year-old Zoon Razdan is witty, intelligent and deeply perceptive. She also has a deep connection with magic. She was born into it. The house that she lives in is fantastical – life thrums through its wooden walls – and she can talk to everything in it.

TL4 — Poster 1 of 4. Click to view larger image

TL3 — Poster 2 of 4. Click to view larger image

TL2 — Poster 3 of 4. Click to view larger image

TL1 — Poster 4 of 4. Click to view larger image

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13/06/2017

Teen Book list 2016

40 of the best new books for your collection.

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.

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 have been 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 full list

Title	Author	Synopsis	Themes
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda	Albertalli, Becky	Leaving an email open on a school library computer was probably the worst thing Simon could have done…. It meant the whole school knows about Blue, his email friend and the only person he can have real conversations with. But who is Blue? Simon doesn’t know for sure, and he really does not want everyone at school to find out before he does.	LGBT, bullying
A Song for Ella Grey	Almond, David	They were just teenagers, enjoying the freedom of camping on the beach in the summer. Ella wasn’t even there when Orpheus arrived and sang for them – but even just hearing him over a phone was enough to change Ella’s life forever. A retelling the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but set amongst modern day teenagers in Northumberland.	Mythology
The Keeper	Baldacci, David	Vega Jane was always told no one could leave the town of Wormwood. She was told there was nothing outside but the Quag, a wilderness filled with danger and death. And she believed it – until the night she stumbled across a secret that proved everything she knew to be a lie. Now just one thing stands between Vega Jane and freedom – the Quag. In order to leave Wormwood and discover the truth about her world, Vega and her best friend Delph must find a way to make it across a terrifying land of bloodthirsty creatures and sinister magic. But the Quag is worse than Vega Jane’s darkest imagining. It’s a living, breathing prison designed to keep enemies out and the villagers of Wormwood in. The second book about Vega Jane that began with The Finisher.	Fantasy, journeys
Am I Normal Yet?	Bourne, Holly	Evie just wants to be normal, and not obsess about cleanliness or routines or any of the things that caused her to be diagnosed as OCD. Maybe a new year and a new college where people don’t know her as ‘the girl who went nuts’ is the answer…	Mental illness
The Earth is Singing	Curtis, Vanessa	The Nazis arrive in Riga, Lithuania, in 1941 and Hanna’s family, along with all the other Jews in the town, are rounded up. They don’t care who she is, or what she wants to be when she grows up. All they care about is that she is a Jew. This is Hanna’s testament to what happened.	Second World War, The Holocaust
The Crossover	Alexander, Kwame	“With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . . The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering,” announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court.	Sport
Game Changer	Bowler, Tim	No-one really understands Mikey’s terrible, terrible fear of the outdoors, except his little sister Meggie, who he loves more than anyone. So when she is in danger, can he overcome his fears to protect her?	Mental illness, agoraphobia
Lottery Boy	Byrne, Michael	Finding a lottery ticket and finding out it is worth something should have been the best thing that ever happened to Bully – homeless on the streets of London and struggling to find enough food for himself and his dog, Jack. But there are plenty of other people around who would want a share if they knew…	Homelessness
What Was Never Said	Craigie, Emma	15-year-old Zahra has lived in England most of her life, but she is haunted by memories of her early childhood in Somalia: the warm sun, the loud gunfire, and happy days playing with her older sister before “the visitors” came. It is hard for Zahra to make sense of everything that happened, and the terrible events are impossible to talk about. When three familiar women arrive unexpectedly for tea, Zahra is filled with fear and just knows that she and her little sister Samsam have to get away, to escape the same fate as her older sister, Rahma. A moving story that deals with the issue of female genital mutilation for an immigrant Somalian family living in the UK.	Female genital mutilation
Apple and Rain	Crossan, Sarah	When her mother returns after eleven years away chasing her dreams, Apple feels whole again, sure that she’ll have the answers that she craves. But it isn’t a fairy tale reunion she dreamed of, it’s as stormy as the night that she left.	Families, identity
Blood and Ink	Davies, Steven	Set in 2012, militant Islamic group Ansar Dine is preparing to capture Timbuktu. Ali is 16 and a mujahid, a holy warrior, who finds himself scaling the walls of the city. Inside is fifteen year old Kadija, daughter of a guardian of the sacred manuscripts of the ancient city. Ali must declare forbidden everything Kadija holds precious – music, dancing, her books. Kadija refuses to give in, and Ali finds himself drawn to her. Both have conflicting feelings for each other, how will they choose the course to follow?	War, terrorism, religion
The Apple Tart of Hope	Fitzgerald, Sarah Moore	Although there’s been a memorial service and everything, Meg is convinced her best friend Oscar is not dead – only his bike was found in the sea, after all – and with Oscar’s little brother Stevie, she is determined to find out what has happened to him.	Friendship
When I Was Me	Freeman, Hilary	Ella wakes up one morning and find things are not the same – her bed is against the wall, and last night it was in the middle of the room as normal. Her hair is long, not cut in the trendy bob that she paid a fortune for last week, and her mother has white hair. Going to college, she finds her friends are no longer her friends and her existence has been erased from the internet. Even worse, years of her history appear to have been rewritten overnight. And yet, nobody else thinks that anything weird has happened. What is going on?	Identity, paralell worlds
Soon	Gleitzman, Morris	Life is hard in the aftermath of the second world war in Poland. Felix and Gabriek have found themselves somewhere safe to stay away from looters and armed ruffians, and last thing they need is a crying abandoned baby that is bound to attract unwanted attention.	Second World War
Shine	Gourlay, Candy	Rosa can’t speak, and the strange island community of Mirasol are afraid of her, so her only communication is via the internet. But who is this Ansel95 who takes such perfect pictures of her island and posts them? Will she ever get to meet him?	Prejudice, identity
Wolf by Wolf	Graudin, Ryan	When Yael was five she was subjected to Nazi experiments that still haunt her. Now seventeen, she has one mission in life – to kill Hitler. With the Nazis running Europe after winning the war over ten years ago, Germany is a dangerous place for people like Yael…	Alternate history
The Last Soldier	Gray, Keith	Nothing much happens in Joe and Wade’s dusty town in Texas in 1922. There’s not much excitement in Joe and his brother’s lives – just grinding poverty and the occasional run-in with the neighbours. The only highlight is the arrival of the carnival, with its mermaid, wolfman and baby dragon. This year, there’s a new attraction – the Last Soldier of World War One. What message does he have for the boys…?	Historical fiction, mystery, America
The Lie Tree	Hardinge, Frances	Faith has no desire to tread the path that has been prepared for her, but as a mere girl amongst Victorian scientists, she seems to be forever consigned to her mother’s shadow.Following the suspicious death of her father, she discovers his secret – a strange plant that can thrive only in darkness, is destroyed by the light, and which, impossibly, seems to feed only on lies. Somehow this tree is central to her father’s work and the scandal that plagued his last days. Alone in a hostile world, can Faith make use of the lie tree to uncover the truth?	Women’s rights, Victorians, magical realism, mysteries
If You Were Me	Hepburn, Sam	Aliya has fled Afghanistan with her family and are now in a grotty council flat in England and attempting to start a new life. But when Aliya’s older brother is injured and accused of terrorism when a bomb goes off, their situation become dangerous. Dan meets Aliya and her brother Behrouz while helping his father with a plumbing job and is shocked to discover his father may be caught up in a criminal underworld. They must team up to uncover the truth….but can they trust each other?	Terrorism, refugees, crime
Jekyll’s Mirror	Hussey, William	Sam isn’t fitting in particularly well at his new school when he’s invited to take part in ‘Project Hyde’, a new social networking site where users can enjoy total anonymity. It’s exhilarating at first, until Sam notices that the other users are becoming obsessed with the program, and becoming addicted to the cruelty they are inflicting online. Sam watches with a growing sense of horror as his classmates turn into something unrecognisable. Trolling, cyber bullying and horrific violence collide with evil magic. For the truth behind Project Hyde is this: it doesn’t simply change WHO you are, it changes WHAT you are.	Social media, cyber bullying
The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo	Johnson, Catherine	Out of the blue, an exotic young woman arrives from a foreign land. Fearless and strong, ‘Princess’ Caraboo rises above the suspicions of the wealthy family who take her in. But who is the real Caraboo? In a world where it seems everyone is playing a role, could she be an ordinary girl with a tragic past? Is she a confidence trickster? Or is she the princess everyone wants her to be?	Adoption, mystery, race
There Will Be Lies	Lake, Nick	When Shelby gets knocked down by a car, it’s not just her leg that’s broken: Shelby’s safe world is shattered. Her over-protective mother turns up to collect her and they drive off into the night – her mother who stays inside because it’s usually too dangerous to go out – her mother who home-schools her, because school is not to be trusted. It’s like the beginning of a road trip, like two criminals on the run, like Thelma and Louise or Bonnie and Clyde. And somehow, everywhere she looks, there’s a coyote watching her, talking to her, telling her not to believe. Who is Shelby Jane Cooper? And if the person who keeps you safe also tells you lies, who can you trust?	Identity, psychology, Native Americans
Wild Song	Mackay, Janis	Niilo is angry – he’s not sure why, but it leads him to so much crime and violence that his parents send him to “wild school” on an island off the coast of Finland. It’s not a prison, so they say, but it sure does feel like that. Angry at first, eventually he comes to enjoy being there and builds a close relationship with his mentor, Hannu, who helps him face his demons and overcome his lifelong fear of water.	Finland, environment, relationships
Impossible!	Magorian, Michelle	It’s 1960 and twelve-year old Josie is in love with the theatre. An East Ender, she has recently won a place at a snobby stage school. She dreams of being on stage, but is firmly told she has no acting ability. In desperation, Josie cuts off her hair hoping to get a boy’s part. Her wish comes true, but when she lands a role in an American comedy, she also blunders into a kidnap attempt on Larry, a fellow member of the cast. Attempting to foil the criminals’ plan, Josie herself is kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity.	Humour, 1950s
The Green Bicycle	Mansour, Haifaa Al	Wadjida lives in Saudi Arabia where it isimproper for girls to ride bicycles. But she is a rebel, and when she sees the bicycle of her dreams, she devises different ways to make money to buy the bike for herself. She has to confront the issues of conforming to the rules of her society and the importance of her family to make her dream come true.	Identity, religion, women’s rights
Girl on a Plane	Moss, Miriam	It is 1970 and after a summer spent with her family, fifteen-year-old Anna is travelling back to her English boarding school alone. But her plane never makes it home. Anna’s flight is hijacked by Palestinian guerrillas who land the plane in the Jordanian desert, switch off the engines and issue their demands. If these are not met within three days, they will blow up the plane, killing all the hostages. The heat on board becomes unbearable; food and water supplies dwindle. Anna begins to face the possibility she may never see her family again. A story based on real events	Terrorism, hijacking, Palestine
I’ll Give You the Sun	Nelson, Jandy	Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways…	LGBT, love, growing up
All the Bright Places	Niven, Jennifer	Theodore is struggling with undiagnosed bipolar disorder and Violet is devastated by her sister’s death in a car accident. The two meet on the ledge of the school bell tower. Their relationship grows as they help each other cope, but as Violet grows stronger, Theodore becomes more deeply lost in his own struggle. A heart-breaking and beautiful story about teenage love in the face of mental illness.	Mental illness, bereavement, suicide]
Only We Know	Packham, Simon	As a result of her secret past, Lauren and her sister Tilda have to start at a new school. Lauren is determined to reinvent herself and things are going well until she makes friends with Harry, a boy from her previous life. Harry appears not to recognise her, but things start falling apart. Strange messages and packages are left for her, by someone claiming to know her past, but who?	Transgender, identity
Thirteen Chairs	Shelton, Dave	Jack stands in the dark on the landing of the old house, and looks at his feet – He has been here for minutes, his hand on the door handle, debating whether or not to go in. A high-ceilinged room lit only by candles. Thirteen chairs, one empty. Twelve ghostly storytellers, waiting to begin. Come in! Take your place. We have been expecting you. Do you dare to listen to our stories? A superb collection of chilling ghost stories.	Ghost stories
Island	Singer, Nicky	An uninhabited Arctic island with no internet connections is not Cameron’s ideal place for a holiday, especially as his research scientist mother is so annoying and caught up with her work. But an Inuit girl and a large white bear seem to encourage him to change his mind.	Innuit beliefs and traditions, environment
Car-jacked	Sparkes, Ali	Jack Mattingly is a twelve-year-old genius, has an IQ of 170, and is a member of Mensa. But while his parents are arguing at a petrol station, their car is hijacked, with Jack still in the back. This is the beginning of a fast paced adventure as Jack and the car-jacker embark on a life or death mission together. The action is fast and furious all the way while also being funny, clever and entertaining.	Adventure, crime
Would the Real Stanley Carrot Please Stand Up	Stevens, Rob	Stanley’s real mum has finally sent him a birthday card – after years of ignoring him. He’s desperate to meet her, but what is she going to think when she sees a loser like him. He hits on a great plan – get someone else to go in his place – someone charming and witty and successful! She will be bowled over… or will she?	Humour, adoption
The Hollow Boy	Stroud, Jonathan	As a supernatural outbreak baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests against the psychic agencies throughout London, Lockwood and Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood and Co.’s concerns when a living assassin makes an attempt on Fittes’s and Rotwell’s lives. Can the team get past their interpersonal issues to save the day on all fronts? A third delightfully terrifying adventure for Lockwood and Co.	Fantasy, adventure
Fire Colour One	Valentine, Jenny	Iris has never met her father Ernest and now he is nearing the end of his life and wants to see her. She’s not sure about this – after all, who is this stranger with his priceless art collection? Does he think because of this she will come running? Think again!	Families, identity
Birdy	Vallance, Jess	Frances Bird has been a loner for so long that she’s given up on ever finding real friendship. But then she’s asked to show a new girl, Alberta, around school, and she begins to think her luck could finally be changing. The two girls click immediately, and it’s not long before they are inseparable. Frances could not be happier. But as Frances finds out more about her new best friend – her past, her secrets, and her plans for the future – she starts to examine their friendship more closely. Is it, perhaps, just too good to be true?	Friendship, suspense
Liccle Bit	Wheatle, Alex	Venetia King is the hottest girl at school. Too bad Lemar is the second shortest guy in his year. Everyone calls him Liccle Bit, and his two best friends, McKay and Jonah, never tire of telling him he has no chance with girls. Liccle Bit wishes he could do something – anything! – to make life better. But now South Crongton’s notorious gang leader has taken an interest in Liccle Bit. Before he knows what’s happening, he finds himself running errands. But when he hears about a killing on the estate, Liccle Bit is forced to question his choices. How can he possibly put things right?	Identity, gangs
The Art of Being Normal	Williamson, Lisa	David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. And then there’s Leo – new in school and who just wants to be invisible. An unlikely friendship forms.	Transgender, identity
The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow	Woodfine, Katherine	With all the magnificent jewellery on display at Sinclair’s department store, what is the special significance of the clockwork sparrow and why was it stolen? Bold heroines Sophie Taylor and Lilian Rose race through Edwardian London to find out.	Historical fiction, mystery, detectives
Velocity	Wooding, Chris	Cassica and Shiara have grown up in an outback settlement far from anywhere. Life is hard where they live, but these two girls have a dream. They want to take on the Widowmaker: an off-road rally through some of the most dangerous places on Earth. It’s their ticket to fame and fortune. But it just might be the death of them…	Dystopia

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19/05/2016

Teen Booklist 2015

40 of the best new books for your collection.

The Teenage Booklist is selected annually by librarians from the Schools Library Service and secondary schools.

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

The 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.

Posters and bookmarks will be sent to subscribing secondary schools from May.

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

View the full list

Axelsson, Carina	Model under Cover	Despite being the hottest new model on the circuit, Axelle is also really good at solving mysteries, so when a fabulous diamond goes missing, Axelle is on the case!
Berry, Julie	All the Truth that’s in Me	After being missing for two years, Judith returns home to her small pioneer community with her tongue cut out. No-one knows what happened to her and she cannot tell anyone, so people assume the worst. There is only one person whose opinion she values – but he is courting someone else…
Booth, Anne	Girl with a White Dog	Jessie is learning about Nazi Germany and World War Two at school, but what has this got to do with the white Alsatian puppy that her Gran gets, and why is her Gran so troubled?
Colfer, Eoin	Warp: the Reluctant Assassin	History’s deadliest magician has escaped Victorian London and landed here in the present with deadly plans up his sleeve – can Chevie, the FBI’s youngest special agent, do anything to stop him?
Brahmachari, Sita	Red Leaves	Aisha is devastated to be leaving her foster mother, Zac is struggling to cope with his parents’ divorce and Iona’s family fell apart and now she finds herself living on the streets. These three lives are about to become entwined.
Brugman, Alyssa	Alex as Well	Alex was born intersex and brought up as a boy, but always felt somewhat different and wrong in her chosen body. Spurred on by these feelings Alex decides to stop taking her pills and become the girl that had been there all along – not always an easy journey.
Buxton, J. P. (Jamie P.)	Temple Boys	It’s 33AD and Flea, a beggar and wannabe gang member, is living rough on the streets of Jerusalem. Attempting a heist on a visiting magician, he is plunged into a world of betrayal and power struggles.
Campbell-Johnston, Rachel	The Child’s Elephant	Can you imagine what it must be like to be snatched from your home and forced to serve in the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda? That is what happened to Bat and his best friend. But Bat has an ally – a baby elephant, Meya, who he rescued but now in the wild – Can Meya come to his aid?
Carthew, Natasha	Winter Damage	A gripping and atmospheric thriller set on a remote Cornish moor in winter. Ennor is struggling to look after her family in a caravan, but when circumstances take a turn for the worse she sets out to get help, a decision that will dramatically change her life
Casale, Alexia	The Bone Dragon	Evie’s shattered ribs have been a secret for the last four years. Now she has found the strength to tell her adoptive parents, and the physical traces of her past are fixed – the only remaining signs a scar on her side and a fragment of bone taken home from the hospital, which she carves into a dragon which seems to take on a life of its own…
Davis, Ben	The Private Blog of Joe Cowley	Joe Cowley’s made sure that his blog is set to private – no way does he want this to go viral. Fed up with his friends trying to kill him to get £250 from “You’ve Been Framed”, it’s time for him to sort his life out…
Dowswell, Paul	Red Shadow	Set in Moscow in 1941 with the Germans advancing, two brave Russian boys are forced to battle against Stalin’s dreaded secret police.
Earle, Phil	The Bubble Wrap Boy	Charlie’s GOT to be good at something, and he wants that something to be skateboarding – his ticket to popularity. He’s just got to keep it secret from his Mum, who is hiding secrets of her own…
Easton, T. S.	Boys Don’t Knit	Following an unfortunate incident with a lollipop lady and a stolen bottle of Martini Rosso, Ben is ordered to give something back to the community. The hot teacher he likes runs a knitting group so Ben, reluctantly at first, gets ‘stuck in’. He just needs to keep it all a secret from his mates and to notice that girl-next-door Megan Hooper has a bit of a thing for him.
Gaiman, Neil	The Museum of Unnatural History Presents Unnatural Creatures	Welcome to the menagerie – creatures extraordinary,exotic, extinct, living, dead and undead prowl the pages of this book!
Gibbons, Alan	Hate	A girl is murdered one night for no other reason than how she looked. Six months later, Anthony, who witnessed the murder, meets Eve; sister to the murdered girl. The same girl he could have saved. Eve is bitter and full of hatred. She hates the people that killed Rosie. She hates Anthony for not doing anything. Most of all, she hates people who hate.
Gourlay, Candy	Shine	A girl living on the dark Asian island of Mirasol, which is rife with superstitions and taboos, is shunned by the other islanders, but, not wanting to leave, she manages to strike up a friendship on the internet.
Haddix, Margaret	Full Ride	Becca thought her life was over when her father was sent to prison for embezzlement. It didn’t help when he used her as his excuse: “How else is a guy like me supposed to send his daughter to college?” She and her mother fled their town and their notoriety to start over, but the past has a habit of coming back to haunt you.
Hearn, Julie	Dance of the Dark Heart	Jack has good looks, lots of charm and oozes talent – and a voice in his head prompting him to commit acts of extraordinary evil, but he is determined not to be separated from his one true love.
Herrndorf, Wolfgang; Mohr, Tim	Why WeTtook the Car	Misfits Tschick and Mike suddenly decide to take a road-trip, with no particular destination in mind. the thrills, encounters and scrapes they get involved in along the way ensure that they can no longer be looked upon as ‘boring’. Winner of the German Teen Literature Prize.
Holland, L.Tam	The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong	With his parents stubborn about telling him about his heritage, Vee makes up a whole new family tree for a school assignment, including a forged letter from is supposed grandfather inviting him to visit him in China – and suddenly he is off to meet his new extended family!
Kazerooni, Abbas	On Two Feet and Wings	Close to his tenth birthday, Abbas has to leave his parents and friends to escape Tehran. The Iran-Iraq War is at its bloodiest. If Abbas doesn’t leave soon, he will have to join the army and go to war. In the strange and often frightening city of Istanbul, Abbas has to grow up fast. An amazing true story.
Lingard, Joan	Trouble on Cable Street	London 1936: riots are brewing in the East End of London. With one brother running away to fight in Spain and the other lured by the increasing powerful fascist movement, Isabella is faced with a conflict of her own.
McCaughrean, Geraldine	The Middle of Nowhere	When a deadly snake kills her mother, Comity’s life in the Australian outback changes for ever. She turns to the yard boy for friendship. Skinny little Fred is a storyteller by nature and delights Comity with his Aboriginal tales. But a new employee arrives with a crystal-topped cane and a cruel eye for sport, and Comity’s home becomes as dangerous as the landscape
McKenzie, Sophie	The One and Only	Eve has been sent away to school in Spain to keep her out of Luke’s arms. Lonely without her, Luke turns to someone else…But then Eve turns up, wanting to take their relationship to the next stage. She wants Luke to be her ‘first’. She thought she was Luke’s one and only – he just wishes she was…
Murdoch, Emily	If You Find Me	A camper van hidden deep in a forest is the only home fifteen-year-old Carey and her sister can remember. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until one fateful day when their mother disappears for good, and the girls are found by their father. Now, Carey must come to terms with the truth of why their mother spirited them away ten years ago…
Mussi, Sarah	Riot	Too many people – not enough money, so the government decides to force the sterilisation of all school leavers without university places or guaranteed employment. The country is aghast, but the politicians are unshakeable. It’s time for the young to take to the streets. It’s time for them to RIOT
Ness, Patrick	More than This	Seth drowns, desperate and alone. But then he wakes. Naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. And where is he? The street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust. He remembers dying, his skull bashed against the rocks. Has he woken up in his own personal hell? Is there more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?
Robert, Naima B.	She Wore Red Trainers	Ali and Amirah can’t stop thinking about each other – but they both want to be good Muslims and Amirah wants to abide by her family’s choice of husband for her – can Ali and Amirah ever be together?
Rosoff, Meg	Picture Me Gone	Mila has an exceptional talent for discerning the truth and making sense of clues. So when her father’s best friend, Matthew, goes missing, Mila’s skills are needed. But just when she’s closest to solving the mystery, a shocking betrayal calls into question her trust in the one person she thought she could read best.
Sáenz, Benjamin Alire	Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe	Two Oddball teenagers, with seemingly little in common, forge a special friendship, which changes their views on life. Great characters, engaging and often hilarious
Sedgwick, Marcus	She is not Invisible	Laureth sets out to find her father, a famous writer, who has gone missing in America, taking her little brother Benjamin with her. Ahead lie challenges and threats, all of which are that much tougher for Laureth than they would be for any other 16-year old, because Laureth is blind.
Slater, Kim	Smart	Kieran has skills – not socialising or getting on with people skills, but drawing and detective skills – which ought to come in handy when a homeless man is murdered down by the canal…..
Sutcliffe, William	The Wall	The Wall divides Israeli and Palestinian communities – when Joshua finds a secret tunnel that goes under it, he is too curious not to go through it. What he finds changes him forever
Takoudes, Greg	When We Wuz Famous	Francisco Ortiz is excited to be leaving Spanish Harlem in New York on a scholarship to an elite boarding school. His future seems promising. But his new classmates assume the worst and pepper him with questions about drugs and gangs. It’s made even more complicated when Francisco realizes that back home in the hood, he no longer fits in. In a desperate attempt to keep friendships, Francisco makes a terrible decision.
Vacco, Corina	My Chemical Mountain	Although they ride their bikes in the wasteland and swim in the now-orange river, the teenagers hate the chemical company that has made polluted their town, and vow revenge, but is it that easy?
Walsh, Aoife	Look After Me	When your parents are foster carers, life can become a little hectic, so when Phoebe and her brother Adam find an abandoned baby in the garden shed, it seems sensible to look after the baby themselves…
Williamson, Lisa	The Art of Being Normal	Two boys. Two secrets. David has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton only wants be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year 11 is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms.
Yousafzai, Malala; McCormick, Patricia	Malala: the girl who stood up for education and changed the world	Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her country and refused to allow girls to go to school. Malala was shot for fighting for her right to be educated. This is her story.
Zephaniah, Benjamin	Terror Kid	Rico loves computers and he is brilliant at fixing them. And at hacking… Rico also believes in protest – but he hates trouble and does everything he can to avoid it. But he makes one terrible mistake and now must prove his innocence when the police are accusing him of terrorism and murder.

Poster and bookmark design by Angela Wraight

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30/04/2015

THe Teen List 2014

40 of the best new books for your collection.

The Teenage Booklist is selected annually by librarians from the Schools Library Service and secondary schools.

Titles from the Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Book Award Shortlist in July. Remember to let us know if you want to participate!

The 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.

Posters and bookmarks will be sent to subscribing secondary schools from May.

Please contact the library for more information on the Teen List or to request additional posters or bookmarks (where available).

View the full list

Barroux	Line of Fire: Diary of an Unknown Soldier (August, September 1914)	A moving personal account of the First World War, beautifully illustrated.
Blaxill, Gina	Saving Silence	A gripping thriller set in the East End of London – Sam’s life is in danger, but who can she trust?
Brahmachari, Sita	Kite Spirit	Coming to terms with a best friend’s suicide is hard indeed. Kite’s spirit has been broken – will it ever mend?
Brooks, Kevin	The Bunker Diary	Why is Linus in a building with no doors and windows? The only way in or out seems to be a lift, and if it’s moving, who is in it?
Bryce, Celia	Anthem for Jackson Dawes	In hospital for the first time for treatment for her brain tumour, Megan finds funny, cute, rebellious Jackson Dawes there already, keen to show her the ropes
Melvin, Burgess	The Hit	A new drug is going around – Death. It gives you a huge rush for a week, and then it kills you. Adam’s life is rubbish, so why not take it? Not for the faint-hearted!
Cassidy, Anne	Finding Jennifer Jones	Sequel to “looking for JJ”, the guilt Jennifer carries inside her cannot be masked by her new name and new identity as a university student, so even if she can avoid the media, can she come to terms with herself?
Charlton-Trujillo, E.E	Fat Angie	The new girl, KC, is beautiful, hip and smart and everyone wants to know her, so what does she want with overweight and messed-up Fat Angie?
Christopher, Lucy	The Killing Woods	A murdered girl, a world war two bunker, a crazy night – what happened to Aimee? Damon and Emily must piece together the evidence if Emily’s dad is to avoid conviction for murder
Coley, Liz	Pretty Girl Thirteen	Angie is amazed to learn that she has been missing for three years – she can’t remember anything – but someone else can…
Crockett, S. D. (Sophie D.)	One Crow Alone	Magda and Ivan, illegal immigrants from Poland, need all their cunning and know-how to survive in an unwelcoming and hostile London
Cross, Gillian	After Tomorrow	Banks have failed, food prices are rocketing, there’s no money. Armed robbers are targeting anyone who is hoarding food, so Matt and his family realise that their only option is to get through the Channel Tunnel and seek refuge on the continent – but can they cope with life as refugees?
Doherty, Berlie	The Company of Ghosts	Footsteps, shadows strange lights, a haunting song: more and more Emily realises she is not alone on this beautiful island
Earle, Phil	Heroic	When Jammy comes home on leave from the war in Afghanistan, his experiences have scarred him. His brother, Sonny, left behind on the housing estate of their boyhood home, is the only one who can see that there’s something wrong
Flood, C. J.	Infinite Sky	Iris is curious about a group of travellers that arrive and, despite the things her alcoholic dad and always-angry brother say about them, makes friends with Trick. But it’s only so long before tensions build up between Iris’s family and the travellers that threatens to destroy everyone
Gardner, Sally	Maggot Moon	A boy with one green eye and one blue eye has no chance of staying out of trouble in a world where conformity is paramount – but there is more originality in Standish than just his eyes
Gibbons, Alan	Raining Fire	Sport or crime – the two choices most people have on the estate where Alex and Ethan live. Ethan gets the opportunity to leave for football training, but where does that leave Alex?
Grant, Neil	The Ink Bridge	Omed makes the perilous journey from Afghanistan to Australia to seek asylum from the Taliban and the horrors he has witnessed, and meets Hector, silenced by grief, at the candle factory where they both work, but other secrets are lurking.
Green, John	The Fault in Our Stars	Hazel’s cancer has never been anything other than terminal, but her life is further turned upside-down by the arrival of the gorgeous Augustus and their crossing paths with a reclusive Dutch author…
Herne, Lily	Deadlands	Cape Town, South Africa. First there was the apocalypse, then the remaining humans found themselves penned in and protected from the zombies – but who are their mysterious guardians?
Hiaasen, Carl	Chomp	Wahoo’s lost in the everglades, with alligators, snakes, bats and a crazy survival TV show star for company, not to mention a gun-toting father looking for his runaway daughter…
Hooper, Mary	The Disgrace of Kitty Grey	Regency England. Sent on an errand to London, Kitty takes the opportunity to search for her missing sweetheart. Out of her depth in the city, she is at the mercy of both the criminals and justice system.
Hussey, William	Haunted	Someone in the town of Milton Lake is using the Ghost Machine to call the spirits of the dead back to our world. Only Emma and the mysterious Nicholas can find out who is coming…
Johnson, Catherine	Sawbones	It’s 1792 and the illegal trade in dead bodies to doctors and dissection tables has never been more profitable, but are the corpses piling up a little too regularly…
Kuehn, Stephanie	Charm and Strange	Andrew Winston Winters is his own mystery. Is he Win, a self-exiled loner. Or is he Drew, with anger, violence and a secret that is destroying both of them.
Levithan, David	Every day	Every day I wake up as someone else. New body. New life. After 16 years I’ve got used to it. Usually I don’t make any waves, but now I’ve met someone I want to be with for more than one day.
Lott, Tim	How to be invisible	Strato Nyman, age 13, has learned to become invisible. He already knows more about particle physics than any teacher, but now he’s about to learn a bit more about the people around him.
McDowell, Nigel	Tall Tales from Pitch End	Pitch end is a brooding town of one-footed ravens and clockwork sentries. But it’s Bruno’s home and he knows his place, or at least he did until he discovers a book belonging to his murdered father.
McGowan, Anthony	Brock	Nicky’s mum has gone and his dad is on bail. One night his brother drags him out to witness a local gang setting their dogs on a family of badgers. Appalled, Nicky makes a decision that will change all of their lives.
McKenzie, Sophie	Missing Me	Madison and Lauren learn that their biological father was an anonymous sperm donor and set out to track him down. Her search bears fruit sooner than she expects, but is the father she discovers all he seems?
Motion, Andrew	Silver:Rreturn to Treasure Island	Young Jim Hawkins has grown up listening to his father’s tales of Treasure Island, but he is unprepared to be summoned to London by the infamous Long John Silver, to accompany his daughter Natty and return to claim the rest of Flint’s lost treasure…
Nicholls, Sally	Close Your Pretty Eyes	Olivia knows that she is evil; she’s had fifteen homes already so of course nobody wants her. So as soon as sets foot in the next one she knows that something bad is going to happen.
Nowra, Louis	Into That Forest	Stranded in the forest, Hannah and Becky come to love their life with the tigers – so why do the men want to take them away?
Pitcher, Annabel	Ketchup Clouds	Zoe writes letters to a death row prisoner, slowly revealing the sequence of events that led up to the terrible act she believes she has committed.
Pratchett, Terry	Dodger	Dodger is a scavenger living in squalor in Dickensian London, but he knows the ropes and knows how not to get caught – but when he rescues a young girl from being beaten, he suddenly has to learn new tricks…
Schneider, Robyn	Severed Heads, Broken Hearts	Ezra’s perfect life and athletic ambitions are shattered when a reckless driver mows him down. Struggling to come to terms with what has happened, he thinks things can’t get any worse –or can they?
Sedgwick, Marcus	Dark Satanic Mills	Framed for a murder she did not commit, Christie has to run for her life. Set in a near-future Britain, her journey takes from the flooded landmarks of London to the vast, scorched and abandoned hills of the north.
Smale, Holly	Geek Girl / Geek Girl Model Misfit	Two stories about Geeky Harriet, who knows a lot about a lot of things and can’t work out why people don’t like her. The one thing she doesn’t know is how to handle boys….
Terry, Teri	Slated	Kyla’s mind has been wiped – the government say she has been given a second chance after her life as a terrorist, but the truth lurks tantalisingly out of reach… first book in a trilogy.
Whyman, Matt	The Savages	Apart from the fact that they are cannibals, the Savages are an ordinary loving family, but for Sasha to have a boyfriend who is vegetarian…. Well, no-one can quite understand it!

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19/05/2014

Teen Booklist : THe List 2013

40 of the best new books for your collection.

The Teenage Booklist is selected annually by librarians from the Schools Library Service and secondary schools.

Titles from the Teen and Primary lists will be chosen for the Book Award Shortlist in July. Remember to let us know if you want to participate!

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

Posters and booklets will be sent to subscribing secondary schools from the end of April.

Download the .pdf booklet of the full booklist : THe List 2013 Booklet

Tel: 020 7364 6428 email: schoolslibraryservices@towerhamlets.gov.uk for more information.
Must Read 2013 and THe List 2013 posters and booklet based on a design by Shahi Ibtesam, Sir John Cass Foundation and Redcoat Secondary School

Other Teen booklists

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11/04/2013

Teen Booklist 2012

Published summer 2012, the Teen Booklist is a celebration of new fiction, representing a diverse range of writers and subject matter. The list was published as a set of posters and a booklet for subscribing schools in Tower Hamlets.

Download the booklet (.pdf) : THe List 2012

List of titles

Almond, David	My Name Is Mina
Barraclough, Lindsey	Long Lankin
Bedford, Martyn	Flip
Benjamin, Floella	Sea Of Tears
Blackman, Malorie	Boys Don’t Cry
Burgess, Melvin	Kill All Enemies
Carter, Ally	Heist Society
Clarke, Cat	Torn
Collins, B R	Tyme’s End
Curtis, Vanessa	The Taming Of Lilah May
Earle, Phil	Being Billy
Eastham, Ruth	The Memory Cage
Forman, Gayle	Where She Went
Gibbons, Alan	An Act Of Love
Griffin, Paul	The Orange Houses
Grindley, Sally	My Name Is Rose
Hoffman, Mary	David
Hooper, Mary	Velvet
Horniman, Joanne	About A Girl
James, Kathryn	Mist
Johnson, Catherine	Brave New Girl
LaFleur, Suzanne M.	Eight Keys
Lewis, Ali	Everybody Jam
Mackintosh, Samantha	Lula Does The Hula
Matson, Morgan	Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour
McCafferty, Megan	Bumped
Millard, Glenda	A Small Free Kiss In The Dark
Mulligan, Andy	Trash
Ness, Patrick	A Monster Calls: From An Original Idea By Siobhan Dowd
Northrop, Michael	Trapped
Pitcher, Annabel	My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece
Rai, Bali	Killing Honour
Rawsthorne, Paula	The Truth About Celia Frost
Revis, Beth	Across The Universe
Riordan, James	Blood Runner: The Long Race To Freedom
Robert, Na’ima B	Far From Home
Ryan, Amy Kathleen	Glow
Sepetys, Ruta	Between Shades Of Gray
Sharif, Medeia	Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.
Simons, D.M.	Keep Her Safe

Other Teen booklists

[associated_posts]

16/06/2012

Teen Booklist : THe List 2011

Published summer 2011. The Teen Booklist is our annual promotion of books by local, national and international authors, with a focus on reading for pleasure, and on tackling a diverse range of issues. The booklist was published as a set of 6 posters and a booklet for secondary schools in Tower Hamlets.

Download booklet (.pdf) : THe List 2011 booklet
[associated_posts]

16/01/2011
Teen Booklist : THe List 2010

Published summer 2010. 40 of the best new fiction titles published as a set of five posters and a booklet for subscribing secondary schools in Tower Hamlets.

Download the .pdf booklet: THe List 2010

List of books

Abdel-Fattah, Randa

Where the streets had a name

Marion Lloyd – 2009

9781407112145

To save her Grandmother, Hayaat needs to get to the other side of the wall that separates her Bethlehem home from Jerusalem – it’s a short but very dangerous journey.

Acheampong, Sophia

Ipods in Accra

Piccadilly – 2009

9781848120174

London girl Makeeda is crushed when she has to spend her summer holidays visiting relatives in Ghana. Then she starts to learn about herself, reconciling her two cultures, and maybe finding true love where she least expects it.

Almond, David

Jackdaw summer

Hodder – 2009

9780340881996

Near an army training ground readying itself for Iraq, Liam and Max follow a jackdaw to an old farmhouse and discover an abandoned baby. They wonder if the bird led them to the abandoned baby in the old farmhouse on purpose, and so follows a story of good and evil, innocence and betrayal.

Anderson, Laurie Halse

Chains

Bloomsbury – 2010

9780747598060

It’s 1776 in New York and Isabel’s cruel owners sell off her sister Ruth. Furious and grieving, Isabel agrees to spy on her Loyalist owners, risking her future for the sake of a better life.

Arbuthnott, Gill

The Keepers’ daughter

Chicken House – 2009

9781905294947

Nyssa has a tattoo that may explain why she was orphaned as a baby, but it shows only one half of the message. Her future depends on finding the other half, and with it the truth.

Beake, Lesley

Remembering green

Frances Lincoln – 2009

9781845079628

200 years in the future sea levels have risen to cover most of the land. The ‘Tekkies’ barely survive on their dying technology. Does the answer to rebalancing the world lie with the girl, Rain, or is there no turning back?

Bennett, Sophia

Threads

Chicken House – 2009

9781905294985

Three best friends with very different interests meet a young African refugee girl who just might help them make all their dreams come true.

Bowler, Tim

Bloodchild

Oxford University Press – 2009

9780192728715

Will has an accident and loses his memory. As he pieces together his life he realizes he has enemies, a lot of them, and something terrible is happening in town. Now he must find answers before it’s too late.

Brennan, Sarah Rees

The Demon’s lexicon

Simon and Schuster – 2009

9781847382894

Nick’s brother Alan has been marked by a demon. Only Nick can save him, but on the way he’ll battle magicians and encounter things he’d never dreamed of.

Breslin, Theresa

The Nostradamus prophecy

Corgi – 2009

9780552557214

Melisande is the daughter of a minstrel of King Charles of France. The prophet Nostradamus trusts her with some very special parchments, and she must protect them and evade her enemies until the massacre on St Bartholemew’s night changes everything.

Brooks, Kevin

Killing God

Puffin – 2009

9780141319124

Two years ago Dawn’s father said he’d found God and then disappeared. Dawn isn’t sure God exists, but she’d sure like to kill him.

Cassidy, Anne

The Dead house

Hodder – 2009

9780340932285

Growing up with the knowledge of how your mum and sister died is the stuff of nightmares, but somehow Lauren has to learn the truth and how to live with it.

Christopher, Lucy

Stolen

Chicken House – 2009

9781906427139

Gemma thinks Ty is pretty cute when he helps her out in the airport coffee shop. Then he drugs and kidnaps her and holds her captive in the Australian outback. She must try to escape while he attempts to convince her that she’s already home.

Dessen, Sarah

Lock & key

Puffin – 2009

9780141324937

Ruby looked after her mother for years, until one day her mother disappears. Claimed by her sister, taken to a gated community and enrolled in a prep school, can Ruby see past first impressions and defeat her insecurities?

Dhami, Narinder

Bang, bang, you’re dead!

Corgi – 2009

9780552560436

There’s a gunman in the building and Mia has a horrible feeling she knows who it is – her brother has been acting very strangely recently, but can she get to him in time?

Dogar, Sharon

Falling

Chicken House – 2009

9781905294695

Neesha hasn’t spoken since her father died. Her childhood friend Sammy and a newly-discovered love might save her, but nightmares about another girl, long ago and far away, threaten to overwhelm her and force her to replay a tragic story.

Donaldson, Julia

Running on the cracks

Egmont – 2009

9781405222334

Leonora is a runaway, hiding from her bullying uncle and trying to discover the secret of her Chinese father’s family feud while living on her wits in Glasgow. She’s helped by a colourful cast of characters in this taut thriller.

Dowswell, Paul

Auslander

Bloomsbury – 2010

9780747594192

14-year-old Peter is orphaned and recruited into the Hitler Youth, but he doesn’t want to be a Nazi, and he risks everything to help bring to aid to persecuted Jews still surviving in Berlin.

Gaiman, Neil

The Graveyard book

Bloomsbury – 2009

9780747594802

Nobody Owens is a perfectly normal boy, except that he lives in a graveyard, raised by ghosts, and his family was killed long ago by a mysterious man named Jack. Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, with supernatural creatures instead of animals.

Grant, Michael

Gone

Egmont – 2009

9781405242356

Every person over 15 years old suddenly disappears from a small town in California. Cut off from the outside world, some survivors have mutant power and the future might now be in their hands.

Gray, Keith

The Return of Johnny Kemp

Barrington Stoke – 2009

9781842996140

Dan got Johnny Kemp, the toughest kid in school, expelled. Now Johnny wants revenge and no one else is watching. What will Dan do?

Green, Julia

Breathing underwater

Bloomsbury – 2009

9780747595465

Last year Freya’s older brother died in a boating accident. But Freya isn’t sure it was an accident, and upon returning to the island she will have to work out what happened and save herself and her family from the grief that torments them.

Hooper, Mary

Newes from the dead

Random House – 2009

9781862303638

The true tale of a girl who survived the gallows. In 1650, Anne Green was sentenced to death when she could not prove that her baby had been stillborn.

Howell, Simmone

Everything beautiful

Bloomsbury – 2009

9780747597858

Rile Rose doesn’t want to go to summer camp. But the friends she makes and secrets she discovers make it a summer that changes her life.

Jauncey, James

The Reckoning

Young Picador – 2009

9780330454025

When 18-year-old Fin Carpenter sees a body falling from a bridge he’s convinced that it wasn’t an accident. But the more he investigates, the more he discovers that there’s something rotten at the heart of the remote island community where he lives.

Jinks, Catherine

The Reformed vampire support group

Quercus – 2009

9781847247780

15-year-old Nina has been a vampire since 1973 and she hates it. But now an unknown vampire slayer is threatening her and those she loves, and she’s thrown into a quest to save them while “life” gets a lot more interesting.

LaFleur, Suzanne M.

Love, Aubrey

Puffin – 2009

9780141327044

A tragic accident leaves Aubrey alone. She thinks she can survive that way, with television and Spaghetti-Os, but the love of her Grandmother and new friends helps her heal and rejoin the world.

Landman, Tanya

Mondays are murder

Walker – 2009

9781406314601

Poppy Fields didn’t believe in ghosts until she visited a remote Scottish island and people started dying. She and her new friend Graham must find out if it’s a spirit taking revenge, or something even more sinister. After this, read Dead Funny, Dying to be Famous and The Head is Dead

Mitchell, Jane

Chalkline

Walker – 2009

9781406315172

Nine-year-old Rafiq is recruited and trained to kill by Kashmiri Freedom Fighters who raid his village. His sister Jameela keeps his memory alive. Will they even know each other when they finally meet again?

Mitchell, Pratima

Indian summer

Walker – 2009

9781406308174

Sarla, a Londoner, spends the summer with her cousin Bina in Daroga, India. When Sarla learns that Bina has a deep, dark secret – concerning her mother, a murder and bandits in the surrounding hills – she is determined to find out exactly what it is.

Peck, Dale

Sprout

Bloomsbury – 2009

9780747577621

How can a gay New York lad fit in in rural Kansas? Sprout finds out that it’s actually not that hard!

Perera, Anna

Guantanamo boy

Puffin -2009

9780141326078

A regular kid, 15-year-old Khalid from Rochdale plays war-like video games with his friends. Then he’s kidnapped and tortured by security forces until he signs the pre-prepared confession, and held in Guantanamo Bay for 2 years without charge.

Pratchett, Terry

Nation

Corgi – 2009

9780552557795

The tsunami quite literally turned everything upside down – Mau and the trouserman girl are heading for a big adventure

Promitzer, Rebecca

The Pickle king

Chicken House – 2009

9781906427016

The gang were bored and wanted something to happen, but none of them expected a real-life dead body with a missing eyeball! Soon the mystery of who killed Herman, owner of the giant pickle factory, becomes a crazy adventure.

Sanchez, Alex

The God box

Simon Pulse – 2009

9781416909002

Paul has been taught that homosexuality is a sin, and he and his girlfriend seem good together. When Manual joins the school, an openly-gay Christian, it forces Paul to re-evaluate his views and his sexuality, and to take a stand before the bullying gets out of control.

Tamaki, Mariko

Skim

Walker – 2009

9781406321364

After a boy at her school takes his own life, Wiccan teen Kimberly (a.k.a. Skim) journals her reaction to the suicide, the drifting away from her best friend and to falling in love for the first time – with her teacher.

Valentine, Jenny

The Ant colony

HarperCollins – 2009

9780007283590

Teen runaway Sam needs a place to disappear, and 10-year-old Bohemia is desperate for a home. But everyone has something to hide at 33 Georgiana Street. Full of streetwise Londoners, this is a sharp look at unlikely friendships and making things right.

Vejjajiva, Jane

The Happiness of Kati

Allen & Unwin – 2009

9781741147537

Thailand, and every morning Kati is woken by the clatter of Grandma’s spatula and every night she goes to bed wishing for her mother. Beneath her peaceful life is an undercurrent of mystery. Why has her mother stayed away for so long, and where is the father Kati has never known?

Volponi, Paul

Hurricane song

Speak – 2009

9780142414187

After his mother remarried Miles went to live in New Orleans with his father, but they don’t get along. Hurricane Katrina hits and they must survive together in the Superdome, making choices that will change their lives forever.

Ward, Rachel

Numbers

Chicken House – 2009

9781905294930

Jem can tell the day you’ll die by looking in your eyes. On a day out with her friend Spider she witnesses a disaster that she knew would happen, and then they’re on the run for their lives.

[associated_posts]

22/06/2010
Crunch: Books with bite. Teen Booklist 2009

Published 2009. Crunch is a list of 58 books published as a series of 7 posters and a booklet for subscribing secondary schools.

Download .pdf booklet: Crunch Booklet

The booklist was launched at the Schools Library Service in February 2009 with guest author Anne Cassidy and readings from the books.
[associated_posts]

22/02/2009