I have given each of my recommendations for children an age suggestion. These are of course approximate. Please also have a look at younger or older categories.
Three boys living on a dumpsite make a discovery they have only dreamed about. But will it bring them a new and better life or destroy them? A stunning thriller.
Review date: 09.10.15
Age recommendation: 11+
When work experience goes out of control! A fantastic idea which has produced a gripping and ultimately uplifting thriller.
Review date: 06.10.15
Age recommendation: 11+
A nostalgic tale of three young women in 1896 returning to their very different lives after boarding school. Told in letters, with a modern slant.
Review date: 19.08.23
Age recommendation: 12+
This is a perfectly paced adventure, with great characters and topical issues, aimed at readers aged nine upwards.
Review date: 18.12.21
Age recommendation: 9+
Josh has learnt ways to cope with his worrying, but then he has to move schools. A page turner which handles issues with fun and a light touch.
Review date: 11.08.23
Age recommendation: 9+
Powerfully atmospheric of the American west in the late 1800s just before the Civil War. It's about ghosts and mystery, friendship, loyalty, courage and grief.
Review date: 16.01.23
Age recommendation: 11+
A wartime story inspired by the early life of Audrey Hepburn. Excellent!
Review date: 20.10.22
Age recommendation: 10+
A stunning book for young readers. Powerful, challenging and incredibly sad, as this explores racism in the US.
Review date: 10.02.18
Age recommendation: 9-13
Marcus seems destined to follow his father and brothers into a life of crime. How can he take his own path in life?
Review date: 27.11.24
Age recommendation: 9+
A wonderfully nostalgic adventure, with the miners strikes of the 1970s as a backdrop.
Review date: 16.01.23
Age recommendation: 9+
Humour, action and inventiveness with feisty and engaging characters, in a scientific, interplanetary, futuristic adventure.
Review date: 09.09.21
Age recommendation: 9+
A fabulous adventure in Scotland searching for Loch Ness with a young boy whose dealing with the monsters in his own tragic story. Amazingly funny and uplifting while also dealing with grief, loss and uncertainty.
Review date: 29.03.23
Age recommendation: 9+
An exciting and thought-provoking ecological adventure set in the Arctic.
Review date: 30.12.22
Age recommendation: 11
A wonderful story of family and friendship, individuality and difference, beautifully and authentically told.
Review date: 04.09.24
Age recommendation: 9+
A nostalgic story of boarding school capers, ghostly goings-on in a wartime setting, based on real events. Brilliant!
Review date: 06.07.23
Age recommendation: 9+
James has just moved to the Lake District with his dad and his older sister, Jasmine. It is meant to be a fresh start for them all.
Age recommendation: 11+
An exciting new adventure series begins as Flo and Joseph search for their explorer Mum and discover climate crimes.
Review date: 31.03.24
Age recommendation: 9+
A beautifully told story of believing in a star, but with the backdrop of domestic abuse, grief and foster care.
Review date: 16.05.20
Age recommendation: 9+
We are introduced to Celia as she comes to realise that her life has been built on a lie.
Review date: 29.05.11
Age recommendation: 12+
A massive explosion destroys the south of England, but one boy is saved and his damaged body is rebuilt.
Age recommendation: 9+
