The Wolf Road
Richard Lambert
Publisher: Everything with Words
What is this about?
When Lucas survives the car accident that kills his parents, what he remembers most clearly is the wolf that caused the crash.
Later, after he moves to Cumbria to live with his Nan, he believes that the wolf has returned for him...
This is a story about grief for YA readers that is also an enigmatic, page-turning story about grief and hope.
'An astonishing exploration of grief and love and wildness' - Hilary McKay. 'A tale of loss that is also a gripping thriller, a realistic study of grief that skirts the margins of fantasy, it walks wolf-like between worlds and genres. Richard Lambert writes with a poet's eye; he has created something magical here. The storytelling is as bold, sinewy and uncompromising as the beast that shadows Lucas in the mountains above his home. This is a wonderful read and the advent of an exciting new voice in YA fiction' - JONATHAN STROUD.
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The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker
Lauren James
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
What is this about?
What if death is only the beginning?
When Harriet Stoker dies after falling from a balcony in a long-abandoned building, she discovers a world of ghosts with magical powers - shape-shifting, hypnosis, even the ability to possess the living.
Felix, Kasper, Rima and Leah welcome her into their world, eager to make friends with the new arrival. Yet Harriet is more interested in unleashing her own power, even if it means destroying everyone around her.
But when all of eternity is at stake, the afterlife can be a dangerous place to make an enemy.
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Punching the Air
Ibi Zoboi
Publisher: HarperCollins
What is this about?
From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated.
One fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy. 'Boys just being boys' turns out to be true only when those boys are white.
Suddenly, at just 16 years old, Amal Shahid's bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?
With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both.
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Witch
Finbar Hawkins
Publisher: Head of Zeus
What is this about?
Set in the 17th century, a breathtaking debut, and a potential prize-winner, about the power of women, witchcraft, fury, revenge and the ties that bind us.
After witnessing the brutal murder of her mother by witch-hunters, Evey vows to avenge her and track down the killers. Fury burns in her bright and strong. But she has promised her mother that she will keep Dill, her little sister, safe.
As the lust for blood and retribution rises to fever pitch, will Evey keep true to the bonds of sisterhood and to the magick that is her destiny?
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The Witching Stone
Danny Weston
Publisher: UCLan Publishing
What is this about?
Beneath this stone lie the remains of Meg Shelton, alleged witch of Woodplumpton, buried in 1705.
After a messy breakup with his girlfriend, Alfie needs to get away for a while - so he decides to spend the summer holidays with his dad in a tiny village in the North of England. In the local church graveyard, he chances upon a boulder with a strange inscription - and meets Mia, who then tells him about the local superstition surrounding the stone.
"If you walk three times around the stone and say "I don't believe in witches," Meg will come after you.' Alfie, in a reckless attempt to show his bravery, accepts the superstition as a challenge. He thinks the story is nonsense. But it soon becomes apparent that he's just made the biggest mistake of his life...
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The Mirrors Shattered
A.J. Hartley
Publisher: UCLan Publishing
What is this about?
For Darwen Arkwright, being able to travel through mirrors makes him special. But what if his gift won’t last for ever?
When the world beyond the mirror is threatened, Darwen Arkwright, together with friends Rik and Alex, must go in search of allies to join the fight to defeat Greyling and his growing army of monsters. But in a world of mirrors things may not always be as they first appear, and when the battle lines are drawn, how will Darwen know who are his friends and who are his enemies?
The problem with doors is that they open both ways. There are monsters inside, and some of them are trying to get out . . .
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Kicking Off: Dick, Kerr Girls
Eve Ainsworth
Publisher: UCLan Publishing
What is this about?
The remarkable story of the Dick, Kerr Ladies is brought to readers for the very first time by award winning and CILIP Carnegie nominated Eve Ainsworth.
It's 1917, and Britain is at war. Shy teenager Hettie wants to help the war effort, and signs up to work in the local Dick, Kerr & Co. munitions factory. She's nervous, but she has no idea quite how much her life is about to change ... For, inside this factory are young women who are about to make sporting history.
Can Hettie find the courage to join them, and in doing so, find her own place in the world? Based on the thrilling true story of the Dick, Kerr Ladies team - football's forgotten legends.
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The Time Traveller and the Tiger
Tania Unsworth
Publisher: Head of Zeus
What is this about?
Face to face with the mightiest and most majestic predator in the jungle, Elsie is in awe of the tiger's beauty. She's on a mission to have the adventure of a lifetime, save the tiger and change the future...
Elsie is not looking forward to the long summer holiday with her creaky, old Uncle John. But then the unimaginable happens as Time unravels and Elsie tumbles back to 1940s India to meet her Uncle John as a young boy on a tiger hunt. Can Elsie stop him from doing what he's already told her is a wrong he can never right?
The Time Traveller and the Tiger is a multi-layered novel, rich in adventure, mystery, historical and conservation themes.
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A Secret of Birds & Bone
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
What is this about?
In an Italian city ravaged by plague, Sofia's mother carves beautiful mementoes from the bones of loved ones. But one day, she doesn't return home. Did her work lead her into danger?
Sofia and her little brother Ermin are sent to the convent orphanage but soon escape, led by an enigmatic new friend and their pet crow, Corvith. Together they cross the city underground, following clues in bones up to the towers of Siena, where - circled by magpies - they discover the terrible truth ...
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The Haunting of Aveline Jones
Phil Hickes
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
What is this about?
Aveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again.
Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance. Now someone...or something, is stirring. And it is looking for Aveline.
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Midnight Sun
Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: ATOM
What is this about?
When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward's version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.
This unforgettable tale as told through Edward's eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?
In Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer transports us back to a world that has captivated millions of readers and brings us an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love.
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Cane Warriors
Alex Wheatle
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
What is this about?
Moa is fourteen. The only life he has ever known is toiling on the Frontier sugar cane plantation for endless hot days, fearing the vicious whips of the overseers.
Then one night he learns of an uprising, led by the charismatic Tacky. Moa is to be a cane warrior, and fight for the freedom of all the enslaved people in the nearby plantations. But before they can escape, Moa and his friend Keverton must face their first great task: to kill their overseer, Misser Donaldson. Time is ticking, and the day of the uprising approaches...
Irresistible, gripping and unforgettable, Cane Warriors follows the true story of Tacky's War in Jamaica, 1760.
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The January Stars
Kate Constable
Publisher: Allen & Unwin UK Children's
What is this about?
When Clancy and her sister, Tash, visit their Pa at his aged-care facility, they have no idea that the three of them will soon set out on an intrepid adventure.
Along the way there are many challenges for Tash and Clancy to overcome and in the process, they discover their own resourcefulness and resilience and demonstrate their heartfelt love for their grandfather.
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Shoestring, the Boy Who Walks on Air
Julie Hunt
Publisher: Allen & Unwin UK Children's
What is this about?
'Shoestring loved the sudden intake of breath when he stepped onto the rope. The upturned faces of the audience made him think of coins scattered at his feet, more coins than he had ever taken when he was a pickpocket.'
Shoestring is leaving behind his life of crime and starting a new career with the Troupe of Marvels. Their lead performer, he has an invisible tightrope and an act to die for. But trouble is brewing - the magical gloves that caused so much turmoil for KidGlovz are back.
When he's wearing the gloves, the world is at Shoestring's fingertips. It's so easy to help himself to whatever he likes - even other people's hopes and dreams. But when he steals his best friend's mind, he's at risk of losing all he values most.
A thrilling, heart-in-the-mouth adventure of ambition, friendship and the threads that bind from the creators of KidGlovz.
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The Ghost of Gosswater
Lucy Strange
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
What is this about?
The Earl is dead and cruel Cousin Clarence has inherited everything. Twelve-year-old Lady Agatha Asquith is cast out of Gosswater Hall to live in a tiny, tumbledown cottage with a stranger who claims to be her father.
Aggie is determined to discover her real identity, but she is not alone on her quest for the truth. On the last day of the year, when the clock strikes midnight, a mysterious girl of light creeps through the crack in time; she will not rest until the dark, terrible secrets of the past have been revealed ...
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