The Lost Soul Atlas
Zana Fraillon
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
What is this about?
A boy awakens in the Afterlife, with a pocketful of vague memories, a key, a raven, and a mysterious atlas to guide him as he sets out to piece together what happened, and try to find his way home ... Twig is alone as a newly-made street kid after his dad goes missing. But when he meets Flea, a cheerful pickpocket, the pair become fast friends.
Together, Twig and Flea raise themselves on the crime-ridden streets, taking what they need and giving the rest to the even-poorer. Life is good, as long as they have each other. But then Twig wakes up in the Afterlife with just a handful of memories from Earth and one big question ... how did he get there?
Loyalty will be tested, and a cruel twist of fate will lead to an act of ultimate betrayal in this epic story that spans a city, a decade, and the divide of life and death itself.
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I, Ada: Ada Lovelace: Rebel. Genius. Visionary
Julia Gray
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
What is this about?
Ada Byron is rich and clever, but she longs to be free. Free to explore all the amazing ideas that come to her imagination, like flying mechanical horses and stories inspired by her travels. Free to find love and passion beyond the watchful gaze of her mother and governesses. And free to learn the full truth about her father, the notorious Lord Byron.
Then Ada meets a man whose invention might just change the world – and he needs her visionary brilliance to bring it to life . . .
A portrayal of the young life of Ada Lovelace, the 19th-century mathematician who is hailed as the world’s first computer programmer.
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The Ship of Shadows
Maria Kuzniar
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
What is this about?
Aleja is a dreamer who longs for a life of magic and adventure. So when a mysterious ship arrives in her Spanish harbour city, crewed by a band of ruthless women, Aleja knows it's sailed right out of a legend. And it wants her.
But life aboard the Ship of Shadows is more than even she bargained for. It will take all of Aleja's strength and skill to gain the trust of her fellow pirates - and discover what they are risking everything to find . . .
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Mohinder's War
Bali Rai
Publisher: Bloomsbury Education
What is this about?
Thirteen-year-old Joelle Breton stumbles across Indian-born RAF pilot Mohinder Singh when his plane crashes in occupied France and it's up to her and her parents to hide him from the Nazis. After all, her parents are brave members of the French Resistance and will do everything they can to help get Mohinder back to Britain. But when they are betrayed and tragedy strikes, Joelle and Mohinder will have to act fast if they are ever to evade the enemy.
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Elsetime
Eve McDonnell
Publisher: Everything with Words
What is this about?
Set in London in 1928, it was inspired by The Great Flood of London when sadly 14 people lost their lives. Needle, a time travelling, treasure seeking 12-year-old; Glory, an orphan with one hand; and their pet crow, are on the path to warn reluctant Londoners about their impending doom, but will they listen in time to turn the tide?
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Tamarind & the Star of Ishta
Jasbinder Bilan
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
What is this about?
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 - and a trickle of intriguing clues: an abandoned hut, a friendly monkey, a glowing star ring, and a strange girl in the garden who calls herself Ishta. Slowly, Tamarind unravels a mystery at the heart of who she is ...
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Cinderella Is Dead
Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
What is this about?
Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she's tiny until the night she's sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball . are forfeit.
But Sophia doesn't want to be chosen - she's in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia's night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella's tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world .
An electrifying twist on the classic fairytale that will inspire girls to break out of limiting stereotypes and follow their dreams!
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The Black Kids
Christina Hammonds Reed
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
What is this about?
Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel is a unflinching exploration of race, class, and violence as well as the importance of being true to yourself.
Los Angeles, 1992
Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of high school and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer.
But 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. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson.
With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?
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STAGS 3: FOXES
M A Bennett
Publisher: Hot Key Books
What is this about?
Greer has just recovered from her terrifying experience during the STAGS play. Was she really put on trial by the sinister Dark Order of the Grand Stag? Or was it purely her overheated imagination? The imprint of an 'M' for murderer that has appeared on her thumb, though, is puzzling but incomplete evidence...
Meanwhile Ty is staying on at Longcross Manor and Greer, Nel and Shafeen are increasingly worried for her safety. When Ty sends a cryptic message directing them to Cumberland Place, the de Warlencourts' palatial home in London, they decide to risk a visit. There they meet Henry's grieving parents, Rollo and Caro. Rollo is arrogant, entitled and not overly grieving. Caro, however, while superficially charming, is clearly pushed to the brink of madness by Henry's death, insisting that Henry is still alive. Which is clearly impossible... but Greer has her own troubling doubts about Henry's death which make it hard to dismiss Caro completely...
Can Greer, Shafeen and Nel work out what Rollo de Warlencourt is planning for his deadly Boxing Day Hunt at Longcross in time to save Ty - who has now gone silent? Or will history horribly repeat itself?
A thrilling, richly complex installment in the STAGS series
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Impervious
A.J. Hartley
Publisher: UCLan Publishing
What is this about?
Trina Warren didn't plan on being anyone's hero. She planned on going to fourth period as normal. But then there was a bang, and an overturned chair, and everything was different.
Now Trina finds herself in a fantasy world, pursued by a faceless, nameless monster that only she can stop. Just one second is all it takes for Trina to turn from a regular clumsy high school girl, to a monster-fighting warrior. Just one second is all it takes for everything to change ...
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The Rules
Tracy Darnton
Publisher: Stripes Publishing
What is this about?
Amber’s an expert when it comes to staying hidden - she's been trained her whole life for it. But what happens when the person you’re hiding from taught you everything you know?
When a letter from her dad arrives, Amber knows she's got to move - and fast. He's managed to find her and she knows he'll stop at nothing to draw her back into the extreme survivalist way of life he believes in.
All of a sudden the Rules she's spent so long trying to escape are the ones keeping her safe. But for how long?
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel)
Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
What is this about?
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favour or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
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The Short Knife
Elen Caldecott
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
What is this about?
It is the year 454AD. The Roman Empire has withdrawn from Britain, throwing it into the chaos of the Dark Ages. 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.
Can Mai survive in a dangerous world where speaking her mother tongue might be deadly, and where even the people she loves the most can’t be trusted?
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Dark Blue Rising
Teri Terry
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
What is this about?
Tabby lives a transient life with her mum Cate, never sticking in one place long enough to make friends.
Until one day, an accident changes everything. Cate is arrested and Tabby realises her life has been a lie: Cate is not her mother.
As she adjusts to her new life, Tabby finds herself drawn to the ocean - the only place she feels happy - and enrolls at a swimming summer school to help her heal.
But all is not as it seems. She and her new friends are cut off from the outside world and she's plagued by a repeating symbol of interlocking circles that follows her everywhere.
As Tabby begins to learn the truth about what the circles mean, and uncovers the terrible lies she's been told about her past, a final twist awaits her - a secret hidden in her DNA...
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Far From Perfect (The Valentines, Book 2)
Holly Smale
Publisher: HarperCollins
What is this about?
The second sensational book in the Valentines series – a hilarious and heart-aching story about the impossible standards for being a girl.
Be yourself but, you know, someone else... Enthusiastic but not desperate; calm but not dull; funny but not try-hard; sparky but not crazy; feisty but not aggressive; beautiful but relatable; elegant but not icy; confident but not arrogant; feminine but not girly; nice but not boring.
Faith Valentine has it all - fame, money and extraordinary beauty. But what she wants more than anything is a quiet life away from the cameras. Except nobody ever asks Faith what she wants, and her family's expectations are crushing her.
The world thinks she’s perfect, but is there is more to perfection than meets the eye?
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