The books this year

A Note of Madness

Tabitha Suzuma.

Life as a student should be good for Flynn. He's one of the top pianists at the Royal College of Music, he's been put forward for an opportunity of a lifetime concert and he's got great friends. But beneath the surface he is falling apart.

Accidents of Nature

Harriet McBryde Johnson

This novel is about a teenager with cerebral palsy who is experiencing her first time away from her parents - her first shower, visit and meal all helped by strangers, gives a new understanding to the term learning to be independent.

Dangerously Close

Sandra Glover

Sandra Glover picks up the story of a family who have just survived a husband- beating stepmother, as the oldest girl is immediately faced with the tricky water of first love.

Journey to the End of the World

Henning Mankell

Bestselling adult crime writer Henning Mankell writes about a teenager growing up in grinding poverty in Northern Sweden who fulfills his dream of sailing to tropical seas.

Shooting the Moon

V.M. Jones

This book concerns a gifted rock-climber who faces huge pressure from his over- bearing father to be a footballer instead.

Singing It

Anne Cottringer

Singing it is the tale of a talented singer, a defiant loner because of incessant traveling who learns the confidence to sing in public and trust in friends.

This is what I did

Ann Dee Ellis

A hero whose self-worth has been badly knocked has to learn that bullying in all its many forms thrives on silence.

Cut off

Lynda Waterhouse

Ava feels out of place in her high achieving family and hates being compared to her clever and beautiful sister. She has no idea that her sister, barely able to cope with the pressure to be perfect is concealing a terrible secret.

An unexpected turn of events bring their relationship to crisis point.

* Please be aware that this book contains descriptions of someone self-harming, and it may cause upset to someone who has suffered the effects of self-harm

Accidental Friends

Helena Pielichaty

On the first day at College Emma, James, Leon and Grace are thrust together to form an uneasy alliance that turns to friendship. Until a life threatening accident which tests their friendship to the limit.

From where I stand

Tabitha Suzuma

Raven is a deeply disturbed teenager who, after witnessing the death of his mother and living in a children¹s home, is placed in foster care. His new family the Russells do their best to earn his trust but it¹s going to take a long time.

Meanwhile at school, bullies are making Raven¹s life a living hell. And then an unexpected saviour comes in the form if Lotte, a classmate bored by her ordinary friends. Together they set out to track down his mum¹s killer, but their careful plan goes dangerously wrong.

* Please note: this book deals with a large number of issues, including feelings faced by looked after children, death and mental health issues.

Girl meets Boy

Ali Smith

Girl meets Boy is about girls and boys, girls and girls, love and transformation, a story of puns and doubles, reversals and revelations. It is about someone who is confused about their sexuality, and how a family comes to accept them for who they are.

Being Emily

Anne Donovan

This is the story of one young girl trying to find her place in the world amid the turmoil that only your family can create. Note: this book is written in a dialect that some readers may find complicated to understand.

The Knife that killed me

Anthony McGowan

This thought-provoking story highlights the terrible consequences of peer
pressure, and casts a spotlight on the worrying rise in knife crime among
teenagers. Not suitable for under 16 year olds.

* Please note that this book contains a description of someone self-harming, and also the issue of knife crime which some young people may find upsetting

Blood Bond

Spike T. Adams

Devon has two older brothers, One rolls with the Endz Crew, the other is seeing a viper crew girl. The two gangs don’t mix. Then someone pulls a gun.

The Way I see it

Nicole Dryburgh

At age 11, Nicole Dryburgh did 12 hours of gymnastics every week. Then she was diagnosed with a malignant tumour on her spine. At age 13, she suffered a brain haemorrhage. Blind and unable to move, Nicole was expected to live for only weeks.

Nicole was 19 in February: still blind, unable to walk, and now losing her hearing, she is always busy, whether writing, fund-raising, travelling, or socialising with friends.

Dirty Angels

Andrew Clover

Colin’s fourteen, he’s only five foot and his IQ is off the scale. People already think he’s a freak. And now he’s seeing ghosts and hearing pigeons talking. The only person who believes him is mad uncle Jimmy, who thinks they can sort this out if they just have an out of body experience

Recommended for 16+