Young adults

Cody Thompson has been obsessed with motor racing for as long as she can remember, so when she’s offered a job as junior engineer at Falcon Racing, it’s a dream come true. Soon Cody is travelling the world, meeting famous drivers, and impressing her new bosses with her aptitude for stats and analysis. But beneath the glitz and glamour, not everything is as it seems. Falcon’s top drivers, Carl and Austin, are locked in a bitter rivalry that threatens their chances in the championship – and when both men take an interest in Cody, things can only get more complicated …

Haunted by recent losses, battling addiction and anxiety, facing nothing but problems and increasingly unstable futures, Shosh and Evan are not doing well. To make things worse, they’ve been hearing strange music, an ethereal sound it seems like only they can hear. As this slow-burn romance unfolds in alternating vignettes from their difficult lives – with the occasional detour to other lifetimes – we watch these teenagers muddle through their days and investigate the spectral songs that seem to draw them together. All the while we wonder, will they find their way toward a better life?

Everything Amplified is a beautifully crafted and emotionally rich graphic novel which captures the intensity of growing up with honesty and care. At the centre is Nel, whose deep love of music runs throughout the story. Illustrated scenes and song lyrics are woven through the pages, reflecting her emotions and experiences and creating a strong sense of connection from the very beginning.

Andrew Perrault is convinced that when he returns to Wickwood Academy, everything will be alright; his twin sister Dove will make up with Thomas, the school rebel who illustrates Andrew’s macabre fairytales, and the only person who truly understands him. But on his first day back, Andrew realises nothing will be the same again. Dove is still angry, and Thomas is the number one suspect behind his abusive parents disappearance. Following Thomas to the out-of-bounds forest beside their school one night, Andrew learns that the truth is far more gruesome than he could have imagined.

Empathy abounds in this wonderful story of sacrificial sibling love, problematic parent relationships, and friendships that can weather the worst of things. Reed Beckett is a teenager and a carer for his sister Beatrice. On her behalf, he rides the waves of what serious illness and major surgery mean, all the while navigating relationships and financial hardships that stretch him to the limit.

This book offers a powerful and necessary exploration of the weight of silence surrounding mental health. As Tweety prepares to dance at Bristol’s Pohela Boishakh festival, the celebration of the Bangla New Year stands in sharp contrast to her inner turmoil. This story captures the unique pressure of achieving one’s dreams while feeling completely disconnected from that reality – a struggle made worse by a community where depression is often a silenced or non-existent concept.

If this book doesn’t inspire and encourage your teenager to become a writer, I don’t know what will!

Fans of intrigue, escape rooms and reality TV will be delighted with this page-turning thriller. It’s season five of The Escape Game, ‘a feel-good family show, featuring some of the most brilliant minds of the next generation.’ Teams of teenage contestants compete against one another to solve puzzles, and viewers at home can join in on the Domain, trying to figure out the solutions before the show reveals them.

A prequel story to Angie Thomas’ lauded and adapted The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose follows Starr’s father, Maverick, in his teenage years as he tackles his premature introduction to fatherhood. Its appeal is threefold, deepening the story for fans who read and loved their first foray into Garden Heights, providing another entry point to the Carter family’s chronology, and standing strongly on its own merit as a solo narrative.

Hannah Rooney wants to stay invisible. She is desperate to escape the life of crime her family is caught up in, and save her sister from it in the process. However, when tragedy strikes, Hannah must help to save the last person in the world she would ever want to help …