12–14

Fourteen-year-old Minny has a lot going on in life. Besides facing a boring summer, her older sister Aisling, who is Autistic, needs Minny’s assistance and friendship and she is growing apart from her best friend, Penny. Minny’s grandmother has also taken in a classmate from primary school who needs a stable home, which means that Minny kind of has a new family member too. If those are not taxing enough, Minny’s father, who abandoned their family three years ago, shows up again — with a pregnant girlfriend in tow — expecting everyone to be thrilled to see him.

Every waking moment we have to make decisions, from what to eat for breakfast to the book we’d like to read at bedtime. For Fred, these little choices tie him up in knots. His parents not allowing him any agency and micromanaging every aspect of his life hasn’t helped. When it comes to choosing which secondary school to attend, you can imagine the strife and turmoil it causes. After all, Fred will have to live with whatever choice he makes for a long time. Or will he?

Currently, 55% of the world’s population live in cities, and it is predicted that this figure will rise to almost 70% by 2050. With increasing challenges posed by the climate and biodiversity emergencies, as well as growing populations, there is an urgent need for cities to reexamine how scarce resources such as land, water, and energy are managed and distributed.

Readers rejoice! I Am Raven, the second book in Chisholm’s I Am Wolf trilogy, brings us back into the world of mechanical Constructs, territorial battles, and anthryl – the mysterious element that powers it all.

In a small town in Scotland, 14-year-old Laurie is supposed to be having a normal day working at her mum’s bookshop; but this is the big day! Her friend, Neon from New York, has travelled all the way to Scotland to meet her. The issue is, all of her friends don’t actually believe he’s real – they think Laurie has made him up and insist on joining Laurie to meet the dreamy Neon, but when he steps off the train, they are all in for a surprise …

A Kids Book About Queer Mental Health is an honest and open book designed to be read between a young person and a guardian or safe adult of their choosing, opening-up discussions about what it means to be LGBTQ+ in the world today.

Sixteen-year-old Morgana Merrick knows what it feels like to be treated as less-than. After arriving at Avalon Academy and quickly learning that she’ll need to become something special if she wants to stand out, she turns to magic to get everything she wants. But when her brother’s friend kisses her without her consent, Morgana wants to ruin him – and every person who refused to believe her.

Fred feels invisible at school, he’s unpopular, friendless and often harassed by bullies. But at home, he gets to become Existor, a highly skilled online gamer with a massive number of followers. People actually care about what he has to say! When Existor grows in popularity at his school, Fred can’t resist using his online alter ego to make his real life more bearable. But as his two personalities begin to blur, so does the line between right and wrong and Fred must decide which type of person he wants to be.

Beautifully illustrated, this non-fiction book is filled with Queer visionaries to mark 50 years since Stonewall. Following a trend of biographical compendiums for young people, this book is full of short and snappy summaries of both the person’s life and achievements.