Barrington Stoke

In this short but excellent novel we follow Elsie, a young Jewish girl growing up during the 1930s in Stepney, London. Elsie and her brother Mikey live in a primarily Jewish area, although there are some Irish immigrants also. The two spend much of their childhood playing games with their friends, including Nathan, whose spectacular imagination shrouds them in worlds of their own making. However, with the rise of Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists, their world of make-believe soon begins to disappear as antisemitism rises and friendships fall apart.

Journey Back to Freedom is the true story of Olaudah Equiano, an eighteenth-century writer and activist who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery. Written in first-person narration from Olu’s perspective, the book follows the young boy’s eventful sea journeys and his training as a sailor. Olu speaks directly to the reader, telling the reader about his struggle to remain hopeful and his desperation to return to his family. The book draws on the reader’s own knowledge, asking them to recall their history lessons on slavery and the slave trade.

From Jo Simmons, the bestselling author of I Swapped My Brother on the Internet, comes The Day My Family Disappeared. Bob Bunyon is an incredibly normal boy surrounded by a family full of artists and performers. Bob’s siblings taunt him for not being creative like them. Desperate for a break from his families’ constant showcasing, he wishes that they would all just go away. Much to Bob’s surprise, when he wakes the next morning, the house is completely empty.

Hetty isn’t the only person in her school who loves the library but when you’ve fallen out with your friends, it’s not just a special place, it’s a safe place. Under the kindly wing of Mrs. Juster, the librarian, it’s the best kind of library; where all book-loving students can gather and a social hub for clubs to meet. The bookish bliss is disrupted by the awful news that funding for the library has been cut and the library will be closed. Hetty can’t let this happen but she knows she isn’t the kind of student that Principal McCarthy will listen to, so she needs the right kind of help.

Birdsong by Katya Balen truly offers a treat for all readers lucky enough to follow the story of our young protagonist Annie, as she is thrust suddenly into a life unknown. We meet Annie as she moves from her home to a new flat in the suburban jungle, as she and her mother recover from a car crash that recently threw their lives into turbulence.

Our story opens with friends Krish, Pete, and Nancy attempting to focus on a biology lesson when an unusual incident disrupts their class and sets off a chain of events that catapult our protagonists to the epicentre of a gripping adventure. Hopping onto their bikes, and speeding through the sleepy village of Crooked Oak, our three heroes are about to become embroiled in a mystery worthy of their favourite website, the Mystery Shed, a source for strange and unexplained events. Faced with a daunting task of utmost importance, the young detectives must get to work!

Bess has left the city of London for the workhouse following the death of her mother. Orphaned and alone, Bess is forced to leave all she knows behind for a life as an indentured worker with other children in a cotton mill. Her life at the workhouse is cruel and demanding with very little joy, the hours and work are physically demanding, and the adults in charge are awful. Rumors start to spread about a vicious creature that lurks in the millpond. Bess is sure it is all tall tales, until she sees a strange silhouette in the water.

Jade and Becky are the best of friends, until a nasty comment from her ex causes Jade to compare herself to Becky. Jade starts to realise how often she comes second to her best friend. When the two girls find themselves standing against each other in the school’s general election, is this Jade’s chance to finally come first? But at what cost?

Hari and his Electric Feet is the latest offering from celebrated author Alexander McCall Smith. It is the story of an Indian boy bringing joy to others through the medium of dance.

There have been so many changes in Amy-May’s young life. The family has separated from her wonderful, yet troubled artist Dad; they’ve moved house far from her lovely cottage with a garden and fresh sea air; and now, she is so filled with anxiety, she can’t go to school. It’s just too much for her.