‘Although sometimes I think that people like us are always alone in this world. Hidden away and stuck inside our Treacle Towns. Unequal and unrecognised.’ Con O’Neill, the protagonist of this novel reflects on life in his community, a so called ‘Treacle Town,’ where nobody can ever seem to leave, stuck in the roles imposed upon them by the people around them.
Finding Bear, sequel to The Last Bear, drives a powerful message to young readers as climate change takes hold in the Arctic. April Wood returns to help her friend, Bear the polar bear, who is struggling to navigate this changing world.
Published in September 2023, 'Reading Matters' sees the return of the 'best of the year' format to our annual reading guide.
Mal is a young girl who lives on the Archipelago; she’s fiercely determined and loves nothing more than using her flying coat to soar high into the skies. Mal’s surroundings initially seem fairly ordinary until we find out that this magical land is home to many fantastical creatures, and something is happening that threatens their very existence …
Baboo is an unusual bee; he has pink instead of yellow stripes. Baboo likes to dance and tries to make friends with some of the other bees in his hive but to no avail. After being cruelly rejected, Baboo goes off by himself where he finds another unusual insect and the two become friends and dance together. They’re having so much fun that the other insects gather around to watch, and they realise they’d like to be different too!
Trust no one is the rule to remember when reading this fast-paced adventure story. Rosalyn Quest wants to have mundane teenage experiences, like attending a gymnastics summer camp, and making friends. However, coming from a famous family of thieves, being normal is next to impossible. After her mother, a fellow famous thief, is kidnapped, Rosalyn is forced to do whatever it takes to get her back safely. Rosalyn enters into the Thieves' Gambit - a high stakes competition for young criminals - where the winner is granted one wish.
Frankie Finkleton’s world is a very busy one. She’s a typical eleven-year-old with a loving family and lots going on at school. Frankie also has a sideline as a very secret investigator and from time to time goes on adventures to an imaginary world called Thoughtopolis with her younger brother Fred and her dog Blue.
‘When there is nothing to eat, it affects everything; that is how important food is’, reflects Maggie who, as a child of a Skibbereen farming family, witnesses first-hand the devastating consequences of the Irish famine in the 1840s.
Gil bolts for freedom on his way to another foster-placement. When his backpack is stolen, with his treasured photograph and his hag-stone, his pursuit of the thief brings him to an island dividing the motorway, and to the ramshackle home of three other runaways. Riley and Grayson escaped an abusive parent, and with Junk, the dog, steal supplies. They tell Gil about another inhabitant, already established. Pez ran away from a cult, bringing with her stolen seeds, experience of self-sufficiency, and a conviction that isolation and silence are safer than human company.
‘We caught our breath at our ability to do this thing, at the extraordinary lightness of our load. I closed my eyes for a moment. I imagined that this is a dream. I told myself that anything was possible in a dream.’
When Michael moves to an old house with an over-grown garden and a dilapidated garage, he makes a shocking a discovery. At first, he can’t believe his eyes, but soon his encounter with an incredible soul develops into a profound bond. With the help of his new neighbour, Mina, they join forces and a remarkable and moving adventure begins.
