Anna has become very anxious about being around her friends at school. It’s not that they aren’t nice; it’s just that Annas’ life seems very dull when compared to theirs. Her family can’t afford dance classes, swim teams or horseback-riding lessons. When Anna is around them, she feels small.
Brian is a Canadian middle schooler, he is almost thirteen, and he enjoys hanging out with his family. He shoots hoops at lunchtime with the boys from his basketball team, but he finds it hard to fit in. He calls it Super Awkward Weirdo Syndrome and it often leaves him tongue- tied, so much so that he becomes the target of class bully and popular kid Victor, who calls him ‘the ghost’.
From the outset, this family drama addresses hard-hitting topics in a heart- wrenching and darkly funny way. Readers are invited into the life of bold and self- aware protagonist Maggie Owens as she contends with the harsh realities of addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, parental divorce and fraught friendships.
Be Wild, Little One is the book we all need right now, at this very moment in time. A poetic text, filled with love, wisdom, energy and encouragement, this is the perfect book for supporting young children to shake off all hesitancy and venture out into the world again, wildly.
‘Be a tree. Stand tall. Stretch your branches up to the sun.’
At first, this book reads like a yoga session. The short, simple imperatives invite readers and listeners to be mindful of their bodies as they move through various postures or as they go through their daily lives.
Sixteen-year-old Alex has had visions of the future of every person and object he touches ever since the tragic accident in which his parents died. His ‘curse’, as he calls it, is debilitating, marring every area of his life: his relationship with his girlfriend, Talia, his part-time job in an ice-cream shop, as well as his family life. He constantly feels overwhelmed and anxious, but he reaches crisis point when he foresees the imminent death of his younger brother, Isaiah, a near-recluse who is mostly holed up in his room, listening to music and playing games.
Seventeen-year-old Marty travels to London with his oboe and a bit of savings. He’s lied to his parents to make his escape from conservative small-town Kentucky. Marty struggles to maintain the fiction that he’s attending a prestigious music academy, while he’s actually auditioning for gigs, making friends, experiencing his first romantic relationship and living openly as a gay man. His anxiety and guilt eat away at him, and Marty will do just about anything to avoid going home.
Consent has been a hot topic for a number of years now, often highlighted as an issue missing from school curriculums. This illustrated book aims to tackle the topic for young people in an easy-to- understand way, mixing humour and serious subject matter in short and witty digestible chunks.
Dr Ranj has appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and has his own TV show. In this book he deals with puberty and growing up, offering support, information and advice to boys on the subject. The lively text is complemented by a cheerful layout that incorporates illustrations by David O’Connell.
In this story about the world of teen influencers, nothing is quite what it seems. Once the glitter and gloss are peeled away, we see characters who are dealing with serious issues behind the scenes and away from the social media screens.
