This is a beautifully written novel that explores the complexities of family bonds, both biological and found. After an explosive quarrel involving her parents and sisters, 15 year old Chianti runs away to stay with her feisty grandmother in the Zimbabwean border town of Mutare. Chianti becomes part of the colourful daily life of a close-knit group of elders, who are busy dancing, drinking and running their upcycling business. As she pieces together parts of her family’s past, Chianti begins to understand about the traumas that were forged when they fought together in Zimbabwe's liberation war, and the difference between secrets and things that people choose not to talk about.
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This is a fabulous Young Adult novel set during the Abbasid caliphate. When Nardeen’s home is stormed by armed men frantically searching for something or someone, she is the only member of her Barmakid family who escapes. Years later, the now teenage Nardeen begins to unravel the mystery of what led to the massacre of her family that night. A beautifully written historical novel set in Baghdad’s golden age.
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We’re in 2045, after a gene mutation has caused every human to be inextricably linked to a soul mate. There are advantages to knowing that you’re with your perfect match, but here’s the bad news: you feel your soulmate’s pain even if you’ve never met. And when they die, so do you. When control freak Zoe and adrenalin junkie Milo are KinTwinned, they are both convinced it is a mistake. But why, as they embark on a quest to sever their bond, are people trying to kill them? A gripping action romance that raises intriguing questions about the balance between freedom and loneliness, trust and choice.
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We’re in Ireland in 1846, the second year of the famine. Nell works as a scullery maid in the kitchen of the Big House. Johnny is the nephew, newly arrived from England, who will one day inherit it all. Somehow, Nell and Johnny find each other. But Johnny’s uncle will sack Nell on the spot if he finds out, and then her family will have nothing. And Johnny is part of a family that lets their tenant farmers starve to death, even as food gets exported to England. Is there any way in which Nell and Johnny’s love is possible? A very beautiful novel in verse.
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Ondjaki, António Jorge Gonçalves (illustrator), translated by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
It's an evening of a power cut in 1990s Luanda, Angola. Brought closer by the darkness, two young people open up to each other. The white on black illustrations and poetic dialogue combine to form a beautiful story of young love, of light in the darkness. A graphic novella that is at once intimate and profound.
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When teens Aamir and Noor meet, they are both reeling from loss and trying to figure out what being from Pakistani/mixed families in the UK means for them: how to handle family expectations, wearing or not wearing a headscarf… What they are definitely not looking for is further complications. A warm, coming-of-age romance with relatable narrators and a good dose of situational humour.
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The Night Ends with Fire is not a Young Adult book, but with an 18-year-old protagonist it will definitely appeal to older teen readers as well as to adults. It’s a gripping fantasy novel inspired both by the Chinese classic Three Kingdoms
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This is a fun bit of speculative fiction: a retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
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This is a fantasy novel with many of the elements of a traditional fairy tale and inspiration from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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This is a fast-paced thriller with an impulsive and brave heroine. When 17 year old Riya inherits a predictive technology algorithm from her father, she is forced to go on the run while deciding what the right thing to do with it would be. This action-packed novel forces us to confront some very real questions: given our entire digital footprint, how much can AI predict about our future choices and behaviour? And how open does that leave us to manipulation?
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This is a dynamic graphic novel in colour inspired by the Korean legend of Gumiho. When assassins attack her family, Kai proves more than capable of fighting back. But what secrets are her parents hiding? It turns out that Kai will transform into a fox demon every month, when she must hunt and kill a man to continue her life as a young woman. As Kai searches for a way to change her destiny, her path keeps crossing that of a mysterious girl. Can she help Kai find redemption? A gripping fantasy novel about fighting for one’s place in the world and the need to right past wrongs.
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In Emerson’s world, income is entirely dependent on social media rankings. After a burglary gone wrong, Emerson faces a lengthy prison sentence when she is offered a chance to walk free if she wins a new reality show, Retribution Island . By the time she and the 49 other delinquent teen contestants realise how deadly the show’s challenges are, it’s too late. They have no choice but to try to survive one day at a time, and the more social media followers they have, the better their individual chances. This is a brutal, relentless thriller for fans of the Hunger Games Squid Game , making a serious point about our obsession with social media.
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Nora and Iris are going camping with Wes and his girlfriend. All is well until Nora’s abusive stepfather, recently released from prison and bent on revenge, turns up with a few of his henchmen. Deep in the woods, the teens know they have to rely on themselves and their teamwork to survive. Soon they set about making booby traps and rescuing hostages; they will do anything to protect their found family. This is the tense sequel to the popular The Girls I’ve Been
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