Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

Escape

Chapter book

Bernice has been looking forward to her school trip to the sea-life sanctuary and when a work-experience opportunity arises, she wants to find out as much as she can about all of the creatures to support her application.

Unfortunately, her friend Molly and Rylan, the boy that Molly likes, have no plans to take the trip so seriously and soon put all three of them in intense danger. Can Bernice save her friends and how will they explain their actions to Mr Willis?

This Barrington Stoke publication is a high level interest, accessible reader suitable for pupils age 10+. The accessible font, wider spacing and tinted pages make the text readable for all. The book covers themes of friendship, loyalty, responsibility and water-safety and allows for discussions around decision making and risk taking with pupils who are gaining their first steps of independence.

Nova

Charlotte Grange & Chris Bradford

Chapter book

When Max’s life-craft is pulled into a wormhole, he needs a whole galaxy of luck to return to safety … Chris Bradford crafts Interstellar for kids in this space-bending survival story.

Max Nova is headed to Mercury with his father, a space trucker, when their ship is suddenly diverted. They have a new urgent mission. An abnormal gravity reading has been detected near the sun.

There are fears that this could signal the start of a supernova! But what Max and his father discover is much more dangerous – and far stranger – than any supernova.

Flung to the outer reaches of the universe, Max must navigate a galaxy of dangers to find his way home before time runs out!

Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 7.

The Lost Dragon of Roar

Jenny McLachlan

Chapter book

Rose and Arthur are back in Roar, after dodging another one of Mum’s walking holidays. They have been summoned by the Headteacher of the Dragon Rider Academy (DRAc) to return back to school by the next day’s sunrise to complete a very special mission. They excitedly rush back through the camp bed and are happy to reunite with their friends and their dragons, although the weight of their fight with the missing Witch King Jago Skau still plays on Arthur’s mind. They are required to deliver a message to a witch in The Deeps and soon find themselves among lots of witches, some who are secretly hoping that the Evil Witch King returns and empowers Roar. Will Arthur and Rose be able to get out of trouble when they come face to face with Jago Skau again?

This is the fifth book in the Land of Roar series, which sees the stories that Rose writes about a magical land come true when they go through the portal in the camp bed. I have enjoyed reading the previous four books and was excited to be able to read the latest adventure. The stories are told really well and can be enjoyed even if the previous ones have not been read due to snippets of the previous storylines woven through the story. The story is illustrated through the book and adds to the description of the made up creatures and characters. The books are a wonderful read and really spark the imagination of the readers. I am now left hoping that a sixth book is being written!

Strike

Mitch Johnson

Chapter book

I found Mitch Johnson’s first novel for teens, ‘Kick’, impossible to put down, and with ‘Strike’ he’s done it again! ‘Strike’ is a follow on from ‘Kick’ but can equally be read as a stand-alone story.

Challenging, gripping, and perfectly pitched for boys who love football, this book should be on every secondary school library bookshelf! Relatable characters, best friends Owen and Teddy are scouted for the local club and join the football academy. Owen’s dedicated single parent Dad buys Owen a pair of new boots to mark the occasion, but what Owen finds hidden inside one of his boots sends him spinning and turns his football crazy world upside down: a note from a factory worker reading ‘PLEASE HELP US’.

Owen has a choice to make – will he keep his head down and pursue his dreams, or will he speak out and risk losing everything he has longed for?

Mitch Johnson puts the question of integrity and the plight of modern slaves front and centre in this brilliant book that never feels preachy and just draws the reader in.

Chicken Hill: Attack of the Zombie Cactus

Beccy Blake

Graphic novel

Welcome to Chicken Hill: join Ferdy, Gripper and Tink as they investigate all things strange in their seriously weird town.

Three hilarious and off-the-wall stories in one full-colour graphic novel, perfect for fans of Dog Man and Bunny vs Monkey.

Chicken Hill: Just your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill small town, where the pets can talk, the frogs rule over a secret underwater empire and you’re only ever one day away from an alien invasion.

Chicken Hill is home to Ferdy, a tech wiz with a knack for invention and a habit of running into trouble. Always with him is Gripper, his farty and self-obsessed pug, and Tink, his brother’s forever-tired cat. Together, they investigate the many wild and weird happenings in town…

And whether fending off an invasion of zombie cactuses, or trying to keep an army of cloned conspiracy theorist cats out of office, there’s no shortage of things to keep them busy. Because in Chicken Hill, there’s only one rule: if you think things can’t get weirder, they always can.

Endgame: Will Take You Down

Melinda Salisbury

Chapter book

Bestselling YA author Melinda Salisbury delivers a hair-raising thriller as Ruby, Freya and Ivy team up to take down the Ash Tree Foundation once and for all.

Ruby, Freya and Ivy are all survivors of the Ash Tree Foundation, an organisation that claimed to help teenagers deal with technology addiction but which was a front for a dangerously addictive augmented-reality platform, Novo Reality.

Novo Reality was the brainchild of tech-baroness Dagmar Nilsson, who disappeared without trace when the Foundation was busted. But now, a year later, just as the girls are all preparing to start a new chapter of their lives, it becomes clear that Dagmar is continuing with her aim of world domination.

Can the three friends draw her out of hiding and shut down the Foundation for good, or will Dagmar’s dream of controlling the world finally come true?

Because the Endgame is coming, and someone is going down …

Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 8.

Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller

Amelia Tait

Chapter book

This is an intriguing new slant to the time travel genre with a protagonist who doesn’t travel by choice to correct a timeline or right a wrong. It is completely in diary format and follows the story of Lily Tripp – a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl who ends up being transported into different centuries at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve – which coincidentally happens to be her birthday. Her tale starts on 18th December 2025 with Lily introducing herself, her family and her friends at school, including eccentric BF Poppy, Ollie (Lily’s crush) and cool Georgia – who looks down on them all. When she time travels, everyone she knows does so too. Although appearing in a completely different era, they remain within their home town of York: they have already been to the Victorian age and ancient Rome – resulting in Lily ‘missing’ two years’ of school. However, no one else apart from Lilly realises that they have time travelled. Life hits a new low when Lily reaches 1621 as Georgia’s servant, and has to just accept the awful treatment from that time, although being accused of witchcraft means her life could be in danger.

Whilst amusingly told in a young teen’s voice with clever throw away lines, in each time Lily battles to catch up with recent events from her family and friends who have clearly already existed in that timeline. You feel genuinely sorry for her as she tries to navigate situations and behaviour between different centuries and not stick out as being ‘weird; it is hard for her to live in the present. The main characters are engaging and there is interesting historical information.I’ve seen this advertised as Lottie Brooks meets Back to the Future – that’s not far off the mark! It deserves to be a series.

The Shadow Pony

David Litchfield & Olivia Wakeford

Chapter book

This highly recommendable book would be a very worthwhile addition to the school library alongside Olivia Wakeford’s first novel, My Dog. It could be used as a class read, too, in Year 5 or 6, if not considered too long. There are links to history and mining, for schools where the curriculum covers these topics, and the links to Wales will make it particularly popular in Welsh schools.

The lives of quite a disparate group of characters intertwine with imagination and skill, focused around main character Evan, his family, school friends and dog. Evan’s Grandad has dementia (the word isn’t used, but ‘sundowning’ is and it’s clear he lives with this condition) and he does not like to talk about his memory of being a miner along with pit ponies who were put to work in the mines.

We begin to inhabit their world; the world of school museum visits and classroom bullies; of Welsh mining history, auras and ghostly apparitions; of grown-ups struggling to balance work and family; of arguments and reconciliations. There lives are sometimes disturbing, sometimes mundane, sometimes difficult and sometimes puzzling. This is fiction at its best; storytelling which deals sensitively with pertinent issues while still being enjoyable. The inclusion of a ghost pony introduces a magical element.

This is an engrossing read: eye-opening, heart-warming and memorable.

Wishbound

Clemency Brown

Chapter book

What if the price of magic was your best friend?

Leonie can make wishes come true, a rare gift on her tiny island of Onske.

But when she finds out that her magic will cost her freedom, she runs away to our world.

Here, she finds a new life, a new family and a best friend, Cress.

However, danger is lurking.

As Leonie’s enemies close in, is her only hope of keeping her friend safe a wish that will tie them together for ever…?

Death by Chocolate

Anna Brooke

Chapter book

Death by Chocolate is a deliciously entertaining mystery that combines ghostly intrigue, friendship and plenty of chocolatey treats into one sweet and satisfying adventure!

When Coco Bean’s family move from England to a crumbling French hotel, she is far from thrilled. Things become much more interesting, however, when she discovers the hotel is haunted by Monsieur Framboise, the ghost of a chocolatier who wants Coco and her new friend Louis to solve the mystery of his murder. In exchange, he shares his legendary chocolate recipes.

The rural French setting is one of the book’s greatest strengths. Filled with charming villages, French phrases and mouth-watering descriptions of food and chocolate, it is easy to savour every chapter. The mystery is cleverly plotted, with hidden rooms, secret clues and enough twists to keep young readers guessing without becoming too complicated.

Coco is a determined and likeable heroine who gradually embraces her new life, while Louis, Belle the dog and the grumpy-but-lovable Monsieur Framboise make excellent companions. Their teamwork, bravery and humour give the story a warm heart beneath its spooky premise.Anna Brooke strikes the perfect balance between mystery, comedy and adventure, creating a story that is exciting without being frightening. The bonus chocolate recipe makes it especially appealing!

Death by Chocolate is an absolute treat of a book. Rich with mystery, sprinkled with humour and topped with a generous helping of charm, I think this will be a sweet success that will leave readers hungry for Coco’s next adventure