Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

Apple and Rain

Chapter book

Sarah Crossan never fails in addressing the more gritty issues that reflect the realities of some teenagers’ lives. Crossan does for the young teen what Jacqueline Wilson did for the pre-teen reader.

The story of Apple and Rain touches on a wide range of themes: friendship, bullying, family, love, attachment and mental health, to name a few. The reader is pulled through the story, empathising with different characters through the book and in particular with Apple, the main character, whose mother re-enters her life after nearly 15 years. The English teacher at school and the poetry that he introduces Apple to provide a sanctuary and opportunity for her to express the complex feelings that accompany the return of her mother and the deep desire for it all to work out for them as a family. In addition, poetry provides Apple with a chance to express the loss of her best friend to another girl in the class and the beginnings of her feelings for the boy Del, a neighbour.

Crossan is fabulous at showing how the unusual or ‘outcast’ characters have the greatest depth, care and charm, and this is evident in the behaviours of Apple’s new stepsister and the home-schooled ‘boy next door’, Del. All the characters are carefully crafted by Crossan, including Nana, who has looked after Apple since birth.

This is a super read for any teen.

Gone

Michael Grant

Chapter book

Sam Temple was in history class when the teacher disappears. Moving out of the classroom, the class discovers everyone aged 15 or over has vanished. Exploring a world that has become suddenly eerily quiet, the kids discover they are trapped by a mysterious wall that surrounds their town and, with the telephone and internet down, no means of communicating outside of it.

Many of the kids look to “School Bus Sam” to lead them, but he has a secret that keeps him from wanting to step up. Then the arrival of the kids from Coates, the strange school from out of town, leads to gangs forming and the discovery that some of the kids have developed strange powers adds to the layers of mistrust. All the while, the question of what has happened and why is pushed into the background while they wrestle with what will happen next.

Gone is the first of a series that portrays a dystopian life at the hands of those controlled by “the Darkness”. Sometimes graphic in its portrayal of violence, it is most suitable for those who can happily separate fiction from life is a wonderful first step into the literary world of action and horror. Described on the cover as a “Lord of the Flies for the 21st century”, Gone has its fair share of villains and heroes but space is given for those characters to be humanised and provides thought for the potential reasons as to how and why they may have developed as such and can still change for better or worse.

The Other Side of Truth

Beverley Naidoo

Chapter book

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo is a powerful, emotionally charged novel that remains as relevant today as when it won the Carnegie Medal in 2000.

Set in the politically turbulent landscape of 1990s Nigeria, and later in London, it tells the harrowing story of 12-year-old Sade and her younger brother Femi, who are forced to flee their home after their mother is killed in an assassination attempt meant for their father—a political journalist targeted for speaking out against the Nigerian military regime.

Their journey to England, smuggled into the country under false identities, is anything but a rescue mission. Abandoned in London and left to navigate a foreign legal system and an often hostile environment, Sade and Femi’s experience reveals the stark and complex realities of life as refugees. Naidoo explores with deep compassion the trauma of displacement, the fear of the unknown, and the desperate hope of reunion and safety.

Seen through Sade’s eyes, the novel deftly portrays the emotional toll of being labelled ‘illegal’, the cruelty of bullying, and the injustice of a system that fails to protect the most vulnerable. Naidoo avoids romanticising the children’s ordeal or portraying England as a safe haven; instead, she presents a nuanced, often uncomfortable truth. Yet, amid the darkness, there is resilience, love, and the quiet courage of children who fight to keep their family and identity intact.

Drawing inspiration from real-world events, such as the execution of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Naidoo’s storytelling is grounded, honest and deeply human. It’s a book that confronts tough issues—freedom of speech, political persecution, and racism—while never losing sight of the emotional core: the bond between siblings and their unwavering longing for home.

An essential read for ages 12+, this novel belongs in every school library.

Crossing the Line

Tia Fisher

Poetry, Verse novel

Gripping from start to finish, this heart-wrenching verse novel plunges the reader into the terrifying jeopardy of life in a gang.

Erik and his mum are left financially and emotionally vulnerable after the unexpected and untimely death of his father. At school, Erik’s bad behaviour recommends him to members of the local drug-dealing gang. The promise of money and the apparent safety of belonging to a close-knit group make him easy prey. All too soon, he is sucked into their world of threats, violence and fear. Safety becomes a dream of the past.

Too late, he realises that he’s trapped and everything that he cares about is in danger, including his mum and his little sisters.

The language is simple and direct. The story is told in Erik’s voice, so anything else would be jarring. Key points in the story are highlighted expressively by typography: a calligram; a change in font; disruption of the text layout. The central theme – criminal exploitation of the vulnerable – means that strong language and violent scenes are inevitably part of the plot, but the violence does not feel gratuitous, and the subject is one we shouldn’t shy away from. It could provide a good way into discussions about grooming and coercion.

As a story, it is accessible, immersive, and impossible to put down. I enjoyed it in one greedy sitting. It is ideal for Key Stage 3. I thoroughly recommend it to teachers too, as a poignant reminder of the importance of vigilance in schools. Erik is creative in his deceptions and his teachers seem to miss every warning sign.

Where the Heart Should Be

Sarah Crossan

Poetry, Verse novel

The outstanding novel from the Carnegie Medal-winning, former Laureate na nÓg Sarah Crossan; thought-provoking and moving, it explores love and family during The Great Hunger.

Ireland, 1846. Nell is working as a scullery maid in the kitchen of the Big House. Once she loved school and books and dreaming. But there’s not much choice of work when the land grows food that rots in the earth. Now she is scrubbing, peeling, washing, sweeping for Sir Philip Wicken, the man who owns her home, her family’s land, their crops, everything. His dogs are always well fed, even as famine sets in.

Upstairs in the Big House, where Nell is forbidden to enter, is Johnny Browning, newly arrived from England: the young nephew who will one day inherit it all. And as hunger and disease run rampant all around them, a spark of life and hope catches light when Nell and Johnny find each other.

This is a love story, and the story of a people being torn apart. This is a powerful and unforgettable novel from the phenomenally talented Sarah Crossan.

Wild East

Ashley Hickson-Lovence

Poetry, Verse novel

Written in verse. Ronny moves out of London after his friend is attacked, but he struggles to fit into his new town until he discovers spoken word.

Powerful, empathetic, raw, inspiring and creative!

Part of a Story That Started Before Me

George the Poet

Poetry, Verse novel

Part of a Story That Started Before Me is an extraordinary new collection of poems chosen by acclaimed spoken-word performer and social commentator George the Poet.

Taking readers on a thought-provoking poetical journey through Black British history, the anthology brings together some of the most exciting wordsmiths from across the diaspora and fascinating era-by-era notes from historian Dr Christienna Fryar.

From Africans in Roman Britannia to the first Black actor to play Othello on stage, from Malcolm X’s visit to the West Midlands to highlighting an organizer of the UK’s first Gay Pride, this important collection reveals unsung people and events from our past to recognize the intrinsic impact they’ve had on Britain today.

Featuring: Abi Simms, Adesayo Talabi, AFLO. the poet, Amina Jama, Anu Balofin, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Becksy Becks, Benjamin Zephaniah, Bridget Minamore, Cara Thompson, Casey Bailey, Deanna Rodger, Derek Walcott, Dorothea Smartt, Dzifa Benson, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Eno Mfon, Evan the Poet, Fred D’Aguiar, FULAANI onda 3s, George The Poet, Grace Nichols, Henry Stone, Highwater Ell aka Elliott Henry, Ife Grillo, Inua Ellams, Irenosen Okojie, Isaiah Hull, Jade LB, Jeffrey Boakye, Jenny Mitchell, Jeremiah Brown, John Agard, Joseph Coelho, Jude Yawson, Kat Francois, Keith Jarrett, Kelechi Okafor, M. NourbeSe Philip, Malika Booker, Michael Groce, Miles Chambers, Muneera Pilgrim, Nick Makoha, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Nile Faure-Bryan, Olaudah Equiano, Olivette Otele, Patience Agbabi, Peter deGraft-Johnson aka The Repeat Beat Poet, Phillis Wheatley, Priss Nash, Rakaya Fetuga, Raymond Antrobus, Reece Williams, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasha, Samuel King, Sophia Thakur, Stretch the Top Boy, Thembe Mvula, Theresa Lola, Tré Ventour, Vanessa Kisuule, Wretch 32 and Zena Edwards.

The Door of No Return

Kwame Alexander

Poetry, Verse novel

Dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has dreams of water, of its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets. He has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, West Africa, where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. But when the unthinkable – a sudden death – occurs during a festival between rival villages, Kofi ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves. Yet Kofi’s dreams may be the key to his freedom…

A Sudden Storm

Bali Rai & David Shephard

Chapter book

An innocent night out to celebrate a sixteenth birthday turns to tragedy in this powerful story of racial intolerance from award-winning author Bali Rai.

It’s Arjan’s sixteenth birthday and he’s celebrating with his mates – going to see a film and then get a Nando’s. He’s looking forward to some good banter and wondering what might happen with Jem, who’s been looking at him differently these days …

But the night comes to a dramatic and violent end when Arjan is targeted by a group of racist thugs, who single him out due to the colour of his skin and the turban that he wears as a symbol of his commitment to his faith and culture.

Is the life of a good friend and beloved son really worth so little?

Please note that this book contains mature content (with themes of racially motivated violence) and language that some may find offensive.

All That It Ever Meant

Blessing Musariri

Chapter book

An outstanding YA novel of family love, loss, and life lived between two cultures, by an astonishing, super-stylish new voice.

‘I’m going to tell you exactly how everything happened. Baba always says, Mati mwana’ngu, I love a good story but I don’t have time for a long one, so make it short.’

When Mati and her two siblings travel from London to Zimbabwe with their father, they are forced to confront the knotty family dynamics caused by the loss of their mother. Along for the trip is Meticais, a fabulously attired gender-neutral spirit — or ghost? or imaginary friend? — who only Mati can see and talk to.

Guided by Meticais’s enigmatic advice and wisdom, Mati must come to terms with her grief and with the difficulty of a life lived between two cultures, while her family learn to forge their way in a world without their monumental mother. This is distinctive, stylish, powerful writing by a vital new voice.