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Featured teen books
Whether you like funny fiction or scary stories, you’ll find something you’ll like in these books for young dyslexic readers.
Great Expectations – A Retelling
Written by Tanya Landman
Carnegie Medal-winning author Tanya Landman returns with a brilliantly realised and truly accessible retelling of the book described as Dickens’ “most perfect” novel.
Blurb:
My story is a long one with many strange events and dark turns. But time is short. I will be brief. In this slim volume I concentrate on five people. A dangerous criminal. An honest blacksmith. An abandoned bride. A girl who glittered like a distant star. And myself. Philip Pirrip, known as Pip, whose life was twisted and bent out of shape by all of them.
Orphaned as baby, Pip is raised by his sister to live the simple life of a blacksmith’s boy. But a chance encounter in a graveyard and a visit to a ruined mansion set him on a different path. When a secret benefactor pays for him to become a gentleman, Pip’s life takes a greatly unexpected turn …
Particularly suitable for readers aged 13+ with a reading age of 9.
Know My Place | Written by Eve Ainsworth
A teenager’s longing for family and a place to call home is poignantly portrayed in this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting story of life in the foster-care system.
Blurb:
A teenager’s longing for family and a place to call home is poignantly portrayed in this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting story of life in the foster-care system from bestselling author Eve Ainsworth.
Feeling betrayed when her long-term foster placement breaks down, Amy is sent to live with a new family, the Dawsons. Although initially reluctant to trust them, she eventually starts to let down her guard. But just when it seems like she’s found her forever family, she hears a telephone call that suggests things aren’t going to work out. Will Amy be abandoned again – or does she dare hope that she might finally have found home?
Content warning: strong language.
Particularly suitable for readers aged 13+ with a reading age of 8.
ISBN: 9781781129807
Interest Age: 13+
Reading Age: 8
“The List is one of the most life-affirming books I’ve read. A warm, funny and tender novel about friendship and joy and betrayal – I can’t recommend it enough. It captures the essence of having people in your life you can count on. A book full of astonishing depth and clarity.” – Varsha Shah, author of Ajay and the Mumbai Sun
The Big Ask | Written by Simon James Green
Too Nice | Written by Sally Nicholls
Alfie Parker has bagged the hottest date to prom … hasn’t he? Bestselling LGBTQ+ writer Simon James Green makes his Barrington Stoke debut with a life-affirming teen romance.
Blurb:
Harvey is popular, cool, plays football and has been in a relationship with his girlfriend Summer for as long as anyone can remember. Alfie is not popular, not cool, has a sick note so he doesn’t have to play any sport, and has been in a relationship with his Xbox since forever. So when Summer dramatically dumps Harvey just a few days before the school prom, no one is expecting Alfie to ask Harvey to be his date. Least of all Alfie. But sometimes amazing things can happen when you take a chance …
ISBN: 9781800902428
Interest age: 13+
Reading age: 8
Too Nice | Written by Sally Nicholls
Too Nice | Written by Sally Nicholls
Abby struggles with feelings of anxiety about school during a period of family upheaval in this sensitive and touching story from Sally Nicholls.
Blurb:
Abby is used to it being just her and her dad at home, but now her dad’s new girlfriend Jen is moving in and everything is changing.
It’s not like Jen is an evil stepmother, though. Instead, Abby’s problem is that Jen is just too nice! She constantly compliments Abby on everything from her appearance to her schoolwork, and Abby finds it fake and claustrophobic.
But how can she explain to her dad how she feels when Jen hasn’t really done anything wrong?
ISBN: 9781800903265
Interest Age: 11+
One Shot | Written by Tanya Landman
A powerful and deeply moving coming-of-age drama from Carnegie Medal-winning author Tanya Landman, inspired by the life of infamous sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
Blurb
I picked up Pa’s rifle, but my brother blocked the way.
“You’re shaming us,” he said.
“I ain’t shaming you,” I told him. “I’m saving you.”
When your childhood disappears in a blizzard.
When you’re a girl in a man’s world.
When the only thing that stands between you and a life worth having is a gun.
You’re only going to get one shot.
Inspired by the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
ISBN: 9781781128510 Interest Age: 13+
Reading Age: 8
Review:
“Landman is known for her ferocious, affecting historical fiction … this is one of her best. Grim yet uplifting, this slim, tough book will grip its reader from first page to last”
The Guardian
EchoStar | Written by Melinda Salisbury
Bestselling YA author Melinda Salisbury exposes the dark underbelly of new technologies and online friendships in this gripping thriller.
Blurb
Ruby Brookes and her best friend Deva have won free places at the Ash Tree Foundation Performing Arts Camp over the summer, but only if their school grades seriously improve. So when Deva suddenly starts getting high marks in all their subjects, leaving Ruby behind, she is confused and jealous.
Until she finds out Deva’s success is down to EchoStar, a new app that’s helping her get ahead.
Ruby is desperate to start using it too, but there is much more to EchoStar than she has imagined. Because EchoStar is always watching and listening …
ISBN: 9781800902701
Interest Age: 11+
“Smart, witty and utterly terrifying, EchoStar reminds us to always question what (and who) we let into our lives”
Simon James Green
Northern Soul | Written by Phil Earle
From award-winning author Phil Earle comes the hilariously agonising account of one teenage boy’s disastrous attempts to win the heart of the cool new girl at school.
Blurb
Marv’s fourteen and his life is simple. There’s football. And his best mate, Jimmy. Perfect. Nothing else matters until a new girl at school called Carly crashes into his life. For Marv, it’s love at first sight, his emotions flipped upside down, as he knows a girl like Carly will never notice him. He needs help – lots of it – but when it miraculously arrives in the shape of a musical idol from the past, the path to Carly’s heart proves anything but easy … First love is unforgettable, and poor Marv is about to learn this the hard way – him, and his northern soul …
ISBN: 9781800902039
Interest Age: 11+
Reading Age: 8
“A sweet and touching tale pitched firmly at boys of an awkward age … crashes and burns in amusing ways that sit somewhere on the teenage cringe scale between Adrian Mole and The Inbetweeners.”
The Times
A Christmas Carol – Dyslexia-Friendly Edition | Written by Charles Dickens
Dickens’ classic story of the Christmas transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge, in an accessible, super-readable format with dyslexia-friendly features, for all readers.
Blurb:
Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, and he learns he will be visited by three spirits – Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come – who reveal to him his miserable existence, the opportunities he squandered in his youth, the current cruelties he visits upon those around him, and the fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with a choice: death or redemption.
ISBN: 9781781127537 Interest Age: 13+
“If you’ve ever tried reading Dickens in the tiny, densely-printed text of a Complete Works, this edition will feel like a breath of fresh (crisp, snowy) air”
Roaring Reads
A Sudden Storm | Written by Bali Rai, illustrated by David Shephard
Warning: Mature content
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.
Blurb:
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, a symbol of his commitment to his faith and culture. Is the life of a good friend and beloved son really worth so little?
ISBN: 9781800902534 Reading Age: 7 Interest Age: 13+
“With a heart-wrenching and devastating portrayal of systematic racism this book will stay with the reader for a long time.”
Little Blog of Library Treasures
Welcome to Camp Killer | Written by Cynthia Murphy
Bestselling YA horror writer Cynthia Murphy makes her Barrington Stoke debut with a spine-chilling thriller about a summer camp gone deathly wrong.
Blurb:
When an American-style residential camp is set up in the grounds of an English stately home, the teenage instructors are looking forward to a fun summer of activities. But right from the outset, things don’t feel quite right at Camp Miller. Rumours circulate of a tragedy that took place in the grounds and some of the instructors report unexplained sightings of a ghostly presence. Then the incidents begin – a near-drowning out on the lake, a fatal fall from a cliff-face … Are these tragic
accidents or is there something more sinister going on at Camp Killer?
ISBN: 9781800902282 Reading Age: 8 Interest Age: 13+
“A fun, fast-paced and atmospheric slasher that is perfect for spooky season.”
Amy McCaw, author
The Den | Written by Keith Gray
The complicated nuances of teenage friendship are captured perfectly in this story of summer adventure and exploration by critically acclaimed author Keith Gray.
Blurb:
On the first day of the summer holidays, Marshall and his best friend Rory set off on their bikes, looking for adventure – “something new and amazing and different”. What they find in the ruins of an abandoned cottage is the Den – a long-forgotten bomb shelter accessed only by a hidden trapdoor. For Rory, the Den promises thrills and summer fun, while for Marshall it also offers escape from the tense and claustrophobic atmosphere of home. So, when Rory tells some other boys about it, Marshall’s enraged at the breach of trust. Will the betrayal ultimately mean the end of their friendship or can they salvage something new from the wreckage?
ISBN: 9781800901919 Reading Age: 11+ Interest Age: 8
“One page from Keith and I’m fifteen again, remembering the tensions, the friendships, the endless summer holidays. He’s a masterful storyteller: one of the finest we have and that’s why I savour every word he writes.”
Phil Earle
Date with Danger | Written by Jo Browning Wroe, illustrated by Julia Page
Date With Danger | Written by Jo Browning Wroe, illustrated by Julia Page
Blurb
It was supposed to be a great day at the beach. Carla said she’d help Ben in the water. But now Carla has swum away – and Ben can’t swim.
ISBN: 9781800901322
Reading Age: 6
Interest Age: 11+
Pride & Prejudice | A Retelling Written by Laura Wood
Bestselling and YA Book Prize shortlisted author Laura Wood brings Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy’s romance to life once more in a stunning and truly accessible retelling of Austen’s beloved classic.
Blurb
Witty, intelligent Elizabeth Bennet has no desire for a marriage of convenience. And when she meets the handsome, wealthy Mr Darcy, her opinion of him is quickly set: he is aloof, selfish and proud – the last man in the world she would ever marry. Until their paths cross again, and again, and the pair begin to realise that first impressions can be flawed… But as Elizabeth and Darcy become entangled in a dance through the strict hierarchies of society, will there be space for true love to bloom?
“It takes real skill to write an abridged version of a classic novel without losing the spirit of the text, but Laura Wood has beautifully truncated Pride and Prejudice to make this wonderful story accessible to a greater breadth of readers.”
NetGalley Review
ISBN: 9781800900240
Reading Age: 9
Interest Age: 13+
Letting Go | Written by Cat Clarke
A thoughtful and moving novella of love, loss and learning when to let go, from the YA ‘queen of emotional suspense’ Cat Clarke.
Blurb
When Agnes made a promise to her girlfriend Ellie, she thought they would be together forever. One year later, Agnes is keeping that promise and it’s put her in a situation she never could have predicted; climbing a desolate mountain, in miserable weather, with Ellie and her new boyfriend Steve. But when the weather takes a threatening turn and the sky-high tension between the trio hits its peak, Agnes will have to push herself further than she ever thought was possible…
“A quick, punchy, atmospheric read.”
Karen McCombie
ISBN: 9781781128381
Reading Age: 8
Interest Age: 13+
Ravencave | Written by Marcus Sedgwick
A grim discovery brings disturbing revelations in this chilling ghost story from the late Marcus Sedgwick, set amid a backdrop of family discord and growing social discontent.
Blurb
While mucking about in the ruins of an old farm while on holiday in Yorkshire, James hears strange laughter echoing around the walls. The ghost of a young girl appears to him and urges James to follow her but at first he’s too afraid. When she appears again, this time James follows. But will he be able to face the terrible truth she reveals …?
“A ghost story guaranteed to reel you in from the first page and then give you the shivers.”
The Times Children’s Book of the Week
ISBN: 9781800901926
Reading Age: 8
Interest Age: 11+
Needle | Written by Patrice Lawrence
Award-winning author Patrice Lawrence explores the harsh reality of the criminal justice system for young people in this riveting teen drama.
Blurb
Charlene is a demon knitter. She can’t remember how she learned – maybe from a grandparent or while she was in another foster home. But it’s the only thing she believes she’s really good at. So when her foster mum’s son destroys her latest creation, Charlene loses it and pokes him in the hand with her knitting needle. It damages a nerve and she gets sucked into the criminal justice system for assault. Charlene’s not sorry and she’s never apologised to anyone in her life. But people keep telling her that if she says sorry, they’ll go easier on her. Can she bring herself to say it and not mean it when her freedom’s at stake?
“A profoundly poignant story of an angry, hurt young teenager enmeshed in an inimical system, by an award-winning author”
The Guardian
ISBN: 9781800901018
Reading Age: 8
Interest Age: 13+
The Last Hawk by Elizabeth Wein
A gripping tale of duty and defiance from behind enemy lines weaving together fact and fiction for a truly thrilling read you won’t want to put down.
Blurb:
Nazi Germany is a dangerous place for a girl with a stammer, but when Ingrid soars through the skies in her beloved glider planes, she feels safe and free. It’s a dream come true when her hero, daring test pilot Hanna Reitsch, invites Ingrid on a propaganda tour. But through her work with Hanna, Ingrid learns some dangerous truths about the Nazi regime and a shocking secret mission that could change the course of the war. When everything is at stake, Ingrid must decide where her loyalties lie.
Review:
“Intense and thrilling … This book is incredible, full of heart and courage” – My Shelves are Full, blog
ISBN:978-1-78112-955-5
Reading Age: 8+
Interest Age: Teen