Luke Palmer, Lucy Powrie and Philip Pullman
Luke Palmer - Grow
Teen 14+.
208 pages.
A white supremacist group and its violent leader targets teenage Josh, who is struggling to cope with his father's recent death at the hands of terrorists. Will he find the strength to resist, or will unlikely accomplice Dana help him plant something good in the space grief has left inside him?
Lucy Powrie - Paper & Hearts Society
Teen.
355 pages.
Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in with her classmates. She doesn't want to go to parties at the weekend - in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book. It's like she hasn't found her people. That is until she moves to a new town where a book club, The Paper & Hearts Society, is recruiting.
Tabby might just be in luck. Enough of her old 'friends' who only talk to her when they need something. It's time for Quidditch themed fancy dress parties, games like 'shut up and Shakespeare' - and lots of chocolate. Themes: Anxiety, bullying, social media, friendships, LGBT, road trip, books, romance.
Philip Pullman - Northern Lights
Teen.
339 pages.
When Lyra's friend Roger disappears, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him. The ensuing quest leads them into the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies. First in a trilogy. Genres: fantasy, epic.
Philip Pullman - The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage
Teen 11-14.
449 pages.
Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy.
He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust-and the spy it was intended for finds him.
When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, Malcolm sees suspicious characters everywhere; Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; an Egyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl-just a baby-named Lyra.
Fantasy adventure. Occasional swearing and violence. Returning to the world of His Dark Materials.