In this realist novel about poverty, exploitation, human trafficking and ‘modern’ slavery, 13-year-old Lakshmi lives a poor but happy life with her family in rural Nepal. When a monsoon washes away her family’s remaining crops, she is forced to take on a job. When she is tricked into moving to the city, instead of prosperity […]
In this epistolary novel about family, migration and loss, a 12-year-old Jewish girl named Rifka documents her family’s escape from Russia in 1919 and their journey to the USA: how Rifka distracted guards by telling them stories, how she fell sick and needed to be treated in Belgium before they could go on and how […]
A young adult novel about losing self-control, self-and body image, depression and the presence of winter. This is the story of two best friends Lia and Cassie, albeit with a sad twist: When one develops bulimia, the other one develops anorexia and thus they start a contest, trying to find out which of the two […]
In this comedy thriller, 12-year-old Joe fears his grandma: She is both physically repulsive and horribly mean, and Joe is afraid she has terrible plans in mind for him. When one day his parents are away and she takes him to a get-together of many other mean grannies, he rightfully fears for his life – […]
A young adult novel about desires, fears and the struggle to keep up. 16-year-old Tessa is fatally ill with leukemia, so she comes up with a bucket list of things to do before she dies, e.g. commiting crimes, having sex and doing drugs. While her family is trying to cope in different ways, Tessa happens […]
An easy read navigating the diffuculties of migration and growing up trapped between two cultures. Manjit is a teenage boy living in Leicester (England), brought up by strict Punbjabi parents. Dissappointed by Manny’s grades and behavior, his parents arrange for him to be married in India: They take him there and then return to England […]
The comedic autobiography describes Trevor Noah’s childhood as a mixed-race child in South Africa during the apartheid era. Suited for interdisciplinary teaching, it can be used in connection to History class while discussing South African history. A possible introduction to the book could be to watch clips of Trevor Noah hosting the The Daily Show.
A novel about the ups and downs of school, puberty and everything in between. This illustrated children’s novel tells the story of a boy named Greg Heffley and his attempts at becoming the ‘popular kid’ in middle school. From failed Geography tests to his best friend getting more attention from girls than him, there are […]
A gripping dystopian story about security, freedom, and the willingness to buy one with the other. Marcus is a 17-year-old tech-savvy student in San Francisco. When he is not breaking his school’s security measures, he spends his free time playing augmented reality games with his friends. It is not his fault that the police find […]
A story about the readiness to help, false suspicion and the American ‘war on terror’. This novel is based on the true story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his family: When hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, Abdulrahman was one of the few people who refused to leave. Traveling the sunken city by canoe, he rescues other […]
This novel is a kick-off to the dystopian trilogy about a society in which love is perceived as a disease. Consequently, young people undergo an operation known as ‘the Cure’ once they turn 18. But when Lena’s ‘Cure’ is drawing near, she meets Alex – he is one of the so called invalids, outcasts who […]
Told from several perspectives, this novel is an exploration of empathy and acceptance but also fear and refusal. 10-year-old Auggie was born with a birth defect that lead to a face deformation, which is why he has been homeschooled by his parents. When he eventually attends a ‘real’ school, he is confronted with bullying, peer […]
In this novel between fundamentalism and family, between loyalty and disobedience, 12-year-old Martha is brought up by strictly religious parents, their rules shaping Martha’s life: no TV and no pop music among other things. Most importanty though, Martha must not invite somebody else home. Too big is her parents’ fear that Abomination, their shameful secret, […]
A shocking story of sexual assult and trauma: Melinda is an outcast at her high school. She busted a party a while ago by calling the cops but now she refuses to publicly give a reason. Shunned by her peers, she almost stops speaking entirely – if nobody listens, what is the point in speaking? […]
An epistolary novel about bullying, violence and school shootings. When Brendan and Gary decide they had enough of humiliation at their high school, especially by the hands of the popular football players, they make plans to take revenge on their peers. Their plan goes awry, however, when they start taking hostages.
This is a story about family, loss, suppression and human trafficking: Rosa is living with her mother in Sheffield. When Rosa’s mother thinks about adopting a child, Rosa only slowly warms to the idea. Meanwhile, in an African village, Abela, an orphan from Tanzania is send by her uncle off to England, after her mother […]
A bilingual story about bugs, beetles, and their surrounding nature, plants, and animals. In the first volume of the series, the reader follows the two small beetle friends Rosi & Skeeter on their adventures through an old oak forest. The series is suitable for younger learners of English as it provides its readers with both, […]
A young adult novel about teenage boy Stanley Yelnats, who is sent to a juvenile corrections facility after being falsely accused of theft. At Camp Green Lake, the plot explores the background stories of different characters, touching on themes such as racism, homelessness and illiteracy. Two companion novels are available, Small Steps and Stanley Yelnat’s […]