We would like to say a huge thank you to the Reading Agency and the following publishers for our Read and Review opportunities during 2021-22: Walker Books, Little Tiger UK , Macmillan, Faber and Usborne.
Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin
Kurara has never known any other life than being a servant on board the Midori, but when her party trick of making paper come to life turns out to be a power treasured across the empire, she joins a skyship and its motley crew to become a Crafter. Taught by the gruff but wise Himura, Kurara learns to hunt shikigami - wild paper spirits who are sought after by the Princess.
But are these creatures just powerful slaves, or are they beings with their own souls? And can a teenage girl be the one to help them find their voice - and change the course of an empire?
I kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
Chloe Green has spent the past four years dodging gossipy, classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that's kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal's perfect daughter.
But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.
On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she's not the only one Shara kissed. There's also Smith, Shara's longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara's bad boy neighbour with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara's trail of clues and find her. It'll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.
Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe - probably not, but maybe - more to Shara, too.
Ellie Pillai Is Brown by Christine Pillainayagam
Most days, Ellie Pillai is somewhere between invisible, and not very cool – and usually she's okay with that. But suddenly, Ellie feels different. Maybe it's the new boy at school who makes her brain explode into rainbows every time she sees him (and also happens to be going out with her best friend), or maybe it's her new drama teacher, the one who seems to have noticed she exists. Suddenly, her misfit style, her skin colour, her songwriting and all that getting lost in the music in her head seem to be okay too. Because maybe standing out isn’t a bad thing after all...
Furthermoor by Darren Simpson
A world as vast and dark as your imagination...
The real world is a hostile place for twelve-year-old Bren, his schooldays stalked by vicious bully, Shaun, and his family life fractured at home. Ever since his sister Evie died in an accident, Bren's only safe space is Furthermoor, an imagined world of mechanised trees and clockwork animals, where Evie is still alive. In Furthermoor, no one can hurt Bren... until the mysterious Featherley arrives.
Now Bren is forced to confront his deepest fears and decide if his place in the real world is worth fighting for.
Shadowghast by Thomas Taylor
"Welcome to Eerie-on-Sea, where nothing is as it seems....
On the eve of Ghastly Night, a hypnotic stage magician turns up in Eerie-on-Sea - and makes an unexpected claim on Herbie.
Violet's guardian, the owner of the Eerie Book Dispensary, vanishes into thin air...and others soon follow.
Are these events connected? Herbie and Violet are determined to find out. But surrounded by so much shadow and illusion, will they uncover the truth?"
Cruel Castle by Bryony Pearce
Having survived the horrors of Savage Island, Grady is now stuck working for Gold, the psychopath who masterminded the gruesome competition. Sent on a “team-building exercise” in a remote castle, he starts to plot his escape.
Ben and Lizzie are in hiding, presumed dead after escaping the island. If they’re ever to return to their families, they need to bring Gold down. So they secretly join Grady in the castle. But as the doors slam shut and the series of deadly challenges between them and freedom are revealed, it looks like history is going to repeat itself...