Spies, tech and friendship
Amber Undercover, E M Norry
Amber's just an unassuming fourteen year old teen, with a best friend, Vi, a pizza addiction and a healthy interest in athletics. When she manages to escape from an escape room, she gets spotted by a spy agency and recruited to train with them to become a secret agent. Sounds implausible? Well, yes, but this is such quick witted, chatty writing that you can't help but get caught up in the possibility of it being believable.
Chuck in a bit of teen blushing, an elite boarding school hacking ring, a few James Bond gadgets and an evil mastermind, and you have in your hands a very good book. 10+
We are all connected....
Look Both Ways, Jason Reynolds
Truthful, sensitive, funny, lyrical prose. This is a clever book. I love the way Jason Reynolds writes. Just won the Carnegie and I'm really pleased it did. It's a big win for the publishers, Knights Of, who I've admired for a long time, and also for modern, representative fresh children's literature.
It's ten inter-connected stories all about children walking home from school. Deals with lots of different themes, from bullying, to homophobia, to tear-jerking kindness. It pushes boundaries, will kickstart conversations and remind us that we are all connected in some way - no matter our circumstances. 10+
Birds, kindness and detective work
Twitch, M. G Leonard
Twitch lives with his mother, Iris, in a modest house, with a tree hung with teapots, cupboards that have become homes for pigeons and swallows nesting in his room. Twitch is lovely company. Independent, quietly confident, passionate, caring, true to himself and others. He won't put up with bullies and he won't let anyone down.
When a robber and murderer is on the loose who is believed to have hidden 5 million pounds in a woodland that Twitch knows well, his life will change as he sets out to solve what has happened.
Glorious. 9+