The warm fuzzy feeling of young lovers in the glamorous setting of Italy! Lina, meets her father for the first time in a foreign country and unravels the mystery of why she never met him when her mother was alive, by reading her journal. Harold lives in a graveyard and is so entirely different to Lina that she can’t understand how he could possibly be her dad. This book will make you feel reaffirmed by your difference, decisive about love and friendship and all warm inside. If you’re going through a cultural change, like you’re the new kid, this book would be a great comfort. A book for #teenromance #parentrelationships #bigchange Video review here

If you get to know your enemy, you might not hate them after all. This book kind of blew my mind. There is no getting around the fact that it’s REALLY weird, but I LOVED everything about it. It is based on Moby Dick, which is a novel told from the perspective of whalers seeking revenge on a whale, whereas this book is told from the perspective of a whale seeking revenge on humans.  The main character (whale) is called Bathsheba, and she is part of a group of hunters that hunt humans. They have their own ships and harpoons, and while at times I struggled to get my head around these sorts of things, there are really beautiful illustrations that helped me understand what was going on.  In this book, whales are just as cruel to humans as humans are to them. Prejudice, evil, war, revenge, and the foolishness of all these things is explored, which seems pretty timely with the way the world is going these days.  “For there are devils in the deep, but worst are the ones we make.” This is a book for exploring #prejudice, #war, #revenge and #evil. Video review here.

Ruby doesn't know she's pregnant until she's literally having her baby. It's called a cryptic pregnancy, and it's rare, but it happens. The labour is difficult enough, but the challenges are only just beginning: judgement, physical and emotional trauma, and a father she has to keep secret, or it could ruin her relationship with her best friend, Ashley. No one seems to understand just how hard it is for her, and how she needs some time to adjust to the idea of being a mum, but they DO all seem to think they know what's best for her. Maybe someone has come charging into your life at a difficult time, thinking they have all the answers and assuming they know what's best for you. On this level, I think this book is relatable to a lot of people, even if their lives haven't been touched by teenage pregnancy. This book is an emotional rollercoaster, and honestly, it's so sad seeing what happens to Ruby. Trigger Warning for depression and misogyny. This is a book for exploring #teenagepregnancy #depression #misogyny #friendshipchallenges Video review here.

A seemingly innocuous school trip to Paris for US college students turns dark and dangerous in the catacombs beneath the surface. Ruby has her own YouTube channel and is keen to show her viewers the ‘hidden gems’ of Paris. Sean, her videographer friend offers a slow burn romance in this story while Val, best friend, provides the wildness of a girl on tour, flirting with danger at every turn. Beneath the surface of this story are some really interesting friendship issues that are well worth looking at, especially if you think you might be a needy friend or in a claustrophobic friendship. Or if you think you might be in a friendship or a relationship where some gaslighting is going on. In the background here we have some deceased parents, grieving parents and controlling parents along with some very challenging decision making as the story makes its way down and down into the layers below Paris. This book explores #difficultfriendships and #gaslighting. Video link here.

Deemed the three ugliest girls in their school, Mireille, Astrid and Hakima embark on a cycling adventure together from the Bourg-en-Bresse to Paris for three different reasons. Horrible boys exist. They do awful things like create ‘Pig Pageants’ to identify and shame girls they see as ugly with no regard for the effects of their actions. Fortunately, this isn’t a story about girls who lie down and take this kind of abuse without doing something about it. And what they do is cycle to Paris selling sausages, creating a media storm around the ‘three little pigletts’. Funny and lighthearted, this book about the serious issues of body image and the social pressures to be beautiful and slim, throws the social rule book away. I just couldn’t make these girls ugly in my head because their roles in the story were so wonderfully packed with positive traits. Perhaps this proves that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. A book for promoting #doingyourownthing and #overcomingobstacles See the video review here

Nick watches helplessly as Charlie struggles with an eating disorder, but comes through for him by insisting he gets help. This Heartstopper volume, in the beautiful pictures of a graphic novel, shows how having a friend with an issue, such as an eating disorder, can be very consuming and have a negative impact on your life too. There’s something so lovely, so sweet and so pure about Nick and Charlie’s relationship. In this volume, we see what it’s like to be the friend, the one watching a destructive disorder play out. This book is the perfect remedy if someone close to you is suffering and you don’t know what to do or how to help. A book for coping with an #eatingdisorder or a #difficultfriendship See the video review here .

Everyone loves Kit: he’s full of charm and movie-star looks. But “all that glitters is not gold.” This is a great end of summer read. It has all the glamour and seduction of beautiful characters and a rich person’s lake-house, with something sinister lurking under the sultry The Great Godden explores the toxicity of Kit, and how one person can cause immense damage. His brother Hugo is his opposite: withdrawn and observant, he sees the truth when others are blinded by Kit’s beauty. This book is a warning about the Kits in our lives. Honestly, he’s a bit of a predator, manipulating others to his advantage. There’s certainly a message that people aren’t always what they appear, and sometimes we need to be cautious to protect ourselves . . . and there was a twist I didn’t see coming at the end “I tend to trust my instincts, though they're not always right.” This is a book for #toxicrelationships #manipulation  Video review here

Grace is trying to make sense of the world, but because of her autism, she feels like she’s the only one without a rule book. She has a great best friend and an amazing horse, but things are starting to fall apart at home with her parents’ relationship (and her little sister can be really irritating). On top of that, she really fancies a boy named Gabe, but she’s not sure where to even start with that.  I really like the way this book debunks some of the stereotypes about autism, like autistic people have no emotions and they are all amazing at maths. It does a great job of showing how Grace can get overwhelmed by lots of social time, and sensory things like lights and noise. I really felt for Grace because she feels weird and out of place a lot of the time, and she seems tired of the challenge to act ‘normal’. In fact, she wants so much to be normal and accepted that it drives her to do something dangerous, which she ends up completely regretting. It reminded me of times in my life when I should have listened to my gut and shut down stupid ideas in their tracks. BUT, it also reminded me that it’s okay to make mistakes.  “I think what I’m trying to tell you, my dear, is that it’s okay to get things wrong.”  This is a book for exploring #autism #neurodiversity #familytension and has #adhd rep.  Video review here

All over the world, teens are being given the power to grow plants from their bodies. They are known as Greenfingers: some are using their power to help the Earth, while others are exploiting it. Theo works on his dad’s fishing boat. When they have a terrible accident at sea and Theo’s dad is injured, Theo suddenly needs to support his parents financially. He doesn’t know where to turn — but he has developed a special power to create enormous amounts of seaweed from his body. He is part of the Greenfingers phenomenon. Dalex, a greedy energy corporation, is Theo’s family’s sworn enemy, but they are hiring Greenfingers, and Theo needs money. Can Theo convince his new employer to use the Greenfingers powers to help the climate crisis, or are they just going to make it worse? I’ve been looking for a good angry book about the climate disaster because I’m so fed up with the situation. While I didn’t warm to the story immediately (I was a bit weirded out by the growing plants from your body thing, but I tend to prefer realism), it did grow on me. The activism mood was what I needed right now, and I was satisfied with the ending. “We’re going to continue living here, however bad Earth gets. Calling this an apocalypse just leads to fear paralysis. It gives people yet another reason to avoid acting.”  This book is for #environmentalanxiety #climatecrisis #anger #protest #activism  #dyslexiarep Video review here

Jennifer finds the strength to face her eating disorder. At the beginning of Believarexic, Jennifer's family is in denial, so embarrassed by her illness that she has to force them to admit her into an Eating Disorder Unit.  But when she gets there, it’s a nightmare. There are weird friendships and rivalries and toxic nurses who bully her. Jennifer is starving, confused and alone, and recovery seems impossible. But she finds the strength and self respect to see it through, and she makes some amazing friends.  The serious topic is lightened by humour, although it can be a bit dark! And the writing is realistic, helped by the fact that it is a fictionalised memoir of the author’s experience. I inhaled it. “Buddha said, ‘Life is suffering.’ Life is suffering. It makes me strangely happy to think this. Because if the only guarantee in life is suffering, it means that any moment of happiness or joy is a total bonus. Because joy and happiness aren't guaranteed.” This is a book for anyone struggling with #mentalhealth #anxiety #depression #eatingdisorders #anorexia #bulimia #alcoholabuse #alcoholism  Video review here

Not everyone can fall in love. Georgia thinks she’s just being picky because she is into no one. Objectively, she can see when people are attractive, and she would love to have a partner, it’s just nobody does it for her. It’s not until she joins the Pride Society at university that she discovers she’s aromantic and asexual: two things she didn’t even know were things before. Once she realises, it’s a hard path to self-acceptance.  I loved this message: if something feels like a wrong fit, maybe that’s because it is. We don’t all fit into the moulds society expects us to, and that’s okay. Another message I loved: friendships can be every bit as important as, if not more than, romantic love.  “Give your friendships the magic you would give a romance. Because they're just as important. Actually, for us, they're way more important.” This is a book for #self-acceptance, #lgbt #sexualidentity being #aromantic and #asexual.  Video review here

Mateo and Rufus get the alert everyone dreads: they are going to die today. They live in a world a lot like ours, except in their world, everyone gets a notification the day they’re going to die. So, life, business and art respond accordingly: there are last day experience centres for ‘Deckers,’ and even an app to meet your ‘Last Friend’ so you don’t spend your final hours alone.  And that’s how Rufus and Mateo meet. They have a maximum of 24 hours together, knowing they each face certain death. They’re opposites in lots of ways, but they bond fast since there’s no time to lose, each bringing out qualities in the other: Rufus gets Mateo to take more risks, and Mateo encourages Rufus to repair relationships. I was rooting for them both the whole time, and completely invested. They are both so vulnerable, but still trying to cram in all the things that matter most while they still can.  It was impossible not to think about my own life, the people who matter most to me, and how I’d spend a day if I knew it was my last.  “My last message would be, find your people and live each day like it’s your last.” This is a book for #friendship, #grief and #livinglifetothefull.   Video review here