Sometimes I feel like everyone else was handed a copy of the rules for life and mine got lost. Grace has Asperger's and her own way of looking at the world. She's got a horse and a best friend who understand her, and that's pretty much all she needs. But when Grace kisses Gabe and things start to change at home, the world doesn't make much sense to her any more. Suddenly everything threatens to fall apart, and it's up to Grace to fix it on her own. Whip-smart, hilarious and unapologetically honest, The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas is a heart-warming story of one girl trying to work out where she fits in, and whether she even wants to.

We may look different you and I,
sound different,
act different,
eat different food,
and live in different places
but when I look into your eyes, I see myself.

A comforting and lyrical book about friendship and ubuntu that celebrates both our differences and similarities.

Also available in isiZulu and Afrikaans.

Drikus voel soos God se afskeepkind. Hy kan nie rugby speel nie. Hy het nie veel maats nie. Hy verloor die skaaktoernooi. En dan is hy in ’n fietsongeluk en daar is nie geld om dit reg te maak nie. Wat nou?

Hy besluit om worsbroodjies te begin verkoop om geld te maak, en toe ontmoet hy vir Donovan, ’n straatkind met ’n unieke uitkyk op die lewe.

So begin ’n ongewone vriendskap wat al twee seuns se lewens onherroeplik verander.

This book tackles the serious matter of sexual abuse and serves to inform and empower children. It highlights the warning signs of sexual abuse and teaches children how to react in such a situation. Kevin loves stories about the fierce prince of Arabia who can even fight dragons. But his older sister, Abby, don’t believe in fairy tales anymore. Abby says there is a dragon in their own home – one that fears nothing and no one. But who could it be?

From acclaimed author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me) comes a poignant coming-of-age, contemporary middle grade debut novel about finding your place, using your voice, and the true meaning of pride. Perfect for fans of Rick by Alex Gino and The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy.

Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school’s first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can’t be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio.

When Jake’s dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade.

Except Jake doesn’t think that’s a ridiculous idea. Why can’t they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? The problem is, Jake knows he’ll have to get approval from the town council, and the mayor won’t be on his side. And as Jake and his friends try to find a way to bring Pride to Barton Springs, it seems suspicious that the mayor’s son, Brett, suddenly wants to spend time with Jake.

But someone that cute couldn’t possibly be in league with his mayoral mother, could he?

A space-obsessed boy and his dog, Carl Sagan, take a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe in this funny and moving novel for fans of Counting by 7s, Walk Two Moons, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl Sagan—named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he’ll uncover—from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.

Jack Cheng’s debut is full of joy, optimism, determination, and unbelievable heart. To read the first page is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To read the last is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time.

Sonia and I have a lot in common. Our parents are divorced. Our dads are gay. We both love barbecue potato chips. But she is different from me in at least one way: you can't tell how she's feeling just by looking at her. At all.

When Bea's dad and his wonderful partner, Jesse, decide to marry, it looks as if Bea's biggest wish is coming true: she's finally (finally!) going to have a sister.

They're both ten. They're both in fifth grade. Though they've never met, Bea knows that she and Sonia will be perfect sisters. Just like sisters anywhere, Bea thinks. But as the wedding day approaches, Bea makes discoveries that lead her to a possibly disastrous choice.

Making a new family brings questions, surprises, and joy in this brilliant modern classic by Newbery Medalist Rebecca Stead.

Have you ever seen a bully in action and done nothing about it? The kids at Pete's new school get involved, instead of being bystanders. When Pete begins to behave badly, his classmates teach him about "The Promise." Will Pete decide to shed his bullying habits and make "The Promise"?

Soon to be a major film - in cinemas 19 May. This edition has stunning cover artwork featuring the film's stars Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson. Risk everything...For love. Madeline Whittier is allergic to the world; stepping outside the sterile sanctuary of her home could kill her. But then Olly moves in next door. And just like that, Maddy realizes there's more to life than just being alive. You only get one chance at first love. And Maddy is ready to risk everything, everything to see where it leads. Everything, Everthing is an innovative, inspiring and heartbreakingly romantic novel that unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, illustrations and more..."Gorgeous and lyrical." (New York Times).

A brilliant new highly-illustrated chapter book series for 5+ readers. Destiny uses her creativity to overcomes her worries. Perfect for readers moving on from Tom Percival's BIG BRIGHT FEELINGS picture books and fans of JOJO & GRAN GRAN. Destiny can't wait to go for her first ever sleepover at her best friend's house. But she also can't help feeling a little worried ... they're going to camp outside in the garden - in a tent - but also in the dark! Destiny uses her trusty sketchbook to doodle her ideas and work through her worries. She even draws some monsters but that makes her feel a bit scared again, so she makes a tent in her room to practice in. When she goes to bed, she hears some noises from the tent and finds a monster inside! But the monster isn't frightening. He's come for a sleepover but he's not sure he's ready. Can Destiny help him? After they try midnight snacks, dressing up and telling stories under the stars, Destiny realises there's nothing to be worried about after all! The next morning, the monster has disappeared, but Destiny is more ready for a sleepover than ever! "A warm and humorous book and is a perfect next stage for children aged five and over. They will love the illustrations, the relationship that Destiny has with her dad and how she doodles in her special sketchbook. I can't wait to read the next Destiny Ink book." - Laura Henry-Allain MBE, the creator of JoJo and Gran Gran

Can you plan happiness?

It's been a year since Paige's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident and it's time she rejoined the real world.

So she makes a plan:

1. Date a boy (long-standing crush Ryan Chase seems like the perfect choice)

2. Attend parties (with best friends by your side: doable)

3. Join a club (simple enough, right?)

4. Travel (might as well dream big)

5. Swim (terrifying. Impossible)

But when she meets Ryan's sweet but so nerdy cousin, Max, he opens up her world and Paige's plans start to change.

Is it too late for a second chance at life?

Brimming with characters so real you feel you could pick up the phone and call them, The Start of Me and You will prove that it's never too late for second chances. Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Jennifer Niven and John Green. Chosen by bestselling author Amy Alward as part of the 2017 Zoella Book Club!

How do you live your life if your past is based on a lie? Find out in this “satisfied and moving story” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) in both verse and prose from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins.

For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire.

Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined.

Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago.

In bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s deft hands, Ariel’s emotionally charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances beautifully with Maya’s story of loss and redemption. This is a memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their lives and coming face to face with themselves—for both the last and the very first time.

In the fifth book in Karen Kingsbury and Tyler Russell’s beloved series about the Baxter children, when things don’t turn out according to plan, the siblings must stick together and remember who they are.

Things are changing in Bloomington for the Baxters. When Ashley’s teacher, Mr. Garrett, takes a month off work for the birth of his baby, the intimidating Ms. Stritch takes his place. Ashley tries but can’t seem to crack the new teacher’s tough exterior. Meanwhile, Brooke struggles when a popular girl excludes her at lunch, Erin adjusts to getting glasses, and when Kari is given a dance solo for the upcoming recital, she takes her success a little too seriously.

When Principal Bond announces a new Character Awards initiative, competition breaks out between siblings and friends, until the students forget the point of the awards. Through it all, the town prepares for a major blizzard that Luke worries will cancel his class’s field trip to see the Harlem Globetrotters.

With so many obstacles in their lives, the Baxter Children have the opportunity to remember what being Baxters really means.

While not much is known about the life and legacy of Anna de Koning, this children’s book aims to make her a household name and have her story taught at schools – of how an enslaved child arrived in the Cape Colony from Bengal and would remarkably become one of the wealthiest and most influential women of her time.

Anna lived in a village surrounded by a thick rainforest filled with striped tigers that roared at night. Her mother had grown up in that village, and she would have too until strangers came and sold her family to the captain of a big ship with large white sails. When the ship finally arrived at the shores of the Cape of Good Hope, Anna’s life changed, and she was no longer free.

Woman of Freedom brings to life the historically accurate journey of a young enslaved girl who became one of the wealthiest and most respected women in the early Cape Colony.

Teaching children about one of South Africa’s matriarchs in an inspiring narrative true to the culture and history of our land.

Fifteen-year-old Sander wishes he was like everyone else. But Sander has a rare medical condition that affects one in a hundred thousand people. It means his growth is stunted, and it seems the biggest, strongest and loudest guys get all the attention. But Sander notices the little things other people miss, and he's about to make a big impact...

"Powerful, lovely, heart-wrenching, and so absorbing I devoured it in one sitting." (Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places). If you loved Hazel and Augustus, Violet and Finch, and Mia and Adam, get ready to fall again for Maddy and Olly - the girl who lives in a bubble, and the boy next door...Soon to be a major motion picture! This is the story of the thrill and heartbreak that ensues when we break out of our shell to do crazy, sometimes death-defying things for love. Madeline Whittier is allergic to the outside world. So allergic, in fact, that she has never left the house in all of her seventeen years. But when Olly moves in next door, and wants to talk to Maddy, tiny holes start to appear in the protective bubble her mother has built around her. Olly writes his IM address on a piece of paper, shows it at her window, and suddenly, a door opens. Maddy is certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!

Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better.

Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is - and what he's looking for.

But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated.

Because, for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal . . .

It's a holy freaking huge awesome deal.

The Hate U Give meets All American Boys in this striking and heartbreaking debut novel, commenting on current race relations in America.

When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid. The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.

Tyler Johnson Was Here is a stunning account of police brutality in modern America.

MEET TEN-YEAR-OLD ANDY. THE SUITCASE KID. "When my parents split up they didn't know what to do with me. My family always lived at Mulberry Cottage. Mum, Dad, me - and Radish, my lovable toy rabbit. But now, Mum lives with Bill the Baboon and his three kids. Dad lives with Carrie and her twins. And where do I live? I live out of a suitcase." Andy has always lived at Mulberry Cottage with her mum and dad. But when they split up, Andy has to say goodbye to her childhood home. Now she spends one week at her mum's and one week at her dad's. With a brand-new stepfamily to deal with and two new houses, will Andy ever feel at home? Written by the multi-award-winning author, Jacqueline Wilson, The Suitcase Kid explores the emotions around divorce with humour, and ultimately optimism. The perfect book to start conversations about difficult topics like divorce with young readers. Gripping, funny and sensitively written - Independent on Sunday

Witness the power of family history and family love in this funny, poignant addition to a series that the New York Times Book Review hails as “delightful and heartwarming.”

It’s summer on 141st Street, and the Vanderbeekers are looking forward to Papa’s surprise fortieth birthday party. But when Papa must leave town suddenly to help his best friend, trouble in the form of their distant grandparents shows up on their doorstep.

Not only must the Vanderbeekers face the disappointment of ruined plans, but they have more than one family secret to solve if they are going to give Papa the special birthday he deserves.

The New York Times bestselling Vanderbeekers series is perfect for fans of the Penderwicks. As Booklist commented in a starred review: “Few families in children’s literature are as engaging or amusing as the Vanderbeekers, even in times of turmoil.”

The series includes:

• The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
• The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden
• The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue
• The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found
• The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish
• The Vanderbeekers on the Road
• The Vanderbeekers Ever After

Belle dreams of adventures like the ones she reads about in her books - until she becomes the prisoner of a fearsome Beast in a mysterious, enchanted castle. But life in the castle isn't as terrible as Belle imagines, and soon she realizes there is more to the Beast than first meets the eye. Experience this tale as old as time about adventure and love, about looking past first appearances, about the inner Beauty and Beast in all of us. Disney Beauty and the Beast Book of the Film is based on the live-action film starring Emma Watson.

WARNING: DO NOT JUMP ON THIS BOOK!

Have you ever jumped on a book? Perhaps not. Most people would think it was a rather unusual thing to do.

Ten-year-old Mayowa has always thought that her Grandpa Edward, who dyes his beard emerald green and jumps on books in private, is rather unusual too. Until one day she jumps on a book for herself, and uncovers a huge family secret …

Mayowa can book jump.

By jumping on a book, she can harness the emotions inside it and channel them directly into other people. And when the opportunity to use her power to save the lives of countless refugees presents itself, Mayowa wants to jump in with both feet.

But Mayowa and her grandpa aren’t the only book jumpers in existence. And not everybody wants to use this power for good …

Brimming with heart, Mayowa and the Sea of Words is a modern classic in the making. Perfect for everyone who knows the true power of a good book …

Aldan Valentyn is niemand nie.

Hy plaas ʼn foto van homself sonder sy hemp, op Instagram. En word die bespotting van die skool.

Maar dit sal binnekort verander. In die gym. Met gewigte. En die KRAG in die naalde.

“Wat is die ergste wat kan gebeur?”.

‘Nearly as good as one of my books’ – David Walliams

Dive in to this funny and debut heart-warming magical adventure from star of stage and screen, Matt Lucas – a festive modern classic for young readers of 8-12!

Leo LOVES Christmas. And this Christmas needs to be absolutely perfect, because it’s the first one without Mum. Only it all keeps going wrong!

The fairylights are in a tangle. The Christmas cards aren’t finished. The tree isn’t decorated. And the Christmas cakes have all been destroyed! Soon Leo decides he’s had enough – he makes a heartfelt wish that it would all GO AWAY.

Then Leo wakes up on Christmas morning – and it’s gone!! All of Christmas! But Leo isn’t going to let it escape that easily . . .

Join Leo as he sets out on a mission to undo his wish and get Christmas back in the brand-new festive classic by bestselling author Matt Lucas.

Home Alone meets A Christmas Carol in a hilarious adventure with a big dollop of festive magic. Funny, sensitive and emotional in all the best ways, this warm and seasonal family story touches ever so gently on childhood grief but is wrapped up in a chaotic and heart-warming adventure.

Beloved author Gary D. Schmidt expertly blends comedy and tragedy in the story of Doug Swieteck, an unhappy "teenage thug" first introduced in The Wednesday Wars, who finds consolation and a sense of possibility in friendship and art.

At once heartbreaking and hopeful, this absorbing novel centers on Doug, 14, who has an abusive father, a bully for a brother, a bad reputation, and shameful secrets to keep. Teachers and police and his relatives think he's worthless, and he believes them, holding others at arm's length. Newly arrived in town, he starts out on the same path—antagonizing other kids, mouthing off to teachers, contemptuous of everything intimidating or unfamiliar. Who would have thought that the public library would turn out to be a refuge and an inspiration, that a snooty librarian might be a friend, or that snarky redheaded Lil would like him—really like him?

With more than his share of pain, including the return of his oldest brother from the Vietnam War, shattered and angry, will Doug find anything better than "okay for now"?