Front cover of Gone for Good by Sarah Crossan, 2026

A great YA verse novel. Thriller, mystery, a missing girl and a facility for 'troubled' teens. Accessible and gripping. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray, 2025

This was an enjoyable YA fantasy romance - a solid example of the genre, mild in terms of spice (so great for a secondary school library). The first of a trilogy/series that I will continue to read. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Timeriders by Alex Scarrow, 2010

Fun sci-fi adventure for young teens. Plenty of action, thrills and danger. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Riverkeep by Martin Stewart, 2016

Lyrical prose in this dark tale of a boy on a journey to save his father, meeting a range of characters on the way - the dynamic between them is brilliant and the world beautifully described. Monsters, gore and a lot of heart, courtesy of the main character. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Ghost by Finbar Hawkins, 2025

A chilling YA tale of three girls across time against an ancient evil. Fast-paced and atmospheric, full of nature, set in the woods and branching out from Roman Britain to present day. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of The Boy I Love by William Hussey, 2025

A harrowing YA novel of two young soldiers in the Battle of the Somme. Beautifully told and an eye-opener into the conflicts, large and small, between young, gay men and their enemies at home and abroad during WW1. This author is very talented! #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Bite Risk: Cold Blood by S. J. Wills, 2025

Horror, appropriate for younger teens. Some great, gruesome moments, werewolves and zombies. I wish I'd read the first in the series before picking up this, the third! #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Girl, Ultra-Processed by Amara Sage, 2025

Contemporary YA dealing with themes of body image and positivity, friendships and social media, tearing open the consequences of diet culture. Great characters! #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher, 2025

A YA verse novel about teen pregnancy, consent and identity. Brilliantly written and an important read - it approaches the themes sensitively and without preaching. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of A Flash of Neon by Sophie Cameron, 2025

A great novel for young teens about a girl who makes up a best friend who then becomes real. It is a story of what friendship means and, ultimately, the power of stories. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker by Lauren James, 2020

A great YA novel that felt unique. There were twists I saw coming and surprises too. Compelling characters and a cleverly-woven plot. Friendship, betrayal, death and ghosts. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of The Hive by Anna February, 2025

YA dystopian, fantasy, murder mystery. Fascinating world-building based on the society of bees, complex relationships between royalty and their 'shields' (bodyguards), and plenty to think about rights, wrongs, and corruption. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of Nettle by Bex Hogan, 2024

A perfect reminder of the fairy tales I read when I was younger. There's folklore, fantasy and romance. Faeries, forests and the rule of three. Deals, danger and glamour. Great stuff. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of The Reluctant Vampire Queen by Jo Simmons, 2022

A great example of a humorous, romance book suitable for year 7. Friendship, bullies, honesty and standing up for yourself all tied up in an amusing tale of vampires and mini battenburgs. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud, 2016

Every book so far in this series has been brilliant. I can't wait to read the next one. Just perfection! #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of What Happens Online by Nathanael Lessore, 2025

Lessore is brilliant at writing humour whilst tackling real issues. His main characters always have warmth and humanity, even if they can't see it themselves and can make (pretty big) mistakes. This one includes online behaviours, loneliness, bullying, grief. A must for a school library. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of AdelAIDE: Just Wants to Help by Melinda Salisbury, 2024

A thrilling short YA story about eco-activism, social media and AI. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of The Hollow Boy (#3 in Lockwood & Co) by Jonathan Stroud, 2015

Third in the series and just as excellent as the first two. YA horror and mystery. Brilliant characters, genuinely scary moments and full of action. I'm still gutted the TV show was cancelled. #YAlitUK 💙📚

Front cover of TraumaLand by Josh Silver, 2025

A YA dark thriller with dystopian vibes that is impossible to put down. Fast-paced and superbly written, it gives a fascinating insight into the mind of the teen protagonist who has lost his memories and emotions due to trauma. He wants them back. Phenomenal! #YAlitUK 📚💙

Front cover of Children of the Night by M. A. Bennett, 2025

This YA novel is a good gothic ride with plenty of film and literary references, action, and character dynamics to keep the reader going. Not quite as brilliant as the first in the Young Gothic series, but I will definitely continue with it. #YAlitUK 📚💙

Front cover of Young Gothic by M. A. Bennett, 2024

Loved this YA horror: a homage to all things gothic. Cleverly written, the characters are fantastic, the setting suitably dark and stormy and the plot brilliantly constructed. #YAlitUK 💙📚

#booksky #yalit #bookskyuk #yalituk

Book front cover with title in red capital letters to convey blood. In bottom right corner, overhead view of a female character in baseball boots and winter clothes.

This is a brill YA thriller, new on the shelf in our sch library but already v popular. The narrative switches between police interview transcripts & flashbacks from differing povs. It's a good one to recommend to murder mystery fans. Set in winter ❄️. Y8 upwards.
#YAlitUK #BookSky #YAlit

So I feel the best way to introduce myself in this new world would be to share some of my favourite recent reads across #KidLitUK, #YALitUK and all areas of our Bookish world ...