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The Falling in Love Montage, by Ciara Smyth, published by Andersen Press
Seventeen-year-old Saoirse has finished with exams and is facing a long hot summer before uni. She plans to party, get drunk, watch horror movies and forget all her troubles by kissing girls.
Ever since the ‘breakupocalypse’ with her ex Hannah, she’s been alone and angry, dealing with the hole left in her family by her sick mother’s absence. Worse, Dad drops a bombshell: he’s remarrying at the end of the summer. Enter the scene: Ruby, who might just be the prettiest girl Saoirse’s ever seen.
A romcom fan and a believer in true love, Ruby challenges cynical Saoirse to try a summer romance with the serious parts left out, just like in the movies. But what happens when the falling in love montage ends?
Love on the Main Stage by S.A. Domingo, published by Hodder Children’s Books
Five music festivals . . . One unforgettable summer!
16-year-old songwriter Nova is having the best summer of her life. Helping out with her parents’ food truck, she gets to attend not one, but FIVE different music festivals! Things get even better when she meets cute American boy, Sam, an aspiring musician like her. After sharing a magical evening dancing under the stars, Nova never expects to see Sam again. But to her surprise they keep meeting up at music festivals . . .
Nova begins to hope that their romance could become more than just a festival fling. So why is Sam so reluctant to talk about himself? And why does he have access to the VIP backstage area . . .?
Politics Is…, published by DK
How do ideas make the world go round? What are the political left and right? What’s the difference between capitalism and communism, or democracy and dictatorship? Who really holds the power? Can activism stop climate change, and can pacifism prevent wars? Can everyone have freedom of speech? And what does all this mean for you?
Find out the answers in this book, which unpacks the complicated language and often messy world of politics.
Politics is… looks at the beliefs of political thinkers, leaders, and activists from around the world, covers the key branches of government, and examines authority. While focusing on contemporary issues, the book also traces the history of politics. It explains the ideas and “-isms” that shape our world as well as investigating the role of external factors, such as protest and the media, in political decision-making. The ideas of politics explained clearly and simply for young people.
Whether you’re studying politics or fed up with fake news, if you’re not sure whether politics matters or why your vote counts, get your hands on this thought-provoking book – it defines the big ideas you need to know and provides inspiration for analysing, interrogating, and changing your world.
Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett, published by Simon & Schuster
Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever, so there’s no reason to change her modus operandi—keeping to herself, dreaming of the day she can leave.
But after a disastrous summer party, a poorly executed act of revenge lands her in big-time trouble. As in, jail…alongside the last person with whom she’d want to share a mugshot: the son of the boat mechanic across the street, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend.
Josie and Lucky become the talk of their coastal small town. But during a summer of secrets, everything changes, and the easy friendship they once shared grows into something deeper and more complicated. Can Josie and Lucky swim past obstacles that come with rough waters, or will they both go down together?
Clementine and Rudy by Siobhan Curham, published by Walker Books
Rudy is a street artist; Clementine is a poet. The day after Rudy sneaks out late one night and posts her first piece of artwork, Clem discovers it, awestruck. She takes a photo, writes a poem in response and posts them together on Instagram. Soon the two fifteen-year-olds meet and begin their unique friendship, one that nurtures creativity and results in a special creative collaboration. The girls may be from very different backgrounds, and experiencing difficulties at home, but each strives to be true to herself and follow her dreams.
