Giften by Leyla Suzan

Ever since The Darkening, survival has been a struggle. As one of the Giften, Ruthie is a saviour to her isolated community: her hands hold the rare ability to raise food from dead soil. But she is also its greatest danger. In the City lurks a dark army, intent on hunting Giften to harness their power.

Themes: nature, climate change, dystopia, magic, survival

When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari

Kai, Orla and Zak grew up together, their days spent on the patch of wilderness in between their homes, a small green space in a sprawling grey city. Then Kai’s family suffers a huge loss, and Kai is drawn into a new and more dangerous crowd. Can Orla, Zak and new classmate Om help him find his way back?

Themes: urban places, nature, refugees, friendship

Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai

Japanese mythology says there is a catfish under Japan and when it rolls, the land rises and falls. Sora hates this catfish; it destroyed her home and took her mother. Now Sora and her father live close to the zones where time runs faster and slower than normal. But then her father goes missing too...

Themes: Japanese myths, magic, tectonic plates, earthquakes

Japanese mythology says there is a catfish under Japan and when it rolls, the land rises and falls. Sora hates this catfish; it destroyed her home and took her mother. Now Sora and her father live close to the zones where time runs faster and slower than normal. But then her father goes missing too...

Themes: Japanese myths, magic, tectonic plates, earthquakes

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant is a detective constable - and a trainee wizard. After an unexpected encounter with a ghost, he has found himself recruited into the small branch of the Met police which deals with magic and the supernatural. He must use his unique skills to solve mysteries that the rest of the police cannot.

Themes: urban places, Thames, magic, mystery, supernatural

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katour

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when war broke out in Syria. She still had her parents, her big brother and her home. Now Salama volunteers at a hospital, helping the wounded. She knows that she should be thinking about leaving, but who will help the people of her beloved country if she doesn't?

Themes: Syria, survival, peril, family, war

The End of Time by Gavin Extence

Two teenage brothers stand on a stony beach, wearing lifejackets that are too big for them. Turkey is behind them and Europe lies ahead, a dark, desperate swim away. They don't know what will come next, but they're about to meet a man who calls himself the Messiah...

Themes: refugees, family, seas, survival

All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

When the Superflu wipes out most of the population, Jamie finds himself completely alone in a cabin in the woods - until an injured stranger crosses his path. As the boys make a perilous journey south, they'll come face to face with a world torn apart. Who, or what, will they find waiting for them at the end of it all?

Themes: pandemic, post-apocalypse, LGBTQ+, peril

The Rain by Virginia Bergin

People weren’t prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn’t realize that you couldn’t drink water from the taps either. Even a drop of rain would infect your blood, and eat you from the inside out. Ruby knows she has to get to London to find her dad, but she just doesn’t know where to start...

Themes: apocalyse, survival, weather, thriller

People weren’t prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn’t realize that you couldn’t drink water from the taps either. Even a drop of rain would infect your blood, and eat you from the inside out. Ruby knows she has to get to London to find her dad, but she just doesn’t know where to start...

Themes: apocalyse, survival, weather, thriller

Green Rising by Lauren James

Gabrielle, Hester and Theo are teenagers with a strange new ‘Greenfingers’ power, an ability to grow plants from their skin. They must join forces with teenagers from around the world to work together and bring about a green rising, in the face of a growing climate catastrophe.

Themes: climate change, fantasy, nature, friendship

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Santiago, an elderly fisherman, has not caught a fish in 84 days. On the morning of day 85, he takes his boat further out into the Gulf Stream, hooking a huge marlin - although the marlin isn’t going to go quietly...

Themes: classic, oceans, Gulf Stream, fishing, nature