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 Ice Apprentices by Jacob North, 2025
Loved the world building and magic system in this MG fantasy. Fast-paced and some great characters. Great for representation too. #kidlituk 💙📚
Front cover of The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, 2004
An older (over 20 years ago) read for young teens: epic fantasy inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (or Wolverhampton as predictive text would have it!). There are battles, magic, imagination and a fight for the throne. Fun. #YAlit 💙📚
Front cover of Wildlands by Brogen Murphy, 2025
Great for those who like adventure, nature and stories about families. There is very realistic peril in this middle grade novel, set in the near future where a lot of Britain has been given up for nature to reclaim. #kidlituk 💙📚
I put it off for years because I just thought they'd be overhyped. However, students in my book club insisted I give them a go and I ended up loving the whole trilogy. Action, corruption, danger - just great YA dystopia.
Front cover of Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, 2025
An emotional ride. A lot of what I enjoyed about the other Hunger Games books and a great, if harrowing, backstory. #YAlit 💙📚
Front cover of The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen, 2025
Dragons and sci-fi? It works! Lots of tech, action and teamwork. A bonded dragon, betrayal and hardship. I enjoyed this trip to Mars and beyond and am keen to see what's next for the crew. That front cover! #kidlit 💙📚
Front cover of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, 2019
A great example of a murder mystery for teens with plenty of twists and a great cast of characters. #YAlit 💙📚
Front cover of Dragonborn by Struan Murray, 2025
Excellent MG fantasy. Action, friendship, mystery and, of course, dragons. An epic start to a series. #kidlituk 💙📚
Front cover of Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, 2024
The sequel is as much fun as the first. 💙📚
Front cover of Letters from the Upside by Katya Balen, 2025
Nobody writes raw emotion quite like this author: her books are full of big feelings. This MG contemporary novel has anger, abandonment, pigeons and, most of all, hope. #kidlituk 💙📚
Front cover of People like Stars by Patrice Lawrence, 2025
A fascinating contemporary mystery around three young teens connected in ways that come as a shock to them, involving families and secrets. A great example of a book suitable for that tricky market between middle grade and young adult. #kidlituk 💙📚
Front cover of The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 2020
A fantastic mystery/thriller that kept me invested until the end (and beyond). Secrets, codes, riddles and a touch of romance - plenty to keep you guessing. I'm glad I finally picked this up. #YAlit 💙📚
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 Small Wonder by Ross Montgomery, 2025
A gateway to fantasy, despite the lack of magic! This mg novel has heart, bravery, family, knights and a wonderful horse. The writing is instantly engaging and there is plenty of adventure and danger to keep you going until the end in one sitting. Another classic in the making. #kidlituk 💙📚
Front cover of Dracula and Daughters by Emma Carroll, 2025
I very much enjoyed all the links to Dracula (and other vampire fiction: Mina, Buffy and Bella? Genius!) in this middle grade historical fantasy. #kidlituk 💙📚
Front cover of The Hexologists: A Tangle of Time by Josiah Bancroft, 2025
The second in the series, a witty and captivating mystery set in a 1920s-esque magical world. The language made me hold the book aloft in delight at times and the characters are so wonderfully written. I can't fault the plot either. Great stuff. #fantasy 💙📚
Front cover of Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, 2023
This was a lot of fun. Humour, fantasy, romance, camaraderie, betrayal and villainy - what's not to love?! 💙📚 #fantasy
Front cover of Powerless by Lauren Roberts, 2023
A cross between The Hunger Games and Throne of Glass, but mild enough in spice to have in my library and with the fmc having no powers (hence the title). The enemies to lovers is a slow burn. A solid example of the romantasy genre. #YAlit
Front cover of Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson, 2025
This WW2 MG novel felt fresh and relevant and was such a brilliant story about two brothers and their friend in a London ravaged by bombs. The characters erupted from the page, with heart and authenticity - war and issues closer to home, felt so real as seen through these boys' eyes. #kidlituk 💙📚
Front cover of Runaways by E.L. Norry, 2025
MG novel about two children who run away from home for very different reasons. The themes and emotions are heavy (social care, parent in prison, crime, racial profiling) but handled in a way to make it suitable for children. Loved July's relentless optimism in the face of adversity. #kidlitUK 💙📚
The Forest of a Thousand Eyes was one of my 5 star favourites that I read last year. I love all. Frances Hardinge's books!
If you like dark academia, written brilliantly, with magic, humour and horror thrown in, start with this trilogy (A Deadly Education is the first). I've also read the first of her series about dragons, called Temeraire, which was good - historical setting, lots of sea-faring.
Front cover of The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik, 2022
An excellent ending to the trilogy. So cleverly done, so many bits I didn't see coming and a mc so full of rage but with huge capacity for good. This series is right up there as a favourite. #YAlit 💙📚
Front cover of Skandar and the Spirit War by A. F. Steadman, 2025
A fitting end to a wonderful middle grade fantasy series. #kidlituk 💙📚
I love having an excuse to read kids and YA books (I'm an ex-teacher and current school librarian) but I fully believe adults should read them anyway. 😊
I highly recommend The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (and the others, of course!) but that was my favourite read of the year - and I just picked it up on a whim!
I loved this trilogy!
Visual showing five books with the heading '2025 5 star reads'. Books include: Killing Jericho, Rhythm of War, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Daughter of Redwinter, The House in the Cerulean Sea.
Finally, I read very few adult books this year. I will have to remedy that in 2026. There were only 5 that received 5 stars from me... 💙📚
A visual showing 9 books with the title '2025 5 star middle grade reads'. Books include: Movies Showing Nowhere, Skandar and the Skeleton Curse, The Forest of a Thousand Eyes, The Life and Times of Lonny Quicke, The Raven Heir, Gloam, Shadow Thieves, Falling Boy and Fox Goes North.
I also read some excellent middle grade novels! #kidlit 💙📚
