There are so many great books published that it's easy to lose track through the year.
Each month we'll be choosing some of our favourite new UK YA book releases and highlighting books to look forward to later in the year.
Keep checking back!
It is 1911 and London’s docks thrum with underhand deals, none so great as the arrival of a valuable, rare and exotic animal, smuggled from the depths of the Congolese rainforest.
The baby gorilla stands to make one man, the shady Goliath Deeds, very, very rich: he and his right-hand man, juvenile pickpocket, Toff Squabble. Heaven help anyone who dares stand in their way, not least the brave and innocent twelve-year-old Nettie Beecroft, who finds herself embroiled in a dangerous rescue attempt where she encounters toshers, bone grubbers and gangsters.
Whom can Nellie trust? And can she save the life this very special creature?
If you loved When the Sky Falls (and you definitely did as it won our award in 2023!) then we guarantee you'll love this origin story of the eponymous gorilla even more. Even more high-stakes, even more emotional, absolutely unputdownable. Another winner!
When war comes to London in 1939, Ronnie Smith is scared and excited: scared of the bombs that fall at night, but excited to race his friends to collect the best bits of shrapnel every morning.
But for Ronnie, the battles aren't just in the sky and on the streets. They're at school and at home too. His little brother is up to no good with a secret job and dangerous new friends, and Ronnie's worried he's getting himself into big trouble.
Ronnie's desperate to help his little brother. But he isn't expecting to uncover secrets that could change the fate of the whole war...
1947, Lahore. Jahan and Ravi spend their days in and around the Fort, racing, wrestling and teasing each other. They are so close, they’re like brothers.
Jahan’s dad works for the British government and the boys hear snippets about the end of the British Raj and a partition of India. Tensions are rising throughout the city and beyond. Neighbours and friends are turning on each other. Jeered on by their classmates, even Jahan and Ravi have a huge fight.
But then word comes that there are only two days until the partition. In the greatest migration of people ever, families flee through desperate violence to try to get to the right side of the border. Jahan’s family protect Ravi’s and manage to get them across the border safely, but will they ever see each other again?
London, 1951: Clem Fatale, the youngest crook in the city, is on a mission to find her dad. Jimmy Fatale, notorious jewel thief and leader of the Spider Gang, has gone missing and with him the greatest prize in London: the Fool's Canary.
Along with her prisoner and/or sidekick Gilbert (depends who you're asking), Clem sets off on a rip-roaring chase through the London underworld. Racing through dodgy dives, glamorous nightclubs, greasy spoons and secret alleyways, Clem and Gilbert are soon pursued by a host of friends and foes.
Will Clem find her father in time? Or will the most sinister villain this side of the river put a stop to all her plans?
Thirteen-year-old Samim is a loyal friend, a gifted chess player -- and a refugee. After his family is killed in a bombing, Samim makes a long, dangerous journey from Afghanistan to the UK. But even then his safety isn't guaranteed: Samim must tell his story to convince the authorities to let him stay for good.
Samim relives the perils he faced and remembers the many friends he made and lost -- the intrepid girl who dressed as a boy for safety, the courageous grandmother seeking a new home for her nine grandchildren, and especially his funny, spirited best friend Zayn.
With his past never forgotten, Samim begins to build a new life in the UK: starting school and making new friends. But he also faces bigoted bullies and an uncertain future. Will Samim be granted asylum and allowed to stay in his new home?
Kyle and Lauren Dempsey believe their soldier stepdad is dead, killed in action in Northern Ireland. But then he turns up at their flat in the Alpine Heights tower block, terrifying changed.
One day later, a mysterious virus seems to be running rampant through the building and many residents are dead.
Nobody has ever discovered what really happened – until now …
Seventeen-year-old Kay left her sleepy hometown after the devastating death of her friend, Ivy. But when her parents go on holiday without her, Kay is forced to come back to stay with her cousin. And her return comes with a bang. Because when Kay arrives, it's to find an anonymous letter on her bed.
The letter tells her that there will be a thrill on Tuesday, a wreckage on Wednesday, treachery on Thursday, a fire on Friday, sabotage on Saturday, a stabbing on Sunday - and her murder on Monday.
And if Kay can't figure out who is behind the threats, the worst day of the week is about to get deadly.