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It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of the teenage wizard and the seven increasingly lengthy stories that featured him. Published between 1997 and 2007, the books were the defining pieces of literature for a whole generation of young people. The stories, which tell of Harry, an orphan who grows up without knowing he has […]

Described as ‘Die Hard, with fairies’, the Artemis Fowl series is an incredible mix of James Bond-style gadgets, violence, crime and humour. Artemis is a twelve-year-old genius determined to earn lots of money and become a super-villain. After he captures a fairy to hold for ransom, he engages in an increasingly dangerous battle of wits. […]

Whilst for some, this might seem like a fairly controversial choice, the incredible popularity that the Twilight saga (both films and books) has had over the years means that it has to feature somewhere on our list! Protagonist Bella moves to a new city, where she falls in love with a gorgeous yet mysterious boy […]

This series by Lemony Snicket, of thirteen novels for older children or young teens follows the lives of three orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, from the moment they become orphans. Written in a mock-gothic style, the novels are full of wit and darkness. The narrator, Lemony Snicket, plays an important role in the stories, […]

This Percy Jackon and the Olympians series came about when the author Rick Riordan’s son requested yet another bedtime story based on the Ancient Greek myths. This collection of books has been a huge hit with everyone from primary school upwards. The stories follow the life of Percy Jackson, a demi-god and son of Poseidon. […]

C S Lewis, a writer and theologian, is best known for his cherished children’s classics, the Chronicles of Narnia. Set in a magical parallel universe, the series follows several children who discover Narnia, where animals talk and Aslan, the mighty lion, is the ruler of them all. The stories deal with themes like trust, faith, […]

Written largely during the Second World War, The Lord of the Rings is, as a trilogy, one of the best-selling books of all time. Originally written as a follow-up to Tolkien’s children’s novel, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings tells the tale of Frodo Baggins and his companions as they seek to destroy a magic […]

The Bunker Diary is written by British author Kevin Brooks. It was published in 2013. Many people wanted it banned for its disturbing themes and dark plot. However, in 2014 it won the Carnegie Medal. Plot We follow 16-year-old Linnus as he writes about his experience in a diary. One day he was walking along […]

This amazing murder mystery thriller is written by British writer Holly Jackson. It is an extremely enjoyable read. If you love thrilling and exhilarating books that keep you up at night desperate to know what happens next, this book will be right up your street. What’s more, there are 2 other books in the series […]

‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ is written by Taylor Jenkins Reid and is easily considered to be one of the best ‘booktok’ books. It is filled with plot twists and some unexpected moments. It is filled with characters who are made to be hateable and characters who are made to be likeable. It is […]

The King is Dead is a queer and scandalous book involving the royal family and racism. It’s about a 17-year-old boy called James and he is the next king. It is up to James to lead Britain and to be the country’s first black king. However, the population of the country he is set to […]

1914. The world stands on the edge of change. But women still have no vote. Evelyn is rich and clever, but she isn’t allowed to go to university. Life is set out for her, but Evelyn wants freedom and choice, even if it means paying the highest price alongside her fellow Suffragettes. Meanwhile, May campaigns […]

From the Bronte sisters to Virginia Woolf,  female authors and the presentation of women in literature have arguably helped shape and promote the feminist movement.  What is feminism?  A commonly misconstrued concept, feminism at its core is the belief that both men and women should have equal rights. The different types of feminism are often […]

Graham Norton’s debut novel Holding attracted significant media attention and glowing reviews. Most likely because Graham Norton of The Graham Norton Show wrote a fiction crime novel. Presumably most reviewers would have liked to slate it for some kind of self-gratifying purpose. I hate it when celebrities get book deals. Half of them can’t write; it’s never usually because […]

When Charlotte Brontë called her sister Anne’s book The Tenant of Wildfell Hall a “mistake” and prevented it from being published for ten years, I do think she was being rather severe. Anne Brontë’s second novel is not the masterpiece Jane Eyre is or Wuthering Heights. I am hesitant to call it a masterpiece at all, but there are […]

Mhairi McFarlane’s 2020 novel If I Never Met You has been on my ‘to be read‘ list for a while – and I am so happy that I finally got around to it. The story revolves around thirty-six-year-old Laurie. She’s a lawyer, one of the best at her firm. Her partner, Dan, dumps her after […]

A Monster Calls is one of the most renowned books of the 21st century. Patrick Ness, its author and flame-carrier, is just as renowned. There is a reason for that. A Monster Calls is one of the most moving, brilliantly executed, and informative novels I’ve read in a while. I’m possibly too old to be considered the target […]

The Color Purple feels strange to write in American English. It would feel somehow wrong and a disservice to such a touching, thoughtful, and pure novel to add that “u” into the title, though. So, I won’t. Alice Walker’s writing is uniquely American, in the same way that Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird carries that […]

It’s best to tackle Christmas gifts early, making lists and budgeting, or even scheduling time to make homemade gifts. But if Christmas has suddenly crept up on you, no need to fear, here are some last minute gift ideas to save you some stress.  1 – Sweets or chocolates Found literally everywhere and with lots […]

The Bridget Jones’s Diary empire is synonymous with the nineties; it has (rightly) achieved legendary chick-flick status; is renowned for being comedy gold; and criticised just enough to make the whole thing semi-controversial. The last part depends on who you ask. But Bridget Jones’s Diary hasn’t always been that mega bucks film starring Texan Renee […]

Sally Rooney has had a stratospheric rise to fame and success after the publication of her first two novels, Conversations with Friends and (of course) Normal People. Both novels have received widespread critical acclaim, with the latter cementing Rooney as perhaps the frontrunner of millennial literature. Beautiful World, Where Are You only serves to compound this reputation. This novel, […]

Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library was a Sunday Times number one bestseller. Why? For the life of me, I cannot fathom it. That’s personally, though. If I look at the general state of the world and publishing as it is, I can totally see why. The Midnight Library is essentially a mix of everything this society has come to superficially […]

The reputation of Where the Crawdads Sing is gigantic. 72-year-old zoologist Delia Owens’ debut novel has garnered the best reviews from critics around the world, and sat on The New York Times Best Fiction Sellers list for 124 weeks. Is this novel – the one about an abandoned young child who learns to survive all alone in […]

French 18-year-olds are to be given €300 to spend at cinemas, theatres, museums, or on books. Should the move – dubbed as a ‘culture pass’ – be replicated in Britain? Given that cinemas and museums have been among many industries shut down in both countries, the potential boost in income from young people could be […]

The Bridgerton hype is going nowhere fast. That is almost one hundred percent guaranteed – and the books are no different. After living above a rock, I have obviously seen Netflix’s adaptation of Bridgerton more times than I care to recall. However, as we all know, I am an avid reader and so, naturally, have […]

Never one to see a person sit on the bench for long, Marcus Rashford is now ready to take on literacy after tackling child hunger last year. Teaming up with powerhouse publisher, Macmillan, the England footballer is launching a book club that will provide books to disadvantaged children in 850 primary schools across England and […]

Well, the first thing I have to say about this book is that it is an absolute cracker. Tom Bradby returns on top form for the final instalment of his spy thriller with Triple Cross and I was, in no uncertain terms, hooked from the off. Triple Cross picks up where Double Agent left off. MI6 […]

I don’t think I have visited the delights of New York City in a novel since Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so Brooklyn has been a lovely, warming return to the one location that literature never fails to personify. In other words, I’ve been in a tiny village hardly seeing anyone for a year and I read […]

4.5/5 Kindness. Wisdom. Courage. Those are the three things that L. Frank Baum’s most famous children’s book, The Wizard of Oz, is about. Those three things and, of course, the ever-important lesson that home really is where the heart is. At the ripe age of 20, I eventually dug into Baum’s children’s classic, 120 years […]

5/5 You Got This by Bryony Gordon is all about being yourself and being true to yourself. The book, published in May this year, openly talks about and explores topics such as self-respect, body image, mental health and more. Each chapter of You Got This has a different theme, but all of them have one […]

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn is a thriller book that consistently shocks you throughout. Finn creates an agoraphobic character named Anna Fox, who will not go outdoors due to past trauma. In the novel, we discover Anna’s background and what has caused her to have such a terrible fear of the […]

What if you thought you had died, only to wake up to find that your brain and eyes had been transplanted into someone else’s body? When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn’t choose and trapped in a […]

Payback is an enigmatic anti capitalist group staffed by teens, has one mission: to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Its dramatic heists create a sensation. But when excitable Payback fan Tom is recruited, he accidentally brings with him a shady money man, Mr Ruiz. And he’s not the only one on […]