The Laureate League

Ghostlines 
"Ghostlines" by Katya Balen is a story about a young girl (Tilda) who lives on an island in Scotland and enjoys everything about it, when a young boy (Albie) comes to live there too and struggles with the change of environment. The plotline itself was quite slow but it worked really well with the way that Tilda's internal dialogue was written - very fast paced and using a LOT of connectives - to reflect the way younger children speak and explain their ideas to others. I also enjoyed the way that Tilda had her own ideas, opinions and feelings about more "grown up" topics such as her brother leaving the island and the way that Balen described those more conplicated emotions. I would definately reccomend this book to EVERYONE that likes adventure stories with epic emotional storylines that aren't too upsetting.

Kristina

Birdie
"Birdie" by J.P. Rose is an eye-opening novel set in the 1950s that follows a young girl (Birdie Bagshaw) as she navigates the struggles of moving out of her children's home and living with her family. At the start of her story, she faces racism and bullying without fully understanding why, but then we see her teaching her small community the importance of friendship and acceptance and in the end, they help her accept herself and her situation too. It's a heart-warming story and perfect for anyone who loves animals and happy endings!

Krisitina