The Laureate League

The Boy I Love
"The Boy I Love" by William Hussey is an interesting book set in WW1. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of the soldiers living in the trenches and how well-described they were, as well as a very strong and obvious chain of command among the men that were there (and those who had passed). The way the forbidden love was portrayed from the very start showed a strong understanding of both contextual societal rules and how to structure a good romance novel, which really engages the readers and makes them want to know more about the characters. Another aspect I enjoyed was the emotionally intense scenes were followed by lighter moments, whether that was comedic relief characters or brief and memorable interactions between the other characters. Overall, this book is my favourite from the shortlist so far, and I recommend everyone reads it!

Kistina

Not Going To Plan
"not Going To Plan" by Tia Fisher is a YA novel about two very different people that were 'forced' together on their first day of school and formed an unlikely friendship. It's also about how a boy pretended to wear protection and a girl became pregnant because of it. There were many messages in this book and many characters that told them, but I think my favourite was Marnie's mum because she was so calm and understanding of Marnie's situation - having been through it herself - and really empowered her voice at the end where many parents may have discouraged their children from speaking up about what happened. I think it's amazing books like this get on the shortlist where so many young people can read them and become aware of their message, definitely recommend!

Kristina

Popcorn
"Popcorn" by Rob Harrell is a book that takes us through a bad day-in-the-life of Andrew, a young boy that suffers from anxiety. It's told through a mix of both pictures and words, which I found very interesting. I was a bit hesitant to pick it up as it's not usually the kind of thing I'd enjoy, but I loved every second of it - from the friendship troubles to the awesome teachers - and it really taught me a lot about the impact of our words and actions on the people around us. While it's definitely a fun read, it covers a serious, relevant topic and one that more people should understand. 10/10

Kristina

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