The high school murder mystery gets a comedic British makeover in Kate Weston’s spirited Murder on a School Night (Electric Monkey). Best friends Kerry and Annie have finally snagged an invitation to their first sixth form party but, about to kiss her hot crush, Kerry discovers a dead body. A series of increasingly slapstick murders propels the plot, the snappy dialogue shines and the detective duo’s friendship is well observed and rings true.
Young adult fiction loves pitting teenagers against one another in elaborate games and Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (Simon & Schuster) is a worthy new addition to the genre. Rosalyn Quest is the 17-year-old daughter of a legendary Black Bahamian crime family. When her mother is kidnapped she is compelled to join the Thieves’ Gambit, a deadly global competition for up-and-coming thieves where the victor is granted one wish. This fast-paced heist thriller is incredibly assured with a blockbuster feel: highly cinematic, the film rights have already been snapped up.
Holly Bourne’s contemporary YA novels have won acclaim for their insight into mental health and feminism. In You Could Be So Pretty (Usborne) she explores these themes through a dystopian lens. In a near future world, girls must follow the rules of the Doctrine to be a socially acceptable “Pretty” – or be sneered at and ignored as an “Objectionable”. Razor-sharp and compelling, it is essential reading for every teenage girl.
Life options for girls are also under the spotlight in Yours From the Tower by Sally Nicholls (Andersen Press). The year is 1896, the Victorian era is drawing to a close and three young women have left boarding school to pursue very different lives: Polly teaching in an orphanage, Sophia looking for a husband in the London ”season” and Tirzah working as unpaid companion to a relative. Told through a series of letters, this is a gorgeous, immersive book about the hopes, dreams and frustrations of girlhood and the power of friendship.
Finally, to Halloween and two deliciously dark reads for acolytes of the spooky season. Laura Steven embraces the dark academia trend in the seductive, sapphic Every Exquisite Thing (Electric Monkey). Daughter of an iconic beauty, Penny joins the elite Dorian Drama school, where she is offered a route to guaranteed stardom: a mysterious artist will paint her portrait and grant immortal beauty. When the otherworldly portraits come under attack, Penny finds herself in mortal danger. A contemporary reworking of The Picture of Dorian Gray, this book shines a light on beauty standards and the pursuit of perfection.
Teenage life in Ireland meets psychological horror in Wise Creatures by Deirdre Sullivan (Hot Key). Despite Daisy’s efforts to live a normal life, she can’t escape the ghosts of her troubled upbringing. Now the unearthly “wise creatures” that whispered to her from the walls of her house are back and targeting her sister. Sullivan’s beautiful prose underpins a nuanced, eerie exploration of the lingering impact of repressed trauma and the complex intensity of sisterhood.
To order any of these books for a special price click on the titles or go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply
