Children's / Teenage fiction: School stories

12-year-old Gabriel is a brilliant pickpocket, a skill which he uses to keep his often empty belly not quite so empty. And then one day, he's caught. But instead of being arrested, he is invited by the mysterious Caspian Crook to attend Crookhaven - a school for thieves. At Crookhaven, students a...

16-year-old Tara, a mixed-race girl adopted by white parents, has never felt like she truly belonged. When her nights become haunted by frightening visions of a distant past, Tara begins to experience an overwhelming feeling of emptiness. On the verge of despair, she embarks on a journey in searc...

Mina has a stern face, long braid, and an attitude that has only got worse since her dad died. Caplan is the golden boy, complete with a vast social circle and an on-again/off-again girlfriend who hates Mina's guts. They're neighbours and somehow, despite all their differences, have always unders...

A very funny, warm, engaging verse novel full of heart and emotion following Ferran through secondary school. It is peppered with images and notes adding texture and life to the narrative - a black out poem he did in the back of his biology textbook in year 9, his terrible attempt at drawing his ...

Trixie loves art and hates bullies - and so decides to become an Art Avenger, righting wrongs at her school through art. She uses Picasso, Pollock and Ofili to teach bullies a lesson, get out of lessons and help those in need, like an arty Robin Hood.

Nikki and her friends are about to have their five minutes of fame! A reality TV crew is going to follow them for the whole month as they record their hit song together. But will the excitement also cause unexpected problems, now that cameras are everywhere Nikki and her friends go?

Viola Reyes is annoyed. Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more 'likable', and school running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she's ever seen, which makes her job as Vice President that much...

Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it's cracked up to be? Suddenly Greg is dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older.

Toby Jenkins doesn't like boarding school. He gets called Jinks and thinks he will never fit in. But then he meets a strange boy named Christopher who believes that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ. When the village boy 'oiks' start a war with the schoolboy 'toffs', Toby is caught in the m...

After surviving a holiday to Italy without his parents (which included jellyfish and giant watermelons), Stan reckons he deserves a bit of a break. Or at a least a break in between trying to act in his school play. But when he's offered the chance to take a tour around a TV studio, he thinks it c...