March has delivered plenty of engaging new releases that would be excellent reads to provoke discussion among young people in book clubs!
Below are our top picks for book clubs this month.
For readers aged 5-9
What Snail Knows by Kathryn Apel
Lucy and Dad move a lot, so it’s hard to make friends. Luckily she has Snail to keep her company. But when she finds somewhere she wants to stay, can she convince her dad?
Themes include:
loneliness
belonging
friendship
verse novel
Teaching notes are available here.
Suitable for ages 6 and up.
For readers aged 8-12
Dear Greta by Yvette Poshoglian
This was meant to be Alice’s year to shine, but things are already going wrong. At school, she’s given environmental activist Greta Thunberg as her pen pal and she’s not happy.
Themes include:
- sustainability and the environment
- letter writing
- difference and diversity
- family and friendship
Teaching notes are available here.
Suitable for ages 9-12.
The Rat-Catchers Apprentice by Maggie Jankuloska
A young girl in plague-ridden France is punished by being forced to become an apprentice rat-catcher, but she longs for more adventure.
Themes include:
plague
historical fiction
female bravery in patriarchal times
non-traditional families
Teaching notes are available here.
Suitable for ages 8 and up.
For readers aged 12 and up
League of Liars by Astrid Scholte
A heart-pounding mystery set in a magical fantasy world rife with secrets and danger, where nothing is as it seems.
Themes include:
fantasy thriller
coming of age
courtroom drama
heists
Teaching notes are available here.
Suitable for ages 13 and up.
Growing up in Flames by Zach Jones
This contemporary novel set in a country town tackles grief, belonging and mental illness.
Themes include:
fire - both physical and metaphorical
rural Australia
family dynamics
identity
Teaching notes are available here.
Suitable for ages 14 and up.
