In Piper at the Gates of Dusk (Walker, £16.99) Patrick Ness returns to the world of his Carnegie Medal-winning trilogy, Chaos Walking. Twenty years on, the human and indigenous “Spackle” population of New World exist in an uneasy truce when a new threat approaches from the skies. Narrated from the perspectives of Ben and Max, the children of the original protagonists, this compelling sci-fi adventure packs a powerful emotional punch – delving into themes of morality, identity and coming of age – and is likely to ensnare new readers and thrill old fans.
Reality TV gets a Black Mirror-style makeover in Juno Dawson’s Survival Show (Gallery, £16.99). Taryn, an English refugee whose family has fled rising waters for Scotland, is desperate to fund life-saving medication for her brother. She secretly enters Starmaker, a global singing show to create a new girl band. The twist? All eliminated contestants are, quite literally, eliminated, “donating” their lives to the ghoulish Project Population. The novel is peppered with social commentary, a celebration of sisterhood and a takedown of celebrity culture, and the snarky, gossipy tone makes for a deliciously moreish read.
Estranged cousins, seemingly with little in common, are thrown together in Nathanael Lessore’s Like a Brother
Estranged cousins, seemingly with little in common, are thrown together in Nathanael Lessore’s Like a Brother
There’s more dystopia in The Danger of Small Things (Simon & Schuster, £16.99) from award-winning Welsh writer and playwright Caryl Lewis. In a world where honeybees are extinct and resources scarce, society as we know it has collapsed. Girls are sent to camps where they must work, using brushes to pollinate crops by hand, and are quickly married off. When 14-year-old Jess secretly uses her brush to paint pictures, the beginnings of revolution are sparked. An elegant and unsettling look at the enriching power of art and what it means to be human.
Ravena Guron continues her streak of fiendishly plotted murder mysteries in Your Murder Next (Usborne, £9.99). New to town and keen to make friends, aspiring journalist Myra hangs out with the popular kids – until one of them freezes to death in a walk-in chiller. In pursuit of the killer, Myra is drawn into a deadly web of cliques, envy, grudges and backstabbing. A fiendishly twisty thriller for summer reading and beyond.
A Million Tiny Missiles All at Once by Lucas Maxwell (Chicken House, £8.99) sees Elias’s family on the edge: his brother is struggling with addiction; his parents are at breaking point; and his own mind is disordered with fear. Can he find a way to pull them all back together? Inspired by true events and the author’s own childhood in Nova Scotia, Maxwell’s book is both hopeful and bittersweet, an empathetic debut about families and growing up with autism.
Estranged cousins Owais and Abass, seemingly with little in common, are thrown together in Nathanael Lessore’s Like a Brother (Hot Key, £8.99). Owais is chilled, Abass is chaotic, but as their bond deepens so does each boy’s sense of self-worth. Lessore uses humour to shed light on issues including homophobia and masculinity, and is brilliant on the messy, unpredictable business of being a teenager.
Order a copy of any of these books from observershop.co.uk to receive a 10% discount off RRP. Delivery charges may apply
Photograph by Maskot via Getty Images
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