Stephen Dilley

194. The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell
The second instalment in the Impossible Creatures trilogy is just as full of wonder, wit and wisdom as all her previous books - a magnificent read!
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

193. Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
Beautifully written coming-of-age novel set in Jamaica for older teenagers, powerfully examining sexuality and differences in language and culture.

192. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, illustrated by Akhran Girmay
Powerful co-authored novel which builds empathy and understanding by exploring racial prejudice and police brutality in America from two perspectives.

The Climbers by Keith Gray is one of the most perfectly plotted stories I have ever read - and I've also loved Barrington Stoke titles by Katya Balen and Anthony McGowan.
Read Between the Lies by Malcolm Duffy offers a brilliant exploration of dyslexia.

Today is #NationalPoetryDay but also exactly one year since my lovely mum Dr Sally Dilley died, so here are two of my favourite poems about mothers, shared with great love and gratitude.

191. Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
One of my favourite YA reads of 2025 - this audaciously brilliant dystopian novel tells a deeply compelling and unsettling story which explores major political issues.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here:
justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

190. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
A wonderfully idiosyncratic coming-of-age novel set in a Mennonite community with a highly distinctive narrative voice.

Lots of my favourites have already been mentioned but here are a few that I have loved!

Lovely to be at the announcement ceremony and thrilled to have three in common with the judges from this exceptional longlist - well done to all the shortlisted authors and special hurrahs for Flashlight, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, and The Land in Winter!

Announcement due very soon…

Very excited to be en route to the @southbankcentre.bsky.social for the live Booker Prize shortlist announcement! My top 6 were:
Endling
Flashlight
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Seascraper
Love Forms
The Land in Winter

But lots of other strong contenders too!

Have read Helm too and liked that as well. Endling and Flashlight are my top two from the longlist - looking forward to the shortlist announcement tomorrow!

The Benefactors in particular is superb!

189. Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
A gripping and hard-hitting thriller exposing the mistreatment of Native American children in foster care who have been taken away from their communities.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

188. Under the London Sky by Anna Woltz, translated by @michehut.bsky.social
Another powerful story for KS3 readers weaving together untold stories from the Blitz.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...
@rocktheboatnews.bsky.social

So much fun researching a course. These for Bringing the Fiction Effect into Classrooms on 6/11 with me & @stephenjdilley.bsky.social . Cogsci suggests exploratory approaches best for English if we want learning to exploit how literature acts on the mind www.englishandmedia.co.uk/courses/e84d...

Huge congratulations to @louis-p-hill.bsky.social @clarakiyoko.bsky.social @louisareid.bsky.social @bconaghanauthor.bsky.social @whusseyauthor.bsky.social @philipreeve.bsky.social and all our amazing longlisted authors!

So incredibly proud of these incredible longlists (particularly the 11-14+ list which once again formed the bulk of the last few months' reading) and looking forward to working with our amazing teacher judges in Glasgow as they read and share these books with their classes!

187. Role Model by Elle McNicoll
Another great middle-grade read about the toxic side of being held up as an 'inspirational' autistic role model - engaging and thought-provoking.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

I haven’t read them all (just the school ones plus Ready Made Family) but came to them thanks to Lucy Mangan’s description of them in Bookworm. Have really enjoyed them and will revisit!

#UKLALucky13th Discover the must-read narrative verse YA novel, Not Going to Plan by previous UKLA winner, Tia Fisher. An often hilarious, yet profoundly moving and beautiful novel that captures teenagehood, its pressures and its complexities. Members, RP for a chance to win 1/3 copies

Series fiction with characters you can fall in love makes great comfort reading. Hilary McKay's Casson series is hard to beat. I also love the Utterly Dark trilogy by Philip Reeve and the Marlows books by Antonia Forest, and when I was younger, the Mennyms books by Sylvia Waugh were my go-to choice.

186. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
A moving novel about small-town American life which follows two couples and their families through the turbulent middle decades of the 20th Century.

A few favourites…

185. Gentlest of Wild Things by Sarah Underwood
Dark sapphic retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth - original and compelling.

184. Crying Wolf by James Butler
Hard-hitting YA novel about trying to break free from organised crime and violence. @littleislandbooks.bsky.social

Haven’t read this one properly yet but it looks amazing!

183. This Dark Heart by @zeenagos.bsky.social
YA sapphic fantasy inspired by Indian folk tales - excellent pace, plotting, characterisation and world-building.

182. This Song Is About Us by @saramegan.bsky.social
A brilliant read for older YA about the complexity of relationships and the cost of fame, set across three summer festivals. @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social

181. Evenfall: The Golden Linnet by Alexander Armstrong, illustrated by Tom Roberts
The start of a fast-paced fantasy adventure story with a great sense of place and interesting ideas about storytelling traditions from the North East.