Fiction for teenagers reviews – war stories, false friends and guerrilla feminist gangs

Civil and first world war stories, false friends and guerrilla feminists in a hard-hitting, gripping crop of teen novels
• Best picture books for children – Kate Kellaway’s picks
• Best books for older children – Kitty Empire’s picks
• Click here to buy any of the books featured at a special price

Friendship, love and loyalty flourish in unlikely circumstances in some of this summer’s most compelling titles for young adults. My Name’s Not Friday by Jon Walter (David Fickling £12.99) sees Samuel, renamed for the day he was sold into slavery in civil-war Mississippi, both saved and compromised by his closeness to Gerald, his lonely young master.

Among the slaves, friendship is a luxury but Samuel’s new surrogate family ensure his survival and provide a context for his Christian faith and thirst for learning.

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