Tilt

It's Pisa in 1299, and Netta's father has a big job on his hands: completing the town's great tower, which seems to be slanting to one side...

The Leaning Tower of Pisa might be one of the most iconic buildings in the world, but Tilt makes you see it in a completely new light as Netta and her loving father, Pisa's head mason Giovanni Pisano, puzzle over the mystery of why it's lopsided and how to finish it.

But will Netta be allowed to pursue her dream of being an architect like her dad, or will housework and marriage get in the way?

Edited to a reading age of 8, this super-readable title from Barrington Stoke races along and wears its historical setting lightly. Netta is a pleasingly fierce heroine, too, overcoming her doubts and insecurities to follow her own path - and surely also inspiring young readers to believe that nothing should stand in the way of their ambition.