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20 shorter reads for teenagers 17/03/25
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To Night Owl From Dogfish
Publisher: Farshore
Bett Devlin and Avery Bloom don’t know each other until Bett finds out that their dads are dating and makes contact with Avery via her too-publicly-available school email address to tell her.
Worse, the dads are planning to send both girls to the same STEM and Arts summer camp while they go on a holiday of a lifetime to China.
Both girls take exception to their dads’ new relationship and decide they definitely won’t become friends, but, over several weeks emailing each other, even when at camp, they build a relationship.
Yet when Bett finds out that Avery’s mother is a famous playwright and lives locally to the camp, she invites her to family day without Avery’s knowledge, bringing Kristina back into Avery’s life. While this is greatly positive in many ways, it prompts a custody battle for Avery that, alongside the break-up of the dads’ relationship, tests relationships all round.
Told entirely in emails and letters, this sensitive, often funny book examines what it means to be a family, and what happens when families change. Strong and vivid characterisation makes us feel we really know Bett, Avery, Grandma Betty and the parents, and relate to their decisions and feelings.
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Teen and YA books with LGBT characters
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Best children's books to help talk about divorce and separation
Family break-ups are a sad and delicate time for everyone involved. Here are some of our favourite children's books for easing those difficult conversations, suitable for a range of ages.
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Blended families
It's so important for children to see their family life reflected in books - and to see what other families might be like, too.
So we've put together a list of great reads which feature blended families:
Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it's validating and comforting to see your family reflected in books. This selection, for all ages, features …
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Books about blended families
Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it's validating and comforting to see your family reflected in books. This selection, for all ages, features families where one or both parents have children from a previous relationship. This kind of family can also be called a stepfamily.
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Middle-grade books with LGBTQ+ characters
Here, we've picked out our favourite middle-grade books which show, and celebrate, LGBTQ+ characters and families.
