Please note: We will continue to deliver your books and furniture until Thursday 18 December for schools, and Tuesday 23 December for public libraries. We will then close for the Christmas break, with deliveries resuming from Monday 5 January 2026. We wish all of our customers a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Read for Empathy secondary collection 2019
EmpathyLab is a brand new organisation seeking to develop young people's empathy through reading and literature. We're not born with a fixed quantity of empathy – it's a skill we can learn. Excitingly, research shows that books are a powerful tool to develop it, because in identifying with book characters, people learn to see things from other points of view.
These fifteen fantastic empathy-boosting books for 11–16 year olds chosen by EmpathyLab's expert panel have been selected for their potential to inspire young people to make a positive difference in their homes, schools and communities. The books offer powerful insights into other people's feelings, ways of life and the experience of facing challenges like becoming homeless, or a refugee.
The list includes nine novels, three poetry books, two graphic novels and a short story collection.
Log in to see our librarian ratings and reviews
