SLA Summer School 2023

When Tulsi and Satchen discover a trapped whale in a fishing net while rowing out to an island near their seaside home, they try to free it.

An accessible, engaging and essential introduction to the British empire.

Wild, silent Pez, who has escaped from a mysterious cult, criminal mastermind Riley, his gentle brother Grayson, and orphaned Gil are searching for safety, but just when they think they've found it, they witness something that puts them in deadly danger

A gentle post-pandemic story about finding optimism after a dark spell, and the nurturing power of community friendships in an urban setting.

Discover twenty illustrated tales, each only ten words long.

Follows a boy in Berlin in 1948 who wants to be a pilot.

Follows a boy who comes to appreciate art, even though he thinks he would rather go to the beach.

Trixie dos Santos calls on the trickster gods Loki, Maui and the Monkey King for help when the power goes down and the world is plunged into darkness

When Claude's little sister, Amity, runs off in forbidden Badwell Woods - where children disappear - Deliah, Sam and Claude follow her to a mysterious mansion

Two young magicians set out to retrieve the vanished Blackpool Tower and wind up in Las Vegas with the help of magic.

In order to get his family back together, Alex comes up with a brilliant plan: if Dad finally writes the novel he's always talked about, he'll be happier again and his parents will fall back in love

An illustrated look at the relationship between a child and his grandmother.

Allegory about the British colonization of Australia.

When lonely Vincent is forced to go on an outdoor activity weekend with three other kids from his class, he's counting the seconds until he can escape home.

A little girl helps her polar bear friend find his way home from the city.

Four women try to pull off a heist on the Titanic.

When Ronnie moves to a new house, in a new country, he tries to make new friends.

When one of the Swift family tries to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, someone has to work out who is the culprit.

Looks at some of the celebrations and holidays enjoyed by children from around the world

A young Vietnamese conservationist sets out to teach an orphan sun bear how to live independently in the wild. Based on a true story.

In a town where all the adults turn into werewolves once a month, three teenagers discover the sinister reality behind the change and set out to save their town

When Jake is put into care, Maudie plans to kidnap him in order to pull their family back.

A shy and reserved girl finds she has a talent for running and represents her school at athletics but then struggles with the attention this brings her

Five strangers find themselves trapped within a deadly virtual reality game.

Follows 11-year-old Gala, who has just moved from Spain to Scotland with her dad to live with his boyfriend, and her difficulties with learning English and adapting to her new home.

A collection of short stories and poems exploring the rights and freedoms that most people take for granted, but which others do not have the freedom to enjoy.

18-year-old Salama Kassab, works as a doctor and surgeon in a makeshift hospital in Homs during the Syrian civil war struggles balancing duty to her country and to herself.

Teenager Ant is involved in a secret sexual relationship with best friend Charlie but their dynamic is challenged when an old friend returns to their school

Retells the Greek legend of Hades and Persephone from the perspective of Persephone as she seeks to escape an arranged marriage by her father, Zeus.

A Caribbean slave girl becomes caught up in a time-travel adventure when descendents of the family who own her try to help her put right the wrongs of the past.

A 13-year-old boy in denial about his mother's terminal illness imagines sharing stories with a yew tree

Two children investigate when their cousin goes missing

A girl survives on an island after a catastrophic flood separates her from her family

Gothic tale featuring a clockwork maker, a knight and a prince

A boy feels neglected when his baby sister is ill, but he makes two new friends - a confident home-educated neighbour and a strange creature that lives in the shed.

When James follows a young ghost girl he discovers a terrible truth about his family.

Choose Love is a cycle of poems that highlights the experience of those forced to become refugees.

A teenage boy struggles to get going with his dreams of becoming a professional footballer but a chance meeting leads to Ian Wright becoming his mentor.

When Archie and his family are forced to move out of their house, he struggles to adjust to his new life.

Helped by an assistance dog, two thirteen-year-olds are able to come to terms with fear and difficulty in their lives, one from epilepsy and one from post-armed robbery trauma.

A German Jewish girl is sent to England for her safety during WW2, but is put in danger by keeping secrets.

A boy becomes involved in an art heist when his father leaves home, leaving him in charge of the family.

Nicky and Kenny find themselves in danger when they get lost on the Yorkshire Moors in a snowstorm.

A girl struggling with changes in her home life and friendships finds a diary belonging to a girl which has been left in the park.

Two boys, one of whom has anger issues and has been bullying the other who has OCD, are forced to spend the summer cooperating together in the building of a raft.

A novel in verse about twin brothers who are rivals both on and off the basketball court

Will discovers that he has the power of the Old Ones, and that he must embark on a quest that will enable the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark to be vanquished.

A strange exchange student comes to stay with a family

A guide for children to help them develop their potential to the full, from Manchester United and England footballer and campaigner to end child food poverty Marcus Rashford.

A boy struggling to adjust to secondary school is taught valuable life lessons by an elderly neighbour and a social outcast in his class

Amazing real-life stories about extreme survival, with colour illustrations.

Based on the author's personal experiences, a 14-year-old boy battles with the eating disorder anorexia.

Follows a teenager with a rare growth disorder as he struggles with his studies and changes to his friendship group

A guide for teenagers for building mental resilience to help them through their teenage years and give them coping strategies for life.

While trying to cope with her sister's breakdown and her own anxiety, 16-year-old Lily pairs up with the mysterious Micah for a poetry project which lays her demons bare.

A guide for children to help them develop their potential to the full, from Manchester United and England footballer and campaigner to end child food poverty Marcus Rashford.

Inspirational life lessons from some of the biggest names in the world of hop-hop.

A fun and practical guide to making your brain brilliant.

When she meets a new boy Evan, Amelia wonders if he can help her lose her loser status.

A guide for children to help them develop their potential to the full.

An interactive guide with 50 activities that help you reach your full potential

Offers a gentle introduction to the concept of empathy and thinking of others.

A guide to masculinity with questions covering physical changes, managing emotions, friends and family, and how to have healthy relationships.

Follows a debate between two birds overheard by a narrator.

A soundtrack to pivotal historical moments from around the world.

A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams. She and her brother Merwin are Sycamore seeds, who hope to one day set down roots and become big trees.

Translated by Marilyn Booth

A collection of vivid and powerful stories drawn on the front lines of migration by award-winning artist George Butler.

An immersive collection of poetry to open your world, curated by the host of Poetry Unbound

After becoming involved in a fatal accident, two teenagers' long-term relationship begins to unravel.

A novel in verse format about a girl who takes up boxing to help her stand up to the bullies who are tormenting her

Discover how the migration of peoples throughout human history has shaped the modern world.

What drives so many to leave everything behind and journey alone to a mysterious country, a place without family or friends, where everything is nameless and the future is unknown. This silent graphic novel is the story of every migrant, every refugee, every displaced person, and a tribute to all those who have made the journey.

A candid exploration of the state of outrage in our culture, and how we can channel it back into the fights that matter, from presenter and DJ Ashley 'Dotty' Charles.

Classic fairy tales retold by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy with black and white illustrations throughout.

A whimsical and moving story about discovering your purpose.

Lemn Sissay was seventeen when he wrote his first poetry book, which he hand-sold to the miners and millworkers of Wigan. Since then his poems have become landmarks, sculpted in granite and built from concrete, recorded on era-defining albums and declaimed in over thirty countries.

THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON THAT HAS TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 9 MILLION READERS

'Poetically written, absorbing, harrowing' The Times

Charts the relationship, through brief notes, between a mother and daughter when the mother is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.