Children’s / Teenage personal & social issues: Drugs & addiction – The Bell Bookshop

The Really Beautiful Thing

Emma — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Squirrel is prepared to sell everything he has for The Really Beautiful Thing, but at what cost? A cautionary tale with a heartwarming ending about the force of greed and the power of friendship and family.Squirrel isn’t sure what The Really Beautiful Thing is – or even what it does – all he knows is that he wants it. When he can’t afford the price, he sells his comfy sofa, his fridge full of food, and even the house he shared with his friends . . . The Really Beautiful Thing costs Squirrel everything, and when it turns out to be A Really Useless Thing, will his friends be there to help him pick up the pieces?The perfect story to share with little ones about consumerism, greed and obsession, that teaches us we can’t always have everything we want . . . and that our loved ones will always be there to help us when we lose our way.

How Hard Can Love Be?

Emma — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

A raw and powerful novel from queen of YA Holly Bourne, perfect for fans of Kathleen Glasgow and Amber Smith.

Amber just wants a bit of love, and six weeks working at an American summer camp might be the perfect place to find it.

Two years ago, her alcoholic mum abandoned her for California and never looked back. This trip is their chance to reconnect, but the reunion is nothing like Amber hoped.

Then there’s Kyle, the all-American Prom King. Falling for him was never part of the plan, but neither was having her heart broken.

Will Amber find the love she deserves? Or will her American dream turn into a nightmare…

“Perfectly captures the emotional rollercoaster that is love.” Booktrust

We Were Liars

Emma — Tue, 13 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller.A beautiful and distinguished family.A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends-the Liars-whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A secret.Lies upon lies.True love.The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honouree E. Lockhart. Read it.And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.Don’t miss FAMILY OF LIARS, the thrilling prequel to We Were Liars – out now!

Why we took the car

Emma — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Mike doesn’t get why people think he’s boring. Sure, he doesn’t have many friends. (OK, zero friends.) And everyone laughs at him when he reads his essays out loud in class. And he’s never invited to parties.But one day Tschick, the odd new boy at school, shows up at Mike’s house out of the blue. He dares him to go on a road trip with him. No parents, no map, no destination. Will they get hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere? Probably. Will they meet crazy people and get into serious trouble? Definitely. But will they ever be called boring again?Not a chance.’You will see the world with different eyes after reading this novel’ Rolling StoneWinner of the German Teen Literature Prize