The Branford Boase award is all about the year’s best first novels for children and teenagers. The prize is given to the editor/s as well as the authors to recognise all the work they do to nurture new talent. So find out more about this year’s seven shortlisted books, how many have you read?

1. Bone Jack by Sara Crowe, edited by Charlie Sheppard and Eloise Wilson (published by Andersen Press)

What’s Bone Jack about? Ash’s dad has returned from war, close to a breakdown and lost in a world of imaginary threats. Meanwhile, Ash’s best friend Mark is grieving and has drifted away into his own nightmares. Ash’s only escape is his lonely mountain running, training to be the stag boy in the annual Stag Chase. But dark things are stirring. Ash begins to wonder if the sinister stories about the Stag Chase are true.

2. The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss, edited by Jane Griffiths (published by Simon & Schuster)

What’s The Year of the Rat about? The story of 16-year-old-Pearl, struggling to keep going after the death of her mother who dies after giving birth to The Rat as Pearl designates her tiny, newborn sister. How can Pearl ever forgive The Rat for the grief she has caused? Locked into her own sadness, Pearl knows that only her mum can help her. What would she say if she turned up and knew what Pearl was thinking?

You can read the first chapter of the Year of the Rat here plus read a review by PerksofBeingaBookworm

3. Cowgirl by Giancarlo Gemin, edited by Kirsty Stansfield (published by Nosy Crow)

What’s Cowgirl about? Growing up on the embattled Mawr Estate in South Wales, all Gemma sees are burglaries, muggings, sadness and boredom. With a dad in prison and a mum who has given up hope, she, like everyone around her, is holding on to memories of the times when happiness wasn’t so hard to find. Then Gemma meets the legendary Cowgirl, and everything changes.

Read a review of Cowgirl by Pip Pop.



4. Half Bad by Sally Green, edited by Ben Horslen (published by Puffin)

What’s Half Bad about? Nathan lives in a world that is very similar to our own. But it has one very big difference: there is a record kept of all the witches that are alive. Everyone must be classified as White, Black or Fain/Non-Witch. White and Black witches are divided into ferociously hostile factions with notorious skirmishes between the two. Only one thing unites the two sides: fear of a boy with an inheritance from both sides.

You can read the first chapter of Half Bad here, read a review by Onceuponatime.

You can also read an interview with Sarah Green to celebrate her winning the Waterstones teen fiction award 2015.

5. Trouble by Non Pratt, edited by Annalie Grainger & Denise Johnstone-Burt (published by Walker Books)

What’s Trouble about? Hannah’s smart and funny... she’s also 15 years-old and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn’t want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah’s unborn baby? Growing up can be trouble but that’s how you find out what really matters.

Trouble was one of our teen reads of the month in 2014, so we’ve got a lot about it on the site: Read a review by JBOO1698, listen to a podcast of Non Pratt being interviewed by Merle, find out why Non Pratt only ever reads YA books.

Leopard blue

6. Leopold Blue by Rosie Rowell, edited by Emily Thomas (published by Hot Key).

What’s Leopold Blue about? Meg Bergman is 15 years-old and fed up. She lives in a tiny town in rural 1990s South Africa - a hot-bed of traditionalism, racial tension and (in Meg’s eyes) ordinariness. Meg has no friends either, due largely to what the community sees as her mother’s interfering attempts to educate farm workers about Aids. But one day Xanthe arrives - cool, urban and feisty.

Have you read this book? Join the site and send us your review to childrens.books@theguardian.com.

7. The Dark Inside by Rupert Wallis, edited by Jane Griffiths (published by Simon & Schuster)

What’s The Dark Inside about? When13-year-old James discovers a homeless man in an abandoned house, the course of his life changes dramatically. Hoping to find a “cure” for a dark curse inflicted on the homeless man, the pair embark on a journey together not knowing that what they discover will impact them both in ways they never imagined…

Read why Rupert Wallis thinks death is so important in teen and YA fiction.

Previous winners and shortlisted authors of the Branford Boase include Kevin Brooks, Siobhan Dowd, Meg Rosoff, Mal Peet, Philip Reeve, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Patrick Ness, who all went on to win the Carnegie medal. We’ll find out who wins the 2015 Branford Boase this year on 9 July, so watch this space.



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