Staff Picks: Kids and Teens 2023
Published on 30th November 2023
We’ve drawn together a selection of books for kids and teens!
You can reserve books here, and collect from a library of your choosing.
If you don’t have a library card, contact your local library and they will help you to join; see here for more information on library membership.
Or contact us at [email protected]. We’re happy to help.
Happy Christmas and happy reading to all of you from all of us here in Dublin City Libraries.
Children’s books
Finding my Voice by Aoife Dooley
Frankie is starting secondary school in the second book in this funny graphic novel series.
Molly Malone and Bram Stoker: Double Trouble at the Dead Zoo by Alan Nolan
Stoker and Malone are a crime fighting duo extraordinaire in this funny and exciting adventure story.
Jessica's ghost by Andrew Norriss
Jessica's Ghost is a funny, moving and beautiful book by a master storyteller, about the power of friendship to shine a warm light into dark places.
Lost for words by Aoife Walsh
A beautifully told tale about family, grief and growing up.
The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty; illustrations by Karl James Mountford
As secrets and dangers escalate, Esther - who is not talented like her sisters, nor an adventurer like her cousin - must find answers to several puzzles. Why is her teacher behaving so oddly? Which of Esther's classmates is the Spellbinder? And could the Stolen Prince of Cloudburst be connected in some way…?
Loki. A Bad God's Guide to Ruling the World by Louie Stowell
When Heimdall and Hyrrokkin abandon their "children" to go on holiday, Odin sends Baldur – Thor's half brother and god of making Loki look bad – to babysit. As Baldur and Thor bond, Loki's attempts to prove he's good start getting a bit desperate. After the drama teacher casts him as the villain in the school play, Loki starts to wonder whether there's any point in being good when everyone seems convinced of his villainy. That is until he discovers a rather unusual ring among the costumes and props. A ring that looks suspiciously like the cursed ring of Andvari, one that promises Loki the world if only he gives in to his deepest, darkest desires...
Death Sets Sail: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery (A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery)
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are in Egypt, taking a cruise along the Nile. They are hoping to see some ancient temples and a mummy or two; what they get, instead, is murder.
Johnny Ball, international football genius / Matt Oldfield; illustrated by Tim Wesson
Johnny Ball, 9-year-old football manager, has a new challenge: to take the Tissbury Tigers all the way, and win the WORLDIES! But superstar striker Daniel is injured and the squad is FOUR players short. So Johnny is switching his football brain into travel mode – here comes Johnny Ball, International Football Genius!
Teen books
Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer by Jeffrey Boakye
Kofi is a natural entrepreneur, and is always quick to spot a moneyspinner. But what he had overlooked is his best friend's Kelvin's amazing photographic memory - and the fact that he can remember every single line of a song he's heard only once. The whole school is obsessed with music, and no one can ever quite make out the words of the songs, so Kofi spots a golden opportunity to sell a fanzine packed full of song lyrics. But it doesn't make him popular with all the teachers, and along the way, he gets caught up in several false starts, a slot machine scam, and detention, again.
Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
A trailblazing, blockbuster YA mystery about three teen boys of colour who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names.
The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch
Spence and Anthony have been friends for years, but it’s only when he witnesses a classmate die in what looks like a tragic accident at a house party that a flicker in the fabric of time helps Spence ‘see’ Anthony for the first time. When Spence wakes up to the same day again and sees Clara, the girl who died, alive and well, it’s clear he’s been granted a second chance. And a third. And a fourth…Caught in a loop, condemned to experience the same 24 hours over and over, Spence tries to prevent the terrible events of the party.
The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Patricia Forde
Aria and her father leave their home planet Terros on a mission to eradicate humans for once and for all. However, when their mission goes horribly wrong and Aria is left stranded on Earth, she soon realises everything she was told about humans was completely wrong.