A Kestrel for a Knave (Kes) by Barry Hines

Set in an unspecified mining area in Northern England, the book follows Billy Casper, a young working-class boy troubled at home and at school, who finds and trains a kestrel whom he names ‘Kes’.

• The class system
• The politics of education – how, why and what we learn

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. They live in a beautiful house, with a caring family, and attend an exclusive missionary school. They're completely shielded from the troubles of the world. Yet, as Kambili reveals in her tender-voiced account, things are less perfect than they appear. 

• Different voices
• Colonialism and Nigerian politics
• Religion and belief 
• Freedom vs tyranny

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the printed book, the most illegal of commodities, and the houses in which they are hidden. Montag does not question this until he meets an eccentric young neighbour who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear. Montag starts to question everything he has ever known.

• Censorship
• The individual versus the community
• Mass media
• Happiness
• Knowledge
• Conformity

The Outrage by William Hussey

Welcome to England, where the Protectorate enforces the Public Good. Here, there are rules for everything – what to eat, what to wear, what to do, what to say, what to read, what to think, who to hate, who to love. Your safety is assured, so long as you follow the rules. Gabriel is a natural-born rule-breaker. And his biggest crime of all? Being gay.

• LGBTQ issues
• Cultural knowledge and history
• Dystopian fiction
• Identity and self-discovery

The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla 

A collection of essays written by black, Asian and minority ethnic voices. The Good Immigrant explores why immigrants come to the UK, why they stay and what it means to be ‘other’ in a country. The selection of essays is challenging, humorous, heartbreaking, sad and angry.

• Race in contemporary Britain
• Immigration
• Identity