Here are 13 books that Three Boys Gone fans have personally recommended if you like
Three Boys Gone.
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I loved the structure of the novel which features a reverse countdown to the BIG EVENT. We feel invested in the 17-year-old boy's nervousness, thoughts and emotions as he learns about physical and emotional intimacy as well as consent. A very heartfelt novel about healthy relationships.
A tender teen love story from the Carnegie-winning author of Look Both Ways.
'Jason Reynolds has done it again!' Judy Blume
Seventeen-year-old Neon is about to have sex with his girlfriend, Aria, for the first time. In 24 seconds to be precise. He's hiding in the bathroom, nervous, wanting to do everything right . . .
Rewind. To 24 minutes earlier where Neon rushes from work, taking the gift of fried chicken to Aria's house.
Rewind again. To 24 hours earlier when Neon's big sister has advice about sex which makes him think he probably shouldn't be listening to his…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
When gorgeous new American student, Carter, struts into class, Harley knows it's time to reinvent herself. Before long, she's shedding not only her weight but her friends, her family and the person she used to be. Betrayed by someone close to her, Harley abandons her only ally, drawn into a dangerous game of self-deception with no rules. Or winner. Spiralling deeper into a world where nothing is as it seems, Harley is desperate to find her way back. But first, she must figure out why her dead grandmother is messaging her.…
'It's like an interplanetary version of Survivor meets The Amazing Race, but with way more death vines and alien venom.' Better Reading
Three days, three clues, one hungry planet. Constant surveillance. The entire universe watching every move. Some will shatter. Most will fail. A select few will make it through, instant celebrities.
Welcome to the Surface Trials. The only way into Starquest Academy.
For Amethyst Antares, Starquest Academy offers an escape from the prison of her home planet. For Rian - the uber-famous and expertly disguised heir to the universe's two greatest dynasties - failure to get into his own…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
This quirky book for middle grade readers took me back to my own memories of watching the moon landing on a crackly TV at school. I loved the way it shines a spotlight on the important role remote Australian tracking stations contributed to the success of the mission. The characters and realistic, sad and poignant interactions between a young boy and his grandfather are beautifully written. And what a great cover!
SHORTLISTED: 2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize, Children's and Young Adult Category
When a boy called Keith pops up from nowhere in Letty's bedroom and accuses her of invading his room, Letty is astonished - but things get even stranger when she realises she is caught up in an incredible adventure, able to slip back and forth in time!
Keith lives in the world of 1969, and Letty joins in the thrill and excitement of the first astronauts about to land on the moon.
But when she discovers her trips to the past are changing history, she starts to worry. What…
I’m Australian and there’s a big place in my heart for Australian-set stories. I read mostly for escapism, but there’s a deeper connection with tales from my own backyard. I’ve also always loved speculative fiction – everything from epic and paranormal fantasy to space opera and dystopian thrillers – and I’m excited when my favourite genres and setting come together. My day job is in local government. I’ve seen how government decisions can impact the trajectory of a society, and I’m particularly drawn to stories that explore that theme. I’m the author of five speculative fiction novels with Australian settings: the four novels in The Rephaim series (supernatural fantasy) and The Undercurrent (slightly futuristic/pre-apocalyptic).
It’s a dystopian YA novel where the Australian landscape is beautifully rendered in all its glory and danger. It’s also a tightly written and intense page turner, when even quiet moments are infused with a sense of menace.
It has echoes of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, although this book is unmistakably Australian - right down to speculation around where our nation’s attitude to asylum seeks may lead us. It’s not as bleak as The Road (a book I admire), but Mark reminds us how easily our veneer of society could slip away in the wake of a catastrophic, world-changing event.
I did worry for Finn’s dog as much as for Finn himself. (I’m still scarred by The Knife of Never Letting Go. This has parallels to that nail-biting novel, too.)
Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed wiped out his parents and most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his dog Rowdy for company.
He has stayed alive for two winters—hunting and fishing and trading food, and keeping out of sight of the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage.
But Finn’s isolation is shattered when a girl runs onto the beach. Rose is a Siley—an asylum seeker—and she has escaped from Ramage, who had enslaved her and her younger sister,…
I don’t normally read post-apocalyptic novels, but this one is special. A haunting but beautiful ‘ode’ to what remains after the world ends. Peter Heller manages to find poetry in a post-pandemic landscape. At its heart, this is a story about the profound, life-saving bond between a man and his dog, Jasper—perhaps the true ‘star’ of the novel. It’s a poignant tribute to loyalty, survival, and the small beacons of hope that guide us. As a pilot, Hig uses the stars to navigate. The title refers to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky and part of the constellation Canis Major, and the bond with Jasper.
THE ROAD - but with hope. Hig, bereaved and traumatised after global disaster, has three things to live for - his dog Jasper, his aggressive but helpful neighbour, and his Cessna aeroplane. He's just about surviving, so long as he only takes his beloved plane for short journeys, and saves his remaining fuel. But, just once, he picks up a message from another pilot, and eventually the temptation to find out who else is still alive becomes irresistible. So he takes his plane over the horizon, knowing that he won't have enough fuel to get back. What follows is scarier…
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
I love writing historical fiction. I enjoy the research and creating long-lost worlds filled with little-known historical accuracies that intrigue my readers. It is no surprise then that I enjoy reading about the future - the other side of the coin. I always find it interesting to see how writers create a post-apocalyptic society. What was the catastrophic event? (TCE) What caused it and how do the different characters react to adversity when their old world is taken away from them? Inevitably they have to survive in the new system but will they have learned their lesson or will they return to their old ways?
A generation or so after The Calamitous Event (TCE), our hero’s dog is stolen by an unexpected visitor to their remote home in the Outer Hebrides. This book is my definition of a cracking good read. It has adventure, surprises, and insights into the human condition that led to TCE in the first place. Above all, it features a boy and his overwhelming mission - to get his dog back. If, like me, you love dogs you are going to love this book.
'You'll remember A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World long after you finish reading' Peng Shepherd, author of The Book Of M
'Fletcher's suspenseful, atmospheric tale imagines a near future in which our world is in ruins . . . an adventure saga punctured by a gut-punch twist' Entertainment Weekly
'Truly engrossing . . . brings hope and humanity to a cold and scary world' Keith Stuart, author of A Boy Made of Blocks
'I promise you're going to love it' Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History…
The first book I read on my own was the Little Golden Book of Puppies and Kittens. I decided then, aged three, that the best books have animals in them…and I haven’t changed my mind. While fantasy novels with animals are among my all-time favorites, I’ve developed a deep love for dystopian novels which leave room for hope. I especially love the stories that show more than just humans living on Planet Earth. What better species to represent all that’s good on Earth but dogs? I can’t imagine ever writing a story without a dog in it.
Lopside the Barkonaut is sure to make you smile. Humanity needs to find a new planet to live on, and the Barkonauts go along to ensure the best qualities of both humans and dogs survive.
Voyage of the Dogs is a middle-grade book (ages 10+) but completely enjoyable for dog lovers of all ages. Disaster strikes when the human astronauts disappear – are they dead? – and the Barkonauts have to figure out stuff for themselves.
I love that all of these space-faring dogs have flaws and a past history that they have to carry around. Lopside discovers that some of his fellow Barkonauts are nothing like what they seem. Despite all the obstacles, eventually, there is a wonderful outcome that will bring you joy for a long time after you finish reading. Read it for yourself – or even better, read it to a kid who needs strength and…
Dogs in space! Share this book with middle graders who enjoy stories about dogs, space adventures, or action adventure stories-or all three! Perfect for fans of Homeward Bound and Woof.
Lopside is a Barkonaut, a specially trained dog who assists human astronauts on missions in space. He and the crew aboard the spaceship Laika are en route to set up an outpost on a distant planet.
When the mission takes a disastrous turn, the Barkonauts on board suddenly find themselves completely alone on their severely damaged ship.
Survival seems impossible. But these dogs are Barkonauts-and Barkonauts always complete their mission.…
The first book I read on my own was the Little Golden Book of Puppies and Kittens. I decided then, aged three, that the best books have animals in them…and I haven’t changed my mind. While fantasy novels with animals are among my all-time favorites, I’ve developed a deep love for dystopian novels which leave room for hope. I especially love the stories that show more than just humans living on Planet Earth. What better species to represent all that’s good on Earth but dogs? I can’t imagine ever writing a story without a dog in it.
Worldshifter is a fabulous science fiction story full of wonderful characters. You will laugh out loud at times, and your heart will race as the action careers across the galaxy.
On a very degraded and hostile planet, the lowest remnants of humanity slave away for the powerful alien races. I loved every page of this adventure with sweet, simple, giant-hearted Klom who hasn’t got a nasty bone in his oversized body. His compassion for the strange, doglike alien – who he calls Tugger -- contrasts brilliantly with the harshness of the world where Klom lives. Klom and his companions chase across planets and star systems to rescue Tugger, and on the way, they find the answer to life's greatest mystery. Long live Tugger, who’s not strictly a dog (because he’s an alien), but certainly embodies all that canine perfection of character. I do hope there are more stories from this…
A high-octane tale of sweeping scope and and imagination packed into the pages of a breathless novella. Reminiscent of Jack Vance at his best in its sweep and imagination, but wholly Di Filippo in its execution.
Klom is a big, simple man who works in the salvage yards on the planet Asperna as a shipbreaker. One day, while deep in the bowels of an antique ship, Klom discovers an active organic stasis pod. He splits it open and out tumbles a large quadruped that seems friendly, harmless, but non-sapient. Klom adopts it as a pet and names it Tugger. Little…
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
The premise of The Bridge, a sci-fi/dystopian young
adult novel, grabbed my attention off the hop.
The protagonist, Nik Stais,
one of Tornmoor Academy’s top graduates, is shocked when Internal
Security and Intelligence Services selects his peers as recruits but leaves him
behind. Questioning his privileged Cityside upbringing, Nik is soon forced to venture
over a bridge into the hostile Southside, where he finds answers—and also warring
factions bent on destroying the City and each other.
Higgins’ complex world-building
reminded me of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids,
and Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games. With its echoes of real-life past and
current conflicts/social inequality, The Bridge was a thought-provoking and
highly worthwhile read.
The City is divided. The bridges gated. In Southside, the hostiles live in squalor and desperation, waiting for a chance to overrun the residents of Cityside.
Nik is still in high school but is destined for a great career with the Internal Security and Intelligence Services, the brains behind the war. But when ISIS comes recruiting, everyone is shocked when he isn't chosen. There must be an explanation, but no one will talk about it. Then the school is bombed and the hostiles take the bridges. Buildings are burning, kids are dead, and the hostiles have kidnapped Sol. Now ISIS…
