For those that don’t know, World Book Day is the kids’ version of World Book Night and with it comes a fantastic array of £1 books aimed at younger readers. School children will have received their vouchers to claim one of these books for free, but if you’re a grown up, you can grab the ebook versions off the usual suspects.

This year’s offerings included novellas by Rainbow Rowell and Juno Dawson. Rainbow’s book, Kindred Spirits, follows Elena as she joins The Line for the new Star Wars movie. Turns out the line is only three people long and she really does have a weak bladder. The story spans over 4 days of queuing and sleeping rough, for a film you can buy tickets for online, but that’s not the point. It’s a cute celebration of fandom and nerdiness, and also touches a little on the feelings of both sides when it comes to the subject of “fake geek girls”.

Juno’s book, Spot the Difference, is about an important subject for teens that often gets overlooked in fiction; acne. It’s something that so many of us go through yet characters in books have great skin, the most they get seems to be an odd spot. Avery has severe acne, so much so that she’s been seeing a specialist about it for years. Her mum’s been holding out putting her on medication due to side effects, but there’s a new drug trial on the horizon. What happens when Avery is freed from her skin?

It’s not as shallow as it seems because, of course, Avery learns an important lesson. But your appearance is something that affects you a whole lot, even if deep down we know it shouldn’t. Plus Juno gives you a great World Book Day costume for future years in the finale!

Both these books are definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of either writer. They’re short but they don’t feel too short, and they get their message across at the same time as being entertaining. If you’re not an ebook convert you should also be able to pick up paperbacks in your local bookshop or online.

Book Source: Purchased