From grade 6

Hazel and hedgehog. 159 pages.
With didactic material

Hanging out, chilling, relaxing - this is one of the favorite pastimes of many teenagers. Temporarily switching off from stressful everyday life is important, but extreme laziness can become a problem. Heidemarie Brosche tackles the subject in a humorous way, without moralizing and entirely from the perspective of the likeable young protagonist.

Fourteen-year-old Matthias-Georg is the quintessential slacker - which is why his classmates call him "Couch". He prefers to spend his free time on the sofa, with the remote control, his smartphone and a bag of potato chips within easy reach. He avoids home duties and schoolwork wherever he can, which leads to tensions with his mother and teachers.

But then Yayo enters his life. The new classmate and half-Japanese girl looks like Couch's favorite anime character and really turns his head. Little by little, Couch comes to the realization: I have to change something in my life if I want to win over the girl of my dreams.

Love, commitment/civil courage, conflicts, self-discovery

From grade 7

Published by a.d.Ruhr. 104 pages. (K.L.A.R.)
With didactic material

Leander, Ben, Nino and Jule - cell phone junkies and huge Minecraft fans - go on a school trip to the Eifel. There, the friends have to learn how to cope without network reception: They get lost in the forest and use the survival strategies they learned in Minecraft. Hunger, thirst and an accident make it clear to everyone that real life is much more extreme than any game... Small amount of text, manageable reading sections, simple sentence structure and easy-to-understand vocabulary.

Schools for learning support, classes with reading difficulties,
Computer games, virtual reality, Minecraft, internet consumption, friendship, Antolin

From 7th grade

Thienemann. 296 pages.
With didactic material

The novel is set in Lusatia during the Northern War. The main character is the 14-year-old orphan Krabat, who becomes an apprentice in a mill in Koselbruch. However, the mill turns out to be a "black school" where the master miller teaches Krabat and eleven other boys the art of sorcery. Krabat's friend Tonda dies, supposedly in an accident. Krabat sees through the miller and learns that the master must kill one of his pupils at the end of each year and sacrifice his soul, otherwise he himself will be taken. The power of the sinister master can only be broken by the courage and love of a girl. Krabat succeeds in freeing himself because he can count on friendship and love; the mill goes up in flames with the master and all the magic powers disappear with it.

Adventure, Fantastic, Antolin

From grade 7

Verlag a. d. Ruhr. 152 pages.
With didactic material

This exciting dystopia deals with the topics of fake news and state surveillance as well as the influence of influencers on social media channels: Leonie, the successful and popular influencer, is a role model for young adults. But behind the flawless façade lies a sophisticated media concept to manipulate people. Leonie is known to most of her followers only as "G". As a successful blogger, the girl is followed daily by a drone that broadcasts her everyday life live on social media. But there is more to her exciting influencer life. Because while G is busy blogging, social differences in society are widening and political unrest is emerging. G doesn't notice how she and her blog are increasingly becoming a pawn in politics. The book is written in an easily understandable way and offers an exciting basis for discussion in the classroom with current topics.

Classes with reading difficulties, schools for learning support
Influencer, fake news, social media, dystopia, Antolin

From grade 8

Maier. 143 pages.

With didactic material

A popular, progressively committed teacher at a US high school wants to prove to his indifferent, undisciplined students that the fascism of National Socialism is not a historical phenomenon, but a latent threat. With organizational slogans and disciplinary exercises, he founds the "Wave", a movement that only a few critical students can escape. The experiment gets out of control and can only be ended with difficulty. An exciting story based on authentic events that makes you think about how you would have behaved yourself.

Fascism, peer pressure, Antolin

From grade 6

Gulliver by Beltz & Gelberg. 143 pages.

With didactic material

"You've never been to the sea?" Samuel, Bina and Sharif can't believe it. Their new friend Kevin has never even been to the North Sea. So the three of them set out on a mission to "take Kevin to the seaside". Without their parents, of course. They never have time for that anyway. And so begins an unforgettable journey for the four friends - including mishaps, a sea that isn't really a sea and lots of adventure.

An adventurous road trip - easy to read and fast-paced. Simply super readable!

Adventure, friendship, road trip, easy reading, easy to read