I Have a Dream by Neil Tonge (Hodder Wayland, £8.50, 7-11 years) presents a chance encounter between a little boy and Martin Luther King. The illustrated narrative concentrates on the motivation behind his commitment to racial equality, and on the famous Montgomery bus boycott that triggered reform in the USA. This was not a man fighting for himself, but on behalf of all those segregated or discriminated against. Although specific in its remit, there is a distinct resonance with racial iniquity both at home and abroad.

I Was a Rat! ... or The Scarlet Slippers by Philip Pullman (Corgi £3.99, 10+ yrs) is a chameleon of a story, shifting with every re-reading. As storytellers go, Pullman is among the best, and, although renowned for the deservedly feted His Dark Materials trilogy, this slimmer volume is no less ingenious. Plundering the world of traditional fairytale and adding some trenchant references to the unpalatable way in which the press can manipulate their readers, this story works on several levels and poses any number of conundrums about perceptions of ourselves and those around us.

Warlands by Rachel Anderson (OUP, £5.99, 9-15 yrs) Accident of birth fascinates Anderson, whose books often look at how a quirk of nature dictates the direction of a life. Using experience of her own adopted son, Sang, the author tells a series of stories about Ho, a Vietnamese orphan whose history is unknown. A whole narrative and emotional framework must be created so he can take his place among the family. His abysmal behaviour strains their commitment, but through the stories they slowly provide a haven in which he thrives, secure in himself and with others.

Falling Awake by Vivian French (Barrington Stoke £4.50, 11-16 yrs) Vivian French tackles the horrors of drug addiction head on, starting with a ghastly drug-induced nightmare. And it continues, even as reality and consciousness kicks in. The negative side-effects of drug-taking are made very clear, but the over-riding impression is of the drugs economy which, even on this local scale, targets the weakest.

The Monarchy by Emily Moore (What's the Big Idea? series, Hodder, £3.99, 11-15yrs). Emily Moore gets her teeth into The Monarchy, subtitled 'National Treasure or a Right Royal Disgrace?' It is fairly clear in which direction she leans, but she avoids diatribe or blue-rinse defence. Historically and socially fascinating and entertainingly illustrated, there is fodder here for spirited debate about the nature of power and the accident of inherited status within a much broader context than simply the beleaguered Windsors.

Tommy Trouble by Stephen Potts (Mammoth £3.99, 9-12 yrs) Theresa Breslin's Carnegie-winning Whispers in the Graveyard was ground-breaking in its exposure of the consequences of illiteracy - this book explores similar territory for a younger readership. Tommy is ridiculed by his teacher, bullied by his peers and largely ignored by his weary, lonely mother. A friendship with the old man he meets at the war memorial provides the incentive and support he needs to begin to explore the world of words. His journey is not neatly complete by the time this gentle story closes. Life will never be easy for Tommy.