Close Your Pretty Eyes by Sally Nicholls

 
What's it all about?

Eleven-year-old Olivia has just moved into her sixteenth placement home, having grown-up in the care system. She is clearly a troubled child, damaged by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her own mother, and by her experiences of being 'given up on' by everyone who has looked after her so far. Nicholls uses her first person narration to weave several narrative threads together into one compelling storyline: flashbacks of Olivia's relationship with her mum, a history of her foster carers, and the present-day story of her latest home. This home is a secluded farm house that she shares with Jim, his own two children, an older fostered girl and her baby daughter. Oh, and the ghost of a notorious Victorian murderess.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

What’s it about?

Cather (Cath) and he twin sister Wren set off for college at the University of Nebraska. Whilst Wren is looking forward to embracing student life, and all the friends, parties and boys it has to offer, Cath is altogether more anxious about this new chapter in their lives.  This is the first time in eighteen years that she won’t be sharing a room with her twin (Wren reckons the whole point of college is to meet new people), and she’s terrified about how their bipolar single father will cope without his two girls to keep an eye on him.  Furthermore, Cath is much happier functioning online in the realm of fanfic, rather than interacting with real-life human beings. Her alter-ego Magicath is the prolific and popular writer of Carry On, Simon, an extended fanfic based on the fictional Simon Snow series (a bit like Harry Potter).  With tens of thousands of online fans herself, Cath has to juggle her writing, her studies and her family issues.