Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day at Andersen Press! Celebrate with us through a selection of our most romantic titles!
The Boy I Love
A sweeping LGBTQ+ love story set against the horror of the First World War battlefront.
At just nineteen, Stephen has already survived a year at the front. Now he is returning to the trenches to lead a platoon, despite his wounds. Broken-hearted from the loss of his first love, Stephen wonders what he’s fighting for. Then he meets Private Danny McCormick, a smart, talented young recruit. From their first meeting, there’s something undeniable between them – something forbidden by both society and the army. Determined to protect Danny, Stephen must face down the prejudices and ignorance of his superiors as well as the onslaught of German shells and sniper fire.
As the summer of 1916 ticks down to one big push on the Somme, can Stephen and Danny stay together – and will their love save them – or condemn them?
‘Lyrical, tender, and incredibly moving. William Hussey masterfully balances brutal realism with pockets of sincere hope and joy’ – Becky Albertalli
Loverboy
A sweetly funny romance about a boy looking for love in all the wrong places.
Alfie thinks Maya might be the One, and he’s desperate to tell her… until she reveals she’s got a new, cooler boyfriend. Crushed, Alfie starts hanging out with Maya’s shy best friend Gwen – and develops feelings for her. But Gwen’s hiding something, and Alfie’s confused.
As Alfie looks for love within his friendship group, things get complicated – until Alfie makes a big mistake. Can he score with the girl of his dreams – or is he onto a losing streak?
The Falling in Love Montage
After the breakupocalypse with her ex, seventeen-year-old Saoirse plans to spend the summer before uni partying, getting drunk, watching horror movies and forgetting all her family troubles by kissing girls. Enter the scene: Ruby, who might just be the prettiest girl Saoirse’s ever seen. A romcom fan and a believer in true love, Ruby challenges cynical Saoirse to try a summer romance with the serious parts left out, just like in the movies. But what happens when the falling in love montage ends?
Winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Junior Juries’ Award and shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards YA Book of the Year: From the author of Not My Problem, winner of the Waterstones Prize for Older Readers.
‘An emotionally stirring queer romance with witty, playful dialogue’ – Publishers Weekly
Tadpole’s Promise
“Where the willow meets the water, a tadpole met a caterpillar. They gazed into each other’s tiny eyes and fell in love. ‘Promise me that you will never change’, the caterpillar says.”
And foolishly, the tadpole promises. But as the seasons pass and he matures, his legs grow, and then his arms – and what happens to his beautiful rainbow friend? As he sits on his lily pad, digesting the butterfly he has just eaten, he little realises that now he will never know!
‘Be prepared for a big plot twist that might just knock your socks off… a firm favourite’ – Giovanna Fletcher
Frog in Love
In the very first story to feature the loveable amphibian, Frog is feeling most unwell. He keeps getting hot, then cold, and something inside his chest is going ‘thump, thump’. Hare says it means he’s in love! But who with? And how can he show his devotion – perhaps by performing the biggest jump ever?
“Disarmingly sweet with just enough eccentricity. Some sage advice. – Teach Primary Magazine
