We’re counting down to Christmas with Team B’s books of the year. Each member of the Mr B’s team has narrowed down their choices to just their top 12 (or close enough!) Each week we will bring you different members of the team so you can compile a brilliant selection of new favourites to add to your Christmas list.
Hannah’s Fave: Dragonborn by Struan Murray
Alex has always been suffocated by her mum’s rules. When a kindly stranger appears to tell her she’s actually a dragon, like her father before her, everything changes. She’s whisked off to the island of Skralla to train with other young dragons. But there’s something nefarious brewing around them. Hannah says: “This is the standout children’s fantasy novel of 2025, and a perfect read for fans of Skandar and Impossible Creatures.”
Becky’s Fave: Glasgow Boys by Margaret Mcdonald
This incredible book explores masculinity, friendship, and intimacy as we follow Banjo and Finlay through
their lives in the foster system. Once inseparable, their bond is shattered by one life-altering night. Beautifully written, it delves into the complexity of friendship and the powerful truth that family is not always who you’re born to, but who you choose. Becky says: “I truly believe if we could bottle what this book is saying, there would be less hate in the world.”
Sam’s Fave: The Strangers by Ekow Eshun
An audacious and affecting exploration of Black masculinity across two centuries. Written in the second
person, The Strangers invites the reader into the lives of five figures – Ira Aldridge, Matthew Henson, Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X and Justin Fashanu – each facing a moment of reckoning that will both cement their reputation and label them outsiders. Sam says: “Deeply felt and imagined, interspersed with illuminating essays, this is the most groundbreaking biography I’ve read in years.”