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1 “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn the more places you’ll go.” Dr Seuss . Literacy: KS3 Reading List
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“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more you learn the more places you’ll go.” Dr Seuss.
Literacy: KS3 Reading List
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Recommended books for year 7:
Title: Author: Genre: Overview:
Watership Down
Richard Adams Fiction Fantasy Adventure
Fiver has a sixth sense for danger and persuades Hazel to lead a small band of rabbits to escape disaster. They set out on a perilous journey to find a safe home.
War Horse Michael Morpurgo
Fiction History War Relationships
A gripping description of the horrors of war told from the perspective of Joey, a horse, who experiences the senselessness of war and the importance of friendships more clearly than the soldiers around him.
Goodnight Mr. Tom.
Michelle Magorian
Fiction History War Relationships Love
When WW2 breaks out, William is evacuated to the countryside. A sad, deprived child begins to flourish under the care of Mr Oakley. But then his cruel mother summons him back to London.
The Goldfish Boy
Lisa Thompson Fiction Mystery Resilience
Matthew finds it almost impossible to leave his room due to his OCD. But when a small child in his neighbourhood vanishes, he turns into a detective to try to solve the mystery.
Framed Frank Cottrell Boyce
Fiction Mystery Suspense
Framed tells the story of how paintings moved from the National Gallery in London to a cave in North Wales alter the lives of the village folk, especially Dylan.
The Diary of a young girl
Anne Frank Autobiographical Factual Though provoking Historical
Anne Frank’s diary written when she was 13-15 years old and hiding above an Amsterdam warehouse during WW2.
Wonder
R. J. Palacio Fiction Thought provoking Young adult
Augie wants to be like every other 10 year old. But whenever anybody looks at him they treat him differently because of a facial abnormality. Can he convince everybody that he’s just like them inside?
The dark is rising
Susan Cooper Fiction Fantasy Mystery
Just prior to his 11th birthday, Will discovers he’s the last person left with the power of the Old ones. His mission is to guard the light and drive out the dark.
Stone Cold Robert Swindells Fiction Homelessness
There is a serial killer targeting the young and homeless trying to survive on the
Reading materials suitable
for 11-12 year olds.
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Suspense Crime
streets. Deb, an undercover journalist is determined to catch the killer- using herself as bait.
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins Fiction Sci-Fi Utopian Dystopian Action
One person from each district in the country is selected to fight to their death in a reality TV lottery. Katniss vows to win and challenge the hierarchy.
Pig heart boy Malorie Blackman Fiction Thought provoking Young adult
13 year old Cameron is dying and his only hope of survival is a heart transplant. When there are no human hearts available, his father finds a doctor willing to use a pig’s heart.
The Island at the End of Everything
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Fiction History Adventure
A though provoking and atmospheric story about Amihan, who lives on an Island affected by a leprosy outbreak. Forced to leave, she finds some unlikely allies in her quest to return home.
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Recommended books for year 8:
Title: Author: Genre: Overview:
Welcome to Nowhere
Elizabeth Laird Fiction Culture Adventure
Omar dreams of being a successful businessman and to rule the world. But living in Syria, this 12 year old’s dreams are set in a time and place where things can change rapidly- especially when his older brother finds himself in a dangerous situation and the whole family has to flee to safety.
The Outsiders S. E. Hinton Fiction Young adult Relationships Drama
A story of struggle, growing up, gangs and peer pressure. The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.
Mark Haddon Fiction Mystery Adventure Relationships Thriller
Christopher isn’t like other teenagers. He finds it difficult to talk to other people, hates being touched and reacts badly to certain colours. When the neighbour’s dog is murdered he causes chaos trying to find out who did it.
Journey to the River Sea
Eva Ibbotson Fiction Young adult Adventure Thriller
An orphaned, young girl and her governess travel thousands of miles from boarding school to South America with distant relatives.
Looking for JJ Anne Cassidy Fiction Mystery Crime Relationships
A child killer is living a new life under a new identity after being released. How long can she keep her former life secret and is she as evil as people believe?
The Tulip Touch Anne Fine Fiction Mystery Suspense Relationships
Nobody wants anything to do with Tulip, who is avoided by teachers and children alike. But Natalie is drawn to her and finds her dangerous and interesting. When things go too far, Natalie realises she can’t control Tulip and events begin to spin out of control.
The Woman in Black
Susan Hill Fiction Horror Mystery
A chilling mystery about a woman in black who the villagers only talk about in terrifying ghost stories.
Reading materials suitable
for 12-13 year olds.
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Madame Doubtfire Anne Fine Fiction Comedy Relationships
Lydia, Christopher and Natalie’s parents have divorced. When their mum looks to hire a nanny, their Dad, Daniel gets the job- using a cunning disguise.
Hacker Malorie Blackman Fiction Sci-fi Thriller
When Vicky’s father is arrested, accused of stealing over a million pounds from the bank where he works, she is determined to prove his innocence. But how? There’s only one way – to attempt to break into the bank’s computer files.
Millions Frank Cottrell Boyce
Fiction Relationships Thriller
After their mother dies, two brothers find a huge amount of money which they must spend quickly before England switches to the new European currency, but they disagree on what to do with it.
The Day of the Triffids
John Wyndham Fiction Mystery Thriller
Bill wakes up to find he’s the only person left on Earth who can see. Everyone else has been blinded by a mysterious meteor event. Can he save the world from the extra-terrestrial, carnivorous plants?
I am David Anne Holm Fiction History Suspense
The story of 15 year old David’s quest to escape the concentration camp where he has lived his life- trying to find home.
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Recommended books for year 9:
Title: Author: Genre: Overview:
A Monster Calls
Patrick Ness Fiction Suspense Horror Mystery
A teenager who has the same dream, or nightmare, every night. But this time when he wakes up there’s an otherworldly creature from his dream right outside his window. The creature demands one thing- the truth about everything.
Hatchet Gary Paulsen Fiction Thriller Suspense Adventure
Brian, a streetwise teen who lives in the city, is left stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash-with only a hatchet to survive. Will he make it?
Noughts and Crosses
Malorie Blackman Fiction Dystopian Relationships
Callum and Sephy are teenagers living on different sides of a racial divide. Callum is from the despised group of Noughts, Sephy belongs to the elite Crosses. Their childhood friendship turns to first love, but is threatened when strict racial and sexual taboos lead those around them to violent acts with tragic consequences.
Goggle Eyes Anne Fine Fiction Young adult Relationships Thriller
Kitty Killin is not only a good storyteller, but also the World's Greatest Expert when it comes to mothers having new and unwanted boyfriends. Particularly when there's a danger they might turn into new and unwanted stepfathers...
Northern Lights Phillip Pullman Fiction Fantasy
Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half-
Reading materials suitable
for 13-14 year olds.
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Adventure Mystery
wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford. The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight. Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences far beyond her own world...
My Sister’s Keeper
Jodi Picoult Fiction Relationships Young adult Domestic fiction
In all thirteen years of Anna's life, her parents have never given her a choice: she was born to be her sister Kate's bone marrow donor and she has always given Kate everything she needs. But when Anna is told Kate needs a new kidney, she begins to question how much she should be prepared to do to save the older sibling she has always been defined by.
Dracula Bram Stoker Fiction Gothic horror Mystery Fantasy Thriller
A classic vampire tale following Dracula’s move from Transylvania to England, pursued by Abraham Van Helsing who is intent on exterminating him.
Across the Nightingale floor
Liam Hearn Fiction History Adventure Fantasy
In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard.
The Fault in Our Stars John Green Fiction Romance
This is a stunning love story in the face of
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Young adult desperate adversity. When terminally ill Hazel meets Augustus the short time she has left to live changes course in ways she could never have imagined.
I am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick
Biographical Young adult Culture World issues Education Human rights
At a very young age, Malala Yousafzai has become a worldwide symbol of courage and hope. Her shooting has sparked a wave of solidarity across Pakistan, not to mention globally, for the right to education, freedom from terror and female emancipation.
Noah Can’t Even Simon James Green Fiction LGBT
Noah desperately wants to be like everyone else. But with a mother who works as an unconvincing Beyonce lookalike and a father who isn’t around. Noah is struggling with life.
Mortal Engines
Phillip Reeves Fiction Sci-Fi Thriller Adventure
London is hunting. The great Traction City lumbers after a small town, eager to strip its prey of all assets and move on. Resources on the Great Hunting Ground that once was Europe are so limited that mobile cities must consume one another to survive, a practice known as Municipal Darwinism.
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Challenging books recommended for KS3 pupils:
Title Author Genre Overview
A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair
Nicholas Fisk Fiction Sci-Fi Thriller History Fantasy
Set in the future where the birth rate has dropped after a nuclear disaster, the human race has started recycling people. 12 year old Brin meets a family of ‘reborn’ people who originally lived during WW2.
The Box of Delights
John Masefield Fiction Fantasy Adventure
Kay Harker receives a box from an old man called Cole which has magic powers, letting him shrink, fly and travel back in time. But Cole is followed…
The Call of the Wild
Jack London Fiction Adventure
Buck is stolen from his California home and shipped North to Klondike to become a sled dog. Can he survive the cold, the work and the lead dog Spitz?
Nineteen Eighty- Four
George Orwell Fiction Dystopian History Thriller
A dystopian novel. Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth where his job is to re-write history. He rebels and longs for freedom.
The Giver Lois Lowry Fiction Dystopian Utopian Sci-fi
12 year old Jonas lives in a world with no poverty, no crime and where everyone is the same. But when he takes on the role of ‘receiver of memory’ he becomes one of the only people to understand how the world he lives in came about.
Z for Zachariah Robert O’Brien Fiction Sci-fi Thriller Adventure
Ann Burden has survived a nuclear war by living in a valley free of radiation. But when the only other person she knows becomes threatening, she decides to leave the valley to see if anyone else has survived.
Bridge to the Stars
Henning Mankel Fiction Thriller Mystery Young adult
12 year old Joel lives with his father in the cold northern part of Sweden. At night he often sneaks out of his father's house to look for a lonely dog he has seen from his window. On the bridge across the icy river he starts a secret society and has adventures. But one night he discovers that his father's bed is also empty and will have to come terms with his fathers new found love. The harsh reality of Joel's world comes vividly to life and leaves the reader spellbound.
The Book Thief Markus Zusak Fiction History
Narrated in the all-knowing matter-of-fact voice of Death, witnessing the story
Challenging stories to read suitable
for 11-14 year olds.
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Young adult of the citizens of Molching. By 1943, the Allied bombs are falling, and the sirens begin to wail. Liesel shares out her books in the air-raid shelters. But one day, the wail of the sirens comes too late.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Kelly Barnhill Fiction Fantasy Thriller
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is in fact a good witch who shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Fiction History Suspense Relationships Thought provoking
Nine-year-old Bruno has a lot of things on his mind. Who is the 'Fury'? Why did he make them leave their nice home in Berlin to go to 'Out-With' ? And who are all the sad people in striped pyjamas on the other side of the fence? The grown-ups won't explain so Bruno decides there is only one thing for it - he will have to explore this place alone. What he discovers is a new friend. But why can't they ever play together?
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Stories from other cultures:
Title: Author: Overview:
Boy 87 Ele Fountain The story of a refugee: one child's journey stands for the journeys of many and the hopes of even more Shif is just an ordinary boy who likes chess, maths and racing his best friend home from school.
Little Soldier Bernard Ashley When Kaninda survives a brutal attack on his village in East Africa he joins the rebel army, where he's trained to carry weapons, and use them.
Motherland Vineeta Vijayaraghavan The story of a girl sent to India to explore possibilities for an arranged marriage
Refugee Boy Benjamin Zephaniah An urgent story of a courageous African boy sent to England to escape the violent civil war, a story about arriving, belonging and finding 'home'.
Daughter of the Wind Suzanne Fisher Staples Shabanu, a young nomad of the Cholistan Desert, must submit to the marriage her father arranges for her, or go against centuries of tradition by defying him.
Lost for Words Elizabeth Lutzeier Aysha Begum has always been the fastest, cleverest and most popular girl in her village. But when she and her mother are taken to London by her father to begin a new life, Aysha is forced to face a brand new world. Unable to speak the language, she meets pity or contempt at every corner.
The Garbage King Elizabeth Laird When Mamo's mother dies, he is abandoned in the shanties of Addis Ababa. Stolen by a child-trafficker and sold to a farmer, he is cruelly treated. Escaping back to the city, he meets another, very different runaway.
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Classics:
Title: Author Check
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
Animal Farm
George Orwell
To Kill a Mocking Bird
Harper Lee
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
The Railway Children
Edith Nesbit
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien
Harry Potter SAGAS
J. K Rowling
Twilight SAGAS
Stephanie Meyer
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Ken Kesey
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
Five Children and It
Edith Nesbit
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley
Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte
1984
George Orwell
The Hobbit
J. R. R. Tolkien
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Should you require more information about loaning or purchasing a book of interest talk to your
Form tutor, English teacher or our School Librarian; Ms Phillips.
Alternatively, you can contact our school email system: [email protected]
We strive to answer any communication within 2 working days.
