A selection of reading ideas for students Y7-9. General List A list of reads that appeal to a wide range of KS3 students; these are organised alphabetically and not according to level of challenge. My Name is Mina David Almond Flip Martyn Bedford The Astounding Broccoli Boy Frank Cottrell Boyce Bodyguard series eg ‘Ambush Chris Bradford Young Samurai (Series) Chris Bradford The Child’s Elephant Rachel Campbell-Johnston Stolen Lucy Christopher After Tomorrow Gillian Cross The Weight of Water Sarah Crossan One Sarah Crossan The Maze Runner (series) James Dashner Ausländer Paul Dowswell Sektion 20 Paul Dowswell A Greyhound of a Girl Roddy Doyle A Brighter Fear Kerry Drewery Toby Alone Timothee de Frombelle Maggot Moon Sally Gardiner The Red Necklace Sally Gardiner Coram Boy Jamilla Gavin Once (series) Morris Gleitzman The Vanishing of Katharina Linden Helen Grant The Zig-Zag Kid David Grossman Echo Boy Matt Haig The Midnight Zoo Sonya Harnett Across the Nightingale Floor Lian Hearn Fallen Grace Mary Hooper Thirteen Tom Hoyle Skulduggery Pleasant (series) Derek Landy I am Number Four (series) Pittacus Lore The Crowham Martyrs Jane McGoughlin The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking series) Patrick Ness More than this Patrick Ness A Monster Calls Patrick Ness Jessica’s Ghost Andrew Norriss Wonder R J Palacio Heroes of Olympus (series) Rick Riorden Roof Toppers Katherine Rundell The Wolf Wilder Katherine Rundell Smart Kim Slater A Seven Letter Word Kim Slater Finding Violet Park Jenny Valentine No and Me Delphine de Vigan Gangsta Granny David Walliams

We would always advise that, when reading for pleasure, students read a range of texts in terms of genre and of difficulty. However, to give you an idea of level of challenge, the following lists suggest reads according to ability. For each, there is a brief explanation of the level. Developing Reader Developing readers are perhaps not naturally inclined to pick up a novel for pleasure. The below are a few easy to access texts for more reluctant readers. Mondays are Murder Tanya Landman Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series) Jeff Kinney Boy Roald Dahl A Series of Unfortunate Events (series) Lemony Snicket The Lottie Project Jacqueline Wilson Angel Cake Cathy Cassidy Dead Ball (Football Detective series) Tom Palmer Monster Mission Eva Ibbotson Jimmy Coates: Killer Joe Craig Revenge of the Number Two Bali Rai The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis Coraline Neil Gaiman Good Dog, Bad Dog (Graphic Novel) Dave Shelton Competent Reader Competent readers are much more likely to choose to read for pleasure. The title listed below remain easy to access in terms of content, however, they do provide a little more challenge. Skulduggery Pleasant Derek Landy Goodnight Mister Tom Michelle Magorian Love, Aubrey Suzanne La Fleur Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone JK Rowling The Recruit (Cherub series) Robert Muchamore The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett Stormbreaker (Alex Rider series) Anthony Horowitz Blood Hunters Steve Voake Holes Louis Sachar The London Eye Mystery Siobhan Dowd The Iron Man Ted Hughes The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman Shadow Michael Morpurgo Artemis Fowl Eoin Colfer Trash Andy Mulligan Active Reader Active readers are keen to read for pleasure but may stick to one genre or author- below is a selection of titles from different genres to help students broaden their reading horizons. Malice Chris Wooding Journey to the River Sea Eva Ibbotson The Silver Sword Ian Serraillier Young Sherlock Holmes: Red Leech Andrew Lane Blood Ties Sophie McKenzie The Ruby in the Smoke Philip Pullman The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas John Boyne I, Coriander Sally Gardner Chinese Cinderella Adeline Yen Mah The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke The Hound of the Baskervilles Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Wind Singer William Nicholson Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief Rick Riordan My Swordhand is Singing Marcus Sedgwick Reflective Reader Reflective readers are willing to challenge themselves; they think very carefully about what they have read. The below are some thought provoking choices to challenge students’ emotional intelligence. Northern Lights Philip Pullman I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith Revolver Marcus Sedgwick The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Sue Townsend The Other Side of Truth Beverley Naidoo Refugee Boy Benjamin Zephaniah Private Peaceful Michael Morpurgo The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mark Haddon The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking series) Patrick Ness Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank Noughts and Crosses Malorie Blackman Eragon Christopher Paolini Chains Laurie Halse Anderson Versatile Reader Versatile readers are well read and always looking for the next challenge. Below are some challenging choices to stretch and challenge the most able readers at KS3 (and beyond!). The Book Thief Markus Zusak Bog Child Siobhan Dowd Rebecca Daphne du Maurier The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Ausländer Paul Dowswell Lord of the Flies William Golding Mort Terry Pratchett The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight Jenny Valentine City of Ghosts Bali Rai The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Great Expectations Charles Dickens