Books worth reading:
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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