This is a very modest list of readings and by no means exhaustive. The following list has been
compiled from various sources of the most suitable books for KS3 (Year 7, 8 & 9). However,
students can select any text that they would like to read from the list regardless of their year
group.
YEAR 7 - SUGGESTED READING LIST
Adventure
Title
Storm breaker
Swallows & Amazons
Lion Boy
Cold Tom
Troy
The Thief Lord
The Moon Riders
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman
Prince Caspian. The Return to Narnia
Number The Stars
Author
Anthony Horowitz
Arthur Ransome
Zouzou Corder
Sally Prue
Adele Gèras
Cornelia Funke
Theresa Tomlinson
Brian Jacques
Lewis, C.S.
Lois Lowry
Classics
Little Women
The Secret Garden
Heidi
Carrie’s War
A Christmas Carol
Oliver Twist
Alice ’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Lost World
The Railway Children
The Hobbit
The Water Babies
Black Beauty
Ballet Shoes
The Wizard of Oz
Pollyanna
Anne of Green Gables
The Little House on the Prairie
Peter Pan
Holes
Feeling Sorry for Celia
The Princess Diaries
Noughts and Crosses
Refugee Boy
Madame Doubtfire
Step by Wicked Step
Just Don’t Make a Scene Mum!
Louisa May Alcott
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Johanna Spyri
Nina Bawden
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Lewis Carroll
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Elizabeth Nesbit
J R R Tolkien
Charles Kingsley
Anna Sewell
Noel Streatfield
Frank Baum
Eleanor H. Porter
L.M. Montgomery
Laura Ingalls Wilder
J. M. Barrie
Louis Sachar
Jaclyn Moriarty
Meg Cabot
Malorie Blackman
Benjamin Zephaniah
Anne Fine
Anne Fine
Rosie Rushton
Fantasy
Lola Rose
Vicky Angel
The Story of Tracy Beaker
Moon Riders
Northern Lights
Stormchasers
Redwall
The Hobbit
The Earthsea Quartet
Jacqueline Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson
Teresa Tomlinson
Philip Pullman
Stewart & Riddell
Brian Jacques
JRR Tolkien
Ursula Le Guin
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Stravaganza: City of Masks
Inkheart
Artemis Fowl
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Cry of the Icemark
The Blade of Fire
The Wind of Fire Trilogy
Harry Potter
Narnia
The Named
The Edge Chronicles
Joan Aiken
Mary Hoffman
Cornelia Funke
Eoin Colfer
Lemony Snicket
Tony Di Terlizzi & Holly Black
Stuart Hill
Stuart Hill
William Nicholson
J.K. Rowling
C.S. Lewis
Marianne Curley
Stewart & Riddell
Biography/Autobiography
Diary of Anne Frank
A Child Called ‘It’
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Chinese Cinderella
My Family & Other Animals
All Creatures Great and Small
A Story of my Life
Anne Frank
David Pelzer
Judith Kerr
Adeline Yen Mah
Gerald Durrell
James Herriot
Keller, Helen
Science-Fiction
The Day of the Triffids
Plague 99
John Wyndham
Jean Ure
History
Goodnight Mr Tom
The Wheel of Surya
Kiss the Dust
The Ruby in the Smoke
The Horrible Histories Series
Roman Mysteries
Sweet Clarinet etc
The Silver Sword
Carrie’s War
I Coriander
Michelle Magorian (WWII)
Jamila Gavin (Indian independence)
Elizabeth Laird (Kurdish refugees)
Philip Pullman (first of the Sally Lockhart
trilogy set in Victorian London)
Terry Deary
Caroline Lawrence
James Riordan (WWII)
Ian Serraillier
Nina Bawden
Sally Gardner
Life Issues
Walk Two Moons
Vicky Angel
Sharon Creech
Jacqueline Wilson (a girl coping with the
death of a friend)
Mark Haddon
Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Millions
Humour
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
Sue Townsend
Ally’s World (Series)
Karen McCombie
Utterly Me, Clarice Bean
Lauren Child
The Edge Chronicles
Stewart & Riddell
My Family and Other Animals
Gerald Durrell
Osbert the Avenger
Christopher William Hill
Film/TV Tie-Ins
Ella Enchanted
Freaky Friday
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Holes
The Story of Tracy Beaker
Woof!
Five Children and It
The Borrowers
Gail Carson Levine
Mary Rodgers
Lemony Snicket
Louis Sachar
Jacqueline Wilson
Allan Ahlberg
E. Nesbit
Mary Norton
Matilda
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Millions
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter (Books 1 - 4)
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Frank Cottrell Boyce
C.S.Lewis
J. K. Rowling
Animal Stories
Watership Down
Jennie
The Sheep Pig
My Family and Other Animals
Dumb Creatures
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
Richard Adams (Rabbits)
Paul Gallico (Cat)
D King-Smith
Gerald Durrell
Jeanne Willis
Michael Morpurgo
YEAR 8 - SUGGESTED READING LIST
Historical
Title
Private Peaceful
Sweet Clarinet
Roman Mysteries
Tiger, Tiger
Pompeii
Petals in the Ashes
I Coriander
No Shame, No Fear
Author
Michael Morpurgo
James Riordan
Caroline Lawrence
Lynne Reid Banks
Robert Harris
Mary Hooper
Sally Gardner
Ann Turnbull
Teen Girl
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Indigo’s Star; Saffy’s Angel
Mates, Dates…
Skinny Melon and Me
Georgia Nicholson series
What a Week to Make A Stand etc
Feeling Sorry for Celia; Finding Cassie Crazy
Bhangra Babes
Freaky Friday
The Princess Diaries; The Missing series
Dyan Sheldon
Hilary Mckay
Cathy Hopkins
Jean Ure
Louise Rennison
Rosie Rushton
Jaclyn Moriarty
Narinder Dhami
Mary Rogers
Classics
Great expectations
Swiss Family Robinson
The Borrowers
Five Children and It
Anne of Green Gables
Little Women
Deptford Histories etc
Charels Dickens
J.D. Weiss
Mary Norton
E. Nesbit
L.M. Montgomery
Louisa M. Alcott
Robin Jarvis
Animals
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
Watership Down
Lion Boy
Redwall Series
My Family and Other Animals
Terry Pratchett
Richard Adams
Zizou Corder
Brian Jacques
Gerald Durrell
Cultures
A Small Person Far Away
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Chinese Cinderella
Boy
A Child Called ‘It’
Garbage King
Judith Kerr
Judith Kerr
Adeline Yen Mah
Roald Dahl
Dave Pelzer
Elizabeth Laird
Fire Eaters
Martyn Pig
I am David
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
David Almond
Kevin Brooks
Anne Holm
Mark Haddon
Teen Boy/Detective Stories
The Body in the Library etc
The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart series)
Montmorency
The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray
Day of the Triffids
The Saga of Darren Shan
Agatha Christie
Philip Pullman
Eleanor Updale
Chris Wooding
John Wyndham
Darren Shan
Other Worlds/ Fantasy
Harry Potter (1 -4)
Biography/Personal Stories/ Real Life/ Other Moon
Riders
Cry of the Icemark
The Blade of Fire
Stravaganza Series
His Dark Materials
Inkheart
The Edge Chronicles
The Goosegirl
Eragon
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Shadowmancer
Mr Monday; Sabriel
The Supernaturalist
J.K. Rowling
Teresa Tomlinson
Stuart Hill
Stuart Hill
Mary Hoffman
Philip Pullman
Cornelia Funke
Chris Stewart & Philip Riddell
Shannon Hale
Christopher Paolini
Lemony Snicket
G.P. Taylor
Garth Nix
Eoin Colfer
Funny
Holes
Georgia Nicholson Series
Millions
Louis Sachar
Louise Rennison
Frank Cottrell Boyce
YEAR 9 - SUGGESTED READING LIST
Biography
Title
Wild Swans
Angela’s Ashes
Memoirs of a Geisha
Author
Jung Chang
Frank McCourt
Arthur Golden
Biography – Other Cultures
Born Confused
Rani & Sukh; (Un)arranged Marriage
Garbage King; A Little Piece of Ground
The Color Purple
Noughts & Crosses
Useful Idiots
Tanuja Desai Hidier
Bali Rai
Elizabeth Laird
Alice Walker
Malorie Blackman
Jan Mark
History
Remembrance
Pompeii
The Girl with the Pearl Earring
The Other Boleyn Girl
Theresa Breslin
Robert Harris
Tracy Chavalier
Philippa Gregory
Teen Girl
Georgia Nicholson series
Mates, Dates…
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Lola Rose
Between You and Me
Beauty
Louise Rennison
Cathy Hopkins
Helen Fielding
Jacqueline Wilson
Julia Clarke
Robin McKinley
The Mediator Series
Meg Cabot
Issues
Junk
Looking for JJ
The Opposite of Chocolate
Melvin Burgess
Anne Cassidy
Julie Bertagna
Classics
Great Expectations
Pride & Prejudice
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Northanger Abbey
Wuthering Heights
Tale of Two Cities
Roughing it
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Charles Dickens
Jane Austen
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Jane Austen
Emily Bronte
Charles Dickens
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Other Worlds/Fantasy
Across the Nightingale Floor
City of Stars; City of Masks
His Dark Materials
The Wee Free Men
Song of the Lioness Quartet
Tales of Shannara
Discworld
I Robot
The Gift
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Shadowmancer; Wormwood
Lian Hearn
Mary Hoffman
Philip Pullman
Terry Pratchett
Tamora Pierce
Terry Brooks
Terry Pratchett
Isaac Asimov
Alison Croggons
JRR Tolkien
G.P. Taylor
Teen boy/Adventure
Alex Rider Novels (Storm Breaker etc)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
The Adventurer's Guide
The Call of the Wild
Treasure Island
Swiss Family Robinson
Anthony Horowitz
Mark Twain
Jack Wheeler
Jack London
Stevenson
Wyss
Animals
White Fang
Jennie
Tarka the Otter
Life of Pi
Jack London
Paul Gallico
Henry Williamson
Yann Martel
Funny
Bridget Jones Diary
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
How I Live Now
Helen Fielding
Terry Pratchett
Meg Rosoffle
Humanities
Title
The Crusades
Renaissance
The Great Fire of London
Britain in the Tudor Times
The Middle Ages
Horrible Histories Series
Plague and Peril
The Measly Middle Ages
Charles I and Oliver Cromwell
Rowdy Revolutions
The Slave Trade
Daily life in a Plains Indian Village 1868
Children in Victorian Times
The First World War 1914-18
The Holocaust for beginners
The Blitz
Modern Britain 1914- Present
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jnr
Growing up in Slavery: stories of young slaves as
told by themselves
100 Greatest Women
Under the Weather: Stories about climate change
Horrible Geography
Horrible Geography of the World
Coast: Our Island Story
Coast from the Air
Britain from Above
Earth: A Visual Guide
Oh, the Places on Earth! a Cat in the Hat's
Learning Library Collection
The Everything Kids' Geography Book
Author
C Hatt
A Cole
P Robson
F Mac Donald
James Harrison
Terry Deary
Terry Deary
Terry Deary
J Guy
T Deary
T Monaghan
MBH Terry
J Baker
C Hatt
H Bresheeth
S Ross
J Harrison
Martin Luther king
Yuval Taylor
Tony Bradmen
Anita Ganeri
Anita Ganeri
Nicholas Crane
Neil Oliver
Andrew Marr
Michael Allaby
Bonnie Worth
Jane P Gardner & J Elizabeth Mills
Maths
The Number Devil
A Remainder of One
How Much Is A Million
Grapes of Math
Sir Cumference And The First Round Table
Measuring Penny
The Greedy Triangle
The Librarian Who Measured The Earth
Fermat’s Last Theorem
Breaking The Enigma Code
The Simpsons And Their Mathematical Secrets
The Strange Theory Of Light And Matter
The Adventures Of A Curious Character
Surely You Must Be Joking Mr. Feynman
The Music Of The Primes
Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Elinor J. Pinczes
David M Schwartz
Greg Tang
Cindy Nuschwander
Loreen Leedy
Marilyn Burns
Kathryn Lasky
Simon Singh
Simon Singh
Simon Singh
Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman
Marcus du Sautoy
Science
How Loud can you Burp?
Disgusting Digestion
The Science of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials
The Horrible Science of Everything
Glenn Murphy
Nick Arnold
J & M Gribbon
Nick Arnold
The Five Biggest Ideas in Science
Foul Facts – Science, The Awful Truth
The Power, Proof, Passion: The Story of Science
How to Make a Tornado
Why Can Nothing Travel Faster Than Light
Mad Scientists
Discoveries
The Quirkology
Big bang
Einstein for beginners
Galileo for kids
1001 inventions that changed the world
Charles M Wynn
M Hamer et al
by Mick O’Hare
Barry E. Zimmerman
Gill Arbuthnott
Beverley Birch
Richard Wiseman
Simon Singh
Joseph Schwartz
Richard Panchyl
Jack Challoner
Languages - Japanese (in target language)
The Gruffalo
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes
Tokyo No Shina
Devil in a Drawer
One Hot Penguin
Year 3 Class 2 is going to have a cow
A Rushing Out Dog is Wanted
One Cat Came Over
Eleanor Coerr
Junko Kaeahara
J.Ricks
Setsuko Kimura
J.Strong
Hisako Hirose
European Languages (in target language)
Mr Men
Fairy Tales
Le Petit Prince
Harry Potter
La Place
PE
Sacred Hoops
Fever Pitch
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Touching the Void
Alex Ferguson My Autobiography
Soul Of A Butterfly
Lewis Hamilton
David Beckham
Phil Jackson
Nick Hornby
Michael Lewis
Joe Simpson
Sir Alex Ferguson
Muhammed Ali
Iain Spragg
David Beckham
Arts - The Artists’ Toolkit
What is a Still Life? (Art’s Alive)
Paul Cezanne - By himself: drawings, paintings,
writings
Hundertwasser: The Painter-King With The Five
Skins
Ruth Thompson
Paul Cezanne
Pierre Restany
Arts - Street Art
Wall and Piece
The Birth of Graffiti
World: Street Art from Five Continents
Banksy
Jon Naar
Nicholas Ganz
English
Hang A Thousand Trees with Ribbons
To Kill a Mocking Bird
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and other
Stories
Ann Rinaldi
Harper Lee
Roald Dahl
Consider Jumping Into The Digital World
The kindle e-book list on amazon.co.uk and the Gutenberg contains
hundreds of classics for free that can be downloaded.
Audio Books
Make use of your CD players and introduce audio books to
your child as it develops listening, skills and greater imagination.
BBC Audio books have a range of titles and genres in the majority
of the popular classic books written by authors like Ronald Dahl,
Mark Twain and Charles Dickens.