Year 10 and 11
Reading List
“Reading is to the mind
what exercise is to the body.”
Pre 20th Century Classics
Jane Austen
Emma
Classic novel in which Emma has to come to terms with
her own mistakes as well as those of other people.
Pride and Prejudice
Classic romantic fiction with plenty of humour provided
by the ‘comedy of manners’ typical of Jane Austen.
Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre
Probably the most accessible Bronte novel, which follows
its heroine from her unhappy childhood to her post as
governess at the house of the enigmatic Mr Rochester. A
must for any serious reader of English literature!
Charles Dickens
Great Expectations
A terrifying encounter in a churchyard begins the
extraordinary story of orphaned Pip: can this small,
snivelling boy really have great expectations?
Thomas Hardy
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Tess is one of literature’s best loved, and perhaps most
pitied, heroines. This novel is a good way in to other
Hardy novels.
Mary Shelley
Frankenstein
The fable of the scientist who creates a man-monster, only
to see it inflict murder on the human race.
Bram Stoker
Dracula
Classic tale of the Count. Nothing like most of the films
made in its name; and far more frightening.
20th Century Classics
J G Ballard
Empire of the Sun
Ballard’s famous autobiographical novel about his
teenage years in Shanghai during World War 2.
Truman Capote
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Lyrical and moving story of a woman trying to use her
charms to climb the social ladder.
Colette
The Ripening Seed
Childhood friends become something more as adulthood
beckons.
Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca
A wonderfully sinister and powerful book about a young
woman coming to terms with the “presence” of her
husband’s previous wife. Everyone should read this!
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
Famous American novel from the ‘Jazz Age’, centred on
Jay Gatsby and his circle of friends, who involve
themselves in adultery, hard drinking and fast living with
terrible consequences.
Tender is the Night
The story of Americans living on the French Riviera in
the 1930s.
Le Grand Meaulnes
The only novel by a man who was killed in action in
1914. It is an exploration of the twilight world between
boyhood and manhood. A very weird and dreamlike read.
Alain Fournier
E M Forster
A Room With a View
Romance centred on a group of English tourists in
Florence.
Jane Gardam
Bilgewater
The moving story of the Headmaster’s daughter in an all
boys boarding school in the 1970s.
L P Hartley
The Go-Between
A picture of Edwardian England telling the events of the
narrator’s summer spent in Norfolk as a teenager, which
marked him for life because of his enforced role as the gobetween in a love affair.
Stephen Kuusisto
Planet of the Blind
Widely regarded as the best ever novel written about
blindness. The descriptions and feelings portrayed in this
book are stunning.
D H Lawrence
Sons and Lovers
A semi-autobiographical novel tracing the adult life of
Paul Morrell and his intense and complex relationships
with his mother, his closest friend and his lover.
Harper Lee
To Kill a Mocking Bird
Now regarded as a modern classic. A look at childhood
and growing up in the deep South of America in the 50s.
Patrick McCabe
The Butcher Boy
Bizarre novel, written in continuous thought, about a far
from ordinary Irish boy. Often as funny as it is horrific.
For those with a black sense of humour.
George Orwell
Animal Farm
The animals of Manor Farm find the pigs as nasty as their
human masters. A classic political satire.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Find out who the real Big Brother was in Orwell’s scary
vision of the future.
Lorna Sage
Bad Blood
Biographical style novel about the poverty and pain
suffered by a family who have an abusive step-father.
J D Salinger
Catcher in the Rye
Ground breaking rebellion novel featuring two days in the
life of a cynical teenager just expelled from school. A
magnificent study of alienation.
Muriel Spark
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Beautifully crafted short novel about the teacher of a
group of girls in the 1930s.
Tobias Wolff
This Boy’s Life
Moving autobiographical novel about a teenager growing
up with an abusive father in Canada.
Virginia Woolf
Orlando
Bizarre time travel novel set over 400 years. Woolf’s
finest novel, with perhaps literature’s first sex change!
Contemporary Teenage Fiction
Alison Allen-Gray
Unique
Troubling story of a teenager ignored by his father
as he views him as a disappointment in comparison
with his dead older brother.
Sherry Ashworth
Disconnected
An A-Grade student loses interest at school. Each
chapter examines a different aspect of her life and
problems in this excellent read as his life slowly
falls apart.
Iain Banks
The Wasp Factory
Stunning debut novel from Banks about a strange
family in the north of Scotland. Has one of the best
twist endings I have come across in recent years.
Melvin Burgess
Junk
Powerful novel about two teenagers whose lives
begin to spin out of control when they discover
drugs. Highly recommended.
Jim Carroll
Basketball Diaries
This diary tells the story of 15 year old Jim and his
descent into drug addiction and his redemption
through basketball.
Anne Cassidy
Tough Love
Gritty modern romance story of a girl who falls in love
with a boy she is sure is hiding a nasty secret, and who
suffers the consequences when she chooses to ignore it.
Story of my Life
Magnificent thriller set over one London night: as
Kenny is travelling home he bumps into Mac, his
brother’s girlfriend, and his life is about to change.
Tracy Chevalier
Girl with a Pearl Earring
A fictional look at the woman in Vermeer’s famous
painting. Recently made into a very successful film.
Anita Desai
The Village by the Sea
Beautiful novel, seen from a child’s perspective, of an
Asian family growing up by the Indian Ocean. It concerns
the conflict between traditional culture and new
technology.
Jack Gantos
Desire Lines
Highly original novel in which friendships are brought
into question when a new church opens in the local area.
Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night-time
When Christopher Boone, who suffers from Asperger’s
syndrome finds a neighbour’s dog murdered, he sets out
on a terrifying journey destined to turn his whole world
upside down.
Nick Hornby
Fever Pitch
Very funny autobiographical novel about a fanatical
Arsenal supporter and his account of how he lives his life
through his football team.
Rachel Klein
Moth Diaries
Odd goings on in a girls’ boarding school. The writer
is obsessed with another pupil who she believes is a
vampire.
Eric Johns
Trip of a Lifetime
Absorbing novel about a teenager who gets pushed over
the edge by drugs.
Margaret Mahy
24 hours
A 17 year old has to make several life changing decisions
in the space of 24 hours. A riveting read.
Jan Mark
Heathrow Nights
Suspension from school means either telling Mum or
hiding out in Heathrow Airport. Guess what he chooses?
A great book.
Robert O’Brien
Z for Zachariah
Another post apocalypse novel about the uneasy
relationship surrounding the last surviving man and
woman.
Terri Paddock
Come Clean
Tough story of a teenager admitted to a treatment centre
for drug addiction.
Chris Paolini
Eragon
Spectacular first book of a breathtaking fantasy trilogy
about a boy whose destiny changes when he finds a nest
of dragon eggs.
Bali Rai
(Un)arranged Marriage
An Asian boy is determined to do whatever possible to
get himself out of an arranged marriage.
Robert Swindells
Wrecked
Hard-hitting story about a teenager losing control during
his GCSEs, due to his problem with alcohol.
Ting-Xing Le
Throwaway Daughter
A moving true story of a girl born into a well-to-do
Chinese family who is despised purely because she is
female. The story follows her life to adulthood.
Gabrilee Zevin
Elsewhere
A very special story which is narrated from beyond the
grave. Death is exceptionally well imagined, and realistic
you’ll really enjoy the feel of this book.
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Terry Brooks
The Sword of Shannara
Highly enjoyable fantasy romp. Not very original, but
good fun. Has several engaging sequels.
Susannah Clarke
Jonathan Strange &Mrs Norrell Exceptionally complex and demanding fantasy
adventure. Well worth the hype it attracted and revolves
around the rivalry of two magicians.
Simon R Green
Deathstalker
Exciting series of novels in the spirit of Star Wars.
Adventure, drama and fuller than life characters are the
order of the day. Very enjoyable.
Lian Hearn
Tales of the Orori Trilogy
Fantastic fantasy sequence beginning with Across the
Nightingale Floor and finishing with Brilliance of the
Moon. Highly recommended.
Frank Herbert
Dune
Cult classic SF novel with an alien world covered in
sand and huge, deadly worms.
Robin Hobb
Farseer Trilogy
This fantasy world is so perfectly created you will get lost
in its magic, beauty and depth. Involves a complicated
story of slavery, magic, espionage and escape.
Aldous Huxley
Brave New World
Huxley’s nightmare vision of the future. A challenging
read.
Robert Jordan
Eye of the World
Book One in possibly the greatest modern fantasy series.
Certainly the biggest, most complex and most demanding.
For serious readers of fantasy.
Mervyn Peake
Gormenghast
A triumph of the imagination. A trilogy set in the fantasy
Kingdom of Gormenghast. Difficult but brilliant. The
first 2 books are highly recommended.
Michael M Smith
One of Us
Supreme SF novel. One of the very best in recent years.
So full of original ideas it is hard to keep up with.
Neil Stephenson
Snowcrash
A real contender for the best SF novel written in the 90s.
Set in the internet driven world of the future where a
deadly computer virus threatens civilisation.
Comedy
Ann Brashares
Sisterhood of the
Travelling Pants
A brilliantly quirky and touching story of how four friends
use an old pair of jeans to remain friends when they
are apart.
Carl Hiaasen
Hoot
Hiassen’s first teenage novel is an irreverent and funny
satire full of oddball characters in an American high
school.
John Kirkbridge
Thank You For Your Application Quite exceptional novel about a would-be writer who
works as a typist. Has truly hilarious consequences.
Carolyn Mackler
The Earth, My Butt
and Other Big Round Things
Fantastically funny teenage novel about a girl trying to
lose a few pounds. Even includes the “Fat Girl Code Of
Conduct”. But be warned: it has its serious side along
with the humour.
Thrillers
Niccola Ammanini
I’m Not Scared
Sizzling kidnap novel set in rural Italy in the 1970s. As
chilling as it is heartbreaking.
J G Ballard
The Concrete Island
Typically odd short Ballard novel set in the future about
a man who gets trapped on a gigantic traffic island.
Mark Billingham
Lazy Bones
One of several great formula driven crime thrillers
written by Billingham in and around London.
Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code
Conspiracy theories surround the Vatican and cover ups
surrounding the life of Jesus in this page-turning
blockbuster.
Angela Carter
The Bloody Chamber
Gruesome but compelling collection of short stories.
which rework old fairy tales in some very bizarre ways.
Jennifer Donnelly
A Gathering Light
Brilliant winner of the 2004 Carnegie Medal and a good
recent example of a children’s book turning into an adult
bestseller. Murder and intrigue is the setting in New
England at the turn of the 19th Century.
Susan Hill
I’m the King of the Castle
Terrifying and brutal thriller centring on complex family
relationships.
Joan Lindsay
Picnic at Hanging Rock
A short, strange novel that purports to recount a genuine
Australian mystery. A timeless, claustrophobic gem.
Anne Rice
Interview with the Vampire
A despairing, dying, vampire tells his story to a journalist
in this dark, sensual tale of centuries of blood lust.
Alice Sebold
The Lovely Bones
Million seller novel of a murdered girl’s spirit watching
her family and her murderer.
Ned Vizzini
Be More Chill
New brain-nono-technology allows geeky Jeremy to
become the coolest dude in school in this rude and
hilarious book.
Short Stories
Baldick
Oxford Book of Gothic Tales
A collection of the very best in Gothic fiction.
J G Ballard
The Voices of Time
Complex series of science fiction short stories.
Ray Bradbury
The Illustrated Man
Classic series of SF short stories by Bradbury who
is widely regarded as one of the best short story writers of
the last 50 years.
Farrukh Dhondy
Come to Mecca
Superb collection of short stories set in South London:
about teenage life, school, and rebellion in the 1980s.
Ernest Hemingway
Collected Short Stories
Hemingway wrote short, sharp, observant and brilliantly
witty stories.
Franz Kafka
Metamorphosis
and other Stories
These are worth dipping into. The title story is the best
and most famous and is highly recommended. It is as
original as it is unpleasant.
Sara Paretsky
A Woman’s Eye
Fascinating collection of detective and mystery themed
short stories by women authors.
Alan Sillitoe
Loneliness of the Long
Distance Runner
Sillitoe's portrayal of the mind of an incorrigible rebel,
and other stories
Biographies and enjoyable non-fiction
Christy Brown
learns
My Left Foot
Born with cerebral palsy and one of 22 children, Christy
to write with his left foot and tells the astonishing story of
his life.
Bill Bryson
Short History of Nearly
Everything
Change of pace from travel writer Bryson as he uses his
humour to pick out key events from world history.
Ernesto Guevara
The Motorcycle Diaries
Diary account of “Che’s” trip across South America
which helped form the political opinions that shaped
his later revolutionary life in Cuba.
Arthur Golden
Memoirs of a Geisha
Apparently based on the memoirs of a real Japanese
geisha. This fascinating book, set in 1929, takes a detailed
look at a subject still shrouded in secrets.