Name:
Teacher’s name:
Tutor group:
Book title:
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Reading List:
Here is a list of recommended books you could read if you are unsure what to pick. They start with
the easier reads and get more challenging as you go down the list.
Anthony Horowitz short stories – horror
Ever pictured your own funeral? You won’t be able to help it when you read some of the stories in
this nightmarish collection, where things are never what they appear. Funerals are just the
beginning. How about a day at the beach that ends in a mischievous murder? Or a cell phone that
has a direct dial to . . . the dead? From the creator of the blockbuster Alex Rider Adventures and
The Diamond Brothers Mysteries comes eight more fantastically frightening tales. Whatever you
do, don’t take this book to bed with you!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But
when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's newfound popularity to his own
advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.
Roald Dahl – The Witches
Witches absolutely detest children. To a witch, a child smells like dogs' droppings. And now the
Grand High Witch is planning to get rid of every child in England - can anybody stop them?
The Witches tells the story of a brave young boy and his Norwegian grandmother as they battle
against England's child-hating witches.
Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief
Always trouble-prone, the life of teenager Percy Jackson gets a lot more complicated when he
learns he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon. At a training ground for the children of deities,
Percy learns to harness his divine powers and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime.
David Walliams – The Demon Dentist
Strange things are happening in the dead of night. Children who put a tooth under the pillow for
the tooth fairy wake to find... a dead slug; a live spider; or hundreds of earwigs creeping beneath
their pillow. Evil is at work, but who is behind it? Could it be the Demon Dentist?
Malorie Blackman - Noughts and Crosses
Sephy is a Cross – a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a nought – a ‘colourless’
member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since
early childhood. But that’s as far as it can go. Until the first steps are taken towards more social
equality and a limited number of Noughts are allowed into Cross schools… Against a background of
prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity by Noughts, a romance
builds between Sephy and Callum – a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger…
Michael Morpurgo – War Horse
In 1914, Joey, a young farm horse, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the
Western Front. With his officer, he charges towards the enemy, witnessing the horror of the
frontline. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey’s courage touches the soldiers around
him.
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Reading log instructions
1. You must read a fiction text.
2. Pick a book that you are going to read independently for Spring two half term (February and March). You can
use the recommendations, but you don’t have to. Also, ask your teacher or the Librarians if you are not sure.
3. Read for a minimum of 25 minutes each week – you should write down the pages you have read and get
someone at home to sign this to show that they have seen you reading.
4. Spend a minimum of 15 minutes completing a summary of what you have read alongside the weekly activity
(bullet points are fine).
5. Hand in the ‘Reading log’ booklet to your teacher each week, who will check it and return it to you with a
brief comment.
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Week 1 Activities:
1. Give the pages you have read from and to:
2. Summarise what you have read in those pages:
3. Write down 5 new (or the 5 most interesting) words from what you have read and give a synonym
and an antonym for each one.
New or Interesting Word
Synonym
Antonym
4. Write a brief description of the main character – their looks, the way they dress, the way they talk
and their personality.
4
Week 2 Activities:
1. Give the pages you have read from and to:
2. Summarise what you have read in those pages:
3. Write down 5 new (or the 5 most interesting) words from what you have read and give a synonym
and an antonym for each one.
New or Interesting Word
Synonym
Antonym
4. Write the name of one of the characters in a book in the centre of a wheel and the others around the
outside. Write what the central character thinks about the other characters, and what they think about
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Week 3 Activities:
1. Give the pages you have read from and to:
2. Summarise what you have read in those pages:
3. Write down 5 new (or the 5 most interesting) words from what you have read and give a synonym
and an antonym for each one.
New or Interesting Word
Synonym
Antonym
4. Choose a descriptive passage and make a list of examples of vivid imagery, e.g. similes, metaphors,
alliteration, personification, noun phrases, etc.
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Week 4 Activities:
1. Give the pages you have read from and to:
2. Summarise what you have read in those pages:
3. Write down 5 new (or the 5 most interesting) words from what you have read and give a synonym
and an antonym for each one.
New or Interesting Word
Synonym
Antonym
4. Predict what might happen when you are about half way through a book, or at any other point in
the story.
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Week 5 Activities:
1. Give the pages you have read from and to:
2. Summarise what you have read in those pages:
3. Write down 5 new (or the 5 most interesting) words from what you have read and give a synonym
and an antonym for each one.
New or Interesting Word
Synonym
Antonym
4. Draw a graph of how the level of tension varies in different parts of the book, or of the central character’s
emotions. In the example, s/he has a bad time in chapters 7-8 but there is a happy ending.
This axis could
represent the
central
character’s
emotions.
from despair
(0) to joy (8),
or tension etc.
Chapters 1-2
Chapters 3-4
Chapters 5-6
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Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapters 9-11
Week 6 Activities:
1. Give the pages you have read from and to:
2. Summarise what you have read in those pages:
3. Write down 5 new (or the 5 most interesting) words from what you have read and give a synonym
and an antonym for each one.
New or Interesting Word
Synonym
Antonym
4. Write down a summary of an alternative ending to the story.
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