Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading for KS3
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Lawyer Atticus Finch's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel – a black man falsely accused of the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice.
Carrie's War – Nina Bawden
It is the Second World War and Carrie and Nick are evacuated from London to a small town in Wales where they are placed with the strict Mr Evans and his timid mouse of a sister. Their friend Albert is luckier, living in Druid's Bottom with Hepzibah Green who tells wonderful stories, and the strange Mister Johnny who speaks a language all of this own. Carrie and Nick are happy to visit Albert there, until one day when Carrie does a terrible thing – the worst thing she ever did in her life...
Girl Missing – Sophie Mackenzie
Lauren is adopted and eager to know more about her mysterious past, but when she discovers she may have been snatched from her family as a baby, her whole life suddenly feels like a sham. Why will no one answer her questions? How can she find her biological parents? And could her adoptive parents really have been responsible for kidnapping her?
Witch Child – Celia Rees
The year is 1659 and when Mary sees her grandmother accused of witchcraft and hanged for the crime, she is silently hurried to safety by an unknown woman. The woman gives her the tools to keep the record of her days – paper and ink. Mary is taken to a boat in Plymouth and from there sails to the New World where she hopes to make a new life among the pilgrims. But old superstitions die hard and soon Mary finds that she, like her grandmother, is the victim of ignorance and stupidity and once more she faces important choices to ensure her survival.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
A murder mystery novel like no other. The detective and narrator is fifteen year old Christopher Boone. Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome and knows a great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.
His Dark Materials trilogy – Phillip Pullman
Northern Lights introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra's search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.
Shadow of the Minotaur – Alan Gibbons
Real life or the death defying adventures of the Greek myths with their heroes and monsters, daring deeds and narrow escapes – which would you choose? For Phoenix it's easy. He hates his new home and the new school where he is bullied. He's embarrassed by his computer geek dad, but when he logs onto The Legendeer, the game his dad is working on, he can be a hero. He is Theseus fighting the terrifying Minotaur or Perseus battling the snake-haired Medusa. It feels as though he's really there. The Legendeer is more than just a game. Play it if you dare...
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Set in a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her younger sister's place in the games she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
The timeless tale of four sisters – Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth – experiencing both hardship and adventure in Civil War New England. Though the March family may be poor, their lives are rich with colour as they play games, put on wild theatricals, make new friends, argue, grapple with their vices, learn from their mistakes, nurse each other through sickness and disappointments and get into all sorts of trouble. In this simple, enthralling tale, Louisa May Alcott created four of American literature's most beloved characters.
Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien
Immerse yourself in Middle-Earth with Tolkien's classic masterpiece, telling the complete story of Bilbo Baggins and the Hobbits' epic encounters with Gandalf, Gollum, dragons and monsters in the quest to destroy the One Ring.
Recommended Reading for KS4
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Victor Frankenstein's monster is stitched together from the limbs of the dead taken from 'the dissecting room and slaughter-house'. The result is a grotesque being who, rejected by his maker and starved of human companionship, sets out on a journey to seek his revenge. In the most famous gothic horror story ever told, Shelley confronts the limitations of science, the nature of human cruelty and the pathway to forgiveness.
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Great Expectations traces the growth of narrator Philip Pirrip (Pip) from a boy of shallow dreams to a man with depth of character. From its famous dramatic opening on the bleak Kentish marshes, the story abounds with some of Dickens' most memorable characters. As Pip unravels the truth behind his own 'great expectations' in his quest to become a gentleman, the mysteries of the past and the convolutions of fate through a series of thrilling adventures serve to steer him towards maturity and his most important discovery of all – the truth about himself.
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Set in the deep American south between the wars, The Color Purple is the classic tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Abused repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker, a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.
The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank
In July 1942 thirteen year old Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the occupation, went into hiding in an Amsterdam warehouse. Over the next two years Anne vividly describes in her diary the frustrations of living in such close quarters and her thoughts, feelings and longings as she grows up. Her diary ends abruptly when, in August 1944, they were all betrayed.
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Lawyer Atticus Finch's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel – a black man falsely accused of the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice.
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Afghanistan 1975: twelve year old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing his new world cannot grant him: redemption.
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage. She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order. All of which circumscribe her life and position when she becomes governess to the daughter of the mysterious, sardonic and attractive Mr Rochester. However there is great kindness and warmth in this epic love story which is set against the magnificent backdrop of the Yorkshire moors. Ultimately the grand passion of Jane and Rochester is called upon to survive the cruel revelation, loss and reunion, only to be confronted with tragedy.
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
Stephen Wraysford, a young Englishman, arrives in Amiens in northern France in 1910 to stay with the Azaire family and falls in love with the unhappily married Isabelle. But with the world on the brink of war, the relationship falters and Stephen volunteers to fight on the Western Front. His love for Isabelle forever engraved on his heart, he experiences the unprecedented horrors of that conflict, from which neither he nor any reader of this book can emerge unchanged.
Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
On a trip to southern France, the shy heroine of Rebecca falls in love with Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower. Although his proposal comes as a surprise, she happily agrees to marry him. But as they arrive at her husband's home, Manderley, a change comes over Maxim and the young bride is filled with dread. Friendless in the isolated mansion, she realises that she barely knows him. In every corner of every room is the phantom of his beautiful first wife, Rebecca, and the new Mrs de Winter walks in her shadow.
Cider with Rosie – Laurie Lee
Cider with Rosie is a wonderfully vivid memoir of childhood in a remote Cotswold village, in a time before electricity or cars, a timeless place on the verge of change. Growing up amongst the fields and woods and characters of the place, Laurie Lee depicts a world that is both immediate and real and belongs to a now-distant past.
There is a great deal of information about books on the Internet. Apart from the sites selling books, there are sites for authors and publishers, sites with book reviews written by children, and sites where parents can find helpful information. The following list, suggested by The Federation of Children's Book Groups, is a good place to start; several of the sites will have links to others.
The Book Zone (voted best blog for boys)