Summer Reading Challenge During Years 7, 8 and 9, we encourage all students to read as widely as possible. Students should aim to read a variety of genres, and explore both fiction and non-fiction texts. In addition to reading books, students should remember the value of reading magazine and newspaper articles, plays, poetry, speeches, reviews and even obituaries, as all will be explored at GCSE level. Please select one or more of the books below to read. As you are reading, keep a short reading diary, the pro-forma can be found below. Action Recommended Reading NM Browne, Basilisk- Mythology set in the caves of a miserable world. William Golding, Lord of the Flies- A group of boys, stranded, turn into savages. SE Hinton- A thrilling tale of hate and violence, set in the ganglands of New York. Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful- A tragic story of a soldier s WW1 experiences. Robert Muchamore, CHERUB- Series- The CHERUB recruits battle the underworld. William Nicholson, The Wind and Fire Trilogy- A story on what happens when you rebel against a society governed by examinations. George Orwell, Animal Farm- A group of farm animals rebel against their owners with dreadful consequences. Louis Sachar, Holes- Stanley arrives at a juvenile prison with a strange task to complete. Alex Shearer, Bootleg- What happens when chocolate is made illegal? Non-fiction Bill Bryson, Notes from a Big Country- An American man s comical perspective on Britain. Terry Deary, Horrible Histories- Excellent reads for developing contextual understanding. Gerald Durrell, My Family and Other Animals- A young boy, who loves animals, moves to Crete with his hilarious family. Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne is a young Jewish Dutch girl, forced to hide from the Nazis with her family.
Bear Grylls, Mud, Sweat and Tears- An autobiography of this famous thrill-seeker. Laurie Lee, Cider with Rosie- A comical autobiography on a young boy growing up just after WW1. Adeline Yen Mah, Chinese Cinderella- The moving story of a young girl, growing up in WW2, in a family which shows her no love. Fantasy Richard Adams, Watership Down When rabbits are threatened with losing their home, they find ways to survive. Frank Beddor, Looking Glass Wars A challenging novel which creates a new adventure from the characters of Alice in Wonderland. Trudi Canavan, Black Magician Trilogy A thrilling tale of conspiracy and magic. Katherine Langrish, Troll Fell A poor orphan is enslaved by savage trolls. Cliff McNish, Doomspell (trilogy) A gripping fantasy series about children snatched from this dimension by an evil witch. Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials trilogy A story of two children who wander through parallel universes. J K Rowling, Harry Potter series A young, orphaned boy, battles against evil forces with his group of friends. J R Tolkein, The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings An adventurous tale of hobbits, orcs and elves. Family and Relationships Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist A classic tale of a young orphan. Jamila Gavin, Coram Boy Two boys, worlds apart, end up in a children s home. Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - A young boy with Asperger s Syndrome attempts to discover the truth about his family. Elizabeth Laird, The Garbage King - A moving story set in the slums of Ethiopia. Michelle Magorian, Goodnight Mister Tom A war evacuee is housed with a grumpy pensioner. Beverley Naidoo, The Other Side of Truth - Two children leave Nigeria when their mother is murdered. In London, they are forced to survive.
Louise Rennison, Georgina Parks (series) The hilarious diary of a tragic teenager. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry A story of family loyalty and racism. The Fault in Our Stars, John Green- A young couple, stricken by illness, fight to survive. A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness- A monster, who appears after Connor s mother starts treatment, wants the worst thing- the truth. Supernatural and Horror Ann Halam, Don t Open Your Eyes A horror novel about a boy fatally killed in a joyriding accident. Carol Hedges, Red Velvet Elly begins to experience a series of awful events after finding a girl s skeleton. Susan Hill, The Woman in Black A young man, forced to stay in a deserted house, begins to experience terrible supernatural events. Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Horror - Stories from the writer seen as the original horror story-teller. Science fiction Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker s Guide to the Galaxy - Earth is about to be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go - Todd Hewitt lives in a town where people can hear each other s thoughts. HG Wells, War of the Worlds - The Martians invade Earth with terrifying consequences. Scott Westerfield, Uglies - In the future plastic surgery has taken over, and it s extreme. Those who reject surgery are known as Uglies.
Date Beginning Page End Page Comments (character, themes, events, setting)