Recommended Books for KS3
“When I think about how I understand my role as citizen, setting aside being president, and the most important set of understandings that I bring to that position of citizen, the most important stuff I’ve learned I think I’ve learned from novels. It has to do with empathy. It has to do with being comfortable with the notion that the world is complicated and full of greys, but there’s still truth there to be found, and that you have to strive for that and work for that. And the notion that it’s possible to connect with some[one] else even though they’re very different from you.”
Barack Obama
Some useful websites:
The books included in this list are from recommended reading lists for KS3 and Young Adults.
Please use the following as a rough guide. Books don’t come with age ratings like films and video games but often have recommended age ranges – which can be very broad and vary between sources. What is age appropriate for one reader may not be for another. It may be useful to check out online reviews to see what other people are saying.
(13+ and Young Adult) These books are recommended for teens. Content and themes are more adult. There might be explicit swearing and strong depictions of violence and sex.
Adventure| Diary biography and autobiographical |Dystopian and post-apocalyptic
Adventure
The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams The Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne
Looking at the Stars by Jo Cotterill (refugees flee a mysterious war)
I Am Apache by Tanya Landman
Hell and High Water by Tanya Landman (18th Century smugglers)
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Not the End of the World by Geraldine McCaughrean (Noah’s Ark!) The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean (ancient China)
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean Lark by Anthony McGowan
The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell (from Africa to English boarding school) The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell
Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Walkabout by James Vance Marshall (lost in the Australian Outback)
Girl. Boy. Sea. by Chris Vick
13+
Bone Talk (Filipino-set adventure, 100 years ago) Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (survival story)
Diary, biography and autobiographical:
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Mud, Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls (autobiography)
The Flame Trees of Thika by Elspheth Huxley (growing up in Africa) Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee (autobiography)
13+
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Shakespeare: The World as a Stage by Bill Bryson Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Factual/Non-Fiction:
Stories of WW1 edited by Tony Bradman The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
This Book Isn’t Safe! by Colin Furze Protest! By Alice Haworth-Booth
This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic
Flawed by Cecilia Ahern
The Last Human by Lee Bacon
Exodus by Julie Bertagna (a world ravaged by Global Warming)
The Blue Book of Nebo By Manon Steffan Ros
The Testing (series) by Joelle Charbonneau (like Hunger Games) The Roar by Emma Clayton
The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins The Maze Runner (series) by James Dashner Forgotten City by Michael Ford
Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gerwitz Dreambender by Ronald Kidd
Dance of Thieves (series) by Mary E. Pearson
How to Bee by Bren McDibble (a world without bees)
Prodigy by Marie Lu
Edge of Extinction by Laura Martin
Z for Zachariah by Robert O’Brien (nuclear survival)
Mortal Engines (series) by Philip Reeve
Divergent (series) by Veronica Roth
Bootleg by Alex Shearer (in a world where chocolate is illegal…) The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud
13+
The Wall by John Lanchester
Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher (no girl born for 50 years!) Maggot Moon by Sophie Gardner (mature content)
Feed by Mira Grant (post-Apocalyptic zombie thriller) Wool (series) by Hugh Howery
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (classic dystopian tale) Maladapted by Richard Kurti
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (a love story with a twist) The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James The Boy I Am by K.L. Kettle
Legend by Marie Lu
The Declaration (series) by Gemma Malley
The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking series) by Patrick Ness Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (mature content)
The Remnant (series) by Mary E. Pearson (mature content) How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (nuclear survival)
Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan (zombie apocalypse!) Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw (a gritty thriller in a post-Brexit future) The Age of Miracles by Karen W. Thompson
Historical
The Short Knife by Ellen Caldicott (5th Century Wales) King of Shadows by Susan Cooper
The Kin by Peter Dickinson (adventure in Africa, 2000 years ago) Children of Winter by Berlie Doherty
Street Child by Berlie Doherty
Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin
Stars of Fortune by Elizabeth Harnett (Elizabeth I)
Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper (Great Fire of London) Freedom by Catherine Johnson (slavery in the 18th Century) The Roman Mysteries (series) by Caroline Lawrence
Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean (18th Century Scotland)
Flambards by K.M. Peyton (growing up in the 1910s)
Witch Child and Sorceress by Celia Rees (16th Century witchcraft) The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliffe (Romans in Britain) Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Tease
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (Richard III mystery)
13+
The Medici Seal by Theresa Beslin (Renaissance Italy/Leonardo Da Vinci) I, Claudius by Robert Graves
The Last Paper Crane by Kerry Drewery (the aftermath of Hiroshima)
Horror and Ghost Stories
Leaving Poppy by Kate Cann
The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly The Ghost Box by Catherine Fisher
Grinny and You Remember Me by Nicholas Fisk (sci-fi) Don’t Open Your Eyes by Ann Halam
A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge (ghosts) Red Velvet by Carol Hedges
The Haunting of Aveline Jones (Phil Hickes)
The Enemy (series) by Charlie Higson (zombies!)
The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny
Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick (the school trip from hell)
The Haunting by Margaret Mahy (ghosts)
Mortlock by Jon Mayhew
Ghost Stadium by Tom Palmer
Edgar Alan Poe’s Tales of Horror by Edgar Alan Poe Soul Taker by Celia Rees
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Van Helsing: The Novel by Kevin Ryan (Film tie-in)
My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick (17th Century vampires) Cirque de Freak (series) by Darren Shan
The Demonata Series by Darren Shan Zom-B (series) by Darren Shan
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Goosebumps (series) by R.L. Stein
The Ghosts of Gosswater by Lucy Strange Lockwood & Co. (series) by Jonathan Stroud Room 13 by Robert Swindells
The Scarecrows by Robert Swindells
The Haunting of Alaizabel Clay by Chris Wooding
13+
Apocalypse by Tim Bowler (nightmarish fantasy thriller)
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (a zombie love story – Romero and Juliet) Vampire Academy (series) by Richelle Mead
The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer (werewolves and sparkly vampires!) Dracula by Bram Stoker
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (a girl falls in love with a werewolf)
Magic and Fantasy
The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
The Indian in the Cupboard (trilogy) by Lynne Reid Banks Peter Pan by JM Barrie
Shadow and Bone (series) by Leigh Bardugo
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
What Magic is This? by Holly Bourne
Midget by Tom Bowler (bullied by older brother) Basilisk by N.M. Brown
Eren by Simon P. Clark (If you liked Skellig…) The Dark is Rising (series) by Susan Cooper Dark Ground (series) by Gillian Cross
The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt
Ingo (series) by Helen Dunmore (mermaids; coping with loss) Twelve Minutes to Midnight (trilogy) by Christopher Edge
The Lost Soul Atlas by Zana Fraillon Inkheart (Inkworld Series) by Cornelia Funke
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (fairy tales with a twist)
I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
Tinder (Moments in History) by Sally Gardner The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner The Owl Service by Alan Garner
Shadow of the Minotaur (series) by Alan Gibbons (a gripping fantasy thriller)
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Across the Nightingale Floor (series) by Liam Hearn (mythical feudal Japan)
Minders by Diana Hendry Redwall (series) by Brian Jacques
Children of the Lamp (series) by P.B. Kerr
North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler
Skullduggery Pleasant (series) by Derek Landy
A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea series) by Ursula K. Le Guin A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
The Box of Delights by John Masefield (fantasy classic) Summoner (Series) by Taran Matharu
Cinder by Marissa Mayer
The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan Doomspell (trilogy) by Cliff McNish The Sailweaver’s Son by Jeff Minerd Orphans of the Tide by Straun Murray
Seeker (Noble Warrior’s Trilogy) by William Nicholson
The Wind Singer (The Wind on Fire trilogy) by William Nicholson Sabriel (Abhorsen Trilogy) by Garth Nix
Eragon (series) by Christopher Paolini Gabriel’s Clock by Hilton Pashley
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Wolf Brother (Series) by Michelle Paver
Keeper by Mal Peet (football and magic collide)
His Dark Materials (series) by Philip Pullman The Book of Dust (series) by Philip Pullman The Midnight Hour (series) by Benjamin Read The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson (series) by Rick Riordan
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie The Race for the Lost Keystone by Val Rutt Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton
A Series of Unfortunate Events (series) by Lemony Snickett Muddle Earth by Chris Stewart and Paul Riddell
Secret Songs by Jane Stemp (a story of love, silkies and the sea) Wings of Fire (series) by Tui T. Sutherland (warring dragon tribes) Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
The Lord of the Rings (series) by J.R.R. Tolkien (the fantasy classic)
The Dreamwalker’s Child by Steve Voake (a parallel world with giant insects!) Mirror Dreams by Catherine Webb (magic and wizards – a 14 year old author!) Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams (epic fantasy featuring cats)
The Broken King (series) by Phillip Womack
13+
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Wrath and the Dawn (Series) by Renee Ahdieh This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Mortal Instruments (series) by Cassandra Clare
The Belgariad (series) and The Malloreon (series) by David Eddings Magician (Riftwar Saga) by Raymond E. Feist
Angelfall (series) by Susan Ee The Call by Peadar O’ Guilin
Gormenghast (trilogy) by Mervyn Peake Wrath of Thieves (series) by Mary E. Pearson Discworld (series) by Terry Pratchett
An Ember in the Ashes (Ember Quartet) by Sabaa Tahir
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (series) by Tad Williams – highly recommended!!!
Mystery/Thriller/Crime
The Printer’s Devil by Paul Bajoria Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Hacker by Malorie Blackman
Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler (kidnapping and revenge) Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Wolf by Gillian Cross
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (mature) The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Victorian set supernatural mystery) Survivor by Tom Hoyle
Thirteen by Tom Hoyle (a young boy is hunted by a crazed cult) Young Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lane
Thunder and Lightnings by Jan Mark (an adventure mystery all about planes!)
Girl, Missing and Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie Five Little Liars by Amanda K. Morgan
Underworld by Catherine McPhail (a school trip goes horribly wrong…) Trash by Andy Mulligan (three young friends are hunted without mercy) The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart Mysteries) by Philip Pullman
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Feather Boy by Nicky Singer Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
Stone Cold by Robert Swindells (a serial killer on the loose)
13+
The Colour of the Sun by David Almond (real and imaginary merge) Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (a gang war rages in 1930s Brighton) A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen Truly Devious (series) by Maureen Johnson
Running Girl (The Garvie Smith mysteries) by Simon Mason One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher The Amnesia Clinic by James Scudamore The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard The Island by C.L. Taylor
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas Numbers (series) by Rachel Ward
Real life issues:
Booked by Kwame Alexander
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond Boy Under Water by Adam Baron
Joby by Stan Barstow (a young boy grows up in 1939)
Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin (life as an autistic boy) Soundtrack by Julie Bertagna (grief and loss)
Tell Me No Lies by Malorie Blackman
Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari (death and dying)
Walking Naked by Alyssa Brugman (bullying and peer pressure)
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (the power of gangs)
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech Toffee by Sarah Crossan
The Disconnect by Keren David (could you survive without your phone?) Dear Nobody by Berlie Doherty (teenage pregnancy)
Love Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (grief)
Fat Boy Swim by Catherine Forde (a bullied misfit will do anything to fit in)
Tug of War by Catherine Forde
Blood Family by Anne Fine
Flour Babies by Anne Fine (parenting and family values)
Goggle Eyes by Anne Fine (living with separated parents/divorce) Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon (life in an Australian refugee centre) Boy 87 by Ele Fountain (refugees)
Mister God, This is Anna by Fynn
Sweet Pizza by G.R. Gemin
Inventing Elliott by Graham Gardner (bullying)
The Edge by Alan Gibbons (escaping an abusive family relationship)
Bumface by Morris Gleitzman
The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Mae Hitchcock I’m the King of the Castle by Susan Hill
A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines A Different Boy by Paul Jennings
Jake’s Tower by Elizabeth Laird (step-families, abuse)
A House Without Walls by Elizabeth Laird (Syrian refugees)
Red Sky in the Morning by Elizabeth Laird (the impact of a disabled baby brother)
Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird Rose, Interrupted by Patric Lawrence The Closest Thing to Flying by Gill Lewis
Across the Barricades by Joan Lingard (religious divide in Northern Ireland)
Socks Are Not Enough by Mark Lowery
The Middle of Nowhere by Geraldine McCaughrean
Double Image by Pat Moon (coping with loss and mental health issues) Daughter by Ishbel L. Moore (a girl cares for her mother with Alzheimer’s) The War of Jenkins’ Ear by Michael Morpurgo (acceptance and belief)
When the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo (death, separation and prejudice)
Joe All Alone by Joanna Nadin
No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
Sisterland by Linda Newbery (a parallel story between WW2 and the present) My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher (loss of a twin) Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging (series) by Louise Rennison
The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
Small Steps by Louis Sachar (a pseudo-sequel to Holes) Orbiting Jupiter by Gary B. Schmidt
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary B. Schmidt
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Geek Girl by Holly Smale
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend Mud by Emily Thomas
Lemonade Sky by Jean Ure
Head Over Heart by Collette Victor (a British Muslim teen girl’s coming of age) Violet Ink by Rebecca Westcott
A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson Talking to Alaska by Anna Woltz Crongton Knights by Alex Wheatle
Jemima Small Versus the Universe by Tamsin Winter Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
13+
The Poet X by Elizabeth Alvecedo
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Forever by Judy Blume
Junk by Melvyn Burgess (heroin addiction amongst teens) Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy (mature content)
Paddy Clarke Ha, Ha, Ha by Roddy Doyle The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews 29 Locks by Nicola Garrard
Ruby Red by Linzi Glass About a Boy by Nick Hornby
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey A Child Called It by David Pelzer
Face by Benjamin Zephaniah (a boy is hideously disfigured in a car crash) Burning Secret by Stefan Zweig
Romance
All American Girl by Meg Cabot Carwash by Lesley Howarth
Bookish Boyfriends (series) by Tiffany Schmidt
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick (a love story of two souls across time) Stargirl (series) by Jerry Spinelli
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Girls in Love by Jacqueline Wilson (mature content)
13+
A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Bernard (a mute girl falls for a deaf boy) Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci
Looking for Alaska by John Green (mature content) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet (a 20th Century coming of age tale) I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle) by Maggie Stiefvater (Romantic fantasy)
LGBTQ+
Boy2Girl by Terence Blacker (transgender comedy drama) King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender (coming of age) George by Alex Gino (transgender coming of age)
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales Wilder Girls by Rory Power (sci-fi/horror)
The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead (girls with gay Dads) From Prejudice to Pride by Amy Lame (history of the LGBTQ+ movement) Running With Lions by Julian Winters (football themed)
13+ (mature content)
Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide (also tackling racism) Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan (romance drama)
We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya series) by Hafsah Faizal (epic fantasy) Perfect On Paper by Sophie Gonzales (bi-female main character)
Alex in Wonderland by Simon James Green
Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green (coming of age comedy)
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigura (bi-female romance) Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (ancient Greeks) Lies Like Poison by Chelsea Pitcher (thriller)
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (dystopian sci-fi)
Science Fiction and Superheroes
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (series) by Douglas Adams
Troofriend by Kirsty Appelbaum The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Orion Lost by Alistair Chisholm (for fans of Mortal Engines and Star Wars) A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair by Nicholas Fisk
Gone (series) by Michael Grant
Monster (series) by Michael Grant The Dream Merchant by Isabel Hoving
Defender of the Realm by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler The Starlight Watchmaker by Lauren James
Contender (series) by Taran Matharu
Itch by Simon Mayo (a boy discovers a new element) Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll
The Portal by Andrew Norriss
Time Riders (series) by Alex Scarrow
Who Framed Klaris Cliff? by Nikki Sheehan Unwind (series) by Neil Shusterman
The Astonishing Future of Alex Nobody by Kate Gilby Smith
Finding the Fox (The Shapeshifter series) by Ali Sparkes (similar to X-Men)
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Hybrids by David Thorpe
Uglies (series) by Scott Westerfield
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (classic sci-fi) The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (classic Martian invasion) Chocky by John Wyndham
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (killer plant classic) Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
Raptor by Paul Zindel (mutant dinosaurs!)
13+
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov Thief by Malorie Blackman
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. DIck Girl of Flesh and Metal by Alicia Ellis
Eve of Man (trilogy) by Tom Fletcher and Giovanna Fletcher Dune (series) by Frank Herbert
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Shatter Me (series) by Tahere Mafi Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Timebound (The Chronos Files series) by Rysa Walker
Spies and Secret Agents
Crime Travelers (series) by Paul Aertker
Operation Sabre: A Paul Fox Spy Adventure by Glenn Carter Look Into My Eyes (Ruby Redfort series) by Lauren Child
The Greatest Spy Who Never Was (Hugo Dare) by David Codd Young James Bond (series) by Charlie Higson
Agent Z (series) by Mark Haddon
Alex Rider (series) by Anthony Horowitz AWOL (series) by Andrew Lane
The Medusa Project (series) by Sophie McKenzie Boy Soldier (series) by Any McNab
The Recruit (CHERUB series) by Robert Muchamore Puzzled (The Puzzled Mystery Adventure Series) by P.J. Nichols Zeke Bartholomew: Superspy! By Jason Pinter
Agent 21 (series) by Chris Ryan
Special Forces Cadets (series) by Chris Ryan
Independence Hall (I, Q series) by Roland Smith
H.I.V.E. (series) by Mark Walden
13+
Casino Royale (James Bond series) by Ian Fleming (mature content)
Boy Soldier (series) by Andy McNab and Robert Rigby (SAS Thriller)
Stories from the Wider World
Walking a Tightrope: New Writing from Asian Britain by Rehana Ahmed Little Soldier by Bernard Ashley (an African boy soldier moves to London) Surprising Joy by Valerie Bloom (a girl moves from Jamaica to London) The Alchemist by Paul Coelho (an Andalucian boy follows his dreams) The Village by the Sea by Anita Desai (growing up in poverty in Bombay)
AK by Peter Dickinson (child soldiers in Africa)
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis (a girl’s life in Afghanistan under the Taliban)
Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
White Stranger by Susan Gates (a white girl at school in Africa)
The Wheel of Surya (trilogy) by Jamilla Gavin (civil war in India)
Lost for Words by Elizabeth Lutzeier (Indian girl finds herself in a strange land)
No Turning Back by Beverley Naidoo (South African street kids)
Out of Bounds by Beverley Naidoo (apartheid in South Africa) The Other Side of Truth and Web of Lies by Beverley Nadoo Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Motherland by Vineeta Vijayaraghavan (Indian girl visits her home country) Thura’s Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq by Thura Al-Windawi
World War 1 and World War 2
Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden (WW2)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (WW2) Remembrance by Theresa Breslin (WW1)
I Am David by Anne Holm (WW2)
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr (WW2, semi-autobiographical) Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Jewish persecution in WW2)
The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay (growing up before and after WW1) War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (WW1)
Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders
The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier (escape from WW2 Poland) Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (WW2 – based on a true story) Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli (WW2)
The Cay by Theodore Taylor (WW2) Hitler’s Canary by Sandi Toksvig (WW2)
The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall (WW2)
Last Train from Kummersdorf by Leslie Wilson (WW2 from a German perspective)
13+
Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard (English boy in WW2 Japan) Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (1920s and 1930s England)
For a more challenging read
Little Women by Louisa May Alcoctt Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (a Victorian boat trip)
Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery
Animal Farm by George Orwell (political allegory)
13 +
Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier (psychological thriller)
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (historical adventure) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyen The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
Favourites you might have missed
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman (transplant, animal rights, life and death) Cogheart by Peter Bunzl (Victorian set Sci-Fi)
Artemis Fowl (series) by Eoin Colfer
Gone by Morris Gleitzman (a Jewish boy’s WW2 drama) Brightstorm (series) by Vashti Hardy (airships and steampunk!) Raven’s Gate (series) by Anthony Horowitz
Wonder by R.J. Palacio Holes by Louis Sachar
The 1000 Year-Old Boy by Ross Welford
The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson
Modern Poets:
John Agard (Flag, Put the Kettle On) Simon Armitage (Kid, Clown Punk) Malorie Blackman (Cloud Busting) Gillian Clarke (Catrin, Cold Knap Lake) Imtiaz Dharker (Blessing)
Carol Ann Duffy (Valentine, Before You Were Mine, Stealing, War Photographer) Seamus Heaney (Follower)
Tony Harrison (Long Distance II)
Grace Nichols (Hurricane Hits England)
13+
Phillip Larkin – Collected Poems
Poetry – Literary Greats
William Blake (Tyger, Tyger, The Lamb)
Robert Browning (My Last Duchess, Porphyria’s Lover) Walter De La Mare (The Listeners)
Emily Dickinson (Sonnet 43) Thomas Hardy (The Ruined Maid) Rudyard Kipling (If)
Christina Rossetti (Remember, Cousin Kate) William Shakespeare (Sonnet 116, Sonnet 130)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Rime of the Ancient Mariner) Dylan Thomas (The Hunchback in the Park)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (The Charge of the Light Brigade) William Wordsworth (Daffodils, Upon Westminster Bridge)
War Poetry
Rupert Brooke (The Soldier)
Wilfred Owen (Futility, Anthem for Doomed Youth, Dulce et Decorum Est) Jessie Pope (The Call, Who’s for the Game?)
Isaac Rosenburg (In the Trenches)
Siegfried Sassoon (Suicide in the Trenches)
Poetry Collections
Everything All At Once by Steven Camden
Overheard in a Tower Block by Joseph Coelho (gritty urban poems) The Girl Who Became a Tree by Joseph Coelho
Dizzy in Your Eyes by Pat Mora (love poems for teens)
Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones (poems exploring mental illness)