At the Archer Academy, we think reading is really important. It shows you new worlds, helps you to imagine and use your imagination and consider endless opportunities, people and places. Your English teachers hope that literature helps you to explore, question and think in the same way it does us. Every term you will receive a new reading list to help guide your reading and introduce you to new authors.
The books below are under the headings “Simple”, “Average” and “Challenging” to help you when making your choices. Always remember to challenge yourself but enjoyment is also important.
If you manage to read a book from the list and write a detailed review about it, you can earn up to 10 house points! Please pass completed reviews to your English teacher.
Enjoy!
Miss Victor
Head of English
Emotional and epic:
Simple:
Sharon Creech – Heartbeat
Frank Cottrell Boyce – Millions
Jacqueline Wilson – My Sister Jodie
Average:
Kevin Crossley Holland – Gatty’s Tale
Mary Hooper – At the Sign of the Sugared Plum
Tanya Landman – Apache: Girl Warrior
Sally Nicholls – Ways to Live Forever
Challenging:
JG Ballard – Empire of the Sun
Gudrun Pausewang – The Last Children
Something different?
Simple
David Almond – Skellig, Clay
Lincoln Pierce – Big Nate, the Boy with the Biggest Head
Mal Peet – The Penalty
Average
Louis Sachar – Holes
John Van De Ruit – Spud
Catherine MacPhil – Grass
Challenging
Sue Townsend – The Adrian Mole series
Melvin Burgess – Junk
Interested in another culture?
Simple
Elizabeth Laird – The Garbage King
Average
Yen Mah Adeline – The Chinese Cinderella
Geraldine McCaughrean – The Kite Rider
Challenging
Diane Matcheck – The Sacrifice
Classics
Lemony Snicket – A Series of Unfortunate Events
Rudyard Kipling – The Jungle Book
Anna Sewell – Black Beauty
Mark Twain – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
C.S Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia
Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol
R.L Stevenson – Treasure Island
Louisa May Alcott – Little Women
J.R.R.Tolkien – The Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings
Fantasy
Simple
Jenny Nimmo – Midnight for Charlie Bone
Patrick Ness – A Monster Calls
Average
Michelle Paver – Wolf Brother
Cornelia Funke – Dragon Rider
Challenging
Gareth Nix – Old Kingdom series
Phillip Pullman – The Northern Lights series
Peter Dickinson – The Ropemaker
Horror
Simple
R.L Stine – The Goosebumps series
M.D Spenser – The Animal Nightmare
Average
Darren Shan – Vampire Blood trilogy
Robert Westall – The Scarecrows
Challenging
Stephen Cole – The Wereling series
Action and adventure
Simple
Paul Jennings – Unbelievable!
Anthony Horowitz- Alex Rider series
Average
Alan Gibbons – Shadow of the Minotaur
Gary Paulsen – Hatchet
Challenging
Malorie Blackman – Noughts and Crosses
Scott Westerfield – Uglies
Science fiction
Simple
Robert Swindells – Hydra
Average
Ann Halam – Dr Franklin’s Island
Allison Allen-Gray – Unique
Challenging
George Orwell – 1984
Douglas Adams – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
War
Simple
John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Average
Michael Morpurgo – War Horse
Challenging
Michael Morpurgo – Private Peaceful
Art Spiegelman – Maus
Markus Zusak – The Book Thief