KS3 ENGLISH YEAR 7 SUGGESTED READING LIST

KS3 English Suggested Reading List

As well as your normal studies in English, try to read as much as possible. Not only is this
entertaining and relaxing but it can also help you to develop both your reading and writing skills to
help you progress on your course.

Below are some suggested books and authors for you to try. Try to read from the different genres
and try books you wouldn’t normally. If you have a library near to you visit that too and chat to the
librarians as I am sure they recommend many more to you as well.

Once you have read a book, you may want to either keep a log of each book you have read and write
a short review or you could complete a page in your ‘Discover Reading’ booklet as there are many
activities in there as well.

Most of all – enjoy reading!

Action and Adventure

Author Book Description

Siobhan Dowd The London Eye Mystery A gripping detective story
Malorie Blackman Hacker Vicky attempts to prove her Father is
innocent by breaking into a bank’s computer
files.
Anthony Horowitz Alex Rider Series Start with Stormbreaker, 14 year old Alex
learns more about the M16 and spies.
Charles Higson Silverfin and others Superb series about the school life of a
teenage James Bond.
Eva Ibbotson Journey to the River Sea Maia travels to the Amazon with her
governess
William Nicholson Windsinger and others Trilogy about a society governed by exams.
Robert Swindells Brother in the Land A teenage boy fights for survival after a
nuclear war; a post-apocalyptic novel.
Chris Bradford Bodyguard Series Full of action, start with Recruit – the first in
the series.
Eoin Colfer Airman Swash-buckling adventure set in a future
Ireland about a rebel boy who has to escape
prison to clear his name.
Gillian Cross After Tomorrow Survival thriller, set in a near-future
bankrupted Britain.
Sue Graves The Cliff Two boys find a coin with dare on one side
and danger on the other.
Chris Ryan Code Red Series Each book deals with a different environment
disaster, including flooding, wildfires, plagues
and tornadoes.
Simon Mayo Itch series Itch is an accident prone 14 year old who
discovers a new chemical element and
develops new superhero powers.
Sophie McKenzie The Medusa Project series A group of teenagers realise they have
psychic powers.
Chris Bradford Young Samurai Series Fascinating novel about a boy marooned in
Japan in 1611 and is taught the ways of the
Samurai.

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KS3 ENGLISH YEAR 7 SUGGESTED READING LIST

Fantasy

Author Book Description

Michelle Paver Wolf Brother Set in prehistorical times, a story of survival.
David Almond Skellig Michael finds a mysterious creature living in
his garage.
Jenny Nimmo The Snow Spider (first in a A boy discovers that his family have magical
trilogy) powers and starts to develop some of his
own.
Phillip Reeve Mortal Engines A futuristic story of London, now a giant
machine striving to survive in a world running
out of resources.
Rick Riordan Percy Jackson series A teenage boy finds out he is the son of an
ancient God.
J R R Tolkien Hobbit The tale of Bilbo Baggins who sets off on an
adventure.
Diana Wynne Jones Howl’s Moving Castle or A magical Kingdom where Sophie is able to
others (for a zany read!) talk life into objects.
Neil Gaiman Stardust Tristan will do anything to win the heart of
Victoria – even fetch her a fallen star they
watch fall from the sky.
Madeline L’Engle A Wrinkle in Time A travel of mystery and time travel.
Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl Fantasy adventures series about a 12 year old
who kidnaps a fairy.
Chris Wooding Storm Thief Dark fantasy set in an island world which is
subject to electrical storms.

Amusing Reads

Author Book Description

Roald Dahl Anything! But Matilda is Matilda loves to read and discovers some
highly recommended hidden talents along the way.
John Brindley Rhino Boy A school bully develops a spot on his
forehead that grows into a rhino horn.
Terence Blacker Missing, Believed Crazy Five rich kids fake the kidnapping of a TV’s
stars child but it all goes wrong.
David Walliams Mr Stink and others A homeless man is befriended by a local girl,
Chloe.
Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpy Kid The diary of Greg and his struggles to fit in a
new school.
Mark Haddon Agent Z A series if four books about three boys who
play practical jokes and leave a Z mark at the
scene of the prank.
Val Rutt The Race for the Lost Key About an ordinary family who have some very
zone strange relatives.
Ross Welford Time Travelling with a A boy travels back in time to 1984 to save his
Hamster father’s life.
Frank Cotrell Boyce Millions Two boys find 25 thousand pounds and have
to spend it in ten days as Britain is joining the
Euro.
Louis Sacher There’s a Boy in the Girls A story of an unpopular boy at school who
Bathroom gets invited to his first ever birthday party.

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KS3 ENGLISH YEAR 7 SUGGESTED READING LIST

Historical Reads

Author Book Description

Nina Bawden Carrie’s War Set in the Second World war and follows two
evacuees.
James Riordan The Snipe World war 2 adventure about Russian Snipers
Theresa Breslin Remembrance Based on the first World war and the lives of
a group of teenagers.
Susan Cooper King of Shadows (Time Nathan travels back to 1599 and the world of
Travel) William Shakespeare.
Kevin Crossley- Arthur and the Seeing A contemporary retelling of Arthurian
Holland Stone Legend.
Jamilla Gavin Coram Boy Set in eighteenth century England – a tale of
tradition and corruption.
Michelle Magorian Goodnight Mister Tom William Beech is evacuated from the city and
sent to live with the reluctant Mr Tom.
Michael Morpurgo War Horse The life of a horse during numerous battles in
World War One.
Robert Westall Blitzcat A heart-warming story about one brave cat’s
experiences during World War Two.
Maurice Gleitzman Once Trilogy Two friends grow up in Nazi occupied Poland
as they try to escape the war.

Horror / Thriller

Author Book Description

R L Stine Goosebumps Series A series of books about children who often
find themselves in scary situations usually
involving monsters or other supernatural
elements.
Darren Shan Cirque Du Freak Fantastic series about the undead and
vampires.
Robert Westall Scarecrows A psychological thriller with a supernatural
twist.
Will Hill Department 19 series A strange government department that fights
supernatural beings.
Malorie Blackman Stuff of Nightmares About the small, irrational fears which affect
us all when we have bad dreams.
Jon Mayhew Mortlock A brother and sister set out to solve a
mystery but are pursued by crow-like ghouls.
Cathy Macphail Out of the Depths Tyler has an unusual and often scary gift as
she is able to see dead people.
Cliff McNish Breathe – A Ghost Story A story of a haunted house.
Martyn Bedford Flip Tom wakes up one morning to find he is in
the body of someone else.
Marcus Sedgwick Revolver Set in the Artic in 1910 and the search for
hidden gold.
Charlie Higson The Enemy Series A ‘sickness’ turns adults into zombie flesh
eating monsters.

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KS3 ENGLISH YEAR 7 SUGGESTED READING LIST

Emotional Reads

Author Book Description

John Boyne Boy in the Striped A book about a boy living in a concentration
Pyjamas camp.
Elizabeth Laird Garbage Kings Two young boys living in poverty in Ethiopia.
Mildred D Taylor Roll of Thunder, Hear my A novel about discrimination and growing up
Cry in America during the Great Depression.
Benjamin Zephaniah Refugee Boy and others Alem is a 14 year old refugee from Ethiopia
and Eritrea.
Beverly Naidoo The Other Side of the A book about Nigerian refugees and set in
Truth 1995.
Richard Adams Watership Down Also an adventure story about a group of
rabbits set in England.
Malorie Blackman Pig Heart Boy Thirteen year old Cameron is dying of heart
disease and has the first transplant using a
pig’s heart.

Classics

Author Book Description

JM Barrie Peter Pan Set in Neverland where children
stay young.
Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl An account of the Second World
War and a story of bravery as
Anne’s family hide in an annex.
Anna Sewell Black Beauty The story is narrated in the first
person (as the horse).
Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Set in the deep south in America
during the great depression.
The Call of the Wild Jack London Set in the 1890’s in Canada and
about the life of sled dogs.
Frances H Burnett The Secret Garden The story of Mary a sickly child
who goes to live with an Uncle
she has never met.
Louisa M Alcott Little Women The tale of four sisters growing
up in the 1860’s in America.
Charles Dickens Oliver Twist Classic story of an orphan boy – a
challenging read but worth it!
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol The story of Scrooge with some
ghostly appearances…
Arthur Conan Doyle Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Short stories – a great
introduction to classic detective
stories.
CS Lewis Narnia Series Seven fantasy novels – although
not the first one, the most
famous is ‘The Lion, The Witch
and the Wardrobe.’
Richard Bach Johnathan Livingstone Seagull Uplifting story of a young
seagulls’ bid to live its life as free
as possible.

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KS3 ENGLISH YEAR 7 SUGGESTED READING LIST

Useful websites

The above list should give you a starting point if you are stuck for something to read but below are
some links to websites which will help you find many more books to read:

• http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/home/index.php (each year they have a list of the

best books each year which are up for a prestigious award – you could read the list and then
see if your favourite wins. Many schools do this in the UK and often there is a mix of
different books to enjoy)
• http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/children (recommendations, competitions etc.)
• http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/ (lots of reviews and recommendations)
• http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site (new reviews and news stories on the
book awards)