Dear Parent,

Reading for pleasure is possibly the single-most important activity your child can do to improve achievement in school. Research has shown that reading helps cognitive development; a recent study by the Institute of Education revealed that students who read at home do ‘significantly better’ across the curriculum – including 9.9% better in maths – than students who don’t read. Linked to this is the fact that reading is the best way to improve vocabulary, essential for success in every subject.

Reading also has social and emotional benefits. It increases self-esteem and studies show that students who read are more empathetic. Growing up is not always easy - reading can help young people explore complex problems from the safe fictional world of a book.

Is your child a reluctant reader…?

The problem, of course, is convincing young people of the importance and joy of reading. As the parent of three children, I understand how difficult this can be in a world of electronic distractions. Here are some tactics that may help:

• Find books with a connection to something they love. If they are football fans, look for footie fiction for teens – try Booked by Kwame Alexander; Football School Star Players by Bellos; or Dan Freedman or Tom Palmer’s books. If they like military/action/war, then try the Dog Tag series by CA London or Andy McNab’s teen books. If they like to watch Youtubers, try Zoella’s book club and if they are into gaming, try fast-paced chapter books or ‘choose your own adventure’ stories. (Tip: try teen/YA author Alex Scarrow’s books – he was a professional video-game developer before he turned to writing; or Jeff Norton’s MetaWars series, billed as ‘a video game you can read’).

• Please use the ‘Recommended Reads’ list that accompanies this letter: we have lists broken down by genre for Years 7 to 11. We also have lists to suit particular interests. Should you require it, we can provide further booklists such as subject specific non-fiction books.

• Any type of reading is helpful, so try graphic novels. Graphic novel versions of The Recruit by Muchamore, Silverfin by Higson and Stormbreaker by Horowitz are popular. Likewise, it is absolutely fine to read Wimpy Kid books if this is what sparks the interest of your reluctant reader.

• Try Barrington Stoke books: these are produced with tinted pages, special fonts and spacing, thicker paper and editing to reduce comprehension barriers and/or issues resulting from dyslexia. https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/

• If your child is ready, you might select a ‘grittier’ book, then Charlie Higson’s Enemy series is a gritty series written for teens, as is Zom-B by Darren Shan; or try books from our ‘difficult/complex issues’ list.

• Try a ‘phone free’ hour. For example if you have a Playstation addicted child ask him/her hand in his phone for an hour. Out of boredom, he/she may start re-reading a favourite series or turning to new books.

• Be enthusiastic about what they are reading: ask them to describe a character or to read aloud an exciting bit. You might read a teen/YA book yourself; the plot-driven nature of many of these books means they are relatively easy reads – perfect after a day at work.

• Let your children see you reading for pleasure, and talk about what you read and how you choose books.

• If you have younger children, ask your older (reluctant reader) child to read aloud to them. This is a big confidence booster and it helps with sibling bonding. Michael Morpurgo is a particularly good shared read, as his books have something for everyone; I highly recommend Kensuke’s Kingdom for sibling read-alouds.

• Offer incentives such as a reading rewards programme. For example, if they read a certain number of books or pages take them to a favourite restaurant. We don’t want our children to read only for rewards, but this can work for school holidays or for times when a ‘breakthrough’ is necessary.

• Another idea is to find the book version of a movie: Stormbreaker, Eragon, Harry Potter, The Book Thief, I am Number Four, The Princess Diaries, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, Fault in Our Stars, Twilight and Inkheart and Wonder are all films based on children/YA books. Both of you can read the book, go to the movie together -- then discuss the differences.

• Have them pick up a device – an e-reader – for example, try the Kindle daily deal.

• Try audio books: for example Audible has a wide range of teen books. Many teens like the idea of being able to do something active while listening to a book. By listening to an audio book, your teen will pick up new vocabulary, hear complex sentence structures and engage with stories.

• Visit a bookstore and allow your child to select a book of their choice. The visually appealing marketing and layout of best- selling books can often attract even reluctant readers.

• Try biographies/autobiographies that interest your child. Recent student favourites have been Maddie Diaries by Ziegler & The Greatest (Muhammed Ali) by Walter Dean Myers.

• Non-fiction books linked to a child’s interests are a great way to spark a desire to read.

• Gentle encouragement works best. JFS will be supporting this initiative by working on the following:

1. At JFS we recognise the essential role we play in encouraging our pupils to read regularly. Because of this, we are working hard to provide students with the tools to succeed. We are:

• restocking the library with fantastic books for young people • providing extra support to those who don’t read regularly or don’t enjoy reading yet through our Paired Reading programme • launching reading for pleasure lessons which promotes reading for enjoyment • Engaging students in texts that make them think about the wider world through our Read, Register, Respond programme that is run during Tutor Time.

Finally, we use a software programme Accelerated Reader and once a book is completed, your child should undertake quizzes that check if he/she has understood the novel. He/She can then be given guidance on what might be a suitable new book to read. Login usernames and passwords have been issued and we are asking students to access the quizzes at home via the following website: https://ukhosted79.renlearn.co.uk/2231271/

Moreover, in years 7 to 9, once a term, you will receive a report which indicates your child’s reading scores. Kindly see below. The aim is to keep you informed and also for us all to work as a team in order to continue to encourage reading.

I will leave you with one final quotation:

“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”

Jim Rohn

With warmest regards,

Anna Joseph

Assistant Headteacher T&L

Recommended Reads: Years 7/8 Action & Thrillers Inkheart (& sequels) by Cornelia Funke (!) Bodyguard or Young Samurai (& sequels); Bullet The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (!) Catcher or Gamer by Chris Bradford* Blackberry Blue by Jamila Gavin (!) Alone by DJ Brazier Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Mortal Chaos, Speed Freaks, The Everest Files (& (!) sequels) or Lie, Kill, Walk Away - Matt Dickinson Skulduggery Pleasant (& sequels) by Derek Landy (!) Zom-B or Cirque du Freak (& sequels) by D. Shan* Lightning Girl (& sequels) by Alesha Dixon * Eragon (& sequels) by Christopher Paolini The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (!) Tales of Terror, Mister Creecher –Chris Priestley Silverfin or The Enemy (& sequels) by C Higson Northern Lights (& sequels) by Phillip Pullman (!) Stormbreaker (& sequels) by A. Horowitz* Goth Girl (& sequels) by Chris Riddell* Girl Missing (& sequels) by Sophie McKenzie Mrs Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children -Riggs The Recruit (& sequels) by R. Muchamore* Percy Jackson or Kane Chronicles series by Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Riordan Wolf Wilder, The Good Thieves, The Explorer, Thunderstruck or Unleashed by Ali Sparkes* Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell The Edge Chronicles by P Stewart and C Riddell

Night Speakers or Carjacked by Ali Sparkes Humorous books Murder Most Unladylike (& sequels) – R Stevens Little Badman &[…] Killer Aunties by Humza Lost (Choose Your Own Adventure) -T Turner.* Arshad

Dystopian & Science Fiction Millions, Cosmic or Broccoli Boy by Frank C Boyce Ink (& sequels) by Alice Broadway The Last Kids on Earth (& sequels) by Max Brallier Gone or BRZK (& sequels) -Michael Grant Fenway and Hattie by Victoria Cole* The Boy Who Flew by Fleur Hitchcock Adventures of a Wimpy Vampire(&more)- The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (!) T.Collins* The Knife of Never Letting Go (& sequels)-P Ness To Be a Cat by Matt Haig (!) Cookie & the Most Annoying Boy… by Konnie MetaWars: Fight for the Future (&sequels)- Huq* Norton* Enginerds (& sequels) by Jarrett Lerner* Railhead & Mortal Engines (& sequels)-P Reeve Disaster Diaries: Zombies (&sequels)-R (!) McGeddon* Remade (& sequels) or Time Riders - Alex The Donut Diaries series – A McGowan* Scarrow The Accidental Billionaire series- T McLaughlin Dry, Scythe, Unwind (& sequels) – N Shusterman The World of Norm series by Jonathon Meres* (!) Planet Omar by Zanib Mian Contagion or Slated (& sequels) by Teri Terry Timmy Failure series by Stephan Pastis* The 5th Wave (& sequels) by Rick Yancey (!) Middle School series by James Patterson*

Fantasy, Magic Realism, Horror & Ghost Tom Gates series by Liz Pichon (dyslexia- friendly)* Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce* The House With Chicken Legs & The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson Killer Animals series by Tracey Turner

Cogheart by Peter Bunzl Relationships & Tough Situations Mind Writer by Steve Cole* Boy Underwater by Adam Baron Artemis Fowl (& sequels) by Eoin Colfer (!) Noughts and Crosses, Cloud Busting, Boys Don’t The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper Cry or Pig-Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman (!) The Stormkeeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle Blubber or anything by Judy Blume (!) Rumblestar by Abi Elphinstone Artichoke Hearts or Jasmine Skies -S. Who Let the Gods Out (& sequels) by Maz Evans Brahmachari Ranger’s Apprentice or Brotherband - J Flanagan A Pocketful of Stars by Aisha Bushby One, Apple &Rain, Moonrise, Toffee -S Crossan (!) The Number 7 Shirt or The Lion Roars - A Blended or Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper Gibbons* Running on Empty by S.E. Durrant Kick by Mitch Johnson Mind the Gap, Being Billy or Saving Daisy - P The Fix by Sophie McKenzie* Earle* Ultimate Football Heroes Collection – M&T The Many Worlds of Albie Bright –Chris Edge Oldfield Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (!) Football Academy or Foul Play series–Tom Tulip Touch, Goggle Eyes or Flour Babies by A. Palmer* Fine Soccer Squad, Dream On (& series) by Bali Rai* Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary Schmidt*

Check Mates & The Bubble Boy by Stewart Foster War, Conflict and the Refugee Experience Unstoppable by Dan Freedman * Soldier Dog or A Horse Called Hero - Sam Angus George by Alex Gino The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by J Boyne (!) Tall Story or Shine by Candy Gourlay Illegal by Eoin Colfer * (!) The Island at the End of Everything–KM Wolf Children, Red Shadow, Eleven Eleven, Hargrave(!) Auslander & True Stories books – Paul Dowswell After the Fire by Will Hill (!) Under a War-Torn Sky by L.M. Elliott Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen Boy 87 by Ele Fountain A Different Dog by Paul Jennings* The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillion (!) Race to the Frozen North or 1783 by C Johnson* Once (& sequels) by Morris Gleitzman * (!) Red Sky in the Morning by Elizabeth Laird (!) Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay (!) Scarlet Ibis by Gill Lewis Grenade by Alan Gratz Lark (& series) by Anthony McGowan Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (!) Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (!) No Fixed Address or Word Nerd by Susan Nielsen Buffalo Soldier or Apache by Tanya Landman Wonder by R.J. Palacio (!) Every Falling Star (North Korea) by Sungju Lee Pax by Sarah Pennypacker (!) Dog Tags: Semper Fido or Strays by C A London* Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (!) My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by A Pitcher (!) The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay Unboxed by Non Pratt * War Horse or Private Peaceful by M Morpurgo (!) Long Way Down, Look Both Ways, Ghost or Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers* Patina by Jason Reynolds* A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielson Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan Armistice Runner or Over the Line by Tom The Marvels or Wonderstruck by Brian Palmer* Selznick*(!) A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park The Boxer by Nikesh Shukla (!) The Red Pencil by Andrea David Pinkney Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (!) The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Rauf (!) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (!) Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (!) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (!) Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliffe Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (!)

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (!)

Sports Note to parents: Some books from this list are written for Booked, Crossover or Rebound – K. Alexander* (!) young adult readers; this means there may be occasional Charlie Merrick’s Misfits… by David Cousins* ‘gritty’ content. Generally by Key Stage 3 young people are ready for this, but parents know their children best; if you Stat Man by Alan Durant * have queries about suitability, please check online reviews. The Beautiful Game series by Dhami (girls’ * = Top picks for reluctant readers football) ! = As recommended by JFS English dept. Man of the Match (& series) by Dan Freedman

Hope in a Ballet Shoe: Michaela & Elaine DePrince Wave: Life After the Tsunami by S. Deraniyagala Recommended Reads One Dog at a Time (& sequels) by Pen Farthing Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII - multiple for Years 9, 10 and 11 YA writers (fictionalised biography) Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Action, Mysteries, Horror & Thrillers Marley & Me by John Grogan* Famous Last Words or Bad Girls Don’t Die– Mud, Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls* Alender Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby Bodyguard: Hostage (& sequels) by Chris The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Bradford* Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard* Dead Time (& sequels), Getting Away With It or Today Everything Changes by Andy McNab* The Bone Room by Anne Cassidy* Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Say Her Name by Juno Dawson A History of the World in 21 Women - Jenni Mortal Chaos, Speed Freaks, The Everest Files or Murray Lie, Kill, Walk Away by Matt Dickinson* The Greatest: Muhammed Ali by WD Myers* A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama Zero Day by Jan Gangsei Becoming by Michelle Obama The Enemy (& sequels) by Charlie Higson* Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel)* House of Silk, Moriarty, Magpie Murders- Touching the Void by Joe Simpson* Horowitz Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson* A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson Black Boy: A Record of Youth & Childhood-R Sawbones or Blade & Bone by Catherine Johnson Wright The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai Carrie or It by Stephen King Classics & Modern Literature We Were Liars by E Lockhart Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Here We Lie, Sweetfreak, Blood Ties or Girl Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie Missing (& sequels) by Sophie McKenzie Pride and Prejudice Emma #Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil* or by Jane Austen Fahrenheight 451 One of Us is Lying, One of Us Is Next or Two Can by Ray Bradbury Jane Eyre Keep a Secret by Karen McManus by Charlotte Bronte Wuthering Heights I am Still Alive by Kate Marshall by Emily Bronte Great Expectations Oliver Twist Blame or Itch (& sequels) by Simon Mayo or by C Dickens The Recruit (Cherub), The Escape (Henderson’s Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Boys) or Rock War (& sequels) by R The Great Gatsby by FS Fitzgerald Muchamore* Lord of the Flies by William Golding Foul Play (& sequels) or Ghost Stadium - T Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes Palmer* Brave New World by Alex Huxley Daniel X or Confessions of Murder by J. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Patterson* To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee Remade or TimeRiders (& sequels) -Alex The Road by Cormac McCarthy Scarrow* Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Bluest Eye or Beloved by Toni Morrison Autobiographies/Memoirs/Biographies 1984 or Animal Farm by George Orwell Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Album The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger I Know Why a Caged Bird Sings by M. Angelou Frankenstein by Mary Shelly A Street Cat Named Bob* by James Bowen Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by RL Stevenson Playing the Enemy by John Carlin Dracula by Bram Stoker In Cold Blood by Truman Capote The Adventures of Huck Finn by Mark Twain Nothing to Envy (North Korea) by B Demick The Color Purple by Alice Walker Things a Bright Girl Can Do, An Island of our Own Complex/Difficult/Thought-provoking or Ways to Live Forever- Sally Nicholls Issues We Are All Made of Molecules, Word Nerd or No Change is Gonna Come – various BAME authors Fixed Address by Susin Nielson Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo* All the Bright Places & Holding Up Universe - Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda – B Niven Albertalli* Before I Fall or Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver Booked, Rebound or Crossover- Kwame My Sister’s Keeper or Small Great Things - J Alexander* Picoult The Hypnotist by Laurence Anholt Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher The Harder They Fall or Stay a Little Longer; Black Flamingo by Dean Atta* (Un)arranged Marriage or Killing Honour -Bali Noughts & Crosses or Boys Don’t Cry -M Rai* Blackman* Gloves Off or Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid* Tiger Eyes or anything by Judy Blume* Long Way Down or Ghost by Jason Reynolds* Am I Normal Yet? (Spinster Club series)- H. Extraordinary Means or Severed Heads, Broken Bourne Hearts by Robin Schneider The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne The Lovely Bones or Lucky by Alice Sebold The Bunker Diary or See Through Me by K The Boxer or Run, Riot Nikesh Shukla Brooks* Counting by 7s by Holly Sloan Hate List by Jennifer Brown The Help by Kathryn Stockett Junk or The Hit by Melvin Burgess Stone Cold by Robert Swindells* Looking for JJ or No Virgin/No Shame-Anne Anita and Me by Meera Syal Cassidy Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley The Perks of Being a Wallflower by S. Chbosky Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor Stolen by Lucy Christopher Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier Thakur Toffee, One or The Weight of Water by S The Hate U Give or On the Come Up by A Crossan* Thomas* A Swift Pure Cry or Solace of the Road -S. Dowd The List by Siobhan Vivian Furious Thing or Before I Die by Jenny Downam It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal Heroic, Being Billy or Saving Daisy by Phil Earle* Can You See Me? by L Scott & R Westcott Mockingbird or Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine Liccle Bit (& sequels) by Alex Wheatle The Universe versus Alex Woods by G. Extence The Art of Being Normal by Lara Williamson If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit – J Winterson Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett Frankly in Love by David Yoon Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Teacher’s Dead, Face or Terror Kid by B. The Curious Incident of the Dog… by Mark Zephaniah

Haddon Conflict, War, Genocide & the Refugee After the Fire by Will Hill Experience The Outsiders by SE Hinton* That Asian Kid by Savita Kalhan A Country to Call Home: Anthology of Young Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman Refugees & Asylum Seekers ed. by Lucy Popescu That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger Illegal by Eoin Colfer (graphic novel)* I am Thunder or Kick the Moon - Muhammed All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Khan Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks The Secret Life of Bees or Invention of Wings - The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillion Kidd Act of Love or The Trap by Alan Gibbons* Rose, Interrupted or Orangeboy - Patrice Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay Lawrence The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Brock, Pike, Rook & Lark by Anthony McGowan* The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini The Sky is Everywhere or I’ll Give You.. by J Nelson Orphan, Monster, Spy by Matt Killeen The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri Uglies or Zeroes (& sequels) by Scott Westerfield Dog Tags: Semper Fido or Strays by CA London* The 5th Wave (& sequels) by Rick Yancey* The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris Fallen Angels or Sunrise over Fallujah-WD Myers* Humorous books A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park* The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by D Adams All Quiet on the Western Front by EM Remarque The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid - Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys Bryson Swim the Fly or Call the Shots by Don Calame Maus by Art Spiegelman (graphic novel)* The Private Blog of Joe Cowley by Ben Davis* Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli An Abundance of Katherines by John Green* Night by Elie Wiesel Noah Can’t Even or Alex in Wonderland - SJ Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire by E. Wein Green* My Dear I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Jinks* Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah Hellbent or Henry Tumour by Anthony The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak McGowan* Don’t Even Think About It – Sarah Mylnowski Dystopian, Science Fiction or Magic Realism Discworld series by T Pratchett (try The Last Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi Hero) The Testaments or The Handmaid’s Tale – Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Atwood A Midsummer Tights Dream or Georgia Nicholson Ink (& sequels) by Alice Broadway* series by Louise Rennison iBoy by Kevin Brooks* The Rosie Project (& sequel) by Graeme Simsion World War Z by Max Brooks The Gifted, The Talented and Me by W Sutcliffe The Girl With All the Gifts by MR Carey The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole – Sue Townsend City of Bones (& sequels) by Cassandra Clare Matched (& sequels) by Ally Condie Relationships The Maze Runner (& sequels) by J. Dashner Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly Three Daughters by Consuelo Saah Baehr Cell 7 (& sequels) by Kerry Drewery* Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari The Gender Game by Bella Forrest Fault in Our Stars or Looking for Alaska by J Gone or BZRK (& sequels) by Michael Grant* Green* The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler* Department 19 (& sequels) by Will Hill To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (& sequels) –J The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren Han James Slammed or Regretting You by Colleen Hoover Maladapted by Richard Kurti* Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan I Am Number Four (& sequels) by Pittacus Lore* Falling Fast (& sequels) by Sophie McKenzie Legend (& sequels) by Marie Lu* One Day by David Nicholls The Passengers by John Marrs* Eleanor and Park & Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Circe or Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed The Knife of Never Letting Go (& sequels)- P Ness The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein* MetaWars: Fight for Future (&sequels) - J. Shiver or The Raven Boys(&sequels) - M. Norton* Stiefvater Z For Zachariah by Robert O’Brien Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland The Loop by Ben Oliver Paper Avalanche by Lisa Williamson Replica or Delirium (& sequels) by Lauren Oliver If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill Everything, Everything & Sun is Also a Star- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen* Yoon* Divergent (& sequels) by Veronica Roth Girl Online (& sequels) by Zoe Sugg* Lord Loss* or Zom-B* (& sequels) by D Shan * = top picks for reluctant readers or readers who prefer Scythe, Unwind or Dry (& sequels) -N visual/less dense texts. Includes some dyslexia friendly titles; Shusterman* quick-paced reads of longer books; verse novels; and graphic Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe novels.

An Ember in the Ashes (& sequels) by Sabaa Tahir Note to parents: Many of these books are written for young Contagion or Slated (& sequels) by Teri Terry adult readers (13+) or adults; this means there may be ‘gritty’ content. Generally by Key Stage 4 young people are ready for this, but parents know their children best; if you have queries about suitability, please check online reviews.