Reading at Home - KS3 / KS4

 

Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests that those who don't, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.

In fact reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.

 

What Difference Can I Make as a Parent?

You can make a huge difference! Parents are the most important educators in a child's life and it's never too early to start reading together. Therefore we are asking you to support us in encouraging your child to read at home. 

 

Learning to read is about understanding as well as working out what's printed on the page. Through reading, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding and allow them to express themselves confidently. It's important for them to become 'word rich' so that they can write and speak confidently and fluently. This is a skill that benefits young people and leads to academic success but also lasts a lifetime. 

Recommended Books

Here are some books we recommend our students to read:

Year 7 - The Diary of Anne Frank
Year 8 - The Giver / Noughts and Crosses
Year 9 - The Hunger Games series / Birdsong / The Lovely Bones
Year 10 - To Kill a Mockingbird / The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

Key Stage 3

The Light Jar - Lisa Thompson
The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate
Kid Normal - Greg James and Chris Smith
The Island at the End of Everything - Kiran Millward Hargrave
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken
The Twilight Saga - Stephanie Meyer
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
Alex Rider series - Anthony Horowitz

 

Key Stage 4


Release - Patrick Ness
And the Ocean Was Our Sky - Patrick Ness
The Woman in Black - Susan Hill

Never Let Me Go - Kazuro Ishiguro
The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

 

Check out these websites for even more recommendations:

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/our-recommendations/100-best-books/

https://www.timeout.com/london/kids/the-100-best-childrens-books

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2019/best-childrens-books-stories.html

 

Students