Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

The Ruby in the Smoke

Chapter book

The first in Philip Pullman’s thrilling Victorian mystery series for teens and young adults.

Sally Lockhart finds herself embroiled in a perilous adventure after her father’s unexpected death at sea. When Sally moves to London to live with her cousin, an anonymous letter leads her to the city’s dangerous underworld. Determined to uncover the truth about her family’s past, Sally is soon at the centre of a plot involving murder and deceit.

This mystery adventure story, inspired by Victorian melodrama, is full of suspense, excitement and historical insights into the injustices of the era, making it a rich and compelling read.

Brother in the Land

Robert Swindells

Chapter book

Robert Swindells’ Brother in the Land is a much-loved story of survival, first published in 1984, with a post-apocalyptic setting.

This powerful story plunges the reader into a world shattered by nuclear war, tapping into public fears that are still as prevalent today as they were when it was first published during the Cold War. The story follows Danny Lodge and his younger brother as he navigates the grim aftermath of a nuclear bomb, his hometown now a scene of devastation and emptiness.

Without the comforts and safety of civilised society, Danny contends with a landscape where danger abounds – including the impact of radiation and the inevitability of human selfishness. Meanwhile, his efforts to protect his sibling are admirable as he strives not to give up hope. The narrative is an unflinching look at human responses to the fight for survival.

Brother in the Land is a stark and highly memorable adventure, recommended for Year 9.

The Blue Book of Nebo

Manon Steffan Ros

Chapter book

I can entirely see why this book was garlanded with awards. It is a beautifully written story (originally in Welsh), told in two voices, Dylan and his mother. Each voice is starkly different, experiencing the world differently. The nebulous End, is explained but left deliberately vague and is all the more menacing for that.

The story forces you to think about what you might do if the worst happened and the end of life as we know it appeared on the horizon. It might be an awful time, and yet it is also an extraordinary time, allowing both mother and son to experience things as they never would otherwise. This is a dystopian novel with a difference, because although it contains literally world-shattering events, it is remarkably calm and low-key in tone and surprisingly uplifting despite the tragedy.

It is a story that will stay with me for a long time. The content, themes and language of the book are best suited for mature KS3 readers and above.

The Fellowship of the Ring

J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Chapter book

This first book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings saga, first published in 1954, introduces hobbit Frodo Baggins, who inherits the all-powerful One Ring forged by the dark lord Sauron. To prevent Sauron from dominating Middle-earth, Frodo must embark on a perilous journey to destroy the Ring.

Joining forces with a wizard and various travelling companions, he begins his quest towards Mordor.

This series is considered a foundational work of epic fantasy, earning its place in the literary canon for both adult and teen readers.

Dracula: A Retelling

Tanya Landman

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Carnegie Medal winner Tanya Landman delivers a terrifyingly enthralling and truly accessible retelling of Bram Stoker’s legendary Gothic horror novel.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a masterpiece of horror fiction in which he creates a nightmarish world of vampires, evil-doing and insanity.

A ship steered by a dead man…

A huge black dog springing from its deck…

A girl, sleepwalking towards disaster…

When rising young solicitor Jonathan Harker helps the mysterious and sinister Count Dracula purchase property in London he unleashes an evil that threatens to destroy the whole of humanity.

Zac and Jac

Cathy Jenkins & Monique Steele

Chapter book

Nine-year-old Jac sees his father as a hero, but when Jac joins a local football team with his best friend Zac, things start to get a bit weird at home. It’s not until a group of professional footballers come into school to talk about racism that Jac realises what his father’s problem could be. After a traumatic turn of events, Jac learns of the difficulties faced by Zac’s grandparents and the Windrush Generation and becomes determined to help to make a change in society, starting with his own family.

Cottonopolis

S F Layzell

Chapter book

Accelerated Reader – Year 8

Best Year 8 Books for Accelerated Reader

For almost 40 years, Renaissance Accelerated Reader has been encouraging reading for pleasure and information through motivational comprehension quizzes for readers of all ages and abilities. Learn more here.

At BooksForTopics, we believe that quality, well-matched texts can make a big impact on children’s reading journeys. Not all texts are equal when it comes to quality, and we make it our mission to highlight only the best for you. Teachers, parents and librarians have all asked the same question – how do you find the best quality Accelerated-Reader-quizzed books for Y8 readers? To answer the query, we’ve selected a list of 20 AR quizzed books that we recommend to Year 8 readers. All of the books have passed our quality screening process and have been handpicked to help the cream of AR books rise to the top.

This list of Accelerated Reader quizzed titles includes selections from our Year 8 Recommended Reads, featuring funny favourites like Work It, Lara Bloom and Steady for This alongside fantasy picks like Deeplight and On Silver Tides. Historical fiction also features, with titles such as War Girls and Dogs of the Deadlands, while non-fiction fans will love You Have the Power and Black and British.

Scroll down for our list of recommended Year 8 books for the Accelerated Reader programme.

Dancers of the Dawn

Zulekha A. Afzal

Chapter book

Under the blazing sun, an elite troupe of dancers are trained to harness their magic. They are the queen’s most formidable assassins. Aasira has one of the rarest talents – for she is a flame-wielder. Feared by all and envied by some, she uses her power to execute enemies of the crown.

Aasira’s greatest wish is to serve her queen. But on the eve of her graduation, with tensions rising among the dancers and secrets stirring in the shifting sand dunes, she begins to question whether she was truly born to kill…

Not for the Faint of Heart

Lex Croucher

Chapter book

Rip-roaringly romantic, fast-paced and funny – discover the brand new Sapphic historical fantasy adventure from the author of Cafe Nero Award shortlisted, YA Book Prize winner and Books Are My Bag Reader’s Award winner, Gwen and Art Are Not in Love

‘You aren’t merry,’ said Clem to her captor. ‘And you aren’t all men. So there’s been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line.’

Mariel, a newly blooded captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a backwoods assistant healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people.

When Mariel’s ramshackle band kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan … until Jack Hartley, Mariel’s father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush. Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back – with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow.

But the wood is at war. Many believe the Merry Men are no longer on the right side of history. Watching Clem tend the party’s wounds, Mariel begins to doubt the cause to which she has devoted her life. As the two of them grow closer, one thing is clear. They must prepare to fight for their lives – and for the lives of everybody in the greenwood.

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