Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

The Diary of a Young Girl

Chapter book

This is the definitive edition of The Diary of a Young Girl, which details the experiences of Anne Frank as a Jewish girl whose family fled Nazi occupation during World War II.

Anne’s story is written in diary format and provides details of the months leading up to her time in hiding, background about her family and the political situation in Germany and then the Netherlands. The diary depicts Anne’s short life from her hiding place in the Annexe until she was discovered in 1944. It also gives details about those she was in hiding with and the very brave people who kept them safe.

The book is now considered a classic and is accessible for secondary school children – with language and themes appropriate for children in Key Stage. The book could be used in schools in a wider teaching context or for children to read in their own time, although discussion around the events of the book is always recommended. Anne’s is no ordinary diary and the gravity of the historical and political context needs to be keenly felt, particularly as our children grow up in an age where it would seem they need to be alert to hate crimes, extreme political movements and discrimination in various forms.

Nonetheless, her story is a remarkable and eye-opening one that – despite its dark historical context – also celebrates acts of courage in the face of adversity, making it a key text for readers in Key Stage 3.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Oxford)

Arthur Conan Doyle

Chapter book

Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles is a well-loved Sherlock Holmes mystery that delivers a blend of detective work and chilling Gothic suspense. Readers are thrown into a mystery surrounding Sir Charles Baskerville’s death and the terrifying legend of a spectral hound haunting the moors. This classic offers students an ideal introduction to the conventions of the mystery genre and key Gothic themes like suspense and the supernatural, meaning that it remains an engaging and popular choice of an older text.

First published in 1902, this is a story for adults that is often also read in secondary schools, providing an introduction to classic literature. The language offers a challenge to stretch stronger readers in KS3 while the narrative remains accessible enough for enjoyable comprehension and the chilling tropes of mysteries, curses and hauntings offer as much stimulation to the modern teen audience as they did to the original readership.

Following the inimitable Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Dr Watson as they unravel the secrets behind the Baskerville curse, young readers will enjoy trying to stay one step ahead of Sherlock- and whether they solve the case or not, they will finish with a significant and iconic literary work under their reading belt.

Stitch

Pádraig Kenny

Chapter book

A compelling, atmospheric and gothic Frankenstein-inspired adventure by an award-winning Irish author.

Stitch is not a monster – he’s a creation.

He and his friend Henry Oaf were brought to life by the genius Professor Hardacre, and have spent all their days in a castle deep in the woods, far from humankind. But when the Professor dies and his pompous nephew comes to take over the laboratory, they soon find out that his sights are set not on scientific discovery, but personal glory. And Henry is his next experiment.

Can Stitch and Henry escape his clutches and make their way in a world they were never built for – and may never be ready for them?

The Boy Next Door

Jenny Ireland

Chapter book

The new novel by Carnegie Medal nominated author Jenny Ireland. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Jennifer Niven.

Now she wasn’t Molly Cassidy, St Anne’s pain-in-the-hole princess. She was nine-year-old Molly who was my best friend in the whole world. Nobody had put her in the recovery position. All these people and they’d just left her like that . . . I held her hand until the ambulance came.
Finbar and Molly live next door to each other. When they were children, they spent hours and hours together. They were best friends. Until they weren’t.

Now 18, Fin and Molly move in very different circles. Molly is popular, pretty, dating the most handsome boy in the whole school. Fin has one friend and he’s pretty sure he hates his dad and his little sister.

At a party one night, though, they’re pulled together in a way neither of them expects and then follows a year that will see them experiencing life-changing challenges, friendships, love and everything in between.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (New Edition)

Various Authors

Short story collection

This book is very special, and with the foiled cover and silver edges, it truly is a beautiful book. The original book is a modern classic and a staple for many classrooms and children’s bookshelves and now it is nearing the 10th anniversary of its first release, the revised addition includes 22 new stories of women to celebrate including the scientist Katalin Karikó who made the development of a COVID-19 vaccine possible, Mikawla Shiffrin an alpine skier, activist Greta Thunberg, the mega star Taylor Swift and the acclaimed author Judy Blume.

It is a book that you can dip into and learn about the achievements and talents of women around the world. Each page begins with ‘Once upon a time’ or other story openings as if you were sharing a fairy tale, but it is a wonderful story about inspirational women. There are more than 80 female artists from all over the world who created the portraits of each woman in the book.

There is a lovely section at the back of the book for you to ‘Write your story’ and ‘Draw your portrait’ so that you can be part of the book. For those who enjoy timelines, starting from 1479 BCE and finishing in 2024, you can see where the women changed history. An inspirational text that will inspire generations to come.

Rebel Heart

Ally Sherrick

Chapter book

Rebel Heart is an exciting adventure story set during the reign of King Charles I and the English Civil War. The main character is a girl called Merriweather Pryce, the daughter of a warrior fighting for the king. She decides, after hearing about Oliver Cromwell and his plans to divide the country, to leave her home and find a safe place to live. The story’s setting makes it unique, and the character is wonderfully feisty. However, the character of Merlin will undoubtedly become a favourite. The raven beings addional mystery and intrigue to the story.

It’s a fantastic class reader and offers a fresh perspective on this period in history. It would be suitable for upper Key Stage Two.

Rat

Patrice Lawrence

Chapter book

Al lives in a council flat with his Mum until she is sent back to prison. Al’s Dad is absent, so his gran enlists the help of his half sister Plum to prevent him from returning into care. Al wants to get his revenge on the neighbour whom he believes sent her there. The only friends he feels he can rely on are Venom and Vulture, his pet rats, but with their help, he thinks he has the perfect plan…

Award winning author, Patrice Lawrence, has once again woven a story that brilliantly brings together characters, that each pull at your heart, while artfully introducing threads to the plot that further enrich those deep complex relationships and mean you can’t put the book down as you will Al to find happiness of his own.

This is a story that feels full of pain and loss, but equally full of love, joy, hope and understanding sometimes from the most unlikely of sources. Space is given in the book for young readers to further independently explore the book with guided questions and additional information about some of the topics and words used.

The Bone Sparrow

Zana Fraillon

Chapter book

‘The Bone Sparrow’ is a poignant and beautifully written book that is hard to put down.

The story follows Subhi, who is a refugee born in an immigration detention centre. As explained in the afterword of the story, Subhi and his family are Rohingya, and there are traditional tales woven into the book. The afterword is very informative and clearly explains different aspects of the characters, history and what is happening in Australia and around the world.

This book is raw – not an easy read for children, but an emotionally rewarding one. Readers will find themselves fully invested in the story and better educated about the lives of others.

Global

Andrew Donkin & Eoin Colfer & Giovanni Rigano

Graphic novel

This ambitious graphic novel highlights the devastating effects of climate change through the lives of two children on either side of the globe.

In the Bay of Bengal, Sami has lost his home, both his parents and the family’s lucky knife to a cyclone some years before. Now he and his grandfather are struggling to catch anything on their fishing trips and the cyclones are becoming fiercer and more frequent. Sami is set on recovering the knife, hoping that it will restore their good fortune, but doing so means disobeying his grandfather and taking risks that may threaten them all.

Meanwhil, Yuki lives north of the Arctic Circle where she too undertakes a dangerous mission. Setting off into the icy wilderness with her dog, Locky, she is determined to track a grolar bear – a cross-breed between a grizzly and a polar bear whose territories have collided as the climate has warmed. Soon it’s the grolar bear that is tracking Yuki and Locky. Can their close bond and indomitable spirit save them?

Subtly different colour palettes differentiate the two worlds and the switch from one to the other enables thrilling cliffhangers as each child in turn is flung into jeopardy. The pictures carry much of the emotional weight of the story too, conveying the impact of terrifying natural disasters on humans in marginalised communities. The greater the sense of panic, the more the reader has to look closely to make sense of the deliberately disordered illustrations.

Despite everything, the story never loses its faith in humanity. Sami’s grandfather is a model of how to behave with generosity and empathy no matter how bad things get and the story ends with a hope of connection, as a chance find puts the two children in touch with each other. It’s a gripping and emotional read that doesn’t shy away from its message and yet remains positive and uplifting – definitely a story not to miss!

Deeplight

Frances Hardinge

Chapter book

Hark and his best friend Jelt live on the island of Lady’s Crave where they scavenge, scam and sell their finds.

The land they live in is shadowed in the past where people worshipped the Undersea Gods who thrived on the fear of the people. Hark finds himself indentured to Dr Vyne after being caught as part of one of Jelt’s plans with a local gang. He is given the task of looking after the ancient priests and finding out their secrets to be able to find out the secrets of the past Gods. Dr Vyne is trying to unravel the secrets of the gods, how they disappeared, what they looked like and how to best use god glass (old parts of the gods recovered from the Undersea).

Hark and Jelt quickly find themselves in possession of a most valuable piece of god glass, but it is not as lucky as they first think and they are soon in a very dangerous situation. What does this mean for the best friends, the people of Lady’s Crave and the surrounding islands?

‘Deeplight’ is a story full of imagination, mythological themes and adventures in the sea, which focuses on the importance of friendship and also treachery. The main characters are complex, but as the story unfolds, you feel that you really get to know them. It also includes a deaf character who lost her hearing after a diving incident. She gains her title of being ‘Sea-kissed’ and has to learn to communicate with her gang members by sign. It is refreshing to see a main character who signs.

An intriguing fantasy story recommended for secondary school children.

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