Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

The Breadwinner

Chapter book

Originally published in 2001, but sadly still relevant, The Breadwinner is the story of a young girl called Parvana growing up in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Her mother and older sister never go outside, as even covered from head to toe in a restrictive burqa and whilst accompanied by her father, it is still risky. Parvana is lucky, as she gets to accompany her father to the market where he earns a living reading and writing letters. But she misses going to school and seeing her friends since the Taliban decreed that girls could no longer attend. She even misses doing homework!

However, one day everything changes when Parvana’s father is arrested and taken away by the Taliban. No one knows where he is, why he has been taken or if they will ever see him again. All of a sudden, Parvana becomes the family breadwinner. But it’s too dangerous for Parvana to go out and about dressed as a girl so, overnight, she becomes a visiting male cousin called Kaseem. Dressed as a boy she needs to find ways to earn enough money to feed the family and keep a roof over their heads. But even for boys, life isn’t easy. Can she earn enough money to feed her family and will she ever see her father again?

A beautifully written book about life in Afghanistan. Not always an easy read, but a worthwhile one, especially for KS3. The first book in a series about Parvana, I’m looking forward to reading the next one.

The Nine Night Mystery

Sharna Jackson

Chapter book

This is a mystery with so many different components; it features the same characters as Sharna Jackson’s previously published High Rise Mystery book.11-year-old Wesley and his friends, Margot and Josie, help Wesley’s mum to throw a surprise 40th birthday party for their neighbour, Rachel, which includes an invitation to four friends whom Margot has located from Rachel’s Facebook. The party is a strange event, full of contradictions and bizarre conversations.

The following morning, Wesley finds Rachel dead. The party attendees follow Rachel’s cultural traditions and throw a Caribbean Nine Night Celebration, intended to guide her spirit to the next world. But the children’s suspicions are raised as to the nature of Rachel’s death and they determine to investigate it, using some quite underhanded methods.

The plot is quite complex and moves very quickly; the dead-end clues throw your thoughts off in various wrong directions! In addition to Rachel’s mysterious death, other related puzzles are woven into the storyline. Characters are well-constructed and encompass a good range of different family types, including an estranged father and sisters, as well as introducing a mix of cultures, beliefs and values. The teenage dialogue is engaging and funny – you can almost hear the three friends talking. They are very self-possessed and, although taking on tasks that would best be left to adults, they are extremely resilient and have strong values and bonds of friendship.

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L’Engle

Chapter book

Disney takes the classic sci-fi adventure, A Wrinkle in Time to the silver screen! With an all-star cast that includes Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, and newcomer Storm Reid, the major motion picture brings the world of Wrinkle to life for a new generation of fans.

Meg always felt she was different and when she and her little brother Charles Murry go searching for their lost father, they find themselves travelling on a dangerous journey through a ‘wrinkle in time’. As the cosmic evil forces of darkness threaten to swallow the universe, Meg must overcome her insecurities and channel all her inner strengths – her stubbornness, anger and ultimately her love – to save her family. An exciting mixture of fantasy and science fiction, which all the way through is dominated by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels known as Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which, A Wrinkle in Time is an empowering story about the battle between good and evil and the power of love.

The Mystery of Me

Cathy Brett & Karen McCombie

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Karen McCombie explores identity, friendship and fresh starts in this touching tale perfectly pitched for struggling teen readers.

Ketty doesn’t remember anything about the accident, or much from before. The doctors say her memories will come back, but in the meantime school is a frightening and confusing place. Otis seems to be her only friend – he’s kind and caring, funny too. And he may hold the key to remembering the old Ketty … But will Ketty recognise or even like the girl she used to be?

The Colour of the Sun

David Almond

Chapter book

The Colour of the Sun is a complex novel by beloved author David Almond, who is well known for Skellig.

In the aftermath of a death, Davie goes in search of the killer following his mother’s advice that “the day is long, the world is wide, you’re young and free”. Along the way, he meets a host of characters through whom he learns about love, feuds, loss, friendships and growing up, while coming to terms with the death of his own father. At times, you are left wondering what is real and what might be imagined as the two merge into Davie’s narrative.

The story mixes themes of grief, adolescence, childhood and the supernatural. The themes within the book are challenging, but the text is accessible – making it a suitable and thought-provoking choice for KS3 readers.

Talking to Alaska

Anna Woltz

Chapter book

‘Talking to Alaska’ will take its readers on an incredible journey of friendship in the most unlikely of places. The story is cleverly told from two differing perspectives.

We are introduced to Sven, a quiet and quirky loner, who had to give her dog Alaska away last summer. We are then introduced to Parker, a new boy at school, who suffers from epilepsy and feels more alone the worse his seizures become. Both teenagers take an instant dislike to each other, and both feel equally misunderstood. Following a series of unusual events, both main characters find their paths crossing, despite their desire to avoid each other.

Readers are given an honest insight into the struggles of living with epilepsy, and the impact this can have on someone’s daily life. We learn how first impressions do not always tell us everything and that the bonds we make with each other, and with animals, can be life-changing! Told most beautifully, this is a must-read for any young adult who is feeling lost or misunderstood!

War Girls

Adele Geras & Anne Fine & Berlie Doherty & Mary Hooper & Matt Whyman & Melvin Burgess & Rowena House & Sally Nicholls & Sufiya Ahmed & Theresa Breslin

Short story collection

This is a brilliantly inspiring collection of short stories about women’s roles during the First World War by an impressive array of writers, including Adele Geras, Berlie Doherty and Sufiya Ahmed.

From a story about an ambulance driver risking her life to rescue wounded soldiers on the front line, a grieving singer entertaining and giving hope to the troops at the Front to a young nurse caring for injured and dying soldiers in a field hospital, this book covers a wide range of women’s experiences during the war, whether at home or in foreign fields. As can be expected from stories about wartime, they do not always make for easy reading and the stories take the reader through a full spectrum of emotions whilst reading, from grief and despair at the horrors of war through to hope and gratitude for all the people who worked so hard to make other’s lives better.

A great read for any pupils studying the First World War or at the changing roles and expectations of women.

Poems from the Second World War

Gaby Morgan

Poetry

Poems from the Second World War is a moving and powerful collection of poems written by soldiers, nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced WWII from different standpoints.

The Zombie Project

Alice Nuttall

Chapter book

An adventure story with a different theme, original and unusual. This book is a different take on the genre, with its themes of environmentalism and the idea that looking after nature can mean accepting that dangerous things should be respected but not necessarily destroyed.

Chinglish

Sue Cheung

Chapter book

There are many things to love about Chinglish! It’s written very accessibly in the form of the diary of Jo Kwan and set in the 1980s. Jo lives with her eccentric mum and dad, her sister Bonny in a cramped flat over their Chinese takeaway and her diary captures the rollercoaster of teenage emotions in an entertaining way.

Many of the episodes are very funny; some are dramatic; others are poignant in the manner of any good coming of age story. What adds an extra dimension is the emotional perspective of being perceived to own two identities. As Jo puts it, “I always feel Chinese when I’m with English people and English when I’m with Chinese people. It’s never one or the other.” This serious theme is so deftly handled that it never tips into preachiness. Jo overcomes difficulties through sheer force of character and by laughing at the human comedy wherever she can. Her narrative, though, does force the reader to confront the contradictory way we approach racial identity and make a powerful argument for greater sensitivity and tolerance in our discourse.

The humorous line drawings that accompany some of the diary entries add to overall sense of light-heartedness and develop Jo’s character as someone who can satirise the darkly funny side of almost everything. Despite the Wimpy Kid style appearance of the diary entries, this is a sophisticated narrative covering deep and thought-provoking themes that will offer a suitable level of challenge for KS3 readers. It tackles, gently, the problems caused by gambling addictions (Jo’s father is a compulsive gambler), racial aggression and domestic violence and there is some strong language. It would be great for building empathy around the challenges of immigration and cultural assimilation as well as discussions about identity, racial aggression and inclusion. Even with these deeper themes – the experience of reading this is nonetheless a fun one.

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Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

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