Age Group: KS4 (Ages 14-16)

The Chemistry Book

Non-fiction

Discover and understand the key ideas that underpin the core science of chemistry and learn about the great minds who uncovered them

Written in plain English, The Chemistry Book is packed with short, pithy explanations of some of the most historic moments in science, from the birth of atomic theory to the discovery of polyethylene and the development of new vaccine technologies to combat COVID-19. Simple graphics, such as flowcharts and mind maps, support the text and make the explanation of key concepts easy to follow.

Arranged in chronological order, the book covers key themes in the physical and natural sciences, such as geochemistry and the elements. Within each chapter, a series of articles traces the history of scientific thought and introduces the work of the scientists who have shaped the subject such as John Dalton, Marie Curie, Dmitri Mendeleev, Kathleen Lonsdale, and Stephanie Kwolek.

Whether you are new to chemistry, a student of the sciences, or just want to keep up with and understand the latest news and scientific debates, The Chemistry Book is for you.

The Physics Book

Non-fiction

Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Physics in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Physics Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in.

The Physics Book is the perfect introduction to the science, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you’ll discover more than 90 of the most important laws and theories in the history of physics and the great minds behind them. If you’ve ever wondered exactly how physicists formulated and proved groundbreaking abstract concepts, this is the perfect book for you.

The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book

Dr Gareth Moore & Ordnance Survey

Non-fiction

Do you know your trig points from your National Trails? Can you calculate using contours? And can you fathom exactly how far the footpath is from the free house?

Track down hidden treasures, decipher geographical details and discover amazing facts as you work through this unique puzzle book based on 40 of the Ordnance Survey’s best British maps. Explore the first ever OS map made in 1801, unearth the history of curious place names, encounter abandoned Medieval villages and search the site of the first tarmac road in the world.

With hundreds of puzzles ranging from easy to mind-boggling, this mix of navigational tests, word games, code-crackers, anagrams and mathematical conundrums will put your friends and family through their paces on the path to becoming the ultimate map-master!

Tsunami Girl

Chie Kutsuwada & Julian Sedgwick

Chapter book

Fifteen-year-old Yuki is struggling at school with her confidence, and goes to Japan to stay with her grandfather, a well-known manga artist and to whom she is very close. But during her visit, a calamitous event occurs – the March 2011 East Coast Earthquake and Tsunami – and her beloved Grandpa is lost.

Yuki and her friend Taka must make sense of the terrible situation and come to terms with the loss of their life as they knew it – and see that through renewal and with resilience, they can emerge from this tragedy with optimism for the future. Interwoven with Japanese folk tales, modern-day ghost stories, and the creation of her very own vibrant manga hero, Yuki finds the courage to overcome extraordinary odds, and take her first steps into the world that lies beyond catastrophe.

Told through both prose and manga, this story for young adults will touch the heart of any reader.

A Skinful of Shadows

Frances Hardinge

Chapter book

Frances Hardinge’s historical fantasy A Skinful of Shadows transports readers to the turbulence of the English Civil War.

The tale follows twelve-year-old Makepeace, who has been raised to ward off the restless spirits of the dead. Her abilities are tested when, in a moment of grief, she is possessed by an unexpected spirit: a bear. With this powerful spirit residing within her, Makepeace is thrust into a terrifying new life with her estranged and sinister family.

This multi-layered narrative blends a paranormal mystery with fast-paced historical drama, creating a highly original story for teens that is as beautiful as it is thought-provoking.

All Fall Down

Sally Nicholls

Chapter book

A deadly contagion races through England.

Isabel and her family have nowhere to run from a disease that has killed half of Europe. When the world she knows and loves ends for ever, her only weapon is courage.

The Black Death of 1349 was the deadliest plague in human history. All Fall Down is a powerful and inspiring story of survival in the face of real-life horror.

White Bird

R.J. Palacio

Graphic novel

From the bestselling author of Wonder comes the graphic novel White Bird: soon to be a major film starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson.

To the millions of readers who fell in love with R J Palacio’s Wonder, Julian is best-known as Auggie Pullman’s classroom bully. White Bird reveals a new side to Julian’s story, as Julian discovers the moving and powerful tale of his grandmother, who was hidden from the Nazis as a young Jewish girl in occupied France during the Second World War.

An unforgettable, unputdownable story about strength, courage and the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives, from the globally bestselling author of Wonder.

A full-colour graphic novel, brilliantly illustrated throughout by R. J. Palacio

My Swordhand is Singing

Marcus Sedgwick

Chapter book

An original interpretation of the timelessly fascinating vampire myth, and a story of father and son, by award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick. Winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

In the bitter cold of an unrelenting winter, Tomas and his son, Peter, arrive in Chust. Despite the villagers’ lack of hospitality, they settle there as woodcutters. But there are many things Peter does not understand. Why does Tomas dig a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut so they live on an isolated island? Why does Tomas carry a long battered box everywhere they go – and refuse to tell Peter of its contents?

When a band of gypsies comes to the village, Peter’s drab existence is turned upside down. He is infatuated by the beautiful gypsy princess, Sofia, and intoxicated by her community’s love of life. He even becomes drawn into their deadly quest – for these travellers are Vampire Slayers, and Chust is a community to which the dead return to wreak revenge on the living.

Stylishly written and set in the forbidding and remote landscapes of the 17th century, this is a story of a father and his son, of loss, redemption and resolution.

We Are All Made of Molecules

Susin Nielsen

Chapter book

Stewart knows that he thinks differently from a lot of people, incredibly bright but socially inept, he knows that his Mum was relieved for him to get into a school with other children, where he could be himself. After his Mum loses her battle to cancer he is determined not to fall into the future she feared for him, where he struggles to fit into mainstream society so when his Dad gets together with someone new and they decide to move in together, he chooses to move to the same school as his new partner’s daughter, Ashley and even dares to dream that this is the opportunity for him to gain the sibling he so longed for. Ashley tries to be modest but knows that she is the girl others can only aspire to be. Attractive with rich, successful parents, she struggles with her father’s apparent new choice of life and is not at all happy at the prospect of the world’s biggest dweeb invading first her home and now her school. Can her life get any worse?

Beautifully scripted to enable the reader to see life from each of their perspectives, situations, which are at times agonising, are dealt with delicately and with a humour that manages to be both respectful and shine a beacon of joy in the darkest of times. An excellent source of discussion of some potentially difficult topics, so useful for PSHE, can also be used to unpick the language chosen by the author and for independent work, with the addition of questions about the text at the end of the story.

Here Lies Arthur

Ian McQue & Philip Reeve

Chapter book

Philip Reeve’s Carnegie medal-winning ‘Here Lies Arthur’ is a radical reimagining of the legend of King Arthur full of intrigue, subterfuge and gender politics.

From the moment that Gwyna is rescued by Myrddin, she becomes a key player in the carefully constructed legends aimed to persuade Britons of the one true king. Disguised as a young boy, she learns to fight, ride and live within Arthur’s court, travelling the land helping Myrddin spin stories that command awe and wonder and ease strategic alliance. But, as Gwyna grows up, her secret can’t stay hidden forever, and her days with Myrddin are numbered. Placed into service to Gwenhwyfar, wife of Arthur, Gwyna soon finds herself in a dangerous position as she struggles to keep her lady’s romantic secrets hidden from Mryddin and his greater political plans.

‘Here lies Arthur’ is a fast-paced adventure story with a unique twist on the Arthurian legends.