KS3 Science Reading List

An absolute hit with pupils who love the biological side of science, plus a good dose of history!

This funny non-fiction compendium of knowledge explores the history of human medicine from Egyptian mummification and strange Tudor remedies to modern medical marvels.

Authored by doctor-turned-author Adam Kay, this comprehensive guide digs deep into the weird and wonderful ways that people have attempted to diagnose, cure and treat the human body through time.

Funny and informative – a sure hit!

Medicine: A Magnificently Illustrated History is a visually stunning and fact-packed exploration of the world of medicine. Authored by pharmacy historian Briony Hudson and featuring dynamic artwork by Nick Taylor, this non-fiction title is an excellent resource for classrooms and libraries aiming to evoke curiosity about the history of health and healing.

This comprehensive book covers thousands of years of medical advancements, from ancient herbal remedies to modern breakthroughs, in an accessible and engaging manner. Its chronological structure allows readers to follow the timeline of medical progress while also enabling them to explore topics of interest at their own pace.

Hudson’s writing expertly balances informative content with digestibility, offering fascinating insights into medical practices across various cultures and time periods. The book highlights the strange and shocking aspects of medical history, appealing particularly to children in Year 7 and beyond.

Medicine: A Magnificently Illustrated History exemplifies what children’s non-fiction can be — accessible, beautifully designed, and genuinely fascinating, making it a must-have for any classroom exploring the human story through medicine. The book addresses darker chapters of medical history with sensitivity and appropriateness, inviting meaningful discussions.

How to Bee is a wonderfully gripping narrative set in a dystopian future where there are no bees and children work on farms to pollinate fruit trees by hand. Fruit has become a luxury afforded only by the rich people living in big houses in the city. Out on a rural farm, nine-year-old Peony lives in poverty but is incredibly well loved by her sister and grandfather. Peony dreams of becoming one of the farm’s best ‘bees’ and one day Peony’s world is turned upside down when her Ma turns up at the farm and demands that Peony come to the city to work with her.

It soon becomes clear that living in a wealthy house in the city is not as idyllic as some people might think. Peony is a steely and determined protagonist and she sets about on a mission to return home to her family as soon as possible.

This is a beautiful book that is intelligently written and incredibly moving. We highly recommend this story about the vital nature of bees, family bonds, the power of hope and the importance of not losing sight of things that matter.

This powerful novel from award-winning children’s author Malorie Blackman tells the story of a young boy called Cameron who suffers from heart disease.

The novel deals with the contemporary issue of animal organ transplants and is a gripping read from the first page.

Suitable for upper KS2 and lower KS3.

Imagine London in the future, when rising sea levels have submerged half of the city. Privileged citizens live in the central zone, protected by a huge wall. Meanwhile the less fortunate scrape a living in The Shanties, a squalid area of flooded tower blocks and rickety boardwalks. In this fractured world, the only thing that unites the inhabitants from inside and outside the wall is their fear of a different race: The Mariners.

FloodWorld is pacily written with lots of easy-to-read dialogue which is interleaved with more challenging and descriptive language, making it a good book for moving readers on to more demanding reads. Kara provides a strong female role model: clever, courageous and tough, but warm and honest too.

The narrative of FloodWorld also has a very cinematic feel, which is not surprising for a writer who used to be a film critic. Behind the gripping action sequences lie thought-provoking themes of environmental responsibility, truth, prejudice and power. If you are teaching pupils about the environment, you could use this book to introduce the implications of rising sea levels or the importance of marine conservation. It also raises questions about how we view people from unfamiliar societies and whether violence is ever justified.

Beth is twelve. She and her family, along with lots of other families, are on their way to colonise a new planet in outer space. It is twenty-six light-years away and travelling at normal speed would take them almost 300,000 years to get there – which is why they ‘jump’ through folds in space. During jumps, everyone on board is put into a special sleep, during which the ship copies their memories and replaces them when they wake, because the act of jumping wipes everything.

One day, however, something goes wrong and Beth is woken to be told by the ship’s onboard computer that she’s now Captain. The ship has been damaged and needs repairs, but without any trained crew she needs to make her way to safety (which is seven light-years away).

Orion Lost is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller set in deep space. It has beautiful descriptions of the vastness and loneliness of space. Alastair Chisholm’s writing is so crisp and clear, you can really picture the story as it unfolds.

Atmospheric, intelligent and thought-provoking, this is the kind of story that loves to surprise you every time you feel sure you have a handle on it. At less than 200 pages, it is a quick but intriguing read in a similar format to Edge’s other recent science-themed books like The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day and The Jamie Drake Equation.

The initial premise of the plot is a basic one: three children get lost in the woods and desperately try to help each other to find their way home before the legendary Old Crony, whom they say eats children, makes an appearance.

Tapping into the natural world around them and putting their code-cracking know-how to good use, the children find clues in the rhythm of birdsong and shapes of the sticks on the floor. As the story unfolds, so do a series of surprises and layers of philosophical depth as metaphysics are questioned and explored in a child-friendly manner. Suspense builds with every page, and the usual rules of time seem to become increasingly distorted as the story progresses.

The Longest Night of Charlie Noon is highly recommendable to readers who like their stories served with plenty of intrigue, puzzles to solve and a good dose of metaphysics thrown in.

SF Said has created a remarkable and unforgettable novel, which will stay on your mind for days after reading. He has the ability to create epic tension and spectacular euphoria, which makes for a story that is extremely difficult to put down. Science Fiction fans are in for a treat!

The story begins with a dream, where the main character, Lucky, finds himself listening to the stars. They are trying to tell him something, and that something draws Lucky in, enabling him to fly and soar through space. Once the dream ends, he finds himself in burnt sheets, surrounded by ash and smoke. This discovery alarms his mother, which results in a huge turn of events, uncovering hundreds of unanswered questions about Lucky’s identity and existence. From that moment on, Lucky finds himself desperate to escape the world he once knew and enter a new world, where he seeks clarity about his heritage and the growing power rising within him.

To survive, he must trust a troop of aliens, with hooves and flaming eyes, who help him travel through space to escape his home. With the galaxy surrounding him at war, this action-packed story moves from scene to scene with epic fighting scenes of good vs evil, along with many timely escapes.

Phoenix builds up to one of the most spectacular endings I have ever read; this is well worth the commitment of reading for readers aged 10-14.

A popular and humorous choice from the award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce.

This novel tells the story of Liam, an incredibly tall twelve-year-old who attempts to pass as an adult in order to accompany his friend Florida on a trip to space that she won in a competition.

It has been likened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a space setting, and contains discussion questions and bonus material for use in class.

Beginning with an introduction from the author, Dr Shini Somara, she explains how she was inspired to become an engineer and wants to inspire others to do the same. The information on types of engineers and how to become an engineer is really interesting – I didn’t realise how many types of engineers there were!

The book is then split into different sections depending on the purpose of the engineering. Everything from human needs to communication and entertainment is covered. Within the sections, we meet several engineers and find out all about why and how they became engineers, as well as what they have achieved. There are photos of the engineers as well as diagrams and illustrations to help you understand their inventions and work. There are also QR codes linking to YouTube videos for some of the engineers, and a comprehensive teacher guide available to download.

After learning about the 46 engineers, there is an illustrated timeline of engineering and a useful glossary of terms used in the book. I think this is an unusual and informative book suitable for UKS2 children and older, although extracts from the book could be used with younger children if supported. I will be using this book with my Y6 class to support our learning about climate change, as well as many other things, I’m sure!

Fans of Brightstorm will be delighted to see a more challenging offering from Vashti Hardy. I just loved being immersed in the world of Wildspark, with imaginary worlds that are as inventive as they are thrilling.

Prue Haywood is an inventive and curious girl who lives on a remote farm. Her aptitude for engineering gains her entry into the exciting world of Medlock and its secretive guild of inventors – but only because she poses as her brother, who really passed away not too long before. I loved following Prue’s journey on the Gigantrak train into the great metal city of Medlock and I read on with wide eyes, as Prue – a farm girl – acclimatises to the bright amber lights and towering structures of the city and the advanced systems and technologies waiting for her at the guild. With the brightest minds developing ways of placing human spirits into animal-like machines, the work of the guild is completely alluring for budding young inventors like Prue.

Prue is driven by a desire to bring her brother to life again, but it’s her warm nature, natural creativity and loyalty to friends and family that really help her the most as she navigates the complex issues of using technology responsibly. The narrative provides plenty to think about; many of the issues raised will resonate with readers growing up in the current generation that’s used to the pace of technologies advancing faster than the Gigantrak itself. I’m sure the book will raise fascinating discussions in many classrooms.

21% Monster by PJ Canning is a cracking rollercoaster of a ride about what it means to be ‘almost’ human. If you love Marvel and Stranger Things, you’ll love this!

Fast-paced, adventurous, surprising, intelligent and monstrous!

Introducing Max Einstein – child genius and number one fan of Albert Einstein.

As a thirteen-year-old girl living on the streets of New York, Max knows nothing of her past. Max doesn’t have many friends but thankfully, conversations with her namesake, the famous physicist, mean she is never alone. Conscious of her prodigious abilities but also her social standing, Max intentionally underperforms at college to blend in with the crowd. Outside of college Max devises crafty inventions to help the plight of her homeless companions.

A turn of events sees Max recruited by the Change Makers Institute and sent to Jerusalem. Here Max finds herself in competition with other bright-minded teenagers to win the ultimate prize of solving the world’s greatest problems – using science. 

The Genius Experiment is bursting at the spine with scientific trivia in the form of facts, theories and outside-the-box thinking. Einstein’s relativity and Newton’s motion are thematic to the story. Throughout the book are sketches of Max’s notebook drawings, which depict her ideas and innovations.