Suggested reading for Year 7 and Year 8: Summer Term
Here are some of out favourite books that are perfect for pupils in Year 7 and Year 8 to read during the Summer term.
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A Good Day For Climbing Trees
Author: Jaco Jacobs Illustrator: Jim Tierney Translator: Kobus Geldenhuys from Afrikaans
Publisher: Rock the Boat
Interest age: 11-14
Reading age: 11+Thirteen-year-old Marnus finds himself at the centre of a protest when he and a girl named Leila camp out in a tree to prevent it from being cut down by developers. This is the perfect feel-good book from one of South Africa’s top children’s authors.
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What Would She Do?
Author: Kay Woodward
Publisher: Carlton Books
Interest age: 9-14
Reading age: 10+In this collection of women’s stories from across history and the present day, Kay Woodward introduces the reader to 25 heroines from around the world: featuring awe-inspiring artists, scientists and political activists, among others.
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Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Publisher: Macmillan
Interest age: 14-18
Reading age: 10+Magic has been gone from the world for years, destroyed by a vengeful king. Zelie joins forces with a rebel princess to bring it back and save her people from domination. Adeyemi has created a thrilling rollercoaster ride of a book.
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Moxie
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Publisher: Hodder
Interest age: 14-18
Reading age: 14+One day, when Viv finds feminist Riot Grrrl zines in her mum’s wardrobe, she’s inspired to make her own: Moxie. Jennifer Mathieu expertly takes the Riot Grrrl aesthetic and philosophy and translates it into a modern story for teens.
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Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds Illustrator: Chris Priestley
Publisher: Faber
Interest age: 12-16
Reading age: 12+Written in verse, Long Way Down is breathtakingly gripping and spectacular. You almost read it without breathing; the action is so tense, the language so powerful. Give it to every teenager you know!
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Blackbird
Author: N D Gomes
Publisher: Harper Collins
Interest age: 12-16
Reading age: 11+Alex McCarthy has lost her older sister, Olivia: she’s gone missing, on New Year’s Eve. At the same time, a flock of dead blackbirds fall mysteriously from the sky... This is a gripping mystery, full of brooding melancholy, red herrings and clues.
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The Beast Player
Author: Nahoko Uehashi Translator: Cathy Hirano
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+Elin's mother has a very special job - caring for the magical Toda which protect their kingdom. But when something goes wrong, Elin must flee and discovers an astonishing talent for communicating with creatures. A sophisticated fantasy that will have teen readers gripped.
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Witch Born
Author: Nicholas Bowling Illustrator: Erica Williams
Publisher: Chicken House
Interest age: 12-16
Reading age: 10+Alyce flees to London, hunted as a witch, but finds herself running into even greater danger. Can she find out who she really is before it is too late? There are some genuinely frightening moments of witchery in this enjoyable work of alternative history.
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Destination: Planet Earth
Author: Jo Nelson Illustrator: Tom Clohosy Cole
Publisher: Wide Eyed
Interest age: 10-13
Reading age: 10+This beautifully illustrated introduction to physical geography takes the reader on an adventurous journey around Planet Earth. It's sure to inform and inspire budding geographers, conservationists and explorers.
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Rising Stars: New Young Voices in Poetry
Author: Various Illustrator: Riya Chowdhury Elanor Chuah and Joe Manners
Publisher: Otter-Barry Books
Interest age: 10-16
Reading age: 10+A new collection of poems from five young poets, all aged 26 and under. This selection of exciting and inspiring poems from young talent is guaranteed to get young minds working, and hopefully writing poetry of their own.
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The Extinction Trials
Author: S M Wilson
Publisher: Usborne
Interest age: 11-14
Reading age: 10+In Storm and Lincoln’s world, there are two continents... And one is inhabited by vicious, predatory dinosaurs. A tense, brutal fantasy adventure: The Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park.
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Big Bones
Author: Laura Dockrill
Publisher: Hotkey
Interest age: 12-16
Reading age: 12+Big Bones is a truly refreshing read, and Bluebelle is a wonderful, honest and utterly hilarious narrator to fall in love with. This book will make readers think about body image in a whole new way, and about the importance of self-respect.
