Reading Lists
Every child develops reading skills at a different pace, influenced by factors such as exposure to reading outside the classroom, any special educational needs, engagement with reading during primary school etc. When students enter high school, the aim is for their reading age to be close to their chronological age. For example:
- A Year 7 student should ideally have a reading age of around 11 years or above.
- A Year 8 student should ideally have a reading age of around 12 years or above.
- A Year 9 student should ideally have a reading age of around 13 years or above.
If your child’s reading age is shown as 11.08, this means they read at the level of an 11-year-old and 8 months.
We recognise that not every child will meet this target immediately. Our school provides a range of classroom support and intervention strategies to help every student become a confident, accomplished reader by the time they leave school. If your child’s reading age is higher than their chronological age, we will continue to challenge them with more complex texts across the curriculum to help them become expert readers.
Support at home is crucial for both struggling and excelling readers. Please therefore see links to lists of recommended books for each age range below. These books are updated regularly with the latest young adult titles. If your child’s reading age is below 11, please still encourage them to read the age 11-12 books below as these will challenge them appropriately. If your child’s reading age is above their chronological age, please encourage them to read the more challenging books on the lists or books in the other age groups.
Reading lists for age 11-12 (Y7)
Reading list for age 12-13 (Y8)
Reading list for age 13-14 (Y9)
Please note that some of the books in the next three lists may have age warnings/advice on them. Due to their reading age, they will have content that is more mature than the 11-14 reading lists.
Reading list for age 15-16 (Y11)
Reading list for age 17+ (Sixth Form)
How to read for free online:
- Get yourself a library card if you do not have one (speak to your parent/guardian to get a library card)
- Head to the Libby Library app: Libby – Shelf
- Log in to the online library service using your library card
- Read as many books online as you like! You can download the Libby library app and read books on your phone at home.
We are a no phone school. If you are reading online and do not have a physical copy of your book, bring in your signed reading bookmark and then use the school computers in the library to continue reading your book.