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| English Department - Books to Shout About |
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After our recent Reading Forum for parents we produced this list of titles that should appeal to a whole variety of readers. We grouped them by Year but this is by no means set in stone. You can enjoy the Year 5 titles in Year 8. Have a look at the blurb and see what you'd like to read. All titles are in the school library. Don't forget - our reading is one of the most important things we do and we neglect it at our peril. Not difficult to get entranced by a novel as the titles below will prove. Enjoy them! The Forum we held was for Years 5 - 8, hence the titles for the older age group. We are holding a Years 3 & 4 Forum next term and will produce a list of books like this one. Eagle House School Year 5 Books to Shout About! Katie Milk Solves Crimes and So On by Anna Caulfield published by Corgi Yearling Books. Meet Katie Milk - she's brave, funny, has an active imagination and is about to go off to boarding school for the first time. At first, she can't imagine having a worse roommate than Bernadette Kelly but soon Katie has more important things to worry about...Are there really mad nuns in the attic and why does Chiquita Morris cry all the time? Is Chiquita's mother really a famous fashion model, as she claims or is she just trying to get attention? When Katie and Bernadette discover some mysterious goings-on in an old farmhouse near their school, Katie is one step closer to finding the answers. Read the sequel Katie Milk Solves Reality TV Crimes Tales of Terror from the Black Ship by Chris Priestley published by Bloomsbury Publishing. Ethan and Cathy are two young children who live with their father in the Old Inn, a spooky pub precariously perched on a cliff top. During a violent storm, Ethan and Cathy are struck down by a mysterious illness, requiring their father to leave them alone in the dead of night to go in search of the local doctor. Following his departure, Jonah Thackeray arrives on the doorstep of the Old Inn, asking for shelter from the storm and offering many a creepy story in return. This book will have you hooked from start to finish, with many twists and turns to have you shrieking in anticipation and surprise. Each chapter is a complete short story in its own right, it is perfect for bed-time stories, although you will be eagerly reading ahead to learn more about the underlying story concerning Ethan and Cathy. Also read by the same author the Tom Marlowe adventures 1) Death and the Arrow 2) The White Rider 3) Redwulf’s Curse The Savage by David Almond published by Walker Books. Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award 2009. Prize winning novelist David Almond has a rare ability to seamlessly blend magic and reality in stories. Teamed up with illustrator Dave McKean the two have created a powerful, moving and original story told in words and pictures. Asked to write a story, Blue writes about the harsh realities of his own life including facing up to the Hopper, the town bully and coming to terms with his own grief. Emotionally raw, The Savage will touch a deep emotional chord with all readers. Also by the same author Skellig and for older readers Clay, Secret Heart, Jackdaw Summer
Kaspar, Prince of Cats by Michael Morpurgo published by Harper Collins. A wonderfully emotional but heart-warming tale from the pen of one of the foremost writers for children. Brilliantly interwoven in historical fact at the time of the sinking of the Titanic is the story of Kaspar the Savoy cat, who we also discover is a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. The story is utterly compelling and brought to life still further by some really dreamy illustrations by Michael Foreman. A story to read aloud during those cold wintry evenings as much as a story to cuddle up with alone. Wonderful. Other books by the same author Born to Run, The Mozart Question, War Horse, Waiting for Anya, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Private Peaceful, King of the Cloud Forests, Long way Home The Dread Pirate Fleur And The Ruby Heart by Sara Starbuck published by Random House Children’s Books. Children can't fail to love and treasure this terrific debut, it's a real page-turner. With a feisty heroine and a sea-savvy partner in piracy Tom, this action packed and fast paced adventure will appeal to both girls and boys. Following a death and the discovery of a dark family secret orphaned Fleur finds her sea legs and a thirst for adventure. It's brooding and brilliant! Shadow Forest by Matt Haig published by Corgi. Winner of the overall Blue Peter Book of the Year 2009. Be warned! Don’t go for a walk in the shadow forest lest you might not return. Poor Samuel Blink must go into the dreaded woods to somehow find his sister and bring her back alive somehow. With fast-flowing action and encounters with fantastical creatures throughout, the author skilfully manages to maintain a strong sense of foreboding and suspense right up until the dramatic conclusion of this creepy tale. Little Darlings by Sam Llewellyn published by Penguin Books. Primrose, Cassian and Daisy Darling are very bad children. Papa Darling and Mrs Darling (the children's mum scarpered long ago) both know that child-rearing is a task best performed by experts, not parents. Unfortunately, the Darling family nannies never last long, for quite obvious reasons. Enter Nanny Petronella Fryer - Nanny Pete - in a Jag XJS. Nanny Pete is different. There’s the stubble for a start. And she lets them eat anything they want - no more burnt custard or lumpy porridge. They’re all about to embark on what can only be called a comic caper, which leads the little Darlings far from home on a cruise ship full of burglars - and ultimately to their own missing mum. Read the sequels Bad, Bad Darlings: Small But Deadly & Desperado Darlings and also by the same author The Well Between the Worlds Beware! Killer Tomatoes by Jeremy Strong published by Penguin Books. This is Jeremy's monstrously funny novel. Jack has a knack of getting into trouble. After an encounter with a pyramid of tinned tomatoes in the supermarket he ends up in hospital, stuck on his back with his leg in traction. Surely he’ll be safe from further disaster tied down like that? But nothing is ever so simple for Jack and he’s soon at the centre of another set of hilarious, headlong adventures. Also by the same author My Brother’s Famous Bottom Goes Camping, Lost! The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog, My Granny’s Great Escape Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce published by Pan Macmillan. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award 2009. Comic and cosmic, this is a roller coaster adventure that takes Liam Digby up into space with a handful of other children and their parents. It’s an hilarious journey of discovery as Liam hurtles around the world finding out exactly what makes children and adults different. Also by the same author Millions, Framed The Truth Sayer by Sally Prue published by Oxford University Press. The first in the Truth Sayer Series. A joyful and lighthearted fantasy series tells the story of Nian, a boy with a destiny. Taken to the House of Truth to learn the necessary skills to becoming a Lord of the Truth, Nian realises that is not what he wants to be doing. Stepping into another world to escape, he finds himself surrounded by things he doesn't understand especially when it comes to operating a toaster. The results are hilarious. Further adventures follow as Nian becomes the most powerful person in the House of Truth and has to learn to manage his magic and, as the series develops, to use it to its best effect. Eagle House School Year 6 Books to Shout About! My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson published by Random House Children’s Books. A fantastic book from Jacqueline Wilson. Pearl and Jodie are sisters who are very different. Jodie is noisy, brash, insensitive and bold. Pearl is only ten, little and shy and anxious all the time. When their parents both get jobs at an exclusive small boarding school the girls do not want to move. After spending their vacation there who will settle in to the new term? Also by the same author Double Act, The Bed and Breakfast Star, The Story of Tracey Beaker Then by Morris Gleitzman published by Penguin Books. In Once, Gleitzman created a brilliant and unusual way of telling the story of how two children survived in Nazi Germany. In the sequel Then, Felix and Zelda continue on their journey to safety. Felix, who tells the story in a simple, first person narrative, knows they need new parents if they are to survive but how will they know who to trust and will anyone be willing to risk their own lives to take them in? Felix and Zelda do find kindness and love in a world that is filled with fear and brutality. Morris Gleitzman has a rare ability to inject humour appropriately into such difficult subject matter making Then a remarkable book for all ages. Also by the same author Once, Two Weeks with the Queen, Bumface, Boy Overboard, Girl Underground Larklight by Philip Reeve published by Bloomsbury Publishing. A glorious romp of a story, Larklight is a Victorian space adventure combining some entertaining period jokes with a fantastical trip into unknown worlds. Funny and inventive as Arthur and his sister Myrtle set off on their adventure, this is a delight to read. Also read 2) Starcross 3) Mothstorm The Wind Singer by William Nicholson published by Egmont Children’s Books. The first book in the Wind On Fire Trilogy. A richly imagined fantasy trilogy set in a world with strong and rigid conditions which are about to be crushed! Once Kestrel has learnt the secret of the Wind Singer she and her twin brother Bowman set out on a long journey during which they discover the secrets of the Singer people and break the power of the Mastery. Finally, they must return to the homeland. But, can they return together and can Kestrel survive? Conceived on a grand scale this story is peopled by a convincing and admirable cast led by Kestrel herself. Other books in the trilogy include Slaves of the Mastery, and Firesong. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman published by Bloomsbury Publishing. 2009 winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal. Spooks galore in this brilliant and fantastic story of life in the graveyard. When Baby Bod escapes a murderer intent on killing his whole family, he is taken in by the graveyard ghosts. In eight chapters, each of which depicts every other year of Bod’s life, a separate story of Bod’s life unfolds and always in the background there is the sinister, haunting presence of a killer. Bod’s curious tale is a masterpiece of original, absorbing and unstoppable storytelling. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart published by Chicken House. ‘Are You a Gifted Child Looking For Special Opportunities?’ Dozens of children respond to this peculiar advert in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests. Only four children - Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance - succeed. Their mission is a secret. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden labyrinth of the school's underground tunnels is more than your average school supplies. Barkbelly by Cat Weatherill published by Penguin Books. Brought up by loving human parents, Barkbelly is a little wooden boy who goes on the run after a tragic accident. The world he encounters is full of the unexpected including pirates, giant hedgehogs and life in the circus. Barkbelly’s adventures take the reader on a roller coaster of the unexpected in a beautifully realised and extraordinary fantasy world. Read the sequel Snowbone. Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls published by Marion Lloyd. Winner of Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2008. Sympathetic, touching, and surprisingly funny, Ways to Live Forever is a fantastic debut from Sally Nicholls. Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has leukaemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers for the questions nobody will answer. This diary account of a young boy dying of Leukaemia will pull on heartstrings and have you in fits of laughter at the same time. Ribblestrop by Andrew Mulligan published by Simon & Schuster. In this quirky and original debut there’s never a dull moment. Even before the student’s turn up to the school, you can tell is no ordinary place. The building is semi-ruined (some dormitories don’t even have a roof ), the staff are unconventional if imaginative and the students, even before they turn up, are shown to be a rather usual bunch including, as they do, Sanchez, who spends much of his life trying to avoid being kidnapped. Not surprisingly, there are some pretty hair-raising adventures as a result and the setting provides an unusual vision of school. Frozen in Time by Ali Sparks published by Oxford University Press. A page-turning mystery-adventure with a pleasingly old-fashioned feel as two children, frozen by cryonic suspension by their father in 1956, are miraculously brought back to life by two other children in 2009. There are loads of clues to follow and several mysteries to be solved as well as a lot of enjoyable confusion and surprise as children from ‘then’ see childhood ‘now’. Eagle House School Year 7 Books to Shout About!
Then read 2) Predator's Gold 3) Infernal Devices 4) The Darkling Plain and just out, read the prequel Fever Crumb. Airman by Eoin Colfer published by Penguin Books. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award 2009 and shortlisted for the Bisto Irish Children's Book Award. A fabulous blood racing story that blends adventure, fantasy, history and science fiction and then dusts it with humour: Conor’s destiny is to fly but no one knew that all too soon he’d be flying for real – to save his life! Also read the Artemis Fowl series. Triskellion 2: The Burning by Will Peterson published by Walker Books. Full of supernatural suspense, this is a thrilling sequel to Triskellion, which works also as a stand alone read. Twins Rachel and Adam have managed to escape from the dangers of Treskellion only to find themselves kidnapped. Adam seems destined to become the latest specimen in a sinister scientific organization’s latest gruesome experimentation. To survive, the twins must race across Europe to an unknown destination which will link them to others with similar unusual powers. Ice Shock by M.G.Harris published by Scholastic. M G Harris has delivered not just once with the first Joshua Files: Invisible City in 2008 but now in 2009 an even more accomplished rollercoaster of a ride in Ice Shock. Continuing where Invisible City left off, Josh Garcia remains steadfastly determined to uncover the truth behind his father's death in the jungles of Mexico. Like the thrillers featuring Alex Rider or indeed those featuring Jason Bourne, Ice Shock is full of incredible plot twists and turns, well drawn and utterly believable characters but unlike the aforementioned characters Josh doesn't rely in any way on hi-tech gadgetry. His coolness under extreme fire - both physical and emotional is so much more heart-pumping than anything else. Ingo by Helen Dunmore published by Harper Collins. This is the first of the Ingo quartet. Helen Dunmore has done what few authors succeed in doing. She’s created an absolutely believable mythical world alongside our own. One that makes you want to be there more than anything else, one that is both spellbinding and magical. Ingo is a world in which you will be totally entranced and entrapped. And it’s so eloquently written. To read the series in order start with Ingo then The Tide Knot (which won the Nestle Children’s Book Prize Silver Medal) then The Deep and end with The Crossing of Ingo. Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams published by Chicken House. Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows lives with his family in London. He has little in common with them except for a passion for digging which he shares with his father. When his father suddenly disappears down an unknown tunnel, Will decides to investigate with his friend Chester. Soon they find themselves deep underground, where they unearth a dark and terrifying secret - a secret which may cost them their lives. Read the sequel Tunnels 2: Deeper and soon to be released Tunnels 3: Freefall The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding published by Egmont Children’s Books. Cat Royal, the feisty little orphan-girl brought up in a theatre, is a brilliant narrator of this terrific action-packed adventure. There’s intrigue, politics, class warfare and a lot of fighting as well some highlights from behind the scenes as Cat unravels a mystery. She’s brave, cunning and smart but that doesn’t stop her from getting into some very dangerous fixes. Set in the world of the Drury Lane theatre in the 1790s this is full of historical detail about the prejudices of the time which carry important contemporary messages, too. See also 2) Cat Among the Pigeons 3) Den of Thieves 4) Cat o'Nine Tails 5) Black Heart of Jamaica The Devil’s Breath by David Gilman published by Penguin Books. This is the first incredible book, in a blockbuster new adventure series for boys and girls. Soon after escaping an assassin that burst from the shadows to try and kill him in the dark windswept grounds of his school on Dartmoor, Max Gordon discovers that his explorer father has gone missing. Max is determined to find him, whatever dangers may lie in his path. A secret clue leads Max to the inhospitable wilderness of Namibia and the discovery of a potentially massive ecological disaster masterminded by the very powerful and completely ruthless businessman Shaka Chang. Whoever is behind Max’s father’s disappearance is determined to get rid of Max too for good. Read the sequel Ice Claw The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgewick published by Orion Publishing. 17 year old Sasha Fox is the only daughter of a doctor living in the seaside town of Brighton. But her brothers, Edgar and Tom, have gone to war and Sasha has a terrible gift. She can see the future. Her premonitions show her untold horrors on the battlefields of the Somme, and worse still, what will happen to Edgar and Tom. Also read by the same author My Swordhand is Singing, The Kiss of Death, Book of Dead Days, Blood Red, Snow White, Witch Hill Gatty’s Tale by Kevin Crossley-Holland published by Orion Publishing. A gripping historical adventure that is dramatic, touching and compelling. Servant girl Gatty has an unusually beautiful voice which leads her to being swept up in a Crusade to the Holy Land. Her courage and determination enable her to survive incredible danger and so to find an unexpected reward. Also read by the same author The Seeing Stone, At The Crossing Places, King Of The Middle March, Waterslain Angels
Eagle House School Year 8 Books to Shout About! The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins published by Scholastic is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. In a dark vision of the near future, The Hunger Games is set in the ruins of a place once known as North America. The cruel Capitol keeps order in its twelve outlying districts by forcing them each to send one boy and girl to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a terrifying reality TV show broadcasting a live fight to the death. Without really meaning to, 16 year old Katniss becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever. Gone by Michael Grant published by Egmont Children’s Books. Gripping from the first moment on, this is a scary, an unputdownable and a brilliantly plotted fantasy. One minute all the adults are there - next they're gone! Only the children remain and they are trapped, cut off from the outside world and, scarily, left to rule themselves. Can they survive? With no guidance, gangs start to form. Danger lurks at every corner and everyone has to make a choice – to be cruel or humane. It’s a chilling prospect and the new world order is scary for all. It's Lord of the Flies for the Heroes generation with just a dash of the X-Men thrown in for good measure. Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd published by Random House. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award 2009 and shortlisted for the Bisto Irish Children's Book Award. A new and challenging book full of mystery and shadows from recently deceased author Siobhan Dowd. Both terrifying and fascinating from the start, Bog Child is a must-read for 2009. The plot follows Fergus a boy who finds the body of a child, and it looks like she's been murdered. All of a sudden a little voice is coming to him in his dreams, and Fergus must cope with getting caught up in further troubles around his home of Northern Ireland. Also read by the same author A Swift Pure Cry, London Eye Mystery, Solace of the Road Life Interrupted by Damian Kelleher published by Piccadilly Press. Sorrow and happiness course through this book of huge emotions, which gives lots of room for optimism despite dealing with tragedy. Fourteen-year-old Luke is used to coping with things, especially his accident-prone younger brother Jesse. But nothing can prepare him when his mother suddenly becomes dangerously ill. How Luke and Jesse react to their mother’s illness and death is touchingly told in Luke’s voice as he charts the different ways the boys deal with the shock and grief and, above all, how by pulling together and committing absolutely to keeping their own lives going, they survive. However, as well as these heavyweight themes it is also full of football and friendship. A harrowing but life affirming debut. Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls published by Scholastic. A haunting and unforgettable new novel From the award-winning author of Ways to Live Forever. Season of Secrets weaves the tale of a heartbroken child and an age-old legend into beautiful story of love, healing and strange magic. Resonant of classics such as The Owl Service by Alan Garner, Whistle Down the Wind by Mary Hayley Bell and Skellig by David Almond, the protagonist’s story is told in the pure, clear voice we have come to expect from this astonishingly accomplished and powerful young writer. Sally Nicholls is simply an exceptionally talented writer, who writes beautifully. Her intelligent, warm fiction is honest and profound, complex yet accessible. Also by the same author Ways to Live Forever The 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison published by Simon & Schuster. Winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2009. This is an enchanting and at times terrifying debut that's beautifully written. 13 year old Tanya and her mother have an uneasy relationship so for part of the summer she is despatched off to her grandmother who lives in a rickety old house. While there, she sees a bookcase revolve and in front of her is a narrow stone staircase leading way down beyond the bowels of the house. She steps down them and what she sees brings a scream to her mouth but it doesn't come out. The long lost girl she sees carries something that for the briefest of moments morphs into something else and they each realise they both have the ability of second sight - of seeing fairies. Mysteries and secrets abound in this superb debut and Tanya is put under terrible danger in this sinister tale but can Tanya's ability of second sight help her unravel the mystery? Bloodchild by Tim Bowler published by Oxford University Press. If you’re on the hunt for a book that will really grab you, put shivers down your spine and ensure that at the end of every chapter you gasp for breath then Bowler’s Bloodchild is the novel for you. Incredibly atmospheric of time and place with characters that draw you in, Bowler is the true master of the teenage psychological thriller and a wonderfully individual voice to boot. Also by the same author River Boy Malice by Chris Wooding published by Scholastic. Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story of how a kid disappears into the secret world of the comic Malice. Here, in a chilling techno world, lurks evil and danger which propel this dramatic, multi-layered adventure. Also by the same author Storm Thief, The Haunting of Alaizabel Clay Goose Girl by Shannon Hale published by Bloomsbury. At the age of 16 Crown Prince Ani is told she must leave everything she knows, to marry someone she has never met. It will create a powerful alliance. But fate has much worse in store for her. Ani must use every ounce of cunning and determination to defend what is rightfully hers, from those who want to take it from her. With her wonderful gift for storytelling, Shannon has created a beautifully rich and stylish grown-up fairy tale, with classic themes of betrayal, jealousy and romance. Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn published by Pan Macmillan. The vast scale of this enthralling story encompasses heroism, treachery, cowardice and love in a gripping combination. Set in Japan in a distant time, the actions and the cast are huge and memorable. At the heart of the story is Takeo who, during the course of it, grows from being just a young boy to becoming heir to the mighty Otori clan, ruled over by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru, the man who adopts him. But Takeo’s path is not a smooth one. He has magical powers himself and is therefore wanted by others than the great Shigeru. And he falls headlong into love… A dazzling introduction to a sequence of novels that includes passion and violence in a beautiful combination. Also read in the Tales of the Otori trilogy 2) Grass for his Pillow 3) Brilliance of the Moon
Don’t Forget the Classics! Here are 10 brilliant ones! My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell published by Penguin Books The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien published by Harper Collins Brendon Chase by BB published by Jane Nissen Books The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper published by Penguin Books The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner published by Harper Collins Stig of the Dump by Clive King published by Penguin Books Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce published by Oxford University Press Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian published by Penguin Books The Great Elephant Chase by Gillian Cross published by Oxford University Press Redwall by Brain Jacques published by Random House |
