GCSE ENGLISH READING LIST
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
Before you browse this booklist ... All students studying GCSE English will be expected to read at least five books from this list, or their equivalent, over the two years of the course as well as the texts set for the examinations. Reading for pleasure improves writing and comprehension skills and has been proven to help performance in exams as well as being a lifelong source of enjoyment. Some of the books have been starred to show that they are more suited to Year 9 students or are more accessible than the other titles. Others have been marked with a triangle to indicate that the events they depict may be distressing and require maturity of understanding: parental guidance may be needed in these cases. The list is not intended to be prescriptive and you may choose other books under the guidance of your English teachers, but it is hoped you will pick writers who are challenging and who will expand your experience, understanding and enjoyment of the written word. Mr N. Abbey Head of English
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Last updated November 2018
BALLARD J.G. The Empire of the Sun The experiences of a young boy at the hands of his Japanese captors during WII.
DYSTOPIAN SCIENCE FICTION HORROR HUMOUR
ATKINSON Kate One Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery Jackson Brodie is a private investigator in Edinburgh who investigates crimes involving a bizarre cast of characters.
ADVENTURE
ATKINSON Kate Behind the Scenes in the Museuem Ruby Lennox tells the story of her ordinary family in an extraordinary way.
CRIME & DETECTIVE
ASIMOV Isaac I, Robot A classic collection of stories upon which the film was based.
WAR STORIES
SCIENCE FICTION
ADAMS Douglas The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 'Space is big. You won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean you may think it's along way down the road to the chemist's but that's just peanuts to space.'
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
SCIENCE FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
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BLACKMAN Malorie Noughts and Crosses A Romeo and Julietstyle love story set in a racist dystopia.
BRADBURY Ray Farenheit 451 In a futuristic America, books are illegal and firefighters start fires rather than extinguish them.
BROOKS Kevin The Bunker Diary A teenager awakes in a windowless, concrete room with a lift that sometimes deposits objects or people into the room.
BRYSON Bill Neither Here Nor There An account of the author's backpacking trip round Europe with his uninhibited friend Stephen Katz.
BUCHAN John The Thirty-Nine Steps A classic thriller that has remained popular since its publication in 1915.
CRIME & DETECTIVE REAL LIFE IN FICTION
CLARKE Susanna Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Two men, the reclusive Mr Norrell and the wild Jonathan Strange, want to restore magic to nineteenth-century Britain. COE Jonathan The Rotters' Club The friendships of a group of boys in a grammar school in the 1970s.
HUMOUR
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
CHRISTIE Agatha The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Everyone should try The Queen of Crime at least once in their reading lives.
CRIME & DETECTIVE
CHANDLER Raymond The Big Sleep The first in the series about hardboiled Los Angeles detective Philip Marlowe.
FANTASY
CRIME & DETECTIVE
CANNON Joanna The Trouble with Goats and Sheep During the heatwave of 1976, ten year-old Grace and her friend Tilly question the neightbours about the disappearance of Mrs Creasey from the avenue where they live.
CRIME & DETECTIVE
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
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COLLINS Wilkie The Moonstone This tale of a stolen diamond is generally considered to be the first detective story in the English language.
CORMIER Robert The Chocolate War A cult classic from the 1970s about standing up to bullies.
DAHL Roald Boy Going Solo Two volumes of Roald Dahl's autobiography written in his inimitable style.
DOYLE Conan Sherlock Holmes stories Encounter the famous intellect and crime-solving abilities of Sherlock Holmes.
DUNTHORNE Joe Submarine Fifteen-year-old Oliver is trying to improve his family's life and build on his relationship with his pyromaniac girlfriend.
CLASSIC FICTION 5
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
GIBBONS Stella Cold Comfort Farm A classic parody of gloomy meoldramatic portrayals of rural life.
CLASSIC FICTION
HUMOUR
GARNER Alan Red Shift A challenging read set in three different time periods linked by similar themes.
GREEN John Turtles All the Way Down When Aza discovers that a missing billionaire is the father of one of her old friends, she sneaks on to their property to see if she can speak to him. GREENE Graham Brighton Rock Murderous gangsters in the seedy underworld of 1930s London act out a story of good and evil that is both enthralling and depressing.
FANTASY
FRAYN Michael Spies Keith and Stephen live in a quiet suburb during the Second World War where they set out to discover if Keith's mother is a German spy.
GOLDING William Lord of the Flies A group of boys survive a plane crash to end up on a deserted island.
GROSSMAN Lev The Magicians Quentin Coldwater attends a college of magic, but this is no Hogwarts. Expect dislikeable characters and brilliant magic.
HUMOUR
WAR STORIES AUTOBIOGRAPHY
FRANK Anne The Diary of a Young Girl The diary of thirteen year old Anne who is hiding from the Nazis with her family in the annexe of a house in Amsterdam.
FANTASY
FAULKS Sebastian Birdsong Stephen Wraysford's life in France described before and during WWI is gruelling but unforgettable.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
GROSSMITH George & Weedon The Diary of a Nobody Mr Pooter is a selfimportant, bumbling, Victorian bank clerk who gets into all sorts of scrapes.
CLASSIC FICTION REAL LIFE IN FICTION
HARTLEY L.P. The Go Between Thirteen-year-old Leo carries secret messages between aristocratic Marian and Ted, a tenant farmer. 6
CRIME & DETECTIVE
HARRIS Robert Fatherland A thriller set in an alternative world where the Nazis won World War II.
HERNDORF Wolfgang Why We Took the Car Two rebellious boys take a road trip in Germany.
HIGHSMITH Patricia The Talented Mr Ripley Read this if you want to know why Tom Ripley has been described as 'charming, literate and a monster'.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
HISTORICAL CLASSIC FICTION
HARRIS Joanne Gentlemen and Players Dark secrets in a boys' grammar school, with a plot to surprise you.
HEMINGWAY Ernest The Old Man and the Sea The story of an aged fisherman called Santiago and his battle to catch a large marlin.
HILL Susan I'm the King of the Castle Charles' mother takes on the job of housekeeper for Joseph Hooper and his son Edmund, a mean and menacing bully.
GHOST STORIES
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
HADDON Mark The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Christopher wants to solve the mystery of the death of a neighbour's dog by using the methods of Sherlock Holmes.
CRIME & DETECTIVE
GUEVARA Ernesto 'Che' The Motorcycle Diaries Two young men explore South America by motorbike in the 1950s.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
HILL Susan The Woman in Black A young solicitor is sent to isolated Eel Marsh House to attend the late inhabitant's funeral.
JAMES Henry The Turn of the Screw A governess is hired to look after two children in a lonely country house. Are the unexplained events that ensue the result of the supernatural?
GHOST STORIES
HORNBY Nick High Fidelity Rob decides to get in touch with the exgirlfriends on his 'top five break-ups of all time' list.
DYSTOPIAN
HINES Barry A Kestrel for a Knave Billy finds an escape from a life of poverty and neglect by rearing a wild kestrel.
ISHIGURO Kazuo Never Let Me Go Three friends appear to have a happy life in boarding school until they discover a horrifying truth about their existence.
GHOST STORIES
HILL Will After the Fire Moonbeam has been raised in a cult but begins to doubt its leader, Father John. This was inspired by the Waco Siege in the USA in 1993.
HUMOUR
HOSSEINI Khalid The Kite Runner The friendship of two boys growing up together in Kabul.
HUXLEY Aldous Brave New World The 'brave new world' is a place where there is no war or sadness, but where human beings are grown in laboratories and have their lives controlled.
CLASSIC FICTION
CLASSIC FICTION
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
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JAMES M.R. Collected Ghost Stories Some of the best ghost stories ever written.
JEROME Jerome K. Three Men in a Boat This was an instant success when it was published in 1899 and has been entertaining readers ever since. JOYCE James The Dubliners A collection of vivid short stories of Dublin life.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
DYSTOPIAN
LEE Laurie Cider with Rosie A beautiful description of growing up in a Gloucestershire village just after the First World War. 8
HISTORICAL
LEE Harper To Kill a Mockingbird Eight-year-old Scout's father is a lawyer in a court case that splits a small community in the American Deep South.
McCARTHY Cormac The Road Spare, bleak tale of a father and son journeying through an apocalyptic landscape.
McEWAN Ian Atonement During the summer of 1935, 13-year-old Briony misunderstands what she sees and changes the lives of those around her forever.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
FANTASY
LE GUIN Ursula A Wizard of Earthsea 'A true great of the fantasy genre' this follows Ged, a young magician, who must learn how to control his powers.
McCARTHY Cormac The Border trilogy Three young men cross the border between Mexico and the USA to seek a better life.
McEWAN Ian Saturday A fateful day in the perfect life of a successful surgeon sees him encounter a dangerous individual in the street.
HISTORICAL
SPY THRILLER
LE CARRE John The Night Manager Jonathan Pine, a hotel night manager, gets involved in an undercover operation to bring down an international arms dealer.
CLASSIC FICTION
KEROUAC Jack On the Road A group of friends embark on road trips across America in the 1950s.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
CLASSIC FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
MANTEL Hilary Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel makes the story of Thomas Cromwell seem fresh and immediate as if history might turn out differently this time .
HISTORICAL REAL LIFE IN FICTION
NESS Patrick The Knife of Never Letting Go Todd Hewitt lives in a world inhabited only by men who can hear one another's thoughts. This is a breathless, heartstopping adventure.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
MURDOCH Iris The Sandcastle The quiet life of teacher William Mor is disturbed when a young painter visits the school to paint a portrait of the headmaster.
NICHOLLS David One Day Emma and Dexter meet on the night before graduation in 1988. What will they be doing on the same day next year? And the year after that? NICHOLLS David Starter for Ten Brian thinks appearing on University Challenge in his first year at university is a surefire way to impress a girl. O'BRIEN Tim The Things They Carried Short stories about a platoon of American soldiers during the Vietnam War.
FANTASY
FANTASY
MORGENSTERN Erin The Night Circus Duelling, love-struck magicians at a magical circus put performers and the audience in peril.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
MITCHELL David Black Swan Green Jason is thirteen, has a stammer and lives in dull English village in the 1980s, but life is about to change.
NEWBERY Linda The Shell House Graveney Hall links the present day story of Greg to that of Edmund, the heir to the Hall, who disappeared in the First World War.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
MARTEL Yann The Life of Pi Fantastical story of how Pi survives aboard a raft with a tiger.
SCIENCE FICTION
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
MAGICAL REALISM
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
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O'GUILIN Peadar The Call A gruesome story of teenagers called without warning into the land of the Sidhe where they have three minutes to avoid being hunted to their deaths.
FANTASY
ORWELL George Animal Farm When the animals take over their farm from the tyrannical farmer they believe their lives will be better, but are all animals as equal as they have been led to believe?
POE Edgar Allen Tales of Mystery and Imagination Classic stories of gothic horror.
PRATCHETT Terry The Colour of Money Humour and fantasy combine in Terry Pratchett's Discworld. There are many more to enjoy in this huge series.
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WAR STORIES
PAVER Michelle Dark Matter Strange happenings on an Arctic expedition.
REEVE Philip Here Lies Arthur Ingenious reworking of the myth of King Arthur where Merlin is more spin-doctor than wizard.
REMARQUE Erich Maria All Quiet on the Western Front The First World War from the point of view of the Germans as written by a German war veteran.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
FANTASY
ORWELL George Nineteen EightyFour Winston Smith lives in a harsh and grim future where everything is under the control of Big Brother.
PULLMAN Philip Northern Lights The first in Philip Pullman's masterly Dark Materials series where exciting plots convey big ideas.
REYNOLDS Jason Long Way Down Will gets into a lift with a gun, ready to revenge the death of his brother. Can he decide, as the lift descends, what is the right thing to do?
REAL-LIFE ADVENTURE
FANTASY
HORROR
GHOST STORIES
DYSTOPIAN
CLASSIC FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
RONG Jiang Wolf Totem A Chinese bestseller about Chen Zhen who lived amongst the nomads on the border of Inner and Outer Mongolia.
REAL-LIFE ADVENTURE
REAL LIFE IN FICTION 11
CLASSIC FICTION
SEDGWICK Marcus Revolver Sig is guarding his father's corpse in their cabin in the Arctic when a frightening stranger comes to the door.
SMITH Zadie White Teeth The friendship of two wartime friends, one English and the other Bangladeshi, and their families in present-day London. STEVENSON Robert Louis The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Dr Jekyll experiments with a potion that has horrific consequences.
HISTORICAL
SCHMIDT Gary D. Orbiting Jupiter Haunting and simplytold story of a family in rural Maine who foster a troubled boy who has a daughter he has never seen.
SIMPSON Joe Touching the Void An astonishing true story of a mountaineering incident with a moral conundrum at its heart.
SUTCLIFF Rosemary The Eagle of the Ninth Marcus Flavius Aquila wants to know the truth about his father's disappearance, along with the rest of the Ninth Legion, in Northern Britain.
HUMOUR
CLASSIC FICTION HISTORICAL
SCHLINK Bernard The Reader Michael remembers the year he was fifteen and fell in love with an older woman. He later finds that Hanna was hiding a painful secret.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
SANSOM C.J. Dissolution Rich in historical detail, this is the first of a wonderful series featuring sixteenthcentury lawyer Matthew Shardlake.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
SALINGER J.D. The Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield has been expelled from school, so wanders around New York describing encounters in his unique style.
HISTORICAL
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
TOWNSEND Sue The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 The diary of one of the most loveably geeky characters in literature.
FANTASY HUMOUR
WAUGH Evelyn Decline and Fall Paul Pennyfeather gets a job at an obscure school in North Wales that is staffed by misfits and eccentrics.
WOLFF Tobias This Boy's Life The precarious existence of a boy and his mother trying to escape her abusive partners in the America of the 1950s. WYNDHAM John The Day of the Triffids Giant flesh-eating plants called triffids are wreaking havoc on an Earth where nearly everyone has been blinded.
HISTORICAL
CLASSIC FICTION
WAUGH Evelyn Brideshead Revisited Charles Ryder, a student at Oxford, gets involved with the aristocratic and wealthy Marchmain family.
WODEHOUSE P.G. The Code of the Woosters Bertie Wooster is young, wealthy and idiotic and Jeeves is the brilliant valet who repeatedly has to get him out of trouble.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
WALLACE Jason Out of Shadows Powerful story of bullying and racism in a boarding school in Zimbabwe in the 1980s.
WHITE T.H. The Once and Future King The legend of King Arthur, ranging from magical descriptions of young Arthur and Merlin to the more serious story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere.
SCIENCE FICTION
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
CLASSIC FICTION
TWAIN Mark The Adventures of Tom Sawyer The colourful and lively adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as they journey down the Mississippi river.
CLASSIC FICTION
TREMAIN Rose The Road Home Lev arrives in London from Eastern Europe with little money and no prospects, only the determination to start a new life.
REAL LIFE IN FICTION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
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ZUSAK Marcus The Book Thief Death narrates this story set in Nazi Germany.
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
ARMITAGE Simon Kid Simon Armitage has written some thoughtprovoking poems about everyday life.
POETRY
POETRY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - GCSE READING LIST - YEAR 9, YEAR 10 and YEAR 11
HEANEY Seamus Death of a Naturalist Grounded in childhood and the countryside, here are some of the great poet's finest works. HEANEY Seamus & Ted HUGHES The Rattle Bag A classic and lively anthology of favourite poems.
MORT Helen Division Street The poet John Glenday calls these poems by Helen Mort 'gritty, witty and stylish'.
SAM-LA ROSE Jacob Breaking Silence Vivid contemporary poetry about race, masculinity and manhood.
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SHAPCOTT Jo & Matthew SWEENEY Emergency Kit: Poems forStrange Times Poetry that aims to help you make sense of modern life.