Reading List

Below is a list of fiction books and authors that have been recommended over the years by members of our 11 Plus Forum.

Where only the author’s name appears it is because they received numerous mentions for different works. The links below will either take you to the specific book mentioned, or where multiple books were referred to, a sample of the series or the author’s works.

Non-fiction books were rarely mentioned specifically, but Terry Deary’s “Horrible Histories” series was a constant mention. The “Dangerous Book for Boys” was also mentioned by several people, as were children’s bibles.

Finally, if this list does not inspire your child, or you want yet more fresh ideas, ask in your local library for a copy of “The Ultimate Book Guide” published by A&C Black. It contains 600 recommendations for great books for 8 – 12 year olds.

• Joan Aiken – Wolves of Willoughby Chase series
• Hans Christian Andersen – Fairy Tales
• Charles Ashton – Dragon’s Fire
• Nina Bawden – Carrie’s War
• Holly Black – The Spiderwick Chronicles
• Malorie Blackman – Noughts and Crosses Trilogy
• Enid Blyton
• Elise Broach – Shakespeare’s Secret
• Michael Carroll – New Heroes series
• Gail Carson Levine
• Cathy Cassidy
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The Lost World
• Eoin Colfer
• Susan Coolidge – What Katy Did series
• Richmal Crompton – Just William series
• Roald Dahl
• Lucy Daniels – Animal Ark series
• Daniel Defoe – Robinson Crusoe
• Silvana De Mari – The Last Elf
• Chris d’Lacey – Fire series
• Cornelia Funke – Inkheart Trilogy and Thief Lord
• Alan Gibbons – Caught in the Crossfire
• Debbi Gilori – Pure Dead series
• Julia Golding
• William Golding – Lord of the Flies
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales
• Frances Hardinge – Fly by Night
• Anne Holm – I Am David
• Anthony Horowitz
• Erin Hunter – Warrior Cats series
• Norman Hunter – Professor Branestawm series
• Charmian Hussey – The Valley of Secrets
• Eva Ibbotson
• Laura Ingalls Wilder – Little House on the Prairie series
• Brian Jacques – Redwall series
• Elizabeth Kay – The Divide series
• Carolyn Keene – Nancy Drew mysteries
• Clive King – Stig of the Dump
• Charles Kingsley – The Water Babies
• E.L. Konigsburg – From the Mixed up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler
• Derek Landy – Skulduggery Pleasant series
• Caroline Lawrence – Roman Mysteries series
• Barbara Leonie Picard (translator) – The Odyssey
• C.S. Lewis – Narnia series
• Graham Marks – Snatched
• Geraldine McCaughrean
• Karen McCombie
• Cliff McNish – Doomspell trilogy
• Lucy Montgomery – Anne of Green Gables
• Michael Morpurgo
• E. Nesbit – The Phoenix and the Carpet & others
• William Nicholson – Wind on Fire Trilogy
• Jenny Nimmo – Charlie Bone series
• Garth Nix
• Christopher Paolini – Eldest series
• Michelle Paver – Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Series
• Terry Pratchett
• Philip Pullman
• Arthur Ransome – Swallows and Amazons series
• Philip Reeve – Infernal Devices
• Lynne Reid Banks – The Indian in the Cupboard trilogy
• Philip Ridley
• Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson series
• J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter series
• Louis Sachar – Holes
• Angie Sage – Septimus Heap series
• Darren Shan – Demonata series
• Alex Shearer
• Barbara Sleigh – Carbonel series 1 and 2
• Lemony Snicket – A Series of Unfortunate Events
• Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell – The Edge Chronicles series
• Jonathan Stroud – The Bartimaeus Trilogy
• J.R.R. Tolkien – The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings series
• Mark Twain – Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn
• T.H. White – The Once and Future King
• Jacqueline Wilson