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 – The Complete Fairy Tales
- Charles Ashton – Dragon’s Fire
- Holly Black – Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles: A Giant Problem
- Malorie Blackman – Noughts and Crosses Trilogy
- Enid Blyton – The Secret Island
- Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
- Cathy Cassidy – Scarlett
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The Lost World
- Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl
- Susan Coolidge – What Katy Did Next
- Roald Dahl – The Witches
- Lucy Daniels – Animal Ark series
- Daniel Defoe – Robinson Crusoe
- Cornelia Funke – Inkheart Trilogy
- Alan Gibbons – Caught in the Crossfire
- Debbi Gilori – Pure Dead Magic
- William Golding – Lord of the Flies
- Jacob Grimm – Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales
- Frances Hardinge – Fly by Night
- Anne Holm – I Am David
- Anne Fine – A Pack of Liars
- Julie Lee – The Mysterious Adventures of Clemency Wrigglesworth
- Anthony Horowitz – Stormbreaker
- Joan Aiken – Wolves of Willoughby Chase series
- Hans Christian Andersen – Fairy Tales
- 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 – Fairest
- Cathy Cassidy – Scarlett
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The Lost World
- Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl
- Susan Coolidge – What Katy Did series
- Richmal Crompton – Just William
- William The Conqueror
- William The Outlaw
- William In Trouble
- William The Bad
- Roald Dahl
- Lucy Daniels – Animal Ark series
- Daniel Defoe – Robinson Crusoe
- Silvana De Mari – The Last Elf
- Chris d’Lacey – Fire series:
Book 1 – The Fire Within
Book 2 – Icefire
Book 3 – Firestar
Book 4 – The Fire Eternal
Book 5 – Dark Fire - Cornelia Funke – Inkheart Trilogy and Thief Lord
- Alan Gibbons – Caught in the Crossfire
- Debbi Gilori – Pure Dead Magic
- Julia Golding – The Glass Swallow
- William Golding – Lord of the Flies
- Jacob Grimm – Complete Grimms Fairy Tales
- Anthony Horowitz – Stormbreaker
- Erin Hunter – Warrior series:Shadow of The Clans
- Norman Hunter – The Incredible adventures of Professor Branestawm
- Charmian Hussey – The Valley of Secrets
- Eva Ibbotson – The Dragonfly Pool
- Laura Ingalls Wilder – Little House on the Prairie series
- Brian Jacques – Redwall series
- Elizabeth Kay – The Divide series
- Carolyn Keene – Nancy Drew mysteries: The Mystery at Lilac Inn
- 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: Book 1
- Caroline Lawrence – Roman Mysteries series:
The Thieves of Ostia
The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Pirates of Pompeii - Barbara Leonie Picard (translator) – The Odyssey
- C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia
Book 1 – The Magicians Nephew
Book 2 – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Book 3 – The Horse and His Boy
Book 4 – Prince Caspian
Book 5 – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Graham Marks – Snatched
- Geraldine McCaughrean – The Death Defying Pepper Roux
- Karen McCombie – Marshmallow Magic and the Wild Rose Rouge
- Cliff McNish
Doomspell trilogy 1 – Doomspell
Doomspell trilogy 2 – The Scent Magic
Doomspell trilogy 3 – The Wizards promise - Lucy Montgomery – Anne of Green Gables
- Michael Morpurgo – The Butterfly Lion
- E. Nesbit – The Phoenix and the Carpet & others
- William Nicholson – Wind on Fire Trilogy
- Jenny Nimmo – Charlie Bone series
- Garth Nix The Seventh Tower Series
- Christopher Paolini – Eldest series
- Michelle Paver – Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Series
- Terry Pratchett Series
- Philip Pullman
- Arthur Ransome – Swallows and Amazons series
- Philip Reeve – Infernal Devices
- Lynne Reid Banks – The Indian in the Cupboard trilogy
- Philip Ridley – Scribbleboy
- 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 – The Invisible Man’s socks
- 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 Series