Primary to Secondary Reading
Books you might like to read to prepare you for Year 7
We heavily promote reading at Eggbuckland Community College, and our students are avid readers of a wide range of texts. Here are a selection of books which have been recommended by our current year 7 cohort, which your child may like to read before they join us in September. This is by no means a complete list, and we would support students reading a wide range of texts that interest them. Once you join Eggbuckland in September you will have access to the school library, but in the mean time all of these books are available from Plymouth Library services (see the link below) and some are also available in audio form Libraries | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK.
Keep a list of all the texts you had read over the next few months, we would love to hear about them in September.
The boy at the back of the Class - Onjali Rauf
A story of friendship, hope and the importance of kindness, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a story full of heart and humour, told from a unique perspective. Featuring illustrations from Pippa Curnick, this is an exceptional book by an emerging voice in children’s writing.
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When a new boy joins their class, a group of children try to befriend him. They soon learn that Ahmet is a refugee and has been separated from his family. None of the grown-ups seem to be able to help him, so the friends come up with a daring plan, embarking on an extraordinary adventure.
The Girl of Ink and stars - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Isabella Riosse is the daughter of a cartographer who lives on the island of Joya; an isle both steeped in mythology and shrouded in mystery. For the last thirty years, a strict Governor has forbidden the island inhabitants from venturing beyond their small township.
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Isabella is fascinated with the ancient myths of Joya, which is said to have once floated freely over the seas. Preoccupied with ideas of exploration and inspired by the far-flung places her father once documented, she yearns for adventure.
Time travelling with a Hamster - Ross Welford
Al Chaudhury is a little boy on a mission and he’s taking his hamster with him.
From the title to the very last line, Time Travelling with a Hamster will make you smile. Full of heart and humour, it is a hilarious tale about the dangers of time-travel.
Touching, fun and exciting by turns, this debut from Ross Welford, has taken Children’s fiction by storm.
Eren - Simon C Clark
People are keeping secrets from Oli. His mum has brought him to stay with his aunt and uncle in the countryside, but nobody will tell him why his dad isn't with them. Where is he? Has something happened? Oli has a hundred questions, but then he finds a secret of his own: he discovers the creature that lives in the attic...
The Railway Children - E Nesbit
In this much-loved children's classic first published in 1906, the comfortable lives of three well-mannered siblings are greatly altered when, one evening, two men arrive at the house and take their father away. With the family's fortunes considerably reduced in his absence, the children and their mother are forced to live in a simple country cottage near a railway station.
The What on Earth? Wallbook Timeline of Nature - Christopher Lloyd
Explore nature's history with the most visually stunning timeline of life on earth ever created. Created in association with the Natural History Museum, the two-metre-long fold-out timeline stretches back 4 billion years to the first signs of life in the seas. Witness the emergence of multi-cellular life, the colonisation of the land, the reign of dinosaurs, mass extinctions, the migration of mammals, and finally, the story of humanity from the first two-legged hominids to a world populated by more than 7 billion people today.
From Hereabout Hill - Michael Morpurgo
A spell-binding collection of short stories from Britain's best-loved children's author, Michael Morpurgo.
Explore friendship, love, revenge, life and death in the pages of From Hereabout Hill.
Included in this collection of short stories is a poignant tale about civil war, where a young girl hides from enemy soldiers in a public toilet; a haunting story of a little girl swept out to sea while collecting cowrie shells; and the moving account of two brothers, who, over the years, create a mental picture of their absent father.
Granny - Anthony Horowitz
A wickedly funny tale about the granny from Hell by the creator of Alex Rider.
Anthony Horowitz, creator of the bestselling Alex Rider series has written a wickedly funny story, with hilarious illustrations by Tony Ross. Twelve-year-old Joe has an unbelievably evil Granny. Not only is Granny physically repulsive and horribly mean, but she also has the look in her eye of a predatory crocodile. Soon Joe starts to suspect that she has unpleasant designs on him. But what are they and how can he foil them?
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out onto the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to be sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance!
Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
Lion Boy - Zizou Corder
When his parents are kidnapped, what's ten-year-old Charlie Ashanti to do? Rescue them, that's what! He doesn't know who has taken his parents, or why. But he does know that one special talent will aid him on his journey - his amazing ability to speak Cat. Charlie calls on his clever feline friends-from stray city cats to magnificent caged lions-for help. With them by his side, Charlie uses wit and courage to try to find his parents before it's too late.
The Machine Gunners - Robert Westall
Chas McGill has the second-best collection of war souvenirs in Garmouth, and he desperately wants it to be the best. When he stumbles across the remains of a German bomber crashed in the woods - its shiny, black machine-gun still intact - he grabs his chance. Soon he's masterminding his own war effort with dangerous and unexpected results.
The other side of the Truth - Beverley Naidoo
This is the story of 12 year-old Sade and her brother Femi who flee to Britain from Nigeria. Their father is a political journalist who refuses to stop criticising the military rulers in Nigeria. Their mother is killed and they are sent to London, with their father promising to follow. Abandoned at Victoria Station by the woman paid to bring them to England as her children, Sade and Femi find themselves alone in a new, often hostile, environment. Seen through the eyes of Sade, the novel explores what it means to be classified as 'illegal' and the difficulties which come with being a refugee.
Tell me no lies by Malorie Blackman
Gemma longs for her lost mother, taking comfort from the cuttings in her scrapbook; pictures of mothers who loved their children come what may.
Mike is new to the area; a boy with a terrible secret to hide. A secret about his missing mother.
Gemma and Mike - two kids hurt by their past and now inextricably linked. Their effect on each other's lives will be explosive.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, book two in the classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. This edition is complete with cover and interior art by the original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.
Four adventurous siblings-Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie- step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch.
The Borrowers - Mary Norton
The Borrowers live in the secret places of quiet old houses; behind the mantelpiece, inside the harpsichord, under the kitchen clock. They own nothing, borrow everything, and think that human beings were invented just to do the dirty work. Arrietty's father, Pod, was an expert Borrower. He could scale curtains using a hatpin, and bring back a doll's teacup without breaking it. Girls weren't supposed to go borrowing but as Arrietty was an only child her father broke the rule, and then something happened which changed their lives.
Cogheart - Peter Bunzl
13-year-old Lily has no idea why her father has worked so hard to keep her identity a secret. Having exhausted any number of governesses, Lily has been sent to the crumbling red-brick institution of Miss Octavia Scrimshaw’s Finshing Academy for young ladies, under the tutelage of The Kraken, a formidable witch of a woman who thinks young ladies should concentrate on learning to stand up straight and deport themselves properly.
Ella on the Outside - Cath Howe
Ella is the new girl at school. She doesn't know anyone and she doesn't have any friends. And she has a terrible secret. Ella can't believe her luck when Lydia, the most popular girl in school, decides to be her new best friend - but what does Lydia really want? And what does it all have to do with Molly, the quiet, shy girl who won't talk to anyone?
A boy called hope - Lara Williamson
I'm Dan Hope and deep inside my head I keep a list of things I want to come true. For example, I want my sister, Ninja Grace, to go to university at the North Pole and only come back once a year. I want to help Sherlock Holmes solve his most daring mystery yet. And if it could be a zombie mystery, all the more exciting. I want my dog to stop eating the planets and throwing them up on the carpet. And finally, the biggest dream of all, I want my dad to love me.
The Borrowers - Mary Norton
The Borrowers live in the secret places of quiet old houses; behind the mantelpiece, inside the harpsichord, under the kitchen clock. They own nothing, borrow everything, and think that human beings were invented just to do the dirty work. Arrietty's father, Pod, was an expert Borrower. He could scale curtains using a hatpin, and bring back a doll's teacup without breaking it. Girls weren't supposed to go borrowing but as Arrietty was an only child her father broke the rule, and then something happened which changed their lives.
No worries: Your guide to Starting Secondary School – Jenny Alexander
No Worries is the ultimate secondary school survival guide, with tips, quizzes and jokes to help children prepare. What if I've got the wrong stuff? What if I don't fit in? What if the older kids are horrible to me? Starting secondary school is a bit like going on a safari - it's a great adventure but sometimes, before you go, you can get a touch of the 'what ifs'. You may be feeling anxious or stressed about leaving primary school. No Worries is full of information about going up from primary to secondary school and covers all of the big worries and anxieties.
Where the world Ends - Geraldine McCaughrean
Something had happened on Hirta. End of the world or not, their people were not coming to fetch them off the Stac. They would come if they could, but they could not. No one was coming. No one would ever come… unless it was God’s angels and Judgement Day.
In the summer of 1727, a group of men and boys are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No one returns to collect them.