13+ Common Entrance Reading List: Our Recommendations for children in Years 7, 8 and 9
For many young people, the 13+ exam is one of the most significant they will take in their school career, as it is not just about entrance. The outcome sets them on a particular course for their GCSEs and, likely, their A-Levels or IB studies. Common entrance exams are designed to gauge a student’s potential for GCSEs and beyond; they therefore often require high-level skills in reading, interpretation, and analysis. In order to make sure your child is prepared for whatever is thrown at them, reading widely, consistently, and with variety is crucial.
By the time a child is eleven or so, parents have often got out of the habit of keeping track of reading and sharing books. As a tutor, I find that this is the age group for which reading frequency and interest can drop off the most, and this seems to be especially the case with boys. At this stage, young people are developing more independent interests outside of home and school. They are usually having to juggle these interests with an increased homework load, and many of them are also spending more and more time online, all of which can make it harder for them to find the time and motivation for reading.
It might not be desirable or practical to read with your young person on a daily basis any more. What I would recommend is having an active, regular dialogue about reading. You could talk about the news, an article you have read, a novel you are into, a cartoon you saw, a blog you are aware of, a radio show that was informative…If reading (and listening to literature/high-quality shows) is part of family life, it will likely remain part of your child’s life and make it easier for you to search for books together for more focused and formal reading practice. You can also discuss interesting and difficult vocabulary together, and play word games and puzzles…
Some reading, even if it is just for five minutes per day, will vastly improve your child’s outcomes at Common Entrance.
How should parents use this list?
Ideally, your young person reads every day and enjoys what they read. Variety is often the key to keep reading going through the tricky patch of the early teens.
Parents can share this list with their young person and encourage them to choose books that pique their interest. The more independently your child can select texts for themself, the better.
Modern fiction
Malorie Blackman, Thief
Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day
Richard Kurti, Maladapted
M.G. Leonard, Hunt for the Golden Scarab
Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga (series)
Michael Morpurgo, War Horse
Brogen Murphy, Wildlands
Patrick Ness, Monsters of Men
Gary Paulsen, Hatchet
Philip Pullman, the His Dark Materials trilogy
Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson books
Classic fiction
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
George Orwell, Animal Farm
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Non-fiction
Roma Agrawal, Katie Hickey, How was that Built? The Stories Behind Awesome Structures
Bill Bryson, Shakespeare: The World as a Stage
Roald Dahl, Boy
Tanya Goodin, The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing
Adam Kay, Kay’s Marvellous Medicine: A Gross and Gruesome History of the Human Body
Phil Knight, Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Deborah Meaden, Deborah Meaden Talks Money
Nicola Morgan, Be Resilient: How to Build a Strong Teenage Mind for Tough Times
David Olusoga, Black and British: A Short, Essential History
Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka, You are a Champion: How to Be the Best You Can Be
The Usborne Social Media Survival Guide
Graphic novels/boomics
Richard Ayoade, The Book that No One Wanted to Read
Mike Barfield, Jess Bradley, A Day in the Life of a Caveman, a Queen and Everything In Between
Raymond Briggs, Fungus the Bogeyman
Alice Oseman, Heartstopper
Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis
Poetry
John Carey, A Little History of Poetry
Carol Ann Duffy, Nature
Matt Goodfellow, Let’s Chase Stars Together: Poems to Lose Yourself In
Andrew Motion, Poetry by Heart: A Treasury of Poems to Read Aloud
Michael Rosen, What is Poetry? The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems
Our other reading recommendation lists:
13+ Common Entrance Tuition
Each year °®ÒºÊÓƵ supports many students preparing for the 13+ Common Entrance. The 13+ tutors we represent are experienced in the intricacies of the 13+ exams and how they differ between schools' assessments. We would normally recommend that preparation begins around 12 – 18 months before the exams. Tutors will devise a programme tailored to the specific circumstances of the student and the schools they are applying to.
For more details on how °®ÒºÊÓƵ can help with 13+ preparation, please call the office for a chat with one of our client managers, or contact us via our request a tutor form.