Witch Child by Celia Rees

Witch Child is an exciting, tragic, gripping, heartbreaking book full of suspense and distressing surprises. It starts in the 17th century with Mary describing how they took her grandmother away, trying to prove she was a witch. They publicly execute her grandmother for being a witch by hanging her. Everything is through Mary's eyes, and you can see it so vividly. To avoid the same fate she is shipped off to America with a group of Puritans, where she has many adventures and meets many interesting people. She tries to remain undetected, which leaves us guessing about her ultimate fate. Her fate is then decided in the book Sorceress, which tells us what happens to her. A great book, covering a truly tragic period in history when thousands of women (and men) were accused for no reason and horribly murdered. The book is full of mystery, surprise and peril.

Natalie Canlas

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

It’s Harry Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts School and for him, this turns out to be a very interesting year. He is forced to come face to face with many very difficult challenges, both magical and personal. There are many dangers lurking and still lots of secrets waiting to be uncovered. Along the way he meets new people, learns new spells and plays more Quidditch.

J.K. Rowling creates very mysterious and interesting adventures, all as action-packed as the last.

by Nadine Elghool

Princess Diaries 9 by Meg Cabot

As Mia ventures into her 3rd year as a Princess she discovers something huge. She has found a letter from her late ancestress declaring a democratic rule in Genovia but when Mia shows this to her father he dissmisses it. Her therapist tells her to do one thing that scares her every day but she doesn't know if she will make the right decision or if she will bring catastrophe to Genovia. This book is great for teenage girls as it includes everything girls worry about: boys, their image, responsibilities and if they are making an utter fool out of themselves. 9 out of 10 stars.

by Tamara Ward

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhard

A Brief chapter in My Impossible Life is about a girl called Simone who is starting her junior year in high school. Her mom's a lawyer for the ACLU, her dad's a political cartoonist, so she's grown up standing outside whatever the weather is asking people to sign petitions for worthy causes. She's got a terrific younger brother and amazing friends. And she's got a secret crush on a really smart and funny guy who spends all of his time with another girl.Then her birth mother contacts her. Simone's always known she was adopted, but she never wanted to know anything about it. She's happy with her family just as it is. She learns her birth mother was a 16-year-old girl named Rivka. Who is Rivka? Why has she contacted Simone? Why now? Simone goes on a deep journey finding out who she is and where she came from while trying to keep life as normal as possible.

By Nayeema Babul

Six Steps to a Girl by Sophie McKenzie

This is a brilliant trilogy (the other two novels are Three's a Crowd and The One and Only) about a teenage boy, Luke, and his love for a girl called Eve. The trilogy is about their relationship and all the speed bumps, mysteries, ups and downs and secrets about how they live and what they know about each other. Their relationship is a rollercoaster of emotions.
Six Steps to a Girl: Luke sees the girl of his dreams at his dad`s funeral. He will do anything to get her, so he hears about these six steps on how to get your girl, and decides to follow them to get Eve. But these six steps are not all that they seem to be...
Three`s a Crowd: In the second book in the trilogy Luke and Eve are going away for a month in Spain. They stay at Eve`s dad`s hotel, but the holiday tests Luke and Eve`s relationship right to the limit.
The One and Only: In the last book Eve gets sent away to a school in Spain by her dad. Missing her, Luke turns to someone else... Eve then comes back and tells Luke really big news that he`s been wanting to hear for quite a while. But somehting`s get in the way and things get quite complicated...


Isabelle Matthews

The Worlds of Lois Lowry by Lois Lowry

This is a trilogy which I read so quickly! The three books are The Giver, Gathering Blue and The messenger and they are full of strange, mind-boggling ideas and events. The Giver is about a boy called Jonas, trapped in his world with no war, confusion or choices, so he thinks. Each person is given their job, depending on how they act and learn. Jonas is different from everyone else.
He trains to do a very important job which could change the way he lives forever. He strives through troubling times, discovers secrets and goes on a long journey to find out who he really is. The books are about three different places: all are what the inhabitants think is Utopia, but they begin to realise that they're not.

Zoe Thorpe

The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

This story has to be read again and again as it is a true classic that should be told throughout the generations!
Set around a Polish father and children, it follows the story from when the Father escapes a Nazi prison and finding his way back home to Warsaw; he finds it a ghost town and a bomb-site. The mother has been taken as well and the three children find both of them, creating a heart-warming story which shows how much you need family and friends especially when everything becomes torn apart. You will need tissues and a happy film to watch afterwards.

Katherine Wills

Annexed by Sharon Doggar

'I'm scared.
'Scared I'm a coward.
'Scared we're trapped.
'Scared we'll be caught.
'Scared that it's my own ghost standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me.
'That this is it- all that's left of my last life.'

This modern children's classic highlights the horrid fear and life Peter Van Pels, his family and the Franks had to live through during the Second World War. Peter starts off hating Anne and mourning his dead friend; he wants to escape and forget that he is Jewish and that people want to kill him. It begins with the dying Peter in a death camp, looking back at the last years of his life. He remembers the light in the attic of the annex, the vulgar and nose picking-dentist, his blossoming love for Anne Frank and the breakthroughs and the separation from his family and the sacrifices people went through during this dark period of history. The book is based on Anne Frank's diary and is one of the most heart-rending stories ever written. During reading this many tears were spilt as the book left a strong mark and creates hatred for the injustice and sorrow for their deaths.

Katherine Wills

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The genre is action mixed in with some romance. The Hunger Games tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl growing up in a country called Panem, which has risen up from the ashes of North America. It is set in the future and is about Katniss' terrifying journey in the world's most deadly reality TV show, where 24 children compete against each other to stay alive, and there can only be one winner. I have read the first book and I am on the second one now. The Hunger Games is a thrilling read and I love it because it is filled with suspense, danger and adventure. I recommend it to anyone in Year Eight.

Anishvarya Ni Mhorain


This is a triumphant series. The first book in this wonderful trilogy is filled with a confused romance; a complex, futuristic setting and some wild, nail-biting tension and adventure. The first book in the series is wonderfully written so that it entices you to read the other book . Katniss Everdeen is not the normal happy, bubbly confident main character that you may get in other books but a solitary, interesting, abnormal girl with passion and loyalty who captures the heart of many readers. The Hunger Games books are about a futuristic world. As it is a non-democratic society, the people of Panem who live in different districts retaliate against the strict confining rules... and as Katniss powers through the Big-Brother- like but deadly Games she wins the heart of many retaliating citizens of Panem. A beautiful, complex friendship/ romance entwined within the story, the book is perfect for teens who have a heart for an adventure romance.

India Harrison Peppe (also recommended by Isabelle Matthews)

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The Gone series by Michael Grant

Gone; Hunger; Lies (Book 4 is being written)

Everyone over the age of 15 suddenly disappears, and the children begin developing mutant powers. Life is hard without adults and children are taking advantage of it. Someone has to take charge, but who? In the second book, food is running out, and people are becoming desperate as starvation kicks in. More and more strange powers are developing and so are the animals... I'm not normally interested in books such as this, however when you start reading it you can't stop, it’s addictive and very suspenseful. The author creates an atmosphere of desperation, yet brotherliness, which is interesting. The books have everything that most people want and you get so engrossed it's hard to put it down. It consists of adventure, romance and fantasy. That is why I think this book is good.

Ella Kenneally

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The Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman

This is a heart-rending series. The characters make a big impact on the reader (as does the plot) they are carried on throughout the book as they all grow old and build families. This gives a sense of warm familiarity which is another reason to read the whole series. The noughts and crosses of England are the blacks and the whites but now the blacks rule over the whites. This book is filled with the sense of discrimination and the desperate wish to break free from the awful world the characters live in (and the extremities they go to get to that wish). The first book of the series seems to be another take on Romeo and Juliet but even more thrilling and present-day than the original. Noughts and Crosses would fall in the genre categories of Action, Adventure and Romance.

India Harrison Peppe

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Halo by Zizou Corder

A baby girl is found on a beach by centaurs who raise her as their own but at the age of 13 she is captured by fishermen and has to pretend to be a boy to escape and find her birthparents.

Millie O Lionsigh Baily

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

This book is the story of two children that join a group of orphans, that are living rough in Venice, led by the thief Lord! This is a great page turner, it's full of suspense and a lot of surprises! It also has a really feel-good factor and makes you want to read it again and again!

Jessica Carrer

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver

These stories (Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, Oath Breaker, Ghost Hunter) are set in pre-agricultural Stone Age; the main story revolves around Torak and his quest to defeat the Soul Eaters, a group of evil clan mages who seek out to destroy all life in the forest.

Wenjia Zhang

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

This book will take you through the magical life of the famous Harry Potter. He enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, Ron and Hermione are all wizards and experience the unthinkable in this mysterious Wizards School. Utter brilliance bursts out of the tip of J.K.Rowling’s pen. Things have happened in the book that I did not even think of, a magnificent and interesting journey of Harry’s first year at Hogwarts School.

Nadine Elghool


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I love this book because it has scary, funny and sad moments, so there is always something for everyone. In this book Harry has to find the remaining of Voldemort's horcruxes (which is a seemingly impossible task), to defeat Voldemort.

Tamara Ward

The House of Night series by P.C & Kristen Cast

A teenage girl finds out she is a Vampire and sees it as a path to freedom from her super-religious stepmother who thinks she's the child of Satan, her drunken almost ex and her geometry quiz. When she asks her goddess to let her fit in she makes her the most powerful fledgling in history.

Millie O Lionsigh Baily

Unhooking The Moon by Gregory Hughes

When the Rat and Bob's father dies, the Rat decides to head for New York to trace their only remaining relative, making friends with hustlers, tramps and Rap sensation, The Iceman. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was full of suspense and a great adventure. Also, extremely funny and amusing.

Ana Radice-Morras

Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo

I like this book because it an amazing novel full of mixed emotions! It is about a girl in the Blitz who loses her cat. I won't spoil it for you!

Verity Hayes

Puppet Master by Joanne Owen

A gripping tale about a girl who reveals the most haunting of all nightmares... the living puppets.

Freya Parks

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This book must be read twice. It is packed full of so many individual issues, but they are shown so simply within the haunting tale of Susie Salmon.

Jocelyn Inwood-Wright

Medusa Project (series) by Sophie McKenzie

A group of kids called Dylan, Nico, Ketty and Ed each have their own distinct psychic power. Why is it good? Because of the thrilling plots, the unexpected turn of events and the unbelievable tales...

Amy Hopewell (also recommended by Isabelle Matthews)

The Graveyard book by Neil Gaiman

I just started this book; it pulls you in at the first sentence.

Ucella Khan-Thomas

The Queen and I by Sue Townsend (and 'Queen Camilla')

After a new government are elected the royal family are forced to life in council houses striped of all there worldly possessions. It is a good book written by the same author as 'Adrian Mole', a funny book with politics involved.

Aggie Collins

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This book shows discrimination not just between two races, but between people just because of their reputation. Lee displays that discriminating people no matter what is not right, because you don't know what kind of person they are, you are just depending it on rumours, reputation or skin colour. The book is roughly about Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era , who defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice. “No one ever forgets a book this touching; tragedy and humor mixed together leads to the most dramatic tale of all.”

Natalie Canlas


A powerful story about racism and the one unique family who fight for it in the Southern States in the 1930s.

Katherine Wills

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

When a 15-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome finds his neighbour's dog murdered, he is determined to discover who committed the crime. Despite many things being thrown into his life by surprise, he continues to solve the mystery.

Natalie Canlas

The Six-Fingered Glove Mystery by Frances K. Judd

I read this book and absolutely adored it because it was so intriguing and every chapter ended on a brilliant cliff-hanger which made me wanting to know more and I love mysteries because they are so puzzling and makes the reader curious and baffled. It is good because at the beginning it makes no sense, however, as the story carries on and eventually gets to the end, the mystery unfolds and it all makes perfect sense. Also, there is a slight sense of drama in the book which is very chaotic and interesting.

Madeleine Thomas

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

A plain woman who discovers that love is found in unexpected places has been brought up in a cold and cruel orphanage and goes on a journey to find out her true path.

Freya Parks

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

A beautiful book that captures the heart of many passionate readers. Although the book was written so long ago it is definitely a timeless classic. The beginning of this book seems to be stiff and difficult to get into... however as soon as the plot of Cathy and Heathcliff weaves through our brains it seems to be as comforting and as thrilling as chocolate by the fire. The desperate romance between Cathy and Heathcliff is like any other but deeper. The tragedy pierces our hearts like a cruel ice dagger and the fantastic, warm-hearted parts caress us like a warm frothy wave. This is a must read, and although it seems like a difficult, stiff book it is a beautiful, fabulous classic. This book falls under the genre of desperate romance.

India Harrison Peppe

The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin

The real story of Charles Dickens and his 'lady' actress, Nelly Ternan in an interesting and thoughtful way, a great read so far!

Katherine Wills

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

"Chinese Cinderella" is the sad but true story of Adeline Yen Mah's childhood. Growing up in China as part of an affluent Chinese family, her life begins tragically when her mother dies giving birth to her. In China this is a sign of bad luck, and therefore she is automatically branded as bad luck. The situation worsens when her father marries again to a cruel untrusting woman. Her stepmother shows disdain towards her and her siblings, but particularly her as she is the 'bad luck child'. The book shows Adeline's struggle to fine somewhere that she feels she belongs.
This book is very moving and make you appreciate the smaller things in life. Overall I give this book five stars because it is a great read and I couldn't put it down.

Roya Bahram (also recommended by Isabelle Matthews)

Ugly by Constance Briscoe

Constance Briscoe was a confident, young girl who was born 18th May 1957. She grew up in an abusive, physical house with 10 sisters and brothers. Her name known to her mother was Clear but if she was in her good books (which wasn’t often) it was Clearie. As for her mother, Carmen, she was strict but very religious. George, her dad, was a mixed race young gentleman who liked betting and pool. The Briscoe family lived in London in many houses moving from time to time because George won the pool championship twice and he invested his money in property. 

As Constance is a child, through most of her shocking childhood she uses quite simple language for describing her family. The story is told in the first person but her language gets more complex when she gets beaten and into trouble. The reason why this book is an autobiography is because she wants to share with the readers her own abusive childhood, the emptiness she felt and how it can lead
to low self esteem as an adult.

I personally think that this book is a powerful, sad story and it sends a message to the reader that you have to be grateful with what you have instead of complaining that you want something better. Constance Briscoe is one of my favourite authors because she inspires many people to dream and make them happen in real life if you believe in yourself. I couldn’t let go of this book until I finished it and it really shows children that dreams can become reality. Constance’s dream was to become a lawyer and with a little bit of effort and work she achieved her goal.

By Stella-Quinn Hernandez, 7N

The Zodiac Girls series by Cathy Hopkins

The Zodiac Girls is a series of books about girls whose birthdays are in
a certain month. Each girl has a problem, from Tori the Taurus girl who
is poor and is afraid to tell her mega-rich friends, to Thebe the Virgo girl
who is quiet and is scared no-one cares about her and no-one knows
she’s alive. I really enjoyed this book because it is made for teenagers
and you can relate to some of the things in the books.

Nayeema Babul