Top 10 Reads for Teens

Our English department have put together the top 10 books they recommend our students to read, as well as some personal recommendations.

Do take a look and try to read some of these. We'd love to hear how you get on and what you thought of the books.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A teen with cancer meets and falls in love with an older boy at a support group

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Race relations are pushed to breaking point when a white police officer kills a black teen.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (series)

An amazing series: a young girl must fight for her life in a dystopian society

Divergent by Veronica Roth (series)

The people in power try to control and suppress the population in a post-apocalyptic Chicago.

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd

A young girl struggles to cope with the death of her mother, betrayal and an unwanted pregnancy in Country Cork, Ireland.

Gone by Leona Deakin

A thriller following the search for four missing people – but are they in danger or just plain dangerous?

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Feisty and smart Mattie is sixteen and dreams of going to college in New York, but her father will not allow it. A dead body is found in the lake where she works, and everything changes for Mattie.

Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz (Power of Five series)

Matt Freeman is fourteen. When he and his friend are involved in a robbery, they get more than they bargained for. A thriller involving witchcraft in which Matt must fight for his life.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Can the future shape the present? Twelve year old Miranda lives with her single-mother in New York. Mysterious notes passed to her by a homeless man suggest someone has travelled from the future to save a life.

The Harry Potter books by J K Rowling

An absolutely amazing series of books exploring a young wizard’s quest to discover the truth about his past, his parents and what the future holds.

The English department personal recommendations:

Mrs Braggins recommends …  These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

She says: “I love this book! It follows the story of a young girl who risks it all to speak out and discover the truth. It's 1890 and Jo's wealthy family expect her to marry a rich bachelor and settle down, but she dreams of becoming a newspaper reporter. When her father dies in mysterious circumstances she begins to investigate and what she discovers sends her into a dangerous criminal underworld. It's a thrilling read and written with a teenage audience in mind.”

Mr McMillan recommends... The Maze Runner by James Dashner

He says: "My twin boys love action novels like ‘The Hunger Games’ and so love this too – it’s straight into a mad, dystopian and sinister world right from the first line where our young hero finds himself catapulted into a crazy new setting with no recollection of who he is or why he is there.  Heroes, villains, and brutal violence combine to make this a really thrilling novel which isn’t just exciting but is also incredibly well written.  It’s part of a series of books meaning you can get yourself hooked for weeks!"

Mr Gyamfi recommends … Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah.

He says: “This is a brilliant book about conflict and the effects that it has on one's culture and identity. Alem's parents are both Eritrean and Ethiopian. They live in Ethiopia. The problem: Ethiopia and Eritrea are at war. To escape the chaos, Alem's father takes him to London on a 'sightseeing holiday' for his fourteenth birthday. He wakes up to find his father gone and a letter. Then it dawns on him - he is now alone and a refugee in England.  A truly captivating book."

Mrs Ward recommends … Lorna Doone by R D Blackmore and The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles

She says: “As a young girl, of 14 or 15, two books instilled in me my love of literature for life. Both of these books are love stories fraught with difficulty, perfectly poetic in their prose and just spellbinding. These timeless classics will captivate anyone, in any era.”

Mr Reynolds recommends … 1984 by George Orwell

He says: “1984 is arguably one of the single most important pieces of literature in modern history. The novel extends to us the political crisis of a world fractured politically by ideals and warfare. In London we follow Winston who lives like all others: ruled by Big Brother, the omniscient totalitarian leader of Ingsoc, a political party that seeks to control the masses of "proles", that it keeps in blinded and oblivious ignorance. Winston, our protagonist, is left to make a decision: defy his party, fight against its repression and risk his life doing so, or remain a puppet in a political game that relies on the repression of human nature and freedom”

Mrs Tucker recommends … A Fault in our Stars' by John Green.

She says: "This heart-warming novel will stay with you forever. Narrated by Hazel-Grace and her teen boyfriend Augustus, the teens become star crossed lovers and this story follows their journey of love and hope. When the teens stare death in the face through childhood cancer, their ability to love and laugh prevails through some very heart-breaking moments all told with a little humour and lots of sarcasm. A must read for every teen; Green puts family, friendship and the importance of fighting into a very different perspective”

Mr Murtagh recommends …Neal Shusterman's Scythe Series. 

He says: "I was drawn to the first book due to its odd concept (in the future they have conquered death. To stop over population the order of Scythes maintains the population through gleaning...). It is so much more than that. Dealing with ideas surrounding corruption, rebellion, death, life and so much more. It pokes fun at and makes you question the things we see as normal. The story itself is captivating: we follow two young people's journey into the Scythedom which opens their eyes to the less utopian aspects of their utopia." 

Miss Kent recommends ... The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

She says: "This trilogy of books was the first set of books that awakened my love of literature as a 14 year old girl. I found it fascinating because of the dystopian setting as it presents a completely different version of society to our own after a Civil War. Furthermore, this book trilogy taught me that everyone has a voice, no matter how small, as it follows a 16 year old girl’s journey in a society that needs fixing!"