Suggested Reading List for Readers
Aged 14 to 15 year olds
(Year 10)
If you intend to take an exam in English, here are the books you should be reading this year!
-
Withering Heights by Emily Bronte
-
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
-
Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier
-
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
-
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
-
1983 by George Orwell
-
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
-
Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally
-
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
-
Midnights Children by Salman Rushdie
Why read these books?
These books are the cornerstones of the school library. Every book you read after, every book you read in preparation for an exam and every book you read for the exam will make the assumption that you have read these. Story tellers refer back to the books they have read, those references are easy to spot in their work and to understand. These books are the past statements on what it is to be human and what it is be human in a particular culture. Each book builds upon the last read. When you are not in the know, when you miss the references and miss the allusions - basically you not in the conversation!
If, like me, you are dyslexic, a lot of these books are going to be a tough read. Best way forward is to listen to these on audio book in the unabridged format. Let somebody else do the decoding for you, whilst you listen carefully to the story line and the complex themes.