Reading for Pleasure
At Cornelius, we believe that reading is one of the most powerful tools for success, not just in school, but in life.
Research consistently shows that reading for pleasure has a profound impact on educational achievement. Young people who read regularly not only improve literacy, but also develop stronger vocabulary, broader knowledge, and a deeper understanding of the world around them. In fact, a child’s reading habits are one of the strongest predictors of academic success, more so than social or economic background.
That’s why we’re building a culture of reading at Cornelius. Reading is about more than decoding words. It’s about listening, imagining, and connecting ideas. When pupils hear and engage with stories, they’re exposed to new language, perspectives, and possibilities. We want every pupil to experience the joy of books and the confidence that comes with becoming a skilled reader.
Research on the impact of reading:
News websites:
Reading lists
Year 6 Reading List
- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
- Boy X by Dan Smith
- Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
- Demolition Dad by Phil Earle
- El Deafo by Cece Bell
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- How to Capture an Invisible Cat by Paul Tobin
- Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
- My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O’Hara
- Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
- Perijee and Me by Ross Montgomery
- Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
- Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
- She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
- Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans
- The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce
- The Dreamsnatcher by Abi Elphinstone
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis
- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
- The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainini
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Year 7 Reading List
- Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian
- Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Skellig by David Almond
- Stormbreaker (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz
- The Owl Service by Alan Garner
- Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
- The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
- The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
- Charlie and the Chocolotate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
- Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
- Spies by Michael Frayn
- The Coral Island by R M Ballantyne
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Peanut Jones Series by Rob Biddulph
Year 8 Reading List
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Gone Series by Michael Grant
- The Godmother by Carrie Adams
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Paper Towns by John Green
- Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
- Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis
- Looking Glass Girl by Cathy Cassidy
- The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Love, Aubrey by Suzanna LaFleur
- Angelic by L P Swalheim
- Dark Secrets series by Elizabeth Chandler
- The Host by Stephanie Mayer
- Confessions of a Murder Suspect series by James Patterson
- The Selection series by Kiera Cass
- The Maze Runner series by James Dashner
- The Hobbit by J R Tolkien
- Marley and Me by John Grogan
Year 9 Reading List
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
- The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Infernal Devices series and Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
- When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan
- The Universe v. Alex Woods by Gavin Extence
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
- Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
- The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Year 10 Reading List
Fiction
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy
- The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
Non-fiction
- Young, Gifted and Black by Jamia Wilson
- Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust by Hedi Fried
- We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- The Secret Footballer by Anonymous
- Unbelievable by Jessica Ennis
- The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
- I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
- Born a Crime: Stories form a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Year 11 Reading List
Fiction
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger
- The Time Machine by H G Wells
- Remembrance by Theresa Breslin
- Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
- Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
- As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
- The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
- Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
- Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
- The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
Nonfiction
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
- Yes She Can by Molly Dillon
- Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson
- The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
- Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of The Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted The Nazis by K. R. Gaddy
