Winning Reads
All these books have won major awards and are well worth a read! They are all in the Academy Library and most Public Libraries.
* Asterix denotes books suitable for older readers.
Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Xiomara has always kept her words to herself. When it comes to standing her ground in her Harlem neighbourhood, she lets her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But X has secrets, her feelings for a boy in her bio class, and the notebook full of poems that she keeps under her bed. And a slam poetry club that will pull those secrets into the spotlight.
Because in spite of a world that might not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to stay silent.
A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond
I'm the one who's left behind. I'm the one to tell the tale. I knew them both, knew how they lived and how they died.
Claire is Ella Grey's best friend. She is there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene, catapulted into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured and taken from her. But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world. This is her story, as she bears witness to a love so complete, so sure, that not even death can prove final.
Skellig by David Almond
When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain.
Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home and finds something magical. A strange creature, part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital. But Skellig is far more than he at first appears and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes for ever.
October October by Katya Balen
October and her dad live in the woods. They know the trees and the rocks and the lake and stars like best friends. They live in the woods and they are wild. And that is the way it is.
Until the year October turns eleven. That is the year October rescues a baby owl. It is the year Dad falls out of the biggest tree in their woods. The year the woman who calls herself October's mother comes back. The year everything changes.
The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks *
I cannot believe I fell for it. It was still dark when I woke up this morning. As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was. A low ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete. There are six little rooms along the main corridor. There are no windows. No doors. The lift is the only way in or out. What is he going to do to me? What am I going to do?
If I am right, the lift will come down in five minutes. . . . It did. Only this time it was not empty.
Junk by Melvin Burgess *
It was a love story. Me, Gemma and junk. I thought it was going to last forever.
Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma does not want to be tied down. She wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, finally, you have to come down. Melvin Burgess’ most ambitious and complex novel is a vivid depiction of a group of teenagers in the grip of addiction. Told from multiple viewpoints, Junk is a powerful, unflinching novel about heroin. Once you take a hit, you will never be the same again.
Looking for JJ by Jane Cassidy *
Three children walked away from the edge of town one day but only two of them came back.
A gripping and emotionally searing novel from a talented author, Looking for JJ explores the circumstances and motives behind the murder of a child, by her friend.
Six years later, JJ has now been released and has a new identity. But is there any way that she can lead a normal life?
Postcards from No Man's Land by Aiden Chambers
Jacob Todd, abroad on his own for the first time, arrives in Amsterdam for the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem where his grandfather fought fifty years before. He meets the terminally ill Geertrui, an old lady who tells an extraordinary story of love and betrayal, linking Jacob with her own Dutch family in a way he never suspected, which leads him to question his place in the world. This richly layered novel, spanning fifty years, powerfully evokes the atmosphere of war, whilst brilliantly interweaving Jacob's exploration of new relationships in contemporary Amsterdam.
The Boy lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho
In this highly acclaimed and prize-winning verse novel, Joseph Coelho brilliantly blends Greek myth with a 21st century quest. In Ancient Greece Theseus makes a dangerous and courageous journey to find his father, finally meeting the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. While Theo, a modern-day teenage boy, finds himself on a maze-like quest to find his own father. Each story tells of a boy becoming a man and discovering what true manhood really means.
The path to self-discovery takes Theo through ‘those thin spaces where myth, magic and reality combine’. Doubts, difficulties and dangers must be faced as Theo discovers the man he will become.
Millions by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Brothers Damian and Anthony did not mean to get caught up in a botched train robbery. But what would you do if a massive bag of cash dropped from the sky and you had only a few days to spend it before it became worthless? Buy a million pizzas? End world poverty? Not such an easy decision, is it?
The boys soon find out that being rich is a mug's game. Not only is the clock ticking but the bank robbers want their money back.
The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell
Enter a land of wizards, warriors, mythical creatures and powerful magic in an exciting fantasy adventure from the author of How To Train Your Dragon.
This story is of a young boy wizard and girl warrior headed for the dungeons at Warrior Fort, where a force that has slept for centuries is stirring.
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
Tiller and Sairy live a quiet life in Ruby Holler, their children have long since left home and things are peaceful.
But when they decide to adopt two children from the local orphanage to take on a giant adventure, they form an unlikely foursome and Tiller and Sairy have to deal with some pretty unconventional behaviour on the part of the children, who do not believe they could ever be wanted.
One by Sarah Crossan
Grace and Tippi do not like being stared and sneered at, but they are used to it. They are conjoined twins, united in blood and bone.
What they want is to be looked at in turn, like they truly are two people. They want real friends and what about love?
But a heart wrenching decision lies ahead for Tippi and Grace. One that could change their lives more than they ever asked for.
Dear Nobody by Berlie Doherty
The moving and very real story of two teenagers and an unplanned pregnancy.
It is told from two viewpoints - that of Helen as she writes her thoughts in a series of letters to the unborn baby, the Dear Nobody of the title, and of Chris as he reads the letters and relives events as Helen is in labour.
A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly
When Mattie Gokey is given a bundle of letters to burn she fully intends to execute the wishes of the giver, Grace Brown. When Grace Brown is found drowned the next day in Big Moose Lake, Mattie finds that it is not as easy to burn those letters as she had thought.
As she reads these letters, a riveting story emerges, not only Grace Brown's story but also Mattie's hopes and ambitions for the future and her relationships with her friends and family.
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
Digging for peat in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she has been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him, his brother on hunger strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the troubles and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows what, a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls.
Flour Babies by Anne Fine
When the annual school Science Fair comes round, Mr Cartwright's class do not get to work on the Soap Factory, the Maggot Farm or the Exploding Custard Tins. To their intense disgust they get the Flour Babies, sweet little six pound bags of flour that must be cared for at all times.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him, after all, he is the last remaining member of the family.
A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Set against the backdrop of a ruthless regime determined to beat its enemies in the race to the moon, Maggot Moon is the stunning new novel from award-winning author Sally Gardner.
When his best friend, Hector, is suddenly taken away, Standish Treadwell realises that it is up to him, his grandfather and a small band of rebels to confront and defeat the ever-present oppressive forces of the Motherland. Utterly original and stunning, it is impossible not to be moved by Maggot Moon's powerful story and the unforgettable heroism of Standish.
Shadow Forest by Haig
Samuel Blink is the hero of this story, but he does not know it yet.
Right now, he and his sister Martha are in the back of his parents' car. He has no idea a giant log is about to fall from the sky and change his life forever. He does not know that he and Martha will be forced to move to Norway and eat their Aunt Eda's smelly brown cheese. He has not the slightest clue Martha will disappear into the Shadow Forest - a forest full of one-eyed trolls, deadly Truth Pixies, a shadow-stealing witch and the evil Changemaker.
Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes
Meet the Rat: A dancing, football-playing gangster baiting ten year old. When she foresaw her father's death, she picked up her football and decided to head for New York. Meet her older brother Bob: Protector of the Rat, but more often her follower, he is determined to find their uncle in America and discover a new life for them both.
On their adventures across the flatlands of Winnipeg and through the exciting streets of New York, Bob and the Rat make friends with a hilarious con man and a famous rap star and escape numerous dangers. But is their Uncle a rich business man, or is the word on the street, that he something more sinister, true? And will they ever find him?
Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman
What kind of a girl steals the clothes from a dead man's back and runs off to join the army? A desperate one. That's who. At the end of the American Civil War, Charley, a young African-American slave from the deep south, is ostensibly freed. But then her adopted mother is raped and lynched at the hands of a mob and Charley is left alone. In a terrifyingly lawless land, where the colour of a person's skin can bring violent death, Charley disguises herself as a man and joins the army. Soon she is being sent to the prairies to fight a whole new war against the savage Indians. Trapped in a world of injustice and inequality, it is only when Charley is posted to Apache territory that she begins to learn what it is to be truly free.
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Lively
James is fed up. His family has moved to a new cottage with grounds that are great for excavations and trees that are perfect for climbing, but stuff is happening. Stuff that is normally the kind of thing he does. But it is not him who is writing strange things on shopping lists and fences. It is not him who smashes bottles and pours tea in the Vicar’s lap. It is a ghost – honestly.
Thomas Kempe the 17th century apothecary has returned and he wants James to be his apprentice. No one else believes in ghosts. It is up to James to get rid of him. Or he will have no pocket money or pudding ever again.
Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean
Every time a lad came fowling on the St Kilda stacs, he went home less of a boy and more of a man. If he went home at all, that is....
In the summer of 1727, a group of men and boys are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No-one returns to collect them. Why? Surely nothing but the end of the world can explain why they have been abandoned to endure storms, starvation and terror. How can they survive, housed in stone and imprisoned on every side by the ocean?
Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald*
Meet Finlay. He's studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow University, against all the odds. But coming straight from care means he has no support network. How can he write essays, find paid work and NOT fall for the beautiful boy at uni, when he's struggling to even feed himself?
Meet Banjo. He's trying to settle in with his new foster family and finish high school. But he can't forget all that has happened, and his anger and fear keep boiling over. How can he hold on to the one good person in his life, when his outbursts keep threatening his already uncertain future?
Henry Tumour by Anthony McGowan
It wasn't my choice: Henry was in charge. As if school bullies and his mum's tofu sandwiches were not enough for Hector Brunty, he now has another dilemma: a talking brain tumour. Henry Tumour turns out to be the perfect alter-ego, advising Hector on haircuts, high-fashion, and tactics for snogging the best looking girl in school, Uma Upshaw. Controlling his speech and brain chemicals is one thing, but soon Henry Tumour is trying to make more decisions about Hector's life than he would like.
Can Hector overpower his tumour in order to get what he really wants, before they both go under the knife?
Lark by Anthony McGowan
Things are tense at home for Nicky and Kenny. Their mum is coming to visit and it will be the first time they have seen her in years. A lot has changed since they were little and Nicky's not so sure he is ready to see her again.
When they head for a trek across the moors to take their minds off everything, a series of unforeseen circumstances leaves the brothers in a vulnerable and very dangerous position. There might even be a chance that this time not everyone will make it home alive.
Private Peceful by Michael Morpurgo
As young Thomas Peaceful looks back over his childhood from the battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of family life deep in the countryside.
But the clock is ticking, and every moment Tommo spends remembering how things used to be, means another moment closer to something that will change his life for ever.
The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo
This is the story of 12 year old Sade and her brother Femi who flee to Britain from Nigeria. Their father is a political journalist who refuses to stop criticising the military rulers in Nigeria. Their mother is killed and they are sent to London, with their father promising to follow. Abandoned at Victoria Station by the woman paid to bring them to England as her children, Sade and Femi find themselves alone in a new, often hostile, environment. Seen through the eyes of Sade, the novel explores what it means to be classified as illegal and the difficulties which come with being a refugee.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that do not quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there is a visitor at his window. It is ancient, elemental, a force of nature and it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness *
War, says the Mayor. At last.
Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they are so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge…
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness *
Prentisstown is not like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in a constant, overwhelming Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets.
Then Todd Hewitt unexpectedly stumbles on a spot of complete silence. Which is impossible and now he is going to have to run.
Hamnet by O'Farrell *
Two extraordinary people. A love that draws them together. A loss that threatens to tear them apart.
On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford upon Avon takes to her bed with a sudden fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that Hamnet will not survive the week.
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
When Tom is sent to stay at his aunt and uncle's house for the summer, he resigns himself to endless weeks of boredom. As he lies awake in his bed he hears the grandfather clock downstairs strike eleven - twelve - thirteen!
Thirteen! Tom races down the stairs and out the back door, into a garden everyone told him was not there. In this enchanted thirteenth hour, the garden comes alive, but Tom is never sure whether the children he meets there are real or ghosts.
Tamar by Mal Peet
When her grandfather dies, Tamar inherits a box containing a series of clues and coded messages. Out of the past, another Tamar emerges, a man involved in the terrifying world of resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Holland half a century before.
His story is one of passionate love, jealousy, and tragedy set against the daily fear and casual horror of the Second World War and unraveling it is about to transform Tamar's life forever.
Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
Even wizards produce leftovers. But a wizard’s rubbish is laced with magic and for the rats that forage this rubbish, the magic has changed them – they can speak and read, and have rather grand ambitions for a comfortable retirement.
Which is perfect for a con-cat like Maurice. He has his own magical talents and wants to get rich quick. Together with the rats and young (rather simple) Keith, the ‘piper’, they work the towns to create their very own plague of rats, then lure them away for cash.
But in the run down town of Bad Blintz, this little con goes wrong and suddenly these educated rodents are not playing to the piper’s tune.
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
“Without this child, we shall all die.”
Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford.
The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch clans reign and ice bears fight.
Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences far beyond her own world.
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Rauf
'There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. He is a refugee who has run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help ...
That is where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we have come up with a plan...'
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
Gwyna is just a small girl, a mouse, when she is bound in service to Myrddin the bard, a traveller and spinner of tales. But Myrddin transfroms her into a lady goddess, a boy warrior and a spy.
Without Gwyna, Myrddin will not be able to work the most glorious transformation of all and turn the leader of a raggle taggle war band into King Arthur, the greatest hero of all time.
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
When the bell rings and school is finished for the day, the walkers are finally set free. For ten blocks they have no-one telling them what to do; they can talk about bogies, skateboard, plan dramatic escapes, make jokes, face bullies and hear about the school bus that fell from the sky.
In ten stories (one per block), find out what really happens on the walk home from school, when there are no parents or teachers to supervise (or stop the fun!). From hilarious escapades to brave challenges, join the walkers for one journey and many, many detours…
The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon S Ros*
Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018: when the electricity went off for good and the normal 21st-century world he knew disappeared. Now 14, he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales by learning new skills and returning to old ways of living.
However, despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan has to take on adult responsibilities. And they each have their own secrets - which emerge as they take it in turns to jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook – the Blue Book of Nebo.
Just in Case by Meg Rosoff
What if Fate were out to get you? The day David Case saves his brother's life, his whole world changes. He must hide, become an entirely new person to escape Fate . . . if he can.
This stunning, thought-provoking and darkly comic novel for teenage readers was one of the most eagerly awaited books of 2006.
Rooftoppers by Rundell
Everyone tells Sophie that she was orphaned in a shipwreck - found floating in a cello case on the English Channel on her first birthday. But Sophie is convinced her mother also survived.
When the Welfare Agency threatens to separate her from her guardian and send her to an orphanage, Sophie takes matters into her own hands, starting with the only clue she has - the address of a cello-maker in Paris. On the run from the authorities, Sophie finds Matteo and his network of rooftoppers - urchins who walk tightropes and live in the sky. In a race across the rooftops of Paris, will they be able to find her mother before it's too late?
My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwich
In the bitter cold of an unrelenting winter, Tomas and his son, Peter, arrive in Chust. Despite the villagers' lack of hospitality, they settle there as woodcutters. But there are many things Peter does not understand. Why does Tomas dig a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut so they live on an isolated island? Why does Tomas carry a long battered box everywhere they go - and refuse to tell Peter of its contents?
When a band of gypsies comes to the village, Peter's drab existence is turned upside down. He is infatuated by the beautiful gypsy princess, Sofia, and intoxicated by her community's love of life. He even becomes drawn into their deadly quest - for these travellers are Vampire Slayers and Chust is a community to which the dead return to wreak revenge on the living.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
It is early 1945 and a group of people trek across Germany, bound together by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. Four young people, each haunted by their own dark secret, narrate their unforgettable stories.
Fans of The Book Thief or Helen Dunmore's The Siege will be totally absorbed.
Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead
When Georges moves into a new apartment block he meets Safer, a twelve year old self appointed spy. Soon Georges has become his spy recruit. His first assignment? To track the mysterious Mr X, who lives in the flat upstairs.
But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: what is a game and what is a lie? How far is too far to go for your only friend?
Stone Cold by Robert Swindells
Homeless, frightened and alone, Link finds himself down and out in London.
He survives only because he is befriended by the streetwise Ginger.
But then Ginger disappears. Other kids are vanishing, too. Will Link be the next victim?
The Dark Wild by Piers Torday
Twelve year old Kester thought he had discovered the last wild animals in the land. He thought his adventure was over. He was wrong.
Below the sparkling city of Premium, deep underground, a dark wild remains: animals who believe the time is right to rise up against their human enemies. And soon Kester realises: he is the only one who can stop them.
Kester Jaynes saved the animals. Can he save the humans too?
Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace *
For Robert Jacklin - packed off without warning to boarding school in Zimbabwe - everything is terrifyingly new. Branded an outsider from the moment he opens his mouth and unable to decode the subtle power struggles of the classroom, he longs for the safety of his old life in England.
Then he meets Ivan. Clever, cunning, seductive Ivan, who offers him not only friendship, but power. As Robert is drawn slowly into Ivan's destructive web, he begins to question things he had always held true and, as Ivan's grip tightens, he finds himself caught up in something far more dangerous than he could have imagined.
Machine Gunners by Robert Westall
'Some bright kid's got a gun and 2000 rounds of live ammo and that gun is no pea-shooter. It will go through a brick wall at a quarter of a mile'.
Chas McGill has the second best collection of war souvenirs in Garmouth and he desperately wants it to be the best. When he stumbles across the remains of a German bomber crashed in the woods its shiny, black machine gun still intact, he grabs his chance. Soon he is masterminding his own war effort with dangerous and unexpected results.
Crongton Knights by Alex Wheatle
Living on the South Crongton council estate has its worries and life for McKay has been even tougher since his mum died. His dad has been working all hours to keep the bailiffs from their door. His brother is always out riding the streets at night, tempting trouble and now, having strayed off his turf on a heroic (if misguided) mission to help out a girl, McKay finds himself facing a friend's crazy ex-boyfriend, some power tripping hood rats and a notoriously violent gangster with a vendetta which hits too close to home.
Poor McKay. He never asked for trouble, but during one madcap night of adventure and danger, he will find out who his true friends are and what it means to stick with your family.
Nicky Raddon - July 2025