Reading - The Dead and The Gone

The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Grade 7 Up—An asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, and every conceivable natural disaster occurs. Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales's parents are missing and presumed drowned by tsunamis. Left alone, he struggles to care for his sisters Bri, 14, and Julie, 12. Things look up as Central Park is turned into farmland and food begins to grow. Then worldwide volcanic eruptions coat the sky with ash and the land freezes permanently. People starve, freeze, or die of the flu. Only the poor are left in New York—a doomed island—while the rich light out for safe towns inland and south.

Reading - The Haunting of Charity Delafield

The Haunting of Charity Delafield by Ian Beck

Flame-haired Charity Delafield has grown up in a vast, isolated house - most of which she is forbidden to explore - by her strict, cold father. With only her kindly nurse, Rose, and her cat Mr Tompkins for company, she knows very little of the outside world - or of her own family's shadowy past. What she does know is that she is NEVER to go outside unsupervised. And she is NEVER to over-excite herself, because of the mysterious 'condition' that she has been told she suffers from. But Charity has a secret of her own. All her life, she has had the same strange dream - a dream of a dark corridor and a locked door, hidden somewhere in the house. One snowy day, Charity stumbles across the corridor. It leads to a door . . . and suddenly she realises things are not quite what they seem, she begins to unravel the strange, magical story of her family's past.

Reading - Matilda

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It'll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it!

Reading - Theodore Boone

Theodore Boone by John Grisham

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.

Reading - Paddington Here and Now

Paddington Here and Nowby Michael Bond

Paddington – the beloved, classic bear from Darkest Peru – is back in this fantastically funny, long-awaited, brand new illustrated novel from master storyteller Michael Bond! 'I'm not a foreigner,' exclaimed Paddington hotly. 'I'm from Darkest Peru.' Paddington Bear always manages to find himself in tricky situations, sometimes extraordinary situations. Like the time he had a difficult encounter with a policeman or when he found himself in deep water with a newspaper reporter. But since arriving from his native Peru after an earthquake Paddington has always felt at home with the Brown family who found him on Paddington station. Then one day, a surprise visitor arrives at thirty-two Windsor Gardens. Is it time for Paddington to decide where 'home' really is?

Reading - Close to Famous

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

When twelve-year-old Foster and her mother land in the tiny town of Culpepper, they don't know what to expect. But folks quickly warm to the woman with the great voice and the girl who can bake like nobody's business. Soon Foster - who dreams of having her own cooking show one day - lands herself a gig baking for the local coffee shop, and gets herself some much-needed help in overcoming her biggest challenge - learning to read . . . just as Foster and Mama start to feel at ease, their past catches up to them. Thanks to the folks in Culpepper, though Foster and her mama find the strength to put their troubles behind them for good.

Reading - The Silver Bead

The Silver Bead by Helen Dunmore

Term's ended and Zillah and Katie plan the best summer ever. Swimming, surfing, earning money by serving cream teas at the farm, lazing in the sun. But then travellers arrive at the farm campsite. Katie makes a new friend, Rose - and suddenly everything is different. At first Katie thinks Zillah's just sulking - but soon she finds out that real danger overshadows the perfect summer. Can any friendship last for ever? Katie and Zillah are about to learn that life doesn't let you make that kind of promise ....

Reading - Nicholas on Vacation

Nicholas on Vacation by Goscinny & Sempe

Another school year is over, summer is here and Nicholas is off to spend his vacation at the beach. Nicholas is the kind boy who always finds a way of amusing himself, even when it's raining outside. In this collection of his adventures, Nicholas and the new pals he meets at the beach dig a fantastic hole in the sand, learn to play miniature golf, and go on a reasure hunt in the middle of the night.

Reading - Broken Glass

Broken Glass by Sally Grindley

When Suresh and Sandeep run away from home to escape their abusive and bullying father, they do so with the hope that they are going to find something better. When two brothers find themselves homeless in the big city, things are much harder that they could ever have imagined. With the help of some other children, the brothers learn how to survive on the street. They start to work as glass collectors and soon things don't seem so very bad - until one day Suresh realises that his younger brother Sandeep isn't coping as well as he thought. Suresh has to think very hard about how to save Sandeep, and himself, from a terrible fate.

Reading - A Bear Called Paddington

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

Nearly fifty years ago, a small bear from Darkest Peru set out on an adventure of a lifetime. With nothing but a suitcase, several jars of marmalade, and a label around his neck that read, "Please Look After This Bear," he stowed away on a ship headed for faraway England. When the little bear arrived at London's busy Paddington Station, he was discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown. As luck would have it, the Browns were just the sort of people to welcome a lost bear into their family. Since then their lives have never been quite the same .... for ordinary things when a bear called Paddington is involved.

Reading - The Alfie Treasury

The Alfie Treasury by Shirley Hughes

The adventures begin when Alfie locks his mum out of the house, racing to get home first! Then explore the world of new welly boots, perfect for splashing in puddles and learning about left and right. There are birthday parties and birthday surprises to be found in these pages, as well as babysitters and big boys, burst pipes, beloved pets and brilliant prizes. Alfie solves the important mysteries of pre-schoolers' lives as he takes on shyness, sisters and the brave new world of Big School. It is a wonderful collection of classic stories to be treasured.

Reading - Nicholas and the Gang

Nicholas and the Gang by Goscinny & Sempe

Nicholas and the Gang contains 16 stories about Nicholas, the French schoolboy, and his friends, many of whom are familiar from the other books in the series: there's Alec, who's always eating; Cuthbert, who's always top of the class; Matthew, who's always bottom of the class; and Mary Jane, the little girl with blonde pigtails who lives next door. As usual, the children get into all kinds of trouble, even though they have the very best intentions. In this book, they try to make friends with the owner of a new bookshop near their school, take part in a chaotic radio interview, and play an unusually messy game of chess.

Reading - The Lost Boys' Appreciation Society

The Lost Boys' Appreciation Society by Alan Gibbons

Gary, John, and Dad are lost without Mom. Gary is only 14 and goes seriously off the rails, getting involved with local thugs and teetering on the brink of being on the wrong side of the law. John is wrestling with the GCSEs and his first romance—the gorgeous Olivia Bellman. But he's carrying the burden of trying to cope with Gary and Dad at the same time. And they're all living with the memories of someone they can never replace.

Reading - Magical Kids

Magical Kids: The Invisible Boy and The Strongest Girl in the World by Sally Gardner

This book contains 2 stories : 1. The Strongest Girl in the World Josie Jenkins, aged eight and three-quarters, is good at tricks. She can balance a pencil on the end of her finger and pick her nose without anyone seeing. But she amazes everyone—even herself—with her best trick yet: Josie can lift a table, a car, and even a double-decker bus with no effort at all! Hold on, though. Could this would-be blessing turn out to be an even greater curse? 2. The Invisible Boy There’s Sam—poor Sam! When his parents take off for a trip to the moon, Sam is imprisoned by the wicked Hilda Hardbottom. He must find a way to escape, but how? Could his salvation come in the form of a small, splotchy alien? Maybe—if that alien has the power of invisibility, and the inclination to share!

Reading - Nicholas

Nicholas by Goscinny & Sempe

Meet Micholas, the energetic French schoolboy who is forever in some kind of trouble. His adventures and exploits are brought to life by Rene Goscinny and world-renowned illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempe. Whether at home or at school, Nicholas and his friends are caught up in a series of hilarious escapades that always result in confusion, especially for their parents and teachers.