Year 7 Challenge books
Dramatic and gripping, the one thing all these books have in common is that they are grown-up. The characters might be children, as in Huck and Lord of the Flies, or they might be animals (Watership Down and Animal Farm) but crucially, bad things can happen. In adult books, there isn't always a happy ending. It can be tough to make the shift to grown-up writing when you are used to reading happier children's books, but it is well worth it. This stories are all easy to read and will make you see the world differently.
"I guarantee you'll leave the book with a new and fresh perspective on the world around you" Sharvesh on Lord of the Flies
Watership Down
Richard Adams (1972)
Watership Down is a brilliant book written from the actual point of view of rabbits. It can be confusing because some of it is written in rabbit language. It takes a minute to work out the logic where fox is homba and food is flay but like with most tricky words, just read past them and you will pick up the general meaning. We follow a gang of young rabbit as they break free from the controlling forces of the big warren and set out on an epic journey. This book makes you see the countryside in a whole new way - rabbits are not always so cute
words: 157,000
book level: 6.2
Lord of the Flies
William Golding (1954)
This incredible book examines what happens when a group of evacuated children crash-land on a deserted island. No grown-ups? Amazing. Their first challenge is simply to stay alive but then they start to build a civilisation. Unfortunately, disagreements rise and the island society becomes split. This book is fascinating because the characters are so young and yet it manages to explore adult realities so deeply. Easy to read and very interesting.
words 60,000
book level 5.0
Animal Farm
George Orwell (1945)
George Orwell’s two texts Animal Farm and 1984 examine the world just before and after WW2. Animal Farm is loosely based on the Russian revolution, but it refers really to all popular uprisings. It is a chilling demonstration of the way that power corrupts and the story is made all the more emotive by the positivity of the uprising at the start. By simply examining human’s relationship with animals, Orwell makes us see how unfairly powerful people treat the weak.
words: 29,000
book level: 7.3
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Arthur Conan Doyle (1902)
This novella (short book) is a good introduction to one of the most colourful characters in late Victorian fiction. Holmes displays all of his masterful attention to detail in this confounding detective mystery as he tries to work out the human cause behind the ghostly dog terrorising everyone. Short and easy to read, this fun classic offers a dramatic whirlwind through a thriving London metropolis at the turn of the 19th century.
words: 58,000
book level: 8.3
Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie (1934)
Agatha Christie is one of the biggest-selling authors in history. Her short and easy to read detective tales, though featuring frequent murder, are gentler in style than many other crime writers. Her protagonists are unlikely sleuths and although their masterful assessing of the facts always manage to triumph, they have to deal first with the dismissive attitudes of others. In this story, Hercule Poirot grapples with a cast of cynical duplicitous characters in an exotic setting as he tries to identify the killer.
words 58,000
book level 6.2
Skin- Short Stories
Roald Dahl (1959)
This collection of stories by a master story-teller for children demonstrates the difference between younger literature and adult writing. The stories are quick to read and cover a range of topics including working out the perfect hiding place for a murder weapon. Dahl was drawn to eccentrics and his writing is packed with outlandish characters and secret schemes.
words 60,000
book level 5.4
The Call of the Wild
Jack London (1903)
Jack London was the most popular and well-paid writer in the world in 1900 with his adventure tales, set in the frozen wastes of Alaska during the gold rush, being read by millions. This story follows a dog called Buck who is stolen from his rich owner and forced into a brutal life pulling sledges. Like Black Beauty, this book attacks human’s treatment of animals but unlike the gentler horse book, London celebrates Buck for his savage refusal to submit.
words 37,000
book level 8.0
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank (1946)
Anne is a bright, lively thirteen-year-old when she gets a diary as a birthday present at the beginning of this text. Soon after, her family are forced into hiding and Anne’s record changes from describing a pleasant middle-class life to recording the petty disagreements caused by the cramped conditions of their attic. Anne’s growth into a mature, intelligent young woman and her determination to express herself is curiously inspiring and this is a book that every intelligent person should read.
words 60,000
book level 5.4
Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain (1876)
Huckleberry Finn is a wild chariot ride through the world of the early American States. Huck is desperate to escape from his murderous father (who has heard that his boy has become rich). Together with a runaway black slave, Jim, Huck escapes on a raft down the Mississippi river. The boy and the slave struggle to maintain their freedom in a world where predators lurk at every point. This book is Twain’s masterpiece and a brilliant read packed with exciting adventure.
words 106,000
book level 6.6
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott (1868)
The Little Women series follows the 4 girls of the March family across 30 years of drama. The first book begins with the four teenagers working out how to make Christmas special with their father away at the American Civil War. The girls’ struggles with school and new jobs, and finally, potential husbands are easy to read and to relate to.