Stepping Out (S1 Reading List)

By Miss H Murray on 2/7/2003

STEPPING OUT

This is the first of two lists of suggested titles for you to read during S1 and S2. It is certainly not comprehensive; there are many other titles that could have been included. The list is arranged by different genre or type of story as follows:

Looking for Adventure

All kinds of Animals

Family and Friends

Other Worlds: Fantasy and Science Fiction

Ghost and Horror

The Comedy Zone

Other Times …Other places : Historical or set in other countries

Sporting Chance

In and Out of School

In Time of War

Poetry Corner

No-body is suggesting you try to read the whole list, but it would be a good idea to try a few titles from a number of different genres. Different books appeal to different people, so if you find you are not enjoying a particular title, try something else. It is hoped that the list can cater for quite a wide variety of tastes.

Each title only appears once, although quite a few of the stories could have fitted into more than one genre. For example War Dog by Martin Booth comes under All Kinds of Animals ; it could just as easily have been included in the section In Time of War. Some authors are repeated where they have written different kinds of books. Sequels and some additional titles have been included, but you should be able to find other books by many of these authors on the library shelves.

# indicates books that are not too difficult

* indicates books that are more challenging

If you find the titles on this list too easy, then try some of the ones on the next list Moving On



LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE

BLACKMAN, Malorie

Thief

From the moment Lydia starts her new school, things go from bad to worse. Accused of stealing the school sports cup and then of pushing someone under a car, she runs away, only to find herself caught in a mysterious storm which transports her into the future.

You could also try Computer Ghost and Hacker.

FISK, Nicholas

Snatched

Ambassador’s children Mo and Gemma make the news when they are brutally snatched from their London home and held captive in an isolated farmhouse. A police officer blunders in an attempt to save them and is also taken captive, but is there more to him than meets the eye?

KING-SMITH, Dick

The Queen's Nose

Launching herself on the trail of the mysterious present her uncle brings back from India, Harmony spends hours puzzling over the cryptic clues she finds. Imagine her disappointment when she finally reaches the end of the trail and discovers nothing more than an old 50p piece.

LAIRD, Elizabeth

Hiding Out

While on holiday in France, Peter is accidentally left behind while exploring a cave. He then has to survive on his own.

MAHY, Margaret

Operation Terror

What begins as a joyride ends in the depths of a medical research station where unspeakable experiments are being carried out on human guinea pigs. The only way to survive is to escape, but as Harley and David discover, that isn’t part of the grand plan into which they’ve stumbled.

McPhail, Catherine

Fugitive

With a mother like Big Rose, life is never dull for Jack. But why won’t she talk about his father? And why has she started lying to him? As Jack starts to find the answers, events spin out of his control.

You could also try Tribes and Missing.

PILLING, Ann

Henry’s Leg

Henry can’t help picking up junk and his habit for collecting leads him into unexpected adventures.

SWINDELLS, Robert

Timesnatch

Kizzy and her brother, Fraser, are the only witnesses when the time machine invented by their physicist mother works for the first time, bringing an extinct butterfly into the present. But when the news breaks, Kizzy and Fraser find themselves caught in a terrifying spiral of events and their mother's dream starts turning into a nightmare.

THOMAS, Ruth

The Secret

After leaving the children alone for a weekend, Mum has been involved in an accident and lost her memory. Nicky and Roy are running out of money and the neighbours are getting suspicious, but whatever happens Nicky will never tell.

Other titles to try include Guilty!

TURNBULL, Ann

Deep Water

Jon skips school with Ryan. Setting afloat an abandoned boat, they are gripped by a strong current and hurtle out of control. With Ryan injured, Jon seeks help, but fearing his mum’s disapproval he neglects his stranded friend with alarming consequences.





ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS

BANKS, Lynne Reid

I, Houdini

The story of a hamster who is the best escapologist in the world. Houdini tells his story with great intelligence and no modesty.

BOOTH, Martin

War Dog

Jet is trained by Fred Parry to be the ideal poacher’s dog. When Fred is sent to prison Jet is requisitioned by the army and trained to work as a military dog.

You could also try Panther.

BROWN, George MacKay

Six Lives of Fankle the Cat

Jenny rescues Fankle being drowned. She realises he is no ordinary cat. Fankle can talk and tells Jenny the story of his previous lives.

BURGESS, Melvin

The Cry of the Wolf

Ben knows that there is one wolf pack living secretly in England. Unfortunately, he tells the Hunter, whose ruthless quest is to kill the last remaining wolves.

You could also try Tiger, Tiger.

BYARS, Betsy

The Midnight Fox

Forced to spend the summer on his uncle’s farm, Tom discovers and watches a wild fox and her cub, but foxes are not welcome visitors on the farm.

#CAVE, Kathryn

The Emperor’s Gruckle Hound

Sam and Scruff are twin puppies. In a mix-up, Sam is taken to live in luxury with the king and feasts on salmon while Scruff lives on the city’s slops.

KING-SMITH, Dick

The Sheep-Pig

Filmed as ‘Babe’, this is the hilarious story of a pig who proves he can be an excellent sheepdog.

Lots of other funny stories by this author about animals behaving in unexpected ways. Try The Fox Busters and The Terrible Trins.

MOON, Pat

Barking Mad

Charlie Sparks knows just about all there is to know about dogs but his mum won’t have one in the house, until one night he makes a wish upon a shooting star .

NAYLOR, Phyllis

Shiloh

Marty is sure that Judd is mistreating his beagle, but what should he do about it, especially when the dog runs away to find Marty.

If you enjoy this you might like to try the sequels Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh.

SHIPTON, Paul

The Mighty Skink

Giz decides to search for the truth when Skink, a monkey new to the Enclosure, challenges the old wisdom. Together they set out to find the answer to the Big Question: "What’s it like out there...out in the land of humans?"

Try the comic adventures of the beetle Private Eye in Bug Muldoon and the Garden of Fear.

#STRONG, Jeremy

The Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Dog

Streaker is no ordinary dog - she’s a rocket on four legs. Trevor’s sure there must be a way to keep her under control and has got until the end of the holidays to train her.

WALBRECKER, Dirk

Greg

13-year old Greg wakes up one morning to discover he is a caterpillar. Mum suggests herbal remedies and Dad simply refuses to accept that the creature is his son.



FAMILY AND FRIENDS

ALCOCK, Vivien

The Cuckoo Sister

Is the scruffy, spiky-haired girl who appears at the door of a smart Hampstead home really the baby who was snatched from her pram twelve years before?

Vivien Alcock writes books of many different kinds; try The Trial of Anna Cotman and A Kind of Thief.

COPPARD, Yvonne

Not dressed like that you don’t

Hilarious parallel diaries of a teenager and her mother.

Lots of other books by this author. Try Great! You’ve just Ruined the Rest of my Life!

*HILL, David

See Ya, Simon

Simon is a normal, mischievous schoolboy, except for one thing - he has muscular dystrophy. Told by his best friend, Nathan, this is a moving and often funny story.

HOOPER, Mary

Mad about the Boy

Joanna’s mother is dead and she lives with her father. However, her father is behaving differently - and when he goes so far as to decorate the salad with flowers, she realises something is up. He has a new girlfriend - and with the girlfriend comes a son...

You might also try The Boyfriend Trap.

*PRINCE, Alison

The Sherwood Hero

Kelly and her parents come to live with her recently widowed grandfather. Spurred on by her grandfather, Kelly notices the injustices of the world around her, and decides to right some of the wrongs on her own as a latter day Robin Hood.

ROBINSON, Sue

Well Dazzled

Louise has succeeded in making herself so sulky and unapproachable that she has been nicknamed the Misery. When a series of mysterious messages start to suggest that someone is trying to cheer her up, the Misery is furious - and determined not to crack.

SPINELLI, Jerry

Maniac Magee

He arrives in town, at speed out of the blue. Maniac Magee is always running but never runs away - he simply wants to find a family regardless of which side of town they live.

You could also try Stargirl.

*TEMPERLEY, Alan

Harry and the Wrinklies

Harry pits his wits against the dreadful Lavinia McScrew, his former nanny, who is determined to get back what she feels she is owed. Sent to live with his batty aunts, Harry becomes involved in their dodgy dealings.

*TOWNSEND, Sue

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole

The first of the hilarious series of diaries in which Adrian, the undiscovered poet and intellectual tries to deal with his parents' crumbling marriage, his spots, his school, his unrequited love for Pandora, while trying to get his poetry accepted.

The story continues in The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole

#Wilson, Jacqueline

The Bed and Breakfast Star

Through a series of accidents, Elsa and her family find themselves in a cramped, damp room in a bed and breakfast hotel. Elsa’s determined high spirits don’t always succeed in cheering everybody up, but she never gives up.

Lots of other books by Jacqueline Wilson dealing with difficult family circumstances in a funny way. Try DoubleAct and Vicky Angel.



OTHER WORLDS

*BANKS, Lynne Reid

Angela and Diabola

Mr and Mrs. Cuthbertson-Jones’ lives are turned upside down by the arrival of twins. One is a perfect angel, the other thoroughly wicked. Will good triumph over evil?.

You might like to try the fantasy series by this author The Indian in the Cupboard.

CAREY, Peter

The Big Bazoohley

Burdened with reckless, well-meaning parents, Sam finds himself having to pay their Toronto hotel bill; so he plans to win the Perfect Kiddo Competition with its $10,000 prize.

COLFER, Eoin

Artemis Fowl

Criminal mastermind, 12 year old Artemis Fowl doesn't know what he has taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit.

COOPER, Susan

The Boggart

The Boggart has lived happily in a Scottish castle for centuries. When the castle is sold, he is accidentally transported across the Atlantic, causing havoc in a modern Canadian city.

If you enjoy this story, you might like to try The Dark is Rising fantasy series

ELBOZ, Stephen

A Handful of Magic

Kit, the son of the queen’s witch doctor takes his friend, Prince Henry to see the werewolves in the tower of London. But the adventure goes horribly wrong.

First in a series of Kit’s adventures in an alternative, magical Britain. The story continues in A Wild Kind of Magic.

FISK, NICHOLAS

Grinny

When Great Aunt Emma turns up on the doorstep, it seems a little strange that no-one remembers her at first. As Tim and Beth notice more and more strange things about ‘Grinny’ as they call her, they start to wonder if she’s even human.

You could also try Trillions and A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair.

#GOODHART, Pippa

The Lie Spider

One little lie leads to a series of bigger ones as Izzy, determined to better her brother’s idea for a birthday present, begins clutching at straws. Truancy, trespass, vandalism and theft follow, simply because Izzy can’t let go of her lie.

HENDRY, Diana

Harvey Angell

When Harvey Angell zaps into Ballantyne Road, he brightens up Henry’s life like a supercharged thunderbolt - but who exactly is he? Henry’s determined to find out.

HILL, Douglas

Galactic Warlord

First in a Series of four books the last Legionary which tell of the adventures of Keill Randor who is seeking revenge on the enemy who destroyed his planet, Moros.

#MAHY, Margaret

A Villain’s Night Out

When the school library budget is blown on a coffee machine for the staffroom, Formby and his class are asked to write their own books to make up for the deficit. But the characters in his story start to take on a life of their own.

McEWAN, Ian

The Daydreamer

Peter Fortune is continually lost in the world of his dreams. Each chapter in the book gives another episode from his remarkable dream life.

NORRISS, Andrew

Aquila

Two boys on a school trip discover what appears to be a high-tech Roman flying machine. They successfully hide Aquila in Tom’s garage, but teachers become suspicious when (in their quest to find out more about the mysterious spaceship) the boys develop an uncharacteristic enthusiasm for Science, Maths and even Latin!

*PEARSON, Maggie

Owl Light

‘A werewolf is nothing to be afraid of. Gran said so, so it must be right.’ But strange, frightening things happen on the common under the owl-light.

The story is continued in Dark of the Moon.

*PRATCHETT, Terry

Truckers

The first of three hilarious fantasy books, telling the adventures of nomes living in the Store from which they have to move as it is about to be demolished.

The story continues in Diggers and Wings. You might also like to try The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents as an introduction to Pratchett’s Discworld series.

#PULLMAN, Philip

Clockwork

Apprentice clockmaker Karl must craft a new figure for the great clock in the town - but he is short on inspiration. When a mysterious little clockwork figure appears from nowhere, Karl seems to have found the answer to his prayers. In fact he is in for a terrible shock...

Try The Firework-Maker’s Daughter and I was a Rat.

RIDLEY, Philip

Krindlekrax

Krindlekrax is the name of the mysterious creature that lives in the sewers beneath Lizard Street. It comes up at night through the largest drain cracking the pavement with its gigantic tail and gives Ruskin Splinter the chance to prove he’s a hero.

Other offbeat fantasy stories by this author include Scribbleboy and Meteorite Spoon.

ROWLING, J K

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

The story of Harry’s adventures at Hogwart’s School of Wizardry and Witchcraft probably needs no introduction. A funny and exciting fantasy, with three sequels published so far and more to follow.

TOLKIEN, J R R

Roverandom

Written for Tolkien’s son, this story features a real dog, Rover, who is turned into a toy by a wizard and then transported to the moon. The man in the Moon renames him "Roverandom" and gives him wings.

If you enjoy this story you might like to try The Hobbit.


GHOST AND HORROR

BRESLIN, Theresa

Whispers in the Graveyard

Solomon’s mum has left home, his dad drinks and his teachers have lost patience with him. His refuge is a corner of the kirkyard and the rowan tree that grows there. The tree is uprooted and as it dies a terrible force is released.

*DUNLOP, Eileen

The House on the Hill

Philip is in despair at having to stay with ‘stuck-up old Aunt Jane’ in her gloomy mansion and his awful cousin Susan. But gradually Philip and Susan form an uneasy alliance as they start to uncover the terrible secrets of the house.

Try also Green Willow’s Secret.

HOROWITZ, ANTHONY

More Horowitz Horror

A collection of eight spine-chilling stories

#JOHNSON, Pete

Ghost Dog

Daniel and his friends make up a story about a terrifying ghost dog to scare Aaron, but what begins as a story ends in a nightmare.

You could also try The Phantom Thief.

#STEWART, Paul

The Wakening

Every night Sam has the same nightmare: he is in a dark and sinister forest, where something unimaginably awful is climbing out of the ground. Then the dream becomes reality.

SWINDELLS, Robert

The Thousand Eyes of Night

Deaken and his gang enjoy bullying younger kids. So he thinks it’s a good joke to leave Tan and his friends tied up in a disused railway tunnel with a sinister reputation. The children manage to escape, but not before they have made a gruesome discovery.

Lots of books by this author. Try Hydra and Room 13.

WESTWOOD, Chris

Calling all Monsters

Joanne finds the horror creations of her favourite authors crashing terrifyingly into her real life.


THE COMEDY ZONE


ARDAGH, Philip

Awful End

First book in a trilogy featuring the chaotic adventures Eddie Dickens and his mad relatives.

ARONSON, Linda

Kelp

The hilarious Tate family own a seaweed processing factory, but they haven’t moved with the times. Emily - keen to become the world’s youngest self-made millionaire - is frustrated by her mother’s stubbornness, but becomes distracted by the arrival of her stunning and business-minded cousin.

CARPENTER, Humphrey

Shakespeare without the boring bits

Stories from Shakespeare as you’ve never heard them before!

CATE, Dick Rodney Penfold,

Genius

Reports of strange events in the area - deliberate litter-dropping, the disappearance of dogs and a case of shop-lifting give Rodney an opportunity to impress his friends with his powers of deduction, but hilarious complications follow.

Try also The Doomsday Diary of Ermengarde Hulke.

#FINE, Anne

The Chicken gave it to me

Andrew laid it on Gemma’s desk. A cloud of farmyard dust puffed up in her face.

‘Where did you get that?’

‘The chicken gave it to me.’

‘What chicken? How could a chicken give it to you? It’s a book.’

The book is the chicken’s extraordinary tale - The True Story of Harrowing Farm.

Lots of other books to try. You might start with Crummy Mummy and Me.

HOROWITZ, Anthony

Granny

Joe is unhappy; his parents are very rich, but don’t seem to care about him, and he is becoming afraid of his Granny, who is mean and looks like a hungry crocodile.

Try some of the comic detective stories featuring the Diamond brothers such as The Falcon’s Malteser and ‘South by South-East’.

JENNINGS, Paul

Undone!

Living with bats; the dangers of mooning; cod-liver oil and muesli; Simon’s other life; a mind-reading cow; a see-through boy; Sally’s lucky day and the wet and wonderful Wobbly Gurgles - eight short stories with absolutely nothing in common except that each is weirder than the one before.

Try some of the other short story collections with similar titles Unbelievable, Uncanny etc. ; also the series about The Gizmo, a strange round toy that proves to be a powerful device capable of all sorts of oddities.

SIMONS,Moya

Dead Funny

Carol and Caroline are identical twins, in fact Danny wonders if they share the same brain! They’re mean, snobby and they’re on a power trip - the only way to beat them is to break them up. Just one of the problems Danny faces in this collection of stories

Try some of the other story collections with similar titles: Dead Average and Dead Worried.

and from the Short Story Section

Don’t make me Laugh

A selection of funny short stories by authors such as Paul Jennings, Anne Fine, Penelope Lively and Roger McGough.



OTHER TIMES....OTHER PLACES

*ARNOLD, Elizabeth

The Parsley Parcel

Freya hates the idea of leaving her Romany family to join the "posh-polish" world of the Hemmingways, but her Great-Gran will not be swayed, insisting that it is her destiny.

First of three books

*DOHERTY,Berlie

Street Child

A fictionalised biography, based on the true story of Jim Jarvis, who lived rough in the London of the 1860s after escaping from the workhouse. His tale inspired Dr Barnado to establish Barnardo’s homes.

#FREEDMAN, Florence

Two Tickets to Freedom

The story of Ellen and William Craft, who escape from slavery in the United States, journey to Canada and then to England before returning to the United States.

*GARFIELD, Leon

Smith

12 year old Smith is a pickpocket in 18th century London. One day he steals a document from a gentleman - only to witness his murder a few minutes later.

HOOPER, Meredith

The Journal of Watkin Stench

A tale of pioneering in Australia with a difference; it’s told from the point of view of the rats who travelled out on one of the convict ships.

MORPURGO, Michael

The Wreck of the Zanzibar

It is only after her death that Laura’s journal is discovered, revealing the extraordinary events which shaped her childhood on the Scilly Isles.

Try A Twist of Gold set at the time of the Irish Potato Famine

SUTCLIFF, Rosemary

Flame-Coloured Taffeta

A historical novel set around the Hampshire coast about 1750. Damaris finds a wounded man in the woods; she assumes he is a smuggler, but does he carry a more sinister secret?

There are many historical novels by this author. Try Black Ships before Troy a retelling of the story of the Trojan War.

TREASE, Geoffrey

Fire on the Wind

A story set at the time of the Great Fire of London

You could also try Curse on the Sea



SPORTING CHANCE


BLACKER, Terence

The Transfer

Stanley’s football team, City, faces relegation from the Premiership unless a goal-scoring miracle occurs in the last two games of the season. In desperation, Stan accesses his mother’s computer to create Lazlo, a genius striker who can save City.

HOY,Linda

United on Vacation

George is a Sheffield United supporter through and through. Ever since his parents’ business has hit a losing streak the closest he’s got to a match is the local radio commentary. Now with Christmas approaching, no heating or hot water and nothing but dripping sandwiches to eat, George finds his family loyalty tested to the limit.

LARDNER,Tim

True Sport Stories

ROSSELSON, Leon

Football Crazy

What a football team! The coach prefers chess, the goalie doesn’t want to play in goal, and the striker’s a girl! But West Side Wanderers are aiming to win the Junior District Cup.

For more sports stories (especially about football) try books by Rob Childs, Michael Hardcastle and Alan Gibbons

and from the Short Story Section

Good Sports!

A bag of sports stories collected by Tony Bradman.



IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL


COPPARD,Yvonne

Bully

Kerry is the new girl at school. She is crippled and has no friends, and soon becomes the target for Billy Taggart and his gang of bullies. But Kerry is determined to get her own back.

FITZHUGH,Louise

Harriet the Spy

Harriet spies on people and writes her most private thoughts about them in notebooks. She is going to be a great writer and needs to observe. However, not everybody enjoys seeing their name in print and when the notebooks are discovered - and read - by her school friends, Harriet has a hate campaign to deal with.

IMPEY,Rose

Fireballs from Hell

Sam and his mates are well on the way to pop stardom. In fact the only thing they lack is talent. When the girls in their class want to join in, Sam is appalled, but even he has to admit they may be able to supply the missing ingredient.

KEMP,Gene

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler

Tyke Tyler and Danny Price are best friends, much to the despair of the headmaster of Cricklepit Combined School - because wherever the pair go, trouble is never far behind. There are surprises galore in this story about their last term, when Tyke tries to help Danny stay out of trouble.

You might also try Just Ferret

PILLING,Ann

Vote for Baz

Baz wins a scholarship to a smart private school. He is soon involved in a school election for the Common Man Party, which opposes the snobbery and petty rules he finds in the school.

WARBURTON, Nick

Normal Nesbitt

According to the school computer, Gordon Nesbitt is a completely average pupil, but his normality soon attracts an abnormal amount of attention in this hilarious novel.

If you enjoy this book, try The Battle of Baked Bean Alley



IN TIME OF WAR



FOREMAN, Michael

War Boy

Michael Foreman’s autobiography describes his experiences as a boy growing up during World War II.

Try also War Game for an account of the First World War from the point of view of some ordinary young recruits.

*HOLM,Ann

I am David

The story of a boy’s journey alone from a concentration camp to safety in Denmark.

MATTINGLY, Christopher

No Gun for Asmir

War has come to Asmir in Sarajevo; his life is shattered by violence and fear. Then one day he is torn from his father, his home and everything he has known and he becomes a refugee.

ROSS,Stewart

The Star Houses

A story from the Holocaust, this book is based on the true story of a Hungarian Jew who lived in Budapest during the Second World War.

*WESTALL,Robert

A Time of Fire

Ten-year-old Sonny loses his mother in a German bombing raid, and his father joins the RAF to avenge her death, leaving Sonny to be cared for by his grandparents.

you might also try The Machine Gunners and Blitz



POETRY CORNER

Look in the 821 Section to find a selection of poetry. Here are some suggestions to get you started.



BENSON, Gerald The Magnificent Callisto



*HUGHES, Ted The Iron Wolf



McGOUGH, Roger Bad, Bad Cats



PATTEN, Brian Gargling with Jelly








» Library Index
» PHS Online Home