Junior Extension Reading Groups
Students meet each term in small groups with a subject specialist to discuss and analyse a book they have chosen from the list below. The books on offer change each term and include a wide range of both fiction and non-fiction titles.
Art of Logic
The Art of Logic: How to Make Sense in a World that Doesn’t
By Eugenia Chen
With Ms Bampton
For thousands of years, mathematicians have used the timeless art of logic to see the world more clearly. In The Art of Logic, Royal Society Science Book Prize nominee Eugenia Cheng shows how anyone can think like a mathematician - and see, argue and think better. Learn how to simplify complex decisions without over-simplifying them. Discover the power of analogies and the dangers of false equivalences. Find out how people construct misleading arguments, and how we can argue back.
Building and Breaking Habits
Atomic Habits
By James Clear
With Mr Jennings
Understand how small, regular practices or routines can be the source of incredible power. The book argues that habits are the compound interest of self-improvement, and that by making small changes to our habits, we can achieve remarkable results. Find out about the surprising power of tiny habits, the importance of identity-based habits, and the four laws of behaviour change.
Detective Fiction
The Big Sleep
By Raymond Chandler
With TBCMiss Collins
The first appearance of Chandler's fast-talking, trouble-seeking Californian 'private eye' Philip Marlowe, written in 1939. This now-iconic detective remains the blueprint for all fictional PIs and his creation capped Chandler's reputation as one of the greatest crime writers we have ever had. The story takes us through Marlowe's entanglement with the Sternwood family - and an attendant cast of colourful underworld figures - as Chandler exposes all the tarnished glitter of the great American Dream.
Dystopian YA Fiction
Scythe
By Neal Shusterman
With Ms Atherton
Dystopian Young Adult fiction perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and the first in a trilogy. In a future world humans have conquered death but elected Scythes must cull the population. Teens, Citra and Rowan are forced to become apprentice Scythes to avoid being killed themselves. At once a pageturning thriller and a book to ponder the ethical questions it asks.
Economics
Talking to My Daughter about the Economy
By Yanis Varoufakis
With Mrs Campion & Mr Whitworth
An introduction to Economics through the lens of a father explaining the world to his daugther. A compelling explanation of how complex problems such as inequality and environmental crises are rooted in economic theory. A fascinating insight into money and the market economy.
Emotional fiction
The Fault in Our Stars
By John Green
With Dr Gilbert
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
Geography
The Future of Geography
By Tim Marshall
With Mr Rothwell
You've looked at The Power of Geography in 3rd Form geography lessons. In this sequel, Tim Marshall "turns his attention to the geopolitical space race, analysing the cosmic strides Russia, China and the United States have made and what it means for the rest of us down here on Earth. Spy satellites orbiting the moon. Space metals worth more than most countries' GDP. People on Mars within the next ten years. This isn't science fiction. It's astropolitics."
Girl Power
Girl up
By Laura Bates
With Mrs Bateson
Laura Bates gives bold and tangible arguments against the unrealistic pressures teenage girls face, undercutting imposed societal stereotypes with intelligent wit. Part manifesto, part agony column, this is a hilarious must-read with illustrations, infographics and cartoons to encapsulate the truth about sex, body image, pornography, relationships, social media, feminism and all the other lies they told us.
Global fiction
The White Tiger
By Aravind Adiga
With Cherry Briggs
Balram Halwai is the White Tiger - the smartest boy in his village. His family is too poor for him to afford for him to finish school and he has to work in a teashop, breaking coals and wiping tables. But Balram gets his break when a rich man hires him as a chauffeur, and takes him to live in Delhi. The city is a revelation. As he drives his master to shopping malls and call centres, Balram becomes increasingly aware of immense wealth and opportunity all around him, while knowing that he will never be able to gain access to that world. As Balram broods over his situation, he realizes that there is only one way he can become part of this glamorous new India - by murdering his master.
Historical fantasy
Sistersong
By Lucy Holland
With Ms Moore-Bridger
Betrayal. Magic. Murder. A tale of three siblings and three deadly sins. In a magical ancient Britain, Riva, Keyne and Sinne become entangled in a web of treachery and heartbreak, and must fight to forge their own paths. The siblings discover the power that lies within them and the land, and their story will shape the destiny of Britain.
Historical Fiction
Empire of the Sun
By J.G. Ballard
With Mr Gutteridge
"Empire of the Sun" follows young Jim's journey from luxury to survival in war-torn Shanghai during WWII. Separated from his parents, he navigates chaos, hunger, and loss in a Japanese internment camp. Amidst adversity, he discovers courage, friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit. A gripping tale of hope amidst despair. Made into a film with Christian Bale.
Horror
The Long Walk
By Richard Bachman
With Mr O'Neill
Hunger Games meets the Barkley Marathons in this gruelling tale as a group of students are forced to walk without stopping until only one remains.
Jane Austen's Gothic Parody
Northanger Abbey
By Jane Austen
With Dr Cho and Ms Smith
Catherine Morland is a kind but unexceptional girl of seventeen. She is the daughter of a country vicar and the eldest of a family of ten children. She is interested in clothes and loves reading sensational gothic novels. Invited by a rich, childless couple from her neighbourhood, she takes her first trip away from home to the fashionable city of Bath. Catherine meets a charming young man of twenty-four named Henry Tilney and is invited to his family home, the mysterious Northanger Abbey. Has she found herself in her own gothic novel?
Masterclass on Writing
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
By Stephen King
With Mr Rea
Part memoir, part masterclass by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999. Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King's critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.
Mountaineering/Adventure
Conquistadors of the Useless
By Lionel Terray
With Mr Allcock
One of the members of the Annapurna expedition of our last book, Terray had an extraordinary career at the front of French Alpinism in the 50s.
Mythology
The Amber Fury
By Natalie Haynes
With Mrs Howe & Ms Oliver
Alex Morris has lost everything: her relationship, her career and her faith in the future. Moving to Edinburgh to escape her demons, Alex takes a job teaching at a Pupil Referral Unit. It's a place for kids whose behaviour is so extreme that they cannot be taught in a regular classroom. Alex is fragile with grief and way out of her depth. Her fourth-year students are troubled and violent. Desperate to reach them, Alex turns to the stories she knows best. Greek tragedy isn't the most obvious way to win over such damaged children, yet these tales of fate, family and vengeance speak directly to them. Enthralled by the bloodthirsty justice of the ancient world, the teenagers begin to weave the threads of their own tragedy - one that Alex watches, helpless to prevent.
Poetry
The Sunshine Kid
By Harry Baker
With Mrs Charlier
For those who met Harry Baker recently, this is his first book of poetry. When he first started infusing rap and poetry he was told to write about what he knows - queue poems about mathematics. A world champion slam poet and a lover of all things joyful, Harry's poetry is a treat.
Popular Science
A Brief History of Time
By Stephen King
With Georgia Simmons, Melissa Chapman, Charlie Pitts
An exhilarating journey through the cosmos, unraveling the mysteries of the universe in a way that's both captivating and accessible for any audience. From the enigma of black holes to the birth of the universe itself, Hawking's groundbreaking insights and engaging narrative style make complex scientific concepts understandable for everyone, sparking curiosity through exploration of space, time and fundamental nature of reality.
Post- Apocalyptic Mystery
Station Eleven
By Emily St. John Mandel
With Mr Wells
Dystopian novel set in the Great lakes after a fictional swine flu pandemic (written pre Covid). It follows a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts. As the story moves back and forth in time, it unravels a msytery connecting all the characters.
Sci-Fi
The Wall
By John Lanchester
With Miss Martin
"Unsettling, compulsive and brilliant" - A fortress UK walled in concrete patrolled by young conscripts. Topics of climate change, base instinct and human psyche to be discussed!
Spirituality and Healing
A Month in the Country
By J L Carr
With Mr Evans
A short book (just over 100 pages) but also profound. Set in the shadow of WWI and taking place across a long hot summer, Tom Birkin experiences renewal and healing via the uncovering of a lost mural in a Village church. Does the concept of nostalgia for a lost England appeal to young people? Let's find out.
Sport
Legacy
By James Kerr
With Henry Hulme
What will be your legacy? Find out what makes the All Blacks of New Zealand the most successful sporting team. How do you achieve world-class standards, day after day, week after week, year after year? How do you handle pressure? How do you train to win at the highest level? What do you leave behind you after you're gone?
Super-Readable
Arctic Star
By Tom Palmer
With Dr Basra
Super-readable. Multi-award-winning author Tom Palmer returns with a thrilling naval adventure inspired by the incredible history of the Second World War Arctic convoys.
Winter 1943. Teenagers Frank, Joseph and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on their first mission at sea during the Second World War. Their ship is part of an Arctic Convoy sailing to Russia to deliver supplies to the Soviets. The convoys have to navigate treacherous waters, sailing through a narrow channel between the Arctic ice pack and German bases on the Norwegian coast. Faced with terrifying enemy attacks from both air and sea, as well as life-threatening cold and storms, will all three boys make it home again?
The Human Experience
The Anthropocene Reviewed
By John Green
With Miss Gray
The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable collection of essays John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.
True Story: Navy SEALS Under Siege
Lone Survivor
By Marcus Luttrell
With Mrs Hassan
In June 2005 four US Navy SEALs left their base in Afghanistan for the Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al-Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less than twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs was alive. This is the story of team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing.
Data & Consequences (Non-Fiction)
Invisible Women: Exposing the Gender Bias Women Face Every Day
By Caroline Criado Perez
With Dr Evans
From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, and the media. Invisible Women reveals how in a world built for and by men we are systematically ignoring half of the population, often with disastrous consequences. Caroline Criado Perez brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are forgotten, and the profound impact this has on us all.
YA Fiction
How I Live Now
By Meg Rosoff
With Miss Anderson
A powerful and engaging story of Daisy, the precocious New Yorker and her English cousin Edmond, torn apart as war breaks out in London, from the multi award-winning Meg Rosoff. Fifteen-year-old Daisy thinks she knows all about love. Her mother died giving birth to her, and now her dad has sent her away for the summer, to live in the English countryside with cousins she's never even met. There she'll discover what real love is: something violent, mysterious and wonderful. There her world will be turned upside down and a perfect summer will explode into a million bewildering pieces.