As a school Armfield Academy has always been passionate about books and fully committed to improving the reading of all of our students while they are with us. We arrange our timetable so that all students in year 7-10 are given the opportunity to read for at least 20 minutes per day, which is the recommended amount to improve reading.

During this time the form tutor will read aloud to the class while the students follow the text. They will then be given the opportunity to explore the big ideas in the text and learn more about  what it can teach us about the world.

Year 7 - The first children's book from Times journalist, two-time Olympian and best-selling mindset author Matthew Syed, it uses examples of successful people from Mozart to Serena Williams to demonstrate that success really is earned rather than given, and that talent can be acquired. With hard work and determination, practice and self-belief, and, most importantly, a Growth Mindset, there's no reason why anyone can't achieve anything. 

Year 7 - First published in 1954, this novel is now regarded as a classic; a compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a desert island. At first it seems as though it is all going to be great fun, but this is short lived as the island turns into a nightmarish and primitive world of panic and death.

Year 7 - This story about a girl who is obsessed with books, will take students on a journey into Nazi Germany in 1939. Liesel’s family have been taken away to a concentration camp and she is living with a foster family. This is the story about the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall, told from the perspective of a very unusual narrator…..

Year 8 - Anne Frank wrote her diary until her family were betrayed and caught by the Nazis in occupied Holland in 1942. Just 13 years old at the time, Anne invites us to  share her lengthy isolation and gives us an insight into her personality and spirited view of life!

Year 8 - This novel is a murder mystery story like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christoper is fifteen and has Asperger’s, a form of autism. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets off on a terrifying journey that will turn his whole world upside down.

Year 8 - Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with humour, the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the American Deep South of the thirties. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice.

Year 9 - The best selling memoir of youngest ever Nobel Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, the girl who was shot by the Taliban on the way to school. This autobiography will inspire and inform in equal measure, as students learn about life in a very different world. 

Year 9 - In one of the most acclaimed and strange novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewed version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, as an adult, this story is an account of her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends.

Year 9 - Young, handsome and fabulously rich, Jay Gatsby is the bright star of the Jazz Age. His parties are legendary, his reputation mixed. This novel explores the idea of the American Dream and poses some complex questions about love, social class and morality.

Year 10 - This classic novel, written by Mary Shelley in 1819, has moved beyond the text to become part of popular culture. Weaving together the scientific developments of her time into her own personal experiences of love, life and travel, she has created one of the most enduring stories of our time. This book will give students the opportunity to enjoy one of the earliest examples of science fiction while learning more about a range of issues.

Year 10 - This haunting vision of the future, tells the story of Offred, living in the Republic of Gilead. As a female, her only function is to breed. If she refuses, she will be hung or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. Offred’s journey is one of isolation and fear but ultimately bravery in the face of oppression.

Year 10 - This is a collection of over one hundred of the world’s most entertaining, inspiring and unusual letters. From Queen Elizabeth II’s recipe for drop scones sent to the president of America to the first recorded use of the expression “OMG” in a letter to Winston Churchill. From Leonardo da Vinci’s job application letter to Gandhi’s appeal for calm to Hilter….this collection explores some key historical moments while capturing the essence of humanity.