BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU THINK

These are great books to encourage pupils to think about challenging subjects. We’ve listed some of the issues (therefore there may be spoilers) to help you identify books that would be suitable for particular pupils/may trigger particular pupils.

/ The Island at the End of Everything- Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Ami lives on Culion, an island for people who have leprosy. Her mother is infected. She loves her home - but then islanders untouched by sickness are forced to leave. Ami's desperate to return before her mother's death. She finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Can they lead her home before it's too late?
Issues- resilience, perseverance, fear, discrimination
ALSO CHECK OUT: The Girl of Ink and Stars
/ The Jamie Drake Equation- Christopher Edge
Rocket launches, zero gravity, and flying through space like a superhero! Jamie Drake's dad is orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station and Jamie ought to think it's cool but he just really misses him... Hanging out at his local observatory, Jamie picks up a strange signal on his phone. It looks like alien life is getting closer to home. But space is a dangerous place and when his dad's mission goes wrong, can Jamie prove that he's a hero too?
Fans of physics and maths will love this heart-warming blend of science and home-life.
Issues- divorce, absent parent (due to work)
ALSO CHECK OUT: The Many Worlds of Albie Bright
/ The Boy in the Tower- Polly Ho-Yen
Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him.His mum doesn’t really like looking outside – but it’s going outside that she hates.She’s happier sleeping all day inside their tower, where it’s safe. But one day, other tower blocks on the estate start falling down around them and strange, menacing plants begin to appear. Now their tower isn’t safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there’s no way out . . .
This is a quirky science fiction novel with a deep emotional core based around the idea of mental health. A fabulous and sensitive debut from Polly Ho-Yen.
Issues- depression, agoraphobia, resilience, young carers
/ Booked- Kwame Alecander
Football, family, love, and friendship take centre stage as Nick tries to figure out how to navigate his parents’ break-up, stand up to bullies, and impress the girl of his dreams. These challenges – which seem even harder than scoring a tie-breaking, game-winning goal – change his life, as well as his best friend’s.
A compelling verse novel that will appeal to sports-lovers and those more interested in friendship dramas alike.
Issues- bullying, racism, first crushes
ALSO CHECK OUT: The Crossover
/ Skellig- David Almond
When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain. Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital. But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes for ever . . .
This tale of a strange, grouchy angel-creature is fast becoming a modern classic due to it’s magical approach to a real life situation.
Issues- family illness, fear, life changes
ALSO CHECK OUT: The Savage / Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads
/ One- Sarah Crossan
Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it's normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. Each of the sixteen-year-old girls has her own head, heart, and two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.
One is a beautifully written book that puts you in the position of Tippi and Grace, a set of teenaged conjoined twins.
Issues- disability, siblings, grief, bereavement
ALSO CHECK OUT: Moonrise
/ Overheard in a Tower Block- Joseph Coelho
Gazing at the stars from five storeys up, smelling the bins from five storeys below. Overheard arguments, overheard laughter. A disappearing father and a Mermaid-Queen mother; statues that sing for flesh and blood; bullies who kick you under the table; perfect red trainers - and the things that lurk in the library...
Yes, it’s a poetry book but it’s so much more than that. Overheard in a Tower Block is a volume of poetry that tells the story of a young man’s life growing up in a tower block. It covers parental breakups, friendships, bullying and coming of age.
Issues- family break-up, bullying, parent-child relationships
/ Maggot Moon- Sally Gardner
When his best friend Hector is suddenly taken away, Standish Treadwell realises that it is up to him, his grandfather and a small band of rebels to confront and defeat the ever-present oppressive forces of the Motherland.
An unusual but compelling story set in a dystopian alternative history version of the UK. Standish Treadwell thinks differently to others and is able to use this to help fight against the powers-that-be.
Issues- dyslexia, parental loss, resilience, LGBT+
/ Noughts and Crosses- Malorie Blackman
Sephy and Callum have been friends since early childhood. And that's as far as it can go. Because theirs is a world full prejudice, racism, distrust and mounting terrorist violence. Despite all this, a romance builds between the two friends. But this is a love story that could lead both of them into terrible danger . . .
A gripping story about the complex relationship between two young people from different backgrounds.
Issues- racism, terrorism
This is the first in a series.
/ I Am Malala- Malala Yousafzai
"I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday."
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
Malala’s is a story that should be known by every young person. Everyone has a right to an education and everyone has a right to be heard.
Issues- human rights, terrorism, education for all