Favourite Books

Introduction

Independent reading is a major feature of my English classes, and I always ask my students to rate the books they read. The books listed here have earned a '9' or '10' from at least one of my students--often from several of them. This is no guarantee of literary quality, of course--just popularity. And of course, it is sometimes very interesting to see which books appeal to students of various ages. The books are not listed in any particular order.

IS2 & IS3 (Grades 7 & 8), 2002-03

Cecilia Dart-Thornton, The Ill-Made Mute (The Bitterbynde, Book 1)

John D. Fitzgerald, The Great Brain (series)

Chris Claremont, X-Men (series)

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe

James Vance Marshall, Walkabout

Raymond Feist, Magician; Silverthorn; A Darkness at Sethanon

Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, Guardians of the Lost; Well of Darkness

Terry Goodkind, Sword of Truth (series)

Joseph Heller, Catch-22

George Orwell, 1984

Judy Blume, novels

Jacqueline Wilson, novels

Meg Cabot, The Princess Diaries

C.S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The Chronicles of Narnia series)

Roald Dahl, novels (but not his autobiography)

Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass, Northern Lights

J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter books

Theodore Taylor, The Cay

Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

William King, Trollslayer

Louise Rennison, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit

Gwyneth Rees, Mum Hunt

Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak

H.G. Wells, War of the Worlds

Gillian Cross, Calling a Dead Man

Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew mysteries

Anthony Horowitz, Alex Rider (series); Skeleton Key; Eagle Strike

Patrick Robinson, Kilo Class

Larry Niven, The Mote in God's Eye

S.H. Stirling, T2: Infiltrator

Isaac Asimov, Caves of Steel

John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

Terry Brooks, the Shannara series

Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World

Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, Notes From a Big Country

Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl

Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air

Elizabeth George, A Great Deliverance

Heather Graham, If Looks Could Kill

Sue Townsend, the Adrian Mole series

Louis Sachar, Holes