High Interest/Low Reading Age - book list.

High Interest/Low Reading Age books

(courtesy of Swansea LA)

Name	Description	Age Range	Publisher/Supplier
Jump Start	Early intervention for children who are falling behind. RA of 5, but IA of 6+	6+ Years 2-3	Collins Educational www.collinseducation.com
Wellington Square	A series of reading books with an initial RA of below 6. There are 5 levels available. The CD ROMs are very useful for KS3. Levels 4 & 5 include a secondary teacher’s handbook.	KS2 Early KS3	Nelson Thornes www.nelsonthornes.com
Jets (Young Lions)	39 motivating books for reluctant readers, written by the UK’s leading children’s authors	Upper KS2 KS3	Collinswww.collinseducation.com
Wolf Hill	Popular - look like real paperbacks. Five levels of difficulty for reluctant or struggling readers with a RA of 6.5.	Year 5+ KS3	OUP www.oup.co.uk
Orchard Crunchies	Suitable for reluctant readers with a RA of above 7	Year 5+	Franklin Watts www.orchardbooks.co.uk
Graffix	Cartoon style, for older reluctant readers - action packed stories appealing to boys	KS3	A&C Black www.acblack.com
Skyways	Graded scheme of exciting stories - 7 levels IA 7 – 11 RA 6 - 9	Year 4+	Collins www.collinseducation.com
Sparklers	High interest chapter books written for Guided Reading for reluctant readers	KS1 KS2	Nelson Thornes www.nelsonthornes.com

Gigglers	Written for Guided Reading for reluctant readers - chapter books with even funnier storylines than Sparklers.	KS1	Nelson Thornes www.nelsonthornes.com
Rising Stars Downloads	2 series of books for older boys. Extreme sports, fast cars and popular culture are used as themes to turn reluctant and less able teenagers back to reading. Each book has a short story of 3 chapters and non-fiction information pages with a small amount of reading on each page. + CDROM	KS2 & KS3	Heinemann www.risingstars-uk.com
Hopscotch Adventures	16 titles of exciting page-turning adventures. Text of no more than 400 words	KS2	Franklin Watts www.franklinwatts.co.uk
Trackers	Motivating fiction and non-fiction for struggling readers at Level 1 of NC. 6 levels plus a starter level. Real book look. Guided reading booklet free with each pack	KS2 and Year 7	Oxford University Press www.oup.co.uk
Trailblazer	2 series of 6 titles – RA 6-7; IA 8-14. Fiction and non-fiction in one book. First half of each title presents information in and exciting and highly visual form. This provides key vocabulary for fiction section which makes up second half of book.	KS2 & KS3	Ransoms http://actinic.thwd.co.uk
Boffin Boy	Series of 12 books – RA 6-7 (6 books); 7-8 (6 books). Hero is a 14 year-old interested in Science who uses his skills to fight evil.	KS2 & KS3	Ransoms http://actinic.thwd.co.uk
Dark Man	Gripping books with chapters, for older struggling readers. 2 sets of 6 books - RA 6-7 years. CDROM of talking books and activities.	KS3 & KS4 and young adult	Ransoms http://actinic.thwd.co.uk
Full Flight	Aliens, sport and adventure for 11-13 year olds (particularly boys) reading age 7.5 – 8; *Level 4 now published for girls* and Full Flight 5 – graphic novels and Choose Your Own Adventure Stories; Full Flight Runway – 12 books with RA of 6 and IA of 9-13, useful for EAL students	Upper KS2 and KS3	Badger Books www.badger-publishing.co.uk
Dark Flight	Hard-edged content for 10 – 14 year-olds. RA 6.5 - 7	KS2 & KS3	Badger Books www.badger-publishing.co.uk
First Flight	Engrossing books for 7 – 14 year-olds - ‘real’ paperbacks. Themes include football, ghosts, roller-coasters, poems	KS2 & KS3	Badger Books www.badger-publishing.co.uk
Jo Gentle	Set of 6 books – RA 6-8 years. Graphic novel format about streetwise single girl in her 20s with a secret power.	KS3& KS4 and young adult – particularly girls	Ransoms http://actinic.thwd.co.uk
Siti’s sisters	Author Helen Orme’s name dominates the cover. 2 series of 6 books - RA of 7-8 – designed to appeal to girls.	KS2 &KS3	Ransoms http://actinic.thwd.co.uk
Rapid	Exciting fiction and non-fiction books with accompanying resources and computer software	KS2	Heinemann www.heinemann.com
Fast Lane	‘Blow-your-socks-off’ fiction for teenagers who aren’t keen to pick up books. Parental Advisory content. No more than 2,000 words over 64 pages	KS3 & KS4	FranklinWatts www.franklinwatts.co.uk
Chain Gang	Series intended to involve even the most reluctant reader. It follows the adventures of a gang of friends brought together by their passion for mountain biking.	KS2 & KS3	Evans www.evansbooks.co.uk
Sharp Shades	Popular stories from the ‘Shades’ series that have been reduced in length and complexity for less able or reluctant readers	KS2 & KS3	Evans www.evansbooks.co.uk
Barrington Stoke	Excellent ’real’ paperbacks printed in a dyslexia-friendly typeface on cream paper which appeal to older (9+) boys. Written by top children’s authors. Several series: 4U2Read: IA 8-10 RA below 8 IA 10 – 12 RA below 8 Fiction IA 8 – 10 RA 8+ IA 10 – 12 RA 8+ IA 12 - 13 RA 8+ IA 13 – 14 RA 8+ IA 14+ RA 8+ FYI - fiction with stacks of facts IA 8 – 12 RA 8+ GR8Reads – for seriously struggling teenage readers: IA 12 – 16 RA below 8 Teenage titles: IA 12 – 16 RA 8+	Upper KS2, KS3 & KS4	Barrington Stoke www.barringtonstoke.co.uk
On the Edge	4 levels of reading with 12 books at each level, plus teacher’s books and playscripts at each level. Stories built around same group of characters that teenagers can identify with. Topics includes problem page letters, Valentine’s Day. Supporting website very popular with students.	KS3 & KS4	Folens www.folens.com
Zone 13	Scary stories for struggling readers	KS3	Nelson Thornes www.nelsonthornes.com
Sports Zone	Exciting stories with a sports theme, by David Orme, author of Zone 13. 3 Levels covering a RA range of 7–9 years	KS3/ KS4	Nelson Thornes www.nelsonthornes.com
Livewire Chillers Livewire Real Lives LivewireInvestigates Livewire Plays	Scary stories – 3 levels RA 7-9 Short biographies of famous people, including footballers, which make extensive use of photographs Non-fiction texts about intriguing topics such as UFOs and The Bermuda Triangle	KS3	Hodder & Stoughton www.hoddereducation.co.uk
Tremors	More scary stories to start the tremors. Well-written with appealing illustrations.	KS2 & 3	Wayland www.hodderwayland.co.uk
Danger Zone	Exciting true-life adventure stories with carefully constructed text.	KS3	Franklin Watts www.orchardbooks.co.uk
Five-minute Thrillers	Eerie stories with an unexpected twist ‘in the tale’. Short sentences and easy vocabulary make them accessible to struggling readers. 2 sets of 8 books.	KS3 & KS4	LDA www.ldalearning.com

Non Fiction (see also some series above e.g. Trackers & Trailblazers)

Wildcats	Six levels, covering a RA range of 6 – 11, Interest Age range 8 – 12. Each level contains fiction and non-fiction titles such as ‘Extreme Sports’, ‘Maps & Codes’.	KS2+	Kingscourt Publishing www.kingscourt.co.uk
Fusion (Geography, History & Science)	3 series with a reading age of 7 years and content of 9+. Designed to make core concepts easy to understand, with strong images to engage the reluctant reader.	KS2 & KS3	Heinemann Raintree www.raintreepublishers.co.uk
Spirals Plays			Nelson Thornes

Excellent books currently out of print

.Starpol	Series of graded reading books, set in space	KS2+	Ginn
Zoom	Outstanding series of graded readers, beginning at a reading age of >6, up to 8+	KS2+	Ginn

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