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Original poster

I want to buy DD twelve books for Christmas that she'll enjoy but that will also help her with GCSE

82 replies

OccamsLadyshaveToo · 29/11/2015 17:17

She's in Y9 and a strong reader but for the past year has got stuck in a rut of fanfic, manga, anime etc. She is a bit worried about English and the new GCSE format because it's the subject she struggles most at. They have been advised to read as much as possible and with as much variety as possible so on her Christmas list she's put "12 books that will make me pass GCSE!" She plans to read one each month.

So far I've got:

To Kill a Mockingbird
An Austen - probably Pride and Prejudice
The Color Purple
Catcher in the Rye
The Handmaid's Tale
Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Some poetry - maybe Ted Hughes?

She's quite political - particularly gender politics. Her teacher at parents eve recommended a real mix of genres, eras etc. I haven't got a play in there yet. An Inspector Calls is the obvious one but I think they are doing that this term at school. If not it will go in.

OP posts:
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cdtaylornats · 01/12/2015 21:49

I bought this a couple of weeks ago and its excellent

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1452110581?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Sadik · 01/12/2015 15:08

For poetry, The Rattlebag has been around for years, but I imagine it would still appeal.

If you're getting her Pride and Prejudice, OP, has she seen the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube? If not, worth looking them out, dd showed them to me and they're apparantly very funny if you're 13. (Actually, that's a bit harsh, they're still quite amusing if you're 46, though rather loud.)

Stickerrocks · 30/11/2015 22:53

Michael Rosen's Don't Forget the Children book of poems for adults is in my car at the moment for dipping into. I was going to suggest Animal Farm. How about Do It Like A Woman by Caroline Criado-Perez for non fiction?

Sadik · 30/11/2015 21:40

I've got a yr 9 dd too - who also reads a lot - and a lot of fanfic - and is interested in politics/gender politics :)

Books mentioned that she's read and (AFAIK) enjoyed -
Delusions of Gender
Room
Brave New World (which she appeared to survive unscarred - it's an interesting one esp if your dd has read the Uglies trilogy)
Jane Eyre

Gruach · 30/11/2015 21:23

Oh, it would be a shame to read A Portrait of a Lady so young surely?

Scarydinosaurs · 30/11/2015 21:17

Never Let Me Go is on the GCSE syllabus- much more appropriate than Brave New World.

I would also really reccomend Persuasion, A Portrait of a Lady and maybe something a bit out there and different- like Translations.

EvilTwins · 30/11/2015 21:09

Yes I do, but it's written in a much more interesting and subtle way. The sex in Brave New World is in your face.

possiblefutures · 30/11/2015 20:33

I definitely recommend Never Let Me Go...Whoever recommended Brave New World - have you actually read it? I re-read it this summer and had forgotten how much gratuitous sex there is in there, not to mention self-flagellation and suicide. I wouldn't be suggesting that to my 13 year old.

I worry when I read threads like this - nothing wrong with stretching an able reader but think about the potential effect novels have.

You know Never Let Me Go is about breeding people in order to harvest their organs until their eventual death, right?!

Scarydinosaurs · 30/11/2015 20:20

Sorry- that should say anthologies from previous specs!

Scarydinosaurs · 30/11/2015 20:19

Touching the Void for non-fiction

Any of the old anthologies for poetry! They go for pennies on Amazon and there are some beautiful poems in them.

Helenluvsrob · 30/11/2015 20:19

Play wise dd is reading top girls - interesting to ponder on what a "successful woman " really is.

Aww fair stood the wind for France. That takes me back to m teens!

AuntieStella · 30/11/2015 20:12

There are lovely suggestions on this thread.

As one you've gone for is Jane Eyre, could I suggest that immediately after that she tries The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.

(And if you still want a nice weighty Victorian novel, try Vanity Fair by Thackeray).

Original poster
OccamsLadyshaveToo · 30/11/2015 20:04

lljkk Dd says she loves you for ever and you're amazing!

She had that on prerelease before we went to see the tour, so I'm afraid we're way ahead of you. And in fact last night when I said I'd lost the laptop to homework it was actually because PINOF was on and she had to watch the pre-show build-up!

Anyway some other great ideas here. We've already seen the stage show of Curious Incident, and she read the book before we went. It was really great because we had a very good discussion about the adaptation and how they changed the story slightly to fit a stage show. I can really recommend it - we both loved it.

And TS Eliot is a good idea - I think I already own that too, so that will save a few ££. And I've agreed to add Deathnote into the list because she really wants to own a black version, even though she's read it before.

I think I read Flowers for Algernon but I can't remember it. I think I'm thinking of Flowers in the Attic! I'll go and have a google.

OP posts:
Jenijena · 30/11/2015 19:34

I enjoyed Flowers for Algernon at that age. We read it in school...

I know she's not reading these for academic study, but you might want to say you'll read one along with her and then she can discuss it.. Almost like a mini book group...

lljkk · 30/11/2015 19:29

Oh, and something non-fiction to boost her street Cred.

lljkk · 30/11/2015 19:27

TS Elliot's cat poetry AND there's a stage play to go with it :).

araminem · 30/11/2015 19:22

I remember reading Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance at around 16. I really enjoyed that book at that age. It's a 20th century book so maybe fits what people are saying would be useful?

RalphSteadmansEye · 30/11/2015 17:47

Yes, live theatre (or showings beamed as live to your local cinema) are a good idea. Ds is in year 10 and has seen three Shakespeare productions this way this year.

(As a slight diversion from discussing books!)

TheWeeBabySeamus1 · 30/11/2015 12:54

Zephaniah - need to start spell checking my posts Blush

TheWeeBabySeamus1 · 30/11/2015 12:52

Loads of great ideas, this thread has inspired me to dig out some of my old favourites. Smile

If you're still in need of ideas then can I suggest Benjamin Zephania for poetry ( really great stuff and also sometimes covered in GCSE Lit ) and Educating Rita for a play ( I hated the film but really enjoyed reading the screenplay )

Utterlyclueless · 30/11/2015 12:39

Another vote for Lord of the flies here!

EvilTwins · 30/11/2015 12:35

And maybe take her to see plays rather than copies of them to read. An Inspector Calls is currently touring, as is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

Other plays which figure on new GCSE specs include The History Boys and DNA.

And take her to some decent Shakespeare. If you can get to a production by Propeller, you'll both love it.

EvilTwins · 30/11/2015 12:32

I definitely recommend Never Let Me Go.

The Handmaid's Tale is on the current A Level spec, and I did it for A Level back in the 90s. I don't think it's suitable for yr 9 TBH - it's a great novel but I'm a big advocate of waiting til the reader will get out the most out of a book. I think 13/14 is too young for that one.

Whoever recommended Brave New World - have you actually read it? I re-read it this summer and had forgotten how much gratuitous sex there is in there, not to mention self-flagellation and suicide. I wouldn't be suggesting that to my 13 year old.

I worry when I read threads like this - nothing wrong with stretching an able reader but think about the potential effect novels have.

cdtaylornats · 29/11/2015 22:06

If you are going with Notes from a Small Island its worth getting The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes From a Small Island where Bryson retraces many of his steps from the original. It may be useful for her to compare the style of writing separated by 20 years and if those years living in the UK have effected changes on the young American who wrote Notes.