That there are no great books for year 9 pupils

[Multispool]

When you include the criteria:

around 200 pages (short)
no sexual abuse/assault elements
no racist language (even when used to reveal the dreadful racism of times past)
nothing suicide related

I mean there are books but I can’t find anything loveable

Am I just shit at looking?

Complaints came from some Afro Caribbean parents who were horrified at the ‘N’ word. While I don’t agree with banning any text there is an issue in our largely white school that has smaller groups of BAME pupils. Historically there has been a lot of racism and the area is known for once the BNP and now REFORM type views. I can see that individual students could be made very uncomfortable as the sole black student in a class studying the text. It was decided that it wasn’t right for the school currently.

Our setting means we have more students than is typical with MH problems and have lost students to suicide. We have too many who have lived with sexual abuse. Selecting a text without these aspects is not a case of not dealing with issues - there is a lot of that going on - but students have a right to get a more straightforward text that isn’t hard for them to manage emotionally.

Holes is used in school too:)

Stephen King or Kazuo Ishiguro short stories? Or George Orwell’s collected essays?

What about Mission: Microraptors (or the other books) by Philip Kavvadias. Adventure led middle grade, which might be the right level for your kids?

Sure. Nothing problematic about a Gaiman text, no siree!

Year 9, not age 9!

Artemis Fowl is on the long side, but there's a shorter graphic novel version that could be more fun and accessible to a complex cohort (I bought it for my dyslexic reluctant reader).

Narnia also comes to mind. Some of those would work as a stand-alone story.

Challenging Year 9s are well known for their love of light Victorian comedy, after all...

Oh my apologies OP! For some reason I thought you were a parent wanting a strict criteria for what your own child wanted to read. Didn't realise you were a teacher so probably have to have that criteria based on not wanting irate or vexatious parents/school board.

Will have a further think!

I loved forever by Judy Blume in year 9/10

Frank Cottrell Boyce, Noah's Gold.

Marketed at 9-12, but could easily stretch up to 14 year olds.

Working class kids (young teens), school trip goes wrong, funny, inventive, no deaths except a granny (in the past, before the story starts) and she is remembered for her kindness and recipes (one is included in the book- we made it- it works- soda bread).
Happy ending. (Gold ingots!)

F C-B current Children's Laureate, and very good at replying to readers who write to him.

Love the idea of me as a strict parent when it comes to books - not so much! Yeah I wasn’t very clear.

Thanks again for the help. I might go and read some Dr Doolittle - how I loved that as a child - and James Herriot. Off to do more reading of these recommendations.

Blast from the past - The secret diary of Adrian Mole

Omg I was obsessed with the book and movie

My daughter is 14 and her class just finished this before the beginning of summer break. She really loved it.

Since it’s meant to be fun and relatively light, I would be looking at contemporary YA fiction that will feel more relevant to them.

Maybe something by Rainbow Rowell?

There's a couple of great books by Nathaniel Lessore - King of Nothing and Steady for This. Really funny, uplifting and relatable. Not too long or difficult at all really. I highly recommend those.

You could maybe try some of the shorter Malorie Blackman books - Hacker, Thief etc

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds - short stories, pretty upbeat and a good read

Cowgirl and Sweet Pizza, both by G R Gemin - nice gentle stories, a bit quirky but you might want to double check the content.

For a classic - maybe the Hobbit?

Just thought of another one - Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead. Quite a short, fun mystery with no heavy issues or even any crime tbh but it's definitely an engaging read.

Agree with Nathaniel Lessore

Also, Elle McNicoll- Keedie

I was going to suggest this. It's a perfect little book.

Well we have a winner! Thanks for the Trash tip. A late entry and one I had missed out entirely prior to your recommendation. It is gritty but I think ok on balance.

Rat is good but I forgot that we did use it in intervention but had to stop as too close to home for some. I have ordered some of the other dyslexia friendly short novels. I think I found One too traumatic!

The Giver is wonderful and I read October, October by Katya Balen after seeing her name above -that was tremendous.

Oh I'm pleased. It's an extraordinary book.

How about The Outsiders by S.E Hinton?

@MadameDeveria I should have suggested that when I posted before... 🤦‍♀️😊