Secondary 3

This reading list contains suggestions of great books for Secondary 3 students. These books have been specially selected to introduce students to a variety of genres such as realistic fiction, mystery, adventure, fantasy, and science fiction. Check out these wonderful books today!

Hit List (Ashley Arthur, Book 2)
Author: Jack Heath
Publisher: Usborne, 2012.
Call No.: Y HEA
Summary: Ashley stumbles on a cry for help during one of her thieving missions. Together, she and her best friend, Benjamin, embark on a rescue mission.

Bad Girls Don’t Die
Author: Katie Alender
Publisher: Disney, Hyperion, 2009.
Call No.: Y ALE
Summary: When Alexis’ sister Kasey starts to behave strangely, she wonders if Kasey’s behaviour is linked to the weird happenings in the house. But before she can figure things out, the situation gets out of control and Alexis is not even sure who her sister is anymore.

Arabesque
Author: Colin Mulhern
Publisher: Catnip, 2012.
Call No.: Y MUL
Summary: Amy May is the best gymnast of her age. When she and her best friend, Mia, are kidnapped, Amy keeps her cool and the girls manage to escape. However, as they are leaving, Mia knocks down an object and gives them away...

To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Publisher: Grand Central, 2010.
Call No.: LEE
(This book is recommended for advanced readers.)
Summary: This critically-acclaimed book explores the issue of racism during The Great Depression from the eyes of two young children - Scout and Jem. Their father, Atticus, has to defend an African-American man from his arrogant Caucasian accusers in court. The town turns on Atticus and his family for defending the accused, and the children are caught up in the violence that ensues.

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, Book 1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor, 2011.
Call No.: Y BLA
Summary: When a spirit kills his father, Cas Lowood takes over his dad’s quest of eliminating the undead. However, his life takes a twist when he tries to slay Anna, a ghost unlike any he has ever met before.

The Rig
Author: Joe Ducie
Publisher: Hot Key Books, 2013.
Call No.: Y DUC
Summary: No prison has been able to keep fifteen-year-old Will Drake locked up – until The Rig, a juvenile holding facility in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. While planning his escape route, Will discovers that the inmates have become guinea pigs for a diabolical secret experiment.

The Testing (The Testing, Book 1)
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
Call No.: Y CHA
Summary: Cia Vale is ecstatic to be one of the lucky few Testing candidates for the University that will help rebuild their war-ravaged world. Strangely, before she leaves, her father asks her to trust no one. Yet, Cia decides to trust her childhood friend, Tomas. After all, what could happen?

Watership Down
Author: Richard Adams
Publisher: Puffin, 2012.
Call No.: J ADA
Summary: A young rabbit, Fiver, foresees the destruction of his warren and tries to warn the other rabbits of the impending doom. However, his pleas fall on deaf ears. Now, the brave few who believe in Fiver’s vision must set out to find a new home.

Prisoner B-3087
Author: Alan Gratz
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2013.
Call No.: Y GRA
Summary: Yanek wishes for more food, warm clothes and freedom. Most of all, Yanek wishes for this senseless war to end. Based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor, this book recounts the unimaginable horrors faced by ten-year-old Yanek who spent six year living a nameless and faceless life.

The Archived (The Archived, Book 1)
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Hyperion, 2013.
Call No.: Y SCH
Summary: Ghost-like Histories sleep in the Archive, where Librarians keep vigil. Mackenzie Bishop’s job is to return these Histories to their rightful places whenever they awake and venture into the human world. However, someone is tampering with the Histories, and Mackenzie must find out who it is before it’s too late.

The Girl Who Owned A City
Author: Dan Jolley
Publisher: Graphic Universe, 2012.
Call No.: Y 741.5973 JOL
Summary: A plague kills everyone except for children under the age of 12. Ten-year-old Lisa realises that they can only survive if all the children unite and run the city. But not everyone agrees...

Avalon
Author: Mindee Arnett
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 2014.
Call No.: Y ARN
Summary: To earn money to buy back his late parents’ spaceship, Jeth Seagrave joins a criminal organisation. He signs up for a dangerous mission which would reward him with the spaceship. However, the mission might turn out to be more than what he can handle.

Apollo’s Outcasts
Author: Allen Steele
Publisher: Pyr, 2012.
Call No.: Y STE
(This book is also available on eReads.)
Summary: Jamey never imagined that he would be celebrating his 16th birthday back on the moon, where he was born. Forced to leave Earth to escape from a political takeover, Jamey learns how to take care of himself, do his part for the country and fall in love.

Katya’s World (Russalka Chronicles, Book 1)
Author: Jonathan L. Howard
Publisher: Strange Chemistry, 2012.
Call No.: Y HOW
Summary: Katya Kuriakova lives in the harsh underwater colony of Russalka. She is about to make her first submarine voyage, and start an easy career. However, her journey across Russalka proves treacherous, and she will have to sacrifice everything she holds dear to save herself.

Skeleton Key: The Graphic Novel (Alex Rider, Book 3)
Author: Anthony Horowitz & Antony Johnston
Publisher: Philomel Books, 2009.
Call No.: Y 741.5 HOR
(This book is also available on eReads.)
Summary: Alex Rider is once again called upon by the MI6 for a new assignment. However, a simple mission sets off a terrifying chain of events. Alex is forced to hide out at Skeleton Key with an insane Russian General for company. When the General hatches a plot to rewrite history, it is up to Alex Rider and his gadgets to save the world!