The Boy at the Back of the Class
Onjali Rauf
Summary: This story is about Ahmet, a nine-year old refugee child from Syria, who joins an ordinary primary school in London. The narrator and her friends are curious about the new boy and make it their mission to befriend him.
Subject Links: English, PSHE, history, geography and politics.
Themes: Refugee, immigration, deportation, human rights, displacement, trauma, loneliness, discrimination, resilience, the power of one voice, diversity, cultural identity, adaptation, kindness.
Writing Opportunities: Formal and informal letters, diary entry, persuasive speech.
Diver’s Daughter
Patrice Lawrence
Summary: Eve and her mother were stolen from their family in Mozambique, from the Southwark slums of Elizabethan London to England’s southern coast. When they hear that one of the African free-divers that was sent to salvage the Mary Rose is alive and living in Southampton, they try to find him and attempt to dive the wreck of another ship.
Subject Links: English, history, geography, PSHE.
Themes: Transatlantic slave trade, race, discrimination, labour, immigration, human rights, diversity, Tudor times, illness, friendship, family.
Writing Opportunities: Exposition text, diary entry, formal and informal letters, poetry.
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
Summary: A story told by a horse, in his own words. It is a story of how he was treated with affection and respect when he was a young and healthy horse, but how he fell into illness and despair as he was passed from one set of careless hands to the next.
Subject Links: English, science, PSHE.
Themes: Animal cruelty, Victorian England, good and evil, abuse and neglect.
Writing Opportunities: Exposition, biography, non-chronological report, evaluation.
I Talk Like A River
Jordan Scott
Summary: When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he’d like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice.
Subject Links: English, geography, PSHE.
Themes: Speech impediment, compassion, nature, hope and inspiration.
Writing Opportunities: Character and setting description, diary entry, poetry.
George’s Secret Key to the Universe
Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking
Summary: George’s pet pig breaks through the fence into the garden next door – introducing him to his new neighbours: the scientist, Eric, his daughter, Annie, and a super-intelligent computer called Cosmos. From that moment, George’s life will never be the same again, for Cosmos can open a portal to any point in outer space.
Subject Links: English, science, Computing, PSHE.
Themes: Space and astronomy, technology, relationships, trust.
Writing Opportunities: Character and setting description, newspaper report, narrative, biography.
Kensuke’s Kingdom
Michael Morpurgo
Summary: Michael is hungry, lonely and scared when he is washed up on a seemingly deserted island. He soon discovers another inhabitant – Kensuke, a former Japanese soldier – who, although initially unfriendly, provides Michael with food and water. Gradually, a strong bond develops between the two castaways.
Subject Links: English, geography, PSHE.
Themes: Love, loss, forgiveness, hope, redemption.
Writing Opportunities: Character and setting description, diary entry, narrative, poetry.