Books from Barrington Stoke

Barrington Stoke specialise in publishing books for reluctant readers - both the "can do but won't" brigade and those who have real problems reading. All their titles are tested on reluctant readers before publication and their comments are taken seriously, sometimes resulting in changes to the stories.

The books, which are specially commissioned from successful children's authors, have fast-moving plots designed to hook the reader quickly and keep the pages turning. Simple sentence structure and short paragraphs help weak readers and so does the clear font on cream-coloured paper with spaces between paragraphs.

There are plenty of titles to choose from. The following reviews are the choices of young reviewers from our local school but you can see the full range on their website.

Resistance
by Ann Jungman
An action story set in occupied Europe during World War II. Jan is ashamed when his Dutch father sides with the Germans. Ostracised at school as a result, he seeks a way to defy him and help the Resistance.
Ages 8+
Buy from Amazon

The Wedding Present
by Adèle Geras
A romantic story with a surprise or two. Definitely one for the girls - our male reviewer described the happy ending as "slushy".
Teenage
Buy from Amazon

No Stone Unturned
by Brian Keeney
When Lisa Foster decides to leave her violent husband, she finds he'll stop at nothing to keep his hold on her - in life on in death. "A book you'll want to keep reading -you can really get into it."
Teenagers
Buy from Amazon

Twoking
by Eric Brown
Joey's life takes on a new edge when he's introduced to twocking - taking without owner's consent. Our 13 year old reviewer was attracted to this book by the cover blurb and liked the tension in the plot.
Teenagers
Buy from Amazon

Joe's Story
by Rachel Anderson
Joe is happy living with his Grandad and Grandad's dog but everything changes when Grandad is taken ill. A short, interesting book which doesn't pull any punches about the problems Joe faces. There's no magical ending with Grandad better and everything as it was - instead the final scene is open-ended.
Teenagers
Buy from Amazon

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