Pembroke Tutors’ Summer Reading List 2021
This list should be taken as a place to start with your reading this summer and is in no way an exhaustive list. You may find that some of the books that you enjoy lead you to other books by the same author or to exploring a genre you hadn’t previously considered!
A Level
Wider reading to impress your teachers, peers, and universities
Science
Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction Subrata Dasgupta
On the Origin of Species Charles Darwin
Bad Science Ben Goldacre
A Brief History of Time Stephen Hawkings
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari
Philosophy
Republic Plato
101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think Brianna West
Meditations Marcus Aurelius
My Bondage and My Freedom Frederick Douglass
Letters from a Stoic Seneca
Ethics Benedict de Spinoza
Current Affairs & Culture
I am Malala Malala Yousafzai
On Beauty Zadie Smith
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race Reni Eddo-Lodge
Becoming Michelle Obama
Poetry
The Collected Poems of Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy
Collected Poems W.H. Auden
Falling Awake Alice Oswald
Ordinary Beasts Nicole Sealey
Goblin Market Christina Rossetti
An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard Thomas Gray
The Complete Poems Emily Dickinson
Floating, Brilliant, Gone Franny Choi
NB. The TS Eliot Prize Shortlist is well worth reading if you want to stay up to date with new poets and poetry.
Drama
The Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare
Hayfever Noel Coward
The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde
The Mousetrap Agatha Christie
The History Boys Alan Bennett
Fiction
Murder on the Orient Express Agatha Christie
Pompeii Robert Harris
On the Road Jack Kerouac
Girl, Woman, Other Bernadine Evaristo
The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood
The Lonely Londoners Sam Selvon
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Beloved Toni Morrison
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens
A Grain of Wheat Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Middlemarch George Eliot
The Trial Franz Kafka
GCSE
A solid basis for A Levels
Science
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Randall Munroe
The Making of the Atomic Bomb Richard Rhodes
Six Easy Pieces Richard Feynman
The Voyage of the Beagle Charles Darwin
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men Caroline Criado-Perez
History
Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn) Ian Shaw
Pandora’s Jar Natalie Haynes
Heroes Stephen Fry
The Silk Roads Peter Frankopan
The Story of China Michael Wood
A Little History of the World E.H. Gombrich
The Great Imperial Hangover Samir Puri
Dynasty Tom Holland
Poetry
Remains Simon Armitage
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Simon Armitage
Loop of Jade Sarah Howe
Rapture Carol Ann Duffy
Translated into English
Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Ficciones Jorge Luis Borges
Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert
Les Miserables Victor Hugo
Doctor Zhivago Boris Pasternak
Drama
The Caretaker Harold Pinter
Twelfth Night William Shakespeare
A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams
An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley
Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller
Fiction
The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath
Persepolis Marjane Satrapi
Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card
The Secret History Donna Tartt
The Picture of Dorian Grey Oscar Wilde
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams
Lord of the Flies William Golding
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas John Boyne
Noughts and Crosses Marjorie Blackman
The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka
KS3
Good for Preparing for GCSE
Science
Where the Wild Things Grow David Hamilton
Gory Details: Adventures From the Dark Side of Science Erika Engelhaupt
Marie Curie And Her Daughters Imogen and Isabel Greenberg
Outdoor Maker Lab Professor Robert Winston
Kay’s Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body Adam Kay
History
A Short History Of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson
The Usborne History of Britain Ruth Brocklehurst
The Horrible Histories Series Terry Deary
The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence Judith St George
G is for Gladiator: An Ancient Rome Alphabet Debbie Shoulders and Michael Shoulders
What Is a Monarchy? Margaret R Mead
Fiction
Animal Farm George Orwell
Chinese Cinderella Adeline Yen Mah
The Day of the Triffids John Wyndham
The Hound of the Baskervilles Arthur Conan Doyle
Journey to the River Sea Eva Ibbotsen
Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
Watership Down Richard Adams
Stormbreaker Anthony Horowitz
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone J.K. Rowling
Peter Pan J.M. Barrie
Charlotte’s Web E.B. White
KS2
Designed to be read independently
Fiction
The Famous Five Enid Blyton
The Twits Roald Dahl
Gangsta Granny David Walliams
Milly Molly Mandy Joyce Lankester Brisley
Artemis Fowl Eoin Colfer
Asterix René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo
Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery
The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis
Non-Fiction
What Did the Tree See? Charlotte Guillain
Egyptology Emily Sands
Ask A Scientist Robert Winston
Why Does the Earth Need the Moon? Devin Dennie
KS1
To be read with a parent
The Tale of Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter
Don’t Worry William Christine Morton-Shaw
Janet & John James Nisbet & Co
The Rainbow Fairies Daisy Meadows
Thomas the Tank Engine Wilbert Awdry
Babar Jean de Brunhoff
The Tiger Who Came To Tea Judith Kerr
We also thoroughly recommend story telling for ages 2-7. Children in this age group can massively benefit from listening to stories and telling their own. It is a brilliant way to aid the development of a child’s imagination and an excellent activity before going to bed.
