11 Plus Reading by Genre: Something for Every Child

The quickest way to get a reluctant reader reading is to find the genre they love. Here are suggestions across five genres, all suited to children preparing for the 11 Plus.

Classics

The backbone of any 11 Plus reading list, with rich language and timeless stories.

• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Adventure

Fast moving plots that keep children turning pages while they absorb new vocabulary.

• The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Mystery

Perfect for practising inference and following clues, the same skills comprehension questions test.

• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Adventure of the Speckled Band, a Sherlock Holmes short story
• The Adventure of the Dancing Men, a code breaking Holmes mystery

Historical fiction

Stories set in the past that bring history to life and build understanding of different times.

• Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, for confident older readers

Fantasy

Magical worlds that spark imagination and creative thinking.

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
• The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley

Mix it up

Encourage your child to try a new genre every few books. Variety builds a wider vocabulary and makes them a more flexible reader, ready for whatever extract appears in the exam.