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Years 7 to 9 · 2026–27

KS3 reading list: books for Years 7, 8 and 9

One list per year, built to meet the reading requirements of the national curriculum for English at Key Stage 3. For every book: why it is there, its level, its length and, on Vread, questions to prove it was read.

Prove you’ve read itChoose a year

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Books on these lists already on Vread with their questions, as of 10 October 2026.

The lists

One list per year

The split by year is ours: the curriculum covers Key Stage 3 as a whole. Where a published sequence exists, such as Oak National Academy’s, we followed it.

National curriculum · Key Stage 3

What the KS3 English curriculum asks pupils to read

The programme of study covers Years 7 to 9 as a whole. It names kinds of reading, not titles: the books are chosen by each school.

  • “Shakespeare (2 plays)”

    Two plays across Years 7 to 9. The curriculum names none: which ones, and when, is up to the school.

    Year 7: 1Year 8: 2Year 9: 1

  • “High-quality works from English literature: pre-1914”

    Prose, poetry and drama written before 1914, the writing GCSE English Literature later builds on.

    Year 7: 5Year 8: 3Year 9: 2

  • “High-quality works from English literature: contemporary”

    Recent writing. We also file here 20th-century modern classics often read before GCSE.

    Year 7: 4Year 8: 4Year 9: 4

  • “Seminal world literature”

    Landmark books from beyond Britain, written in English or read in translation.

    Year 7: 1Year 8: 4Year 9: 5

  • “A wide range of fiction and non-fiction”

    Whole books, short stories, poems and plays, and non-fiction such as memoirs and diaries.

    Year 7: 2Year 8: 3Year 9: 3

Pupils should also choose books on their own “for challenge, interest and enjoyment”, reread books met earlier, and study at least two authors in depth each year.

From September 2028

After the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government plans to publish a revised national curriculum in spring 2027, taught from September 2028, and has committed to a statutory reading assessment in Year 8. For 2026–27, the 2014 programme of study applies.

Sources: Curriculum and Assessment Review final report: government response (Department for Education, November 2025); What you need to know about the changes to the national curriculum (DfE Education Hub, November 2025).

Source: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study, key stage 3 (Department for Education, updated 16 July 2014).

How Vread helps

Read the whole book, one step at a time

  1. Pick the book in the app and read your own copy, on paper or on a screen.

  2. Every 30 to 40 pages, a checkpoint asks you a question about the section. A right answer validates it.

  3. Your progress shows: validated sections, reading streaks, finished books.

Checkpoint 1/7 · up to p. 40

The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle

What was Sir Charles Baskerville smoking during his nightly walk in the Yew Alley?

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

Parents and teachers

Know whether the book was really read

A summary takes two minutes to find. What an adult cannot easily check is the reading itself.

For parents

Your child reads their own copy and, every 30 to 40 pages, answers a question about the section. You see what has been validated and what is left, without having to quiz them yourself.

Follow your children’s reading: the Family Plan (coming soon)

For teachers

For independent reading, you choose the book and see who has validated which sections, without marking thirty reading logs. Questions are about details of the text.

Using Vread with a class? Email us

A right answer shows that a section was read, not that it was analysed: it complements the work done in class.

KS3 reading lists: frequently asked questions

Is there an official KS3 reading list?
No. The national curriculum for England says what pupils should read across Key Stage 3, such as two Shakespeare plays and pre-1914 and contemporary literature, but leaves the titles to schools. The lists on these pages are Vread’s own selection, built to meet those requirements.
What does the KS3 English curriculum say pupils should read?
A wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books, short stories, poems and plays; high-quality works from English literature, both pre-1914 and contemporary; two Shakespeare plays; and seminal world literature. Pupils should also choose books on their own, reread books met earlier, and study at least two authors in depth each year.
Does the curriculum say which books to read in Year 7, 8 or 9?
No: the programme of study covers Years 7 to 9 as a whole. The split by year on these pages is ours, informed by published sequences such as Oak National Academy’s KS3 English curriculum.
Is the KS3 English curriculum changing?
Yes, but not this school year. After the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government plans to publish a revised national curriculum in spring 2027, taught from September 2028, and has committed to a statutory reading assessment in Year 8. Until then, the 2014 programme of study applies.
Do academies follow the national curriculum?
Academies and free schools do not have to follow it, but they must teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and many use it as a basis. Your child’s school may read different books: these lists work alongside them.
Why are some books not linked?
Books without a link are not yet in the Vread catalogue with their questions. Readers can ask for a book to be added from the app.

Going further

After Year 9, the set texts are fixed by the exam boards: see GCSE English Literature set texts. Every book in the catalogue has a page in Books: page count, reading time and quizzes.

In the US? See the middle school reading list for grades 6 to 8.

Curriculum: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study, key stage 3 (Department for Education, updated 16 July 2014). Year-by-year reference: Oak National Academy: secondary English curriculum, units for Years 7 to 9.

Vread catalogue checked on 10 October 2026. Book descriptions written by Vread.

Vread is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Department for Education or Oak National Academy. The requirements quoted come from the published national curriculum; the choice of books on these pages is ours.

Prove you’ve read it.

A question every 30 to 40 pages, free on Vread.