The Binding by Bridget Collins

Suitable for: Year 11+

This is a beautiful book, laced with magic, where mystical “binders” can remove people’s troublesome memories and imprison them within the pages of hand-made books. But what happens if someone opens the covers to read them?

Bone China by Laura Purcell

Suitable for: Year 9+

I’ve really like Laura Purcell’s distinctive brand of spooky Gothic horror. It reminds me of Wilkie Collins or perhaps Daphne du Maurier. This story sees a young nurse, haunted by her past, caring for a mute and paralysed old woman in a mysterious old house, surrounded by bone china. Gradually, the house and the woman’s chilling past is revealed…

Afternoons with the blinds drawn by Brett Anderson

Suitable for: Year 11+

Back in the early 1990s, I was a massive fan of Brett Anderson’s band, Suede. I loved his first book, describing his early life and the origins of the band. This second book races through the band’s ascent to fame, and subsequent disintegration under the pressures of media scrutiny, addiction and egos. Anderson writes so elegantly, that even the squalid parts of his story acquire a seedy glamour. It captures that period of my youth perfectly.

Empress Orchid by Anchee Min

Suitable for: Sixth Form+

This novel tells the story of the last Empress of China, and is based on a true historical story. I knew nothing about it before starting – the book was my Secret Santa present last Christmas! – but I found myself captivated by the secretive, ritualistic world of the Chinese Emperor’s court and the power struggles within.

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman

Suitable for Year 9+

I love the “Noughts and Crosses” series, and this latest instalment was recommended to me by my son. It didn’t disappoint, bringing the saga right up to date with plenty of pointed commentary on political corruption and intrigue. If you’re expecting a resolution, thought, you’ll be disappointed – it ends on a terrific cliffhanger!

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Suitable for: Year 7+

This was a great read during lockdown! It tells the story of Faith, who discovers her father’s dark secret: a mysterious tree that grows in darkness. The fruits of the tree reveal truths – but the tree only grows when fed on lies. But, as Faith discovers, lies themselves can quickly get out of control…

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

Suitable for: Year 10+

This book tells the story of a school under attack by terrorist gunmen, in real time. It was absolutely terrifying, ratcheting up the tension with twists and turns a-plenty. As a Headteacher myself, it was like living out my worst nightmares – but in the safety of a book!

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Suitable for: adults

When Miss Dunne heard I was reading this book, she offered to counsel me when I got to the end. She was right: I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite as emotionally draining, harrowing and affecting as this epic story, following the lives of four friends who meet in college in America to their lives in New York and beyond. Dealing with trauma, abuse, and self-harm, this is by no means an easy read – but its characters will stay with me forever.

English Pastoral by James Rebanks

Suitable for: Year 9+

This book is part-autobiography, part-manifesto. James Rebanks uses his life story, growing up on a fell farm in the Lake District, to describe how farming has changed over the past forty to fifty years. He describes the damage done to the landscape and the ecosystem by intensive, chemical farming, and how he has adapted his own farm now, as an adult, to work in harmony with nature rather than against it. A powerful, important book.

Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens

Confession: I haven’t finished this one yet! But I am enjoying the lyrical, atmospheric descriptions of the Carolina marshlands where the heroine, Kya Clark, grows up in isolation. At once terrified of other people, and at the same time yearning for company, this tension drives the story forward. I can’t wait to see how it ends…