Read each of the extracts within this booklet.

Your new teachers wanted to share these extracts with you as they are from their favourite children’s books.

Tick any that you have read. Put a question mark next to those you

would like to read (you could even use your local library to try and borrow them over the holidays).

Year 6 to 7

Summer

Reading

Challenge

‘The Twits’ by Roald Dahl.

Mr Twit was one of these very hairy-faced men. The whole of his face except for his forehead, his eyes and his nose was covered with thick hair. The stuff even sprouted in revolting tufts out of his nostrils and ear-holes.Mr Twit felt that his hairiness made him look terrifically wise and grand. But in truth he was neither of these things. Mr Twit was a twit. He was born a twit. And now at the age of sixty, he was a bigger twit than ever.The hair on Mr Twit’s face didn’t grow smooth and matted as it does on most hairy- faced men. It grew in spikes that stuck out straight like the bristles of a nailbrush.And how often did Mr Twit wash this bristly nailbrushy face of his? The answer is NEVER, not even on Sundays.He hadn’t washed it for years.

“If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone,Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,One for the Dark Lord on his dark throneIn the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

The Chronicles of Narnia- The Magicians Nephew – C.S.Lewis

As soon as the Witch saw that she was once more in the wood she turned pale and bent down till her face touched the mane of the horse. You could see she felt deadly sick. Uncle Andrew was shiv ering. But Strawberry, the horse, shook his head, gave a cheerful whinny, and seemed to feel better. He became quiet for the first time since Digory had seen him. His ears, which had been laid flat back on his skull, came into their proper position, and the fire went out of his eyes.

"That's right, old boy," said the Cabby, slapping Strawberry's neck. "That's better. Take it easy."

Strawberry did the most natural thing in the world. Being very thirsty (and no wonder) he walked slowly across to the nearest pool and stepped into it to have a drink. Digory was still holding the Witch's heel and Polly was holding Digory's hand. One of the Cabby's hands was on Strawberry; and Uncle Andrew, still very shaky, had just grabbed on the Cabby's other hand.The eastern sky changed from white to pink and from pink to gold. The Voice rose and rose, till all the air was shaking with it. And just as it swelled to the mightiest and most glorious sound it had yet produced, the sun arose.

The Story of Tracy Beaker - Jacqueline Wilson

Once upon a time there was a little girl called Tracy Beaker. That sounds a bit stupid, like the start of a soppy fairy story. I can't stand fairy stories. They're all the same. If you're very good and very beautiful with long golden curls then, after sweeping up a few cinders or having a long kip in a cobwebby palace, this prince comes along and you live happily ever after. Which is fine if you happen to be a goodie-goodie and look gorgeous. But if you're bad and ugly then you've got no chance whatsoever. You get given a silly name like Rumpelstiltskin and nobody invites you to their

party and no-one's ever grateful even when you do them a whopping great favour. So of course you get a bit cheesed off with this sort of treatment. You stamp your feet in a rage and fall right through the floorboards or you scream yourself into a frenzy and you get locked up in a tower and they throw away the key.

‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl

"Daddy," she said, "do you think you could buy me a book?""A book?" he said. "What d'you want a flaming book for?""To read, Daddy.""What's wrong with the telly, for heaven's sake? We've got a lovely telly with a twelve-inch screen and now

you come asking for a book! You're getting spoiled, my girl!"Nearly every weekday afternoon Matilda was left alone in the house. Her brother went to school. Her father went to work and her mother went out playing bingo in a town eight miles away. Mrs Wormwood was

hooked on bingo and played it five afternoons a week. On the afternoon of the day when her father had refused to buy her a book, Matilda set out all by herself to walk to the public library in the village. When she arrived, she introduced herself to the librarian, Mrs Phelps. She asked if she might sit awhile and read a book. Mrs Phelps, slightly taken aback at the arrival of such a tiny girl unaccompanied by a parent, nevertheless told her she was very welcome…

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Jo, Bessie and Fanny had come to live at the edge of the Enchanted chanted Wood where the trees, "a darker green than usual," whisper their secrets: "Wisha-wisha-wisha." In the wood is the Faraway Tree — a huge tree inhabited by fairy-folk and laden with fruit of all kinds from acorns to lemons. Its topmost branches lead to ever-changing magical lands above the swirling clouds.

The three children make friends with colourful characters like Moon-Face, Mister Watzisname, Silky, and the Saucepan Man, feasting with them on Pop Biscuits and Google Buns and sliding down the slippery-slip which spirals down inside the trunk. Climbing the tree involves dodging the dirty washing-water which Dame Washalot pours down the trunk at regular intervals and avoiding peeping in at the Angry Pixie, who throws things at those who poke and pry.

Kensuke’s Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo

I stood there watching the junk until it was nothing but a spot on the horizon, until I could not bear to watch any more. By this time I had already decided how best I could defy him. I was so enraged that consequences didn’t matter to me. Not anymore. With Stella beside me I headed along the beach, stopped at the boundary line in the sand and then,

very deliberately stepped over it. As I did so, I let him know precisely what I was doing. “Are you watching old man?” I shouted. “Look! I’ve crossed over. I’ve crossed your silly line. And now I’m going to swim. I don’t care what you say. I don’t care if you don’t feed me. You hear me old man?”. Then I turned and charged down the beach into the sea. I swam furiously, until I was completely exhausted and a long way from the shore. I trod water and thrashed the sea in my fury – making it boil and froth all around me. “It’s my sea as much as yours”, I cried. “And I’ll swim in it when I like”.

I saw him then. He appeared suddenly at the edge of the forest. He was shouting something at me, waving his stick. That was the moment I felt it, a searing, stinging pain in the back of my neck, then my back, and my arms too. A large, translucent white jellyfish was floating right beside me, its tentacles groping at me. I tried to swim away but it came after me, hunting me. I was stung again, in my foot this time. The agony was immediate and excruciating. It permeated my entire body like one continuous electric shock.

Stick Man - Julia Donaldson

Sick Man lives in the family treeWith his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three.One day he wakes early and goes for a jog.Stick Man, oh Stick Man, beware of the dog!“A stick!” barks the dog.“An excellent stick!

The right kind of stickFor my favourite trick.Room on the Broom – Julia Donaldson

But just as he planned to begin on his feast, From out of a ditch rose a horrible beast. It was tall, dark and sticky, and feathered and furred. It had four frightful heads, it had wings like a bird. And its terrible voice, when it started to speak, Was a yowl and a growl and a croak and a shriek. It dripped and it squelched as it strode from the ditch, And it said to the dragon, “Buzz off! – THAT’S MY WITCH!”

BFG - Roald Dahl

The Big Friendly Giant picked Sophie off the table and carried her to the cave entrance. He rolled the huge stone to one side and said, ‘Peep out over there, little girl, and tell me what you is seeing.’

Sophie, sitting on the BFG's hand, peeped out of the cave.

The sun was up now and shining fiery-hot over the great yellow wasteland with its blue rocks and dead trees.

‘Is you seeing them?’ the BFG asked.

Sophie, squinting through the glare of the sun, saw several tremendous tall figures moving among the rocks about five hundred yards away. Three or four others were sitting quite motionless on the rocks themselves.

‘This is Giant Country,’ the BFG said. ‘Those is all giants, every one.’

It was a brain-boggling sight. The giants were all naked except for a sort of short skirt around their waists, and their skins were burnt brown by the sun. But it was the sheer size of each one of them that boggled Sophie's brain most of all. They were simply colossal, far taller and wider than the Big Friendly Giant upon whose hand she was now sitting. And oh how ugly they were! Many of them had large bellies. All of them

had long arms and big feet. They were too far away for their faces to be seen clearly, and perhaps that was a good thing.

Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

OFF TO BOARDING SCHOOL. DARRELL RIVERS looked at herself in the glass. It was almost time to start for the train, but there was just a minute to see how she looked in her new school uniform. 'It's jolly nice,' said Darrell, turning herself about. 'Brown coat, brown hat, orange ribbon, and a brown tunic underneath with an orange belt. I like it.' Her mother looked into Darrell's room, and smiled. 'Admiring yourself?' she

said. 'Well, I like it all too. I must say Malory Towers has a lovely school uniform. Come along, Darrell. We don't want to miss the train your very first term!' Darrell felt excited. She was going to boarding school for the first time. Malory Towers did not take children younger than twelve, so Darrell would be one of the youngest there. She looked forward to many terms of fun and friendship, work and play. 'What will it be like?' she kept wondering. 'I've read lots of school stories, but I expect it won't be quite the same at Malory Towers. Every school is different. I do hope I make some friends there.' Darrell was sad at leaving her own friends behind her. None of them was going to Malory Towers. She had been to a day-school with them, and most of them were either staying on there or going to different boarding schools. Her trunk was packed full. On the side was painted in big black letters DARRELL RIVERS. On the labels were the letters M.T. for Malory Towers. Darrell had only to carry her tennis racket in its press, and her small bag in which her mother had packed her things for the first night.

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Chapter One A GREAT SURPRISE"MOTHER, have you heard about our summer holidays yet?" said Julian, at the breakfast-table. "Can we go to Polseath as usual?" "I'm afraid not," said his mother. "They are quite full up this year." The three children at the breakfast-table looked at one another in great disappointment. They did so love the house at Polseath. The beach was so lovely there, too, and the

bathing was fine. "Cheer up," said Daddy. "I dare say we'll find somewhere else just as good for you. And anyway, Mother and I won't be able to go with you this year. Has Mother told you?" "No!" said Anne. "Oh, Mother-is it true? Can't you really come with us on our holidays? You always do." "Well, this time Daddy wants me to go to Scotland with him," said Mother. "All by ourselves! And as you are really getting big enough to look after yourselves now, we thought it would be rather fun for you to have a holiday on your own too. But now that you can't go to Polseath, I don't really quite know where to send you." "What about Quentin's?" suddenly said Daddy. Quentin was his brother, the children's uncle. They had only seen him once, and had been rather frightened of him. He was a very tall, frowning man, a clever scientist who spent all his time studying. He lived by the sea- but that was about all that the children knew of him!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Here Comes Charlie

Mr Bucket was the only person in the family with a job. He worked in a toothpaste factory, where he sat all day long at a bench and screwed the little caps on to the tops of the tubes of toothpaste after the tubes had been filled. But a toothpaste cap-screwer is never paid very much money, and poor Mr Bucket, however hard he worked, and however fast

he screwed on the caps, was never able to make enough to buy one half of the things that so large a family needed. There wasn’t even enough money to buy proper food for them all. The only meals they could afford were bread and margarine for breakfast, boiled potatoes and cabbage for lunch, and cabbage soup for supper. Sundays were a bit better. They all looked forward to Sundays because then, although they had exactly the same, everyone was allowed a second helping. The Buckets, of course, didn’t starve, but every one of them – the two old grandfathers, the two old grandmothers, Charlie’s father, Charlie’s mother, and especially little Charlie himself – went about from morning till night with a horrible empty feeling in their tummies. Charlie felt it worst of all. And although his father and mother often went without their own share of lunch or supper so that they could give it to him, it still wasn’t nearly enough for a growing boy. He desperately wanted something more filling and satisfying than cabbage and cabbage soup. The one thing he longed for more than anything else was . . . CHOCOLATE.

Charlotte’s Web by E B White

Day after day, the spider waited, head-down, for an idea to come to her. Hour by hour she sat motionless, deep in thought. Having promised Wilbur that she would save his life, she was determined to keep her promise. Charlotte was

naturally patient. She knew from experience that if she waited long enough, a fly would come to her web; and she felt sure that if she thought long enough about Wilbur’s problem, an idea would come to her mind.

Finally, one morning toward the middle of July, the idea came. “Why, how perfectly simple!” she said to herself. “The way to save Wilbur’s life is to play a trick on Zuckerman. If I can fool a bug,” thought Charlotte, “I can surely fool a man. People are not as smart as bugs.” Wilbur walked into his yard just at that moment. “What are you thinking about, Charlotte?” he asked.“I was just thinking,” said the spider, “that people are verygullible.”“What does ‘gullible’ mean?”“Easy to fool,” said Charlotte.“That’s a mercy,” replied Wilbur, and he lay down in theshade of his fence and went fast asleep. The spider, however, stayed wide awake, gazing affectionately at him and making plans for his future. Summer was half-gone. She knew she didn’t have much time.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson- Burnett

Mary wondered if she was in a real place or if she had fallen asleep again and was dreaming without knowing it.

The boy had a sharp, delicate face the colour of ivory and he seemed to have eyes too big for it. He had also a lot of hair which tumbled over his forehead in heavy locks and made his thin face seem smaller. He looked like a boy who had been ill, but he was crying more as if he were tired and cross than as if he were

in pain.

Mary stood near the door with her candle in her hand, holding her breath. Then she crept across the room, and, as she drew nearer, the light attracted the boy’s attention and he turned his head on his pillow and stared at her, his grey eyes opening so wide that they seemed immense.

“Who are you?” he said at last in a half-frightened whisper. “Are you a ghost?”

“No, I am not,” Mary answered, her own whisper sounding half frightened. “Are you one?”

He stared and stared and stared. Mary could not help noticing what strange eyes he had. They were agate gray and they looked too big for his face because they had black lashes all round them.

“No,” he replied after waiting a moment or so. “I am Colin.”

“Who is Colin?” she faltered.

“I am Colin Craven. Who are you?”

“I am Mary Lennox. Mr. Craven is my uncle.”

“He is my father,” said the boy.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a ploughed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.

While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close

by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove.

As soon as I was old enough to eat grass my mother used to go out to work in the daytime, and come back in the evening. There were six young colts in the meadow besides me; they were older than I was; some were nearly as large as grown-up horses. I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round and round the field as hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rather rough play, for they would frequently bite and kick as well as gallop.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.A fox saw the mouse, and the mouse looked good.

"Where are you going to, little brown mouse?Come and have lunch in my underground house."

"It's terribly kind of you, Fox, but no –I'm going to have lunch with a gruffalo."

"A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo?""A gruffalo! Why, didn't you know?

He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws,And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws."

"Where are you meeting him?""Here, by these rocks,And his favourite food is roasted fox."

"Roasted fox! I'm off!" Fox said."Goodbye, little mouse," and away he sped.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

It was then that the fox appeared.“Good morning,” said the fox.“Good morning,” the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.“I am right here,” the voice said, “under the apple tree.”“Who are you?” asked the little prince, and added, “You are very pretty to look at.”“I am a fox,” said the fox.“Come and play with me,” proposed the little prince. “I am so unhappy.”“I cannot play with you,” the fox said. “I am

not tamed.”“Ah! Please excuse me,” said the little prince.But, after some thought, he added:“What does that mean — ‘tame’?”“You do not live here,” said the fox. “What is it that you are looking for?”“I am looking for men,” said the little prince. “What does that mean — ‘tame’?”“Men,” said the fox. “They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?”“No,” said the little prince. “I am looking for friends. What does that mean — ‘tame’?”“It is an act too often neglected,” said the fox.

A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson

A little old lady lived all by herselfWith a table and chairs and a jug on the shelf.A wise old man heard her grumble and grouse,“There’s not enough room in my house.Wise old man, won’t you help me please?My house is a squash and a squeeze.”

“Take in your hen,” said the wise old man.“Take in my hen?” what a curious plan.Back Home by Michelle Magorian

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

by J.K.Rowling

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours’ time by Mrs Dursley’s scream as she opened the front door to put out themilk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley … He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: ‘ To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!’

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Heidi was awakened early the next morning by a loud whistle; the sun was shining through the round window and falling in golden rays on her bed and on the large heap of hay, and as she opened her eyes everything in the loft seemed gleaming with gold. She looked around her in astonishment and could not imagine for a while where she was. But her grandfather’s deep voice was now heard outside, and then Heidi began to recall all that had happened: how she

had come away from her former home and was now on the mountain with her grandfather.

Stig of the Dump written by Clive King

But he must have landed somewhere. And he had that clear picture in his head of looking up through a hole at the side of the cliff and clouds passing over the sky.

And suddenly, as he stood in the middle of the paddock, he gave a big jump as the answer came to him like getting a sum right.

 If there wasn’t a hole it was because somebody had mended it! Stig wasn’t the sort of person to leave a large hole in his roof for long. Not his friend Stig!

All at once everything fitted together-yesterday’s adventure on that Stiggish sort of afternoon, the bump on his head, the flint, and this bright Autumn morning when he was going to visit his friend Stig. And he was quite clear in his head now what he was going to do and how he was going to do it.

 He set off running, back to the garden. Presents for Stig! When you visited people this time of the year you always brought something from the garden: tomatoes you couldn’t bottle or apples you hadn’t room to store. He looked round the big old apple tree for windfalls. There were some big ones, difficult to manage without a basket, but he stuffed them into his shirt, making sure there weren’t any wasps in them first. What else? He saw a line of carrots-his favourite fruit! He was allowed to pull up carrots, they were good for his teeth, so he heaved up a few good-sized ones and rubbed the earth off with his fingers.

Cub in the Cupboard by Lucy Daniels

All animals and animal lovers are welcome at the Animal Ark Veterinary Clinic.

At Animal Ark, Mandy Hope helps her parents treat animals of all shapes and sizes. Even outside the clinic, Mandy can't resist helping any animal in need.

When Mandy and James discover a mother fox caught in a cruel trap, they are horrified -- and so is the rest of Welford! But somebody local seems to be responsible.

The two friends are determined to find the culprit. But first, they have to find a way to keep track of the injured fox's mischievous cub!

The Babysitters Club by Ann M Martin

"Kristy! Hey, Kristy!" I called.It was Monday afternoon, almost five-thirty, and time for a meeting of the Baby-sitters Club. I had just stepped onto my front porch. At the house next door, I could see Kristy Thomas stepping onto her front porch. Kristy is the president of the Baby-sitters Club. She's also my best friend in the whole world. We've grown up together. And since my mother died when I was really little, leaving just Dad and me,

Kristy's been like my sister, and Mrs. Thomas is like my mother. (Kristy's parents got divorced a few years ago and her dad walked out, but my father has not been like a father to Kristy. He's not warm and open like Mrs. Thomas.)"Hi, Mary Anne," Kristy answered.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Panem is split up into 12 districts. Each year, every district is forced to randomly choose two tributes--one girl and one boy--to fight in the annual Hunger Games. A fight to the death on live television. Katniss Everdeen takes her sister's place when she is called to be the tribute of the 74th annual Hunger Games.I'm fast. I can sprint faster than any of the girls in our school, although a couple can beat me in distance races. But this forty-yard length, this is what I am built for. I know I can get it, I know I can reach it first, but then the

question is how quickly can I get out of there? By the time I've scrambled up the packs and grabbed the weapons, others will have reached the horn, and one or two I might be able to pick off, but say there's a dozen, at that close range, they could take me down with the spears and the clubs. Or their own powerful fists. Still, I won't be the only target. I'm betting many of the other tributes would pass up a

smaller girl, even one who scored an eleven in training, to take out their more fierce adversaries. Haymitch has never seen me run. Maybe if he had he'd tell me to go for it. Get the weapon. Since that's the very weapon that might be my salvation. And I only see one bow in that whole pile.

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

MR. BADGERTHEY waited patiently for what seemed a very long time, stamping in the snow to keep their feet warm. At last they heard the sound of slow shuffling footsteps approaching the door from the inside. It seemed, as the Mole remarked to the Rat, like some one walking in carpet slippers that were too large for him and down at heel; which was intelligent of Mole, because that was exactly what it was.There was the noise of a bolt shot back, and

the door opened a few inches, enough to show a long snout and a pair of sleepy blinking eyes."Now, the very next time this happens," said a gruff and suspicious voice, "I shall be exceedingly angry. Who is it this time, disturbing people on such a night? Speak up!""Oh, Badger," cried the Rat, "let us in, please. It's me, Rat, and my friend Mole, and we've lost our way in the snow."

"What, Ratty, my dear little man!" exclaimed the Badger, in quite a different voice. "Come along in, both of you, at once. Why, you must be perished. Well, I never! Lost in the snow! And in the Wild Wood, too, and at this time of night! But come in with you."

The secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾

By Sue Townsend

Wednesday January 14th

Joined the library. Got Care of the Skin, Origin of Species, and a book by a woman my mother is always going on about. It is called Pride and Prejudice, by a woman called Jane Austen. I could tell the librarian was impressed. Perhaps she is an intellectual like me. She didn’t look at my spot, so perhaps it is getting smaller. About time!

Mr Lucas was in the kitchen drinking coffee with my mother. The room was full of smoke. They were laughing, but when I went in, they stopped.

Mrs Lucas was next door cleaning the drains. She looked as if she was in a bad mood. I think Mr and Mrs Lucas have got an unhappy marriage. Poor Mr Lucas!

None of the teachers at school have noticed that I am an intellectual. They will be sorry when I am famous. There is a new girl in our class. She sits next to me in Geography. She is all right. Her name is Pandora,

but she likes being called ‘Box’. Don’t ask me why. I might fall in love with her. It’s time I fell in love, after all I am 13 3/4 years old.Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good- natured, she thought: still it had VERY long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect.

`Cheshire Puss,’ she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. `Come, it’s pleased so far,’ thought Alice, and she went on. `Would you tell me,

please, which way I ought to go from here?’

`That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat.

`I don’t much care where–‘ said Alice.

`Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.

`–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,’ Alice added as an explanation.

`But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked.

`Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: `we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’

`How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.

`You must be,’ said the Cat, `or you wouldn’t have come here.’