Six For Sunday: Back To School Realness – My School Reading List

It’s late but at least this theme is being posted on the right day! I’m a little sad to be leaving behind the Back To School Realness theme that I’ve enjoyed throughout September but I’m ready for Autumn Feels theme of October prompts! But first enjoy one final Back To School Realness prompt!

Six for Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Steph at ALITTLEBUTALOT. You can find a list of prompts from July to December 2019 here

Books You Read At School

This prompt had me looking rather further back in my life than I would care to admit. Turns out while I wasn’t paying attention school got rather a long way behind me!

The Magic Key books by Roderick Hunt

I was already reading when I started school but these are the first books that we were assigned as reading at school. I think at least half of my age group probably learnt to read using these Oxford Reading Tree books featuring Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy the Dog! And I can confirm I was 31 years old when I first discovered their real names – a friend shared them on facebook earlier this week!

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I was seven when I first read this book. My second year teacher brought in her own copy from home and leant it to be to encourage my reading when she could see I was getting bored with the standard reading books we were working our way though. Trying to read the Yorkshire accent was tricky but I persevered and my mum bought me the film as a reward. I’m planning to re-read this next year as part of my attempt to read a classic each month!

Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian

It’s strange I have such vivid memories of reading this book towards the beginning of secondary school. I even remember being in a group of about five who went to a separate classroom with a different teacher so he could listen to us read aloud. That said I’m not sure I could easily tell you that much about the book… I just seem to remember that the little boy was an evacuee….

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations was required reading as part of my GCSEs. I remember actually quite liking the story I even found a copy of the essay I wrote based on the book last time I was at home. It’s another I’m planning on re-reading next year as it must be about 16 years since I last read it.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This was another book that I studied for GCSE English. Out of about 14 English classes in my school year we were the only one to study this story and I will always be incredibly grateful to my teacher for deciding we were going to study this story instead of any of the alternatives. I think my essay on how Atticus showed the sanctity of human life throughout the story was probably my best coursework grade across both of my English GCSEs. I can’t quite believe I still remember the topic this many years on! I don’t think this features on any of the syllabuses these days and that saddens me, I think it should be still.

Although I’ll confess I’ve not read the sequel as I’m too afraid it will spoil my thoughts on the original…

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

AS English Literature saw me studying Chaucer’s A Miller’s Tale, Shakespeare’s Taming Of The Shrew, Comedians a play by Trevor Griffiths but it’s The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood which has always stuck most prominently in my mind. I remember being quite taken aback by the setting and slightly terrified at the idea that a place like Gilead could exist on the planet. I’ve never re-read the book since my exams but I think there’s a lot happening in the world right now that make me feel Gilead is coming closer to a reality than just a dystopian nightmare… I’m still on the fence about watching the TV series or reading the newly released sequel….

They were my #SixforSunday! If you’ve taken part leave a link to your post below and I’ll be sure to check it out!