Year 11 recommended reading list for teens aged 15-16
A selection of reading books to challenge and interest Year 11 pupils – aged 15-16 – in KS4 secondary schools. Authors include Ray Bradbury and John Steinbeck.
Meg Grehan author page
Meg Grehan biography
Meg Grehan is an Irish writer of young adult, middle-grade and LGBTQ+ fiction, and poetry. Her debut book, The Space Between, won the Eilís Dillon Award at the 2017 Children’s Books Ireland Awards.
The Deepest Breath was published in 2019 and is a verse novel about Stevie, an eleven-year-old who loves reading and sea creatures and is trying to understand her feelings for another girl. The Deepest Breath won the Judges’ Special Award at the 2020 KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award 2020.
Baby Teeth was published in 2021 as a young adult verse novel about queer love, desire and vampires. Little Island Books acquired Baby Teeth as Grehan’s third book.
Little Island Books signed The Brightest Star as a sequel to The Deepest Breath in 2024. The Brightest Star is a verse novel about Stevie starting secondary school with her friends Chloe and Andrew, and it was published in 2025.
In 2025, Little Island acquired The Lonely Book, a middle-grade verse novel by Meg Grehan about non-binary identity.
Biography writer: Joanna Nance-Phillips
Children’s literature expert and primary school teacher with 30+ years of experience running a primary school library, teaching literacy and tutoring in the UK and abroad. Articles and reviews by Joanna Nance-Phillips 
LGBTQIA+ fiction for secondary aged children and teens aged 11+
LGBTQIA+ themed books for secondary schools, featuring titles by Simon James Green, Alice Oseman, David Levithan, Phil Stamper, Rainbow Rowell, Dean Atta, Meg Grehan, Juno Dawson, Kalynn Bayron, William Hussey and Erin Ekins.
Children’s Literature News June 2026
Children’s book news for June 2026: reading enjoyment rises but gaps widen, with IBC book boxes, Bookstart picks, AI findings, awards, festivals and new inclusive school resources.
Empathy, kindness and love books for children
Kindness, empathy and love children’s books for students aged 3-12+ including titles by Laura Dockrill, Malcolm Duffy, Dan Smith, Alice Oseman, Jess McGeachin, Michael Rosen, Catherine Rayner, Satoshi Kitamura, Suma Subramaniam, Benjamin Dean, R J Palacio & more.
Bestselling books by Meg Grehan
Browse Meg Grehan books on UK.Bookshop.orgBrowse Meg Grehan books on Waterstones.com
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops, or Waterstones.com.
Sign up for the School Reading List Newsletter
Keep up to date with our email newsletter and our latest social media posts about reading, children's books and literacy.
Our latest reading national curriculum year group recommended reading lists:
- Books for EYFS | Books for Reception
- Books for KS1 | Books for Year 1 | Books for Year 2
- Books for KS2 | Books for Year 3 | Books for Year 4 | Books for Year 5 | Books for Year 6
- Books for KS3 | Books for Year 7 | Books for Year 8 | Books for Year 9
- Books for KS4 | Books for Year 10 | Books for Year 11
- Books for 6th Form
Home »
