6 Must-Read Books to Boost 11+ Reading Skills 📚✨
Daily reading is one of the most effective ways to prepare for the 11+, especially the tricky reading comprehension section. It builds vocabulary, strengthens focus and teaches students to understand deeper meanings, which are all crucial for exam success.
At Sarah Bridge Tutoring, we cover reading comprehension in our 11+ English classes but what happens at home matters too. Encouraging a love of reading and talking about books together can make a real difference. 📖💬
Here are 6 recommended reads to get your child started!
📘 2 Classic Novels
1. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A beautifully written story about friendship, transformation, and the healing power of nature.
2. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A timeless adventure story filled with pirates, mystery, and bravery — perfect for expanding vocabulary!
📗 2 Modern Books
3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
A moving and accessible novel that explores kindness, courage, and acceptance.
4. The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
A gripping jungle survival story with rich description and emotional depth.
📙 1 Poetry Collection
5. A Kid in My Class by Rachel Rooney
A collection of poems from the perspective of different classmates — ideal for exploring voice, rhythm, and figurative language.
📕 1 Non-Fiction Book
6. Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst
Inspiring, bite-sized biographies packed with facts, humour, and brilliant illustrations.
If you would like more recommendations along with example comprehension questions, you can download our free list here.
Why Daily Reading Matters for the 11+
Even just 15–20 minutes a day can help your child:
Develop a wider vocabulary
Understand the purpose and style of different types of texts
Improve inference and analysis skills
Feel more confident tackling unfamiliar texts in the exam
Quality Over Quantity!
The more your child reads, the more natural comprehension becomes and the less intimidating the 11+ will feel. We always recommend quality over quantity! Unfortunately reading ‘A Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ every day is not going to expose your child to the vocabulary and style of writing that they need to understand in the exam so encouraging them to read a wide range of genres is incredibly important.
It is also highly recommended that adults ask their child questions about the book they are reading regularly to check that they are truly understanding what they are reading.
Here are 5 questions you could ask:
1) How is the character feeling right now? What clues tell you this?
2) What impression do you get about the setting? What words/phrases tell you this?
3) What does this adjective/simile/metaphor suggest about the character/setting?
4) Find and copy a word that means…
5) Summarise what has happened on this page using the 5 w’s - who, what, where, when, why.
Did you know?
To understand a text well, children (and adults) generally need to understand at least 95%–98% of the words in the passage.
Yes, it's true — and backed by research.
At 95% word coverage (i.e. not understanding 1 in 20 words), the reader can usually get the gist of the passage but may struggle with deeper meaning or nuance.
At 98% coverage, the reader can generally read fluently, infer meaning, and focus on comprehension rather than decoding.
Below 90%, comprehension drops significantly; the reader is likely to feel frustrated and confused.
That’s why we cover vocabulary in all of our 11+ classes and highly recommend additional vocabulary practise at home.
Here are 10 activity ideas to boost vocabulary and support reading comprehension:
📚 Looking for Structured 11+ English Support?
At Sarah Bridge Tutoring, we offer 11+ English classes that focus on reading comprehension, alongside vocabulary building, grammar and creative writing. Our sessions are small, supportive and led by qualified teachers who specialise in 11+ prep.
We also have a BRAND NEW vocabulary club, which costs just £30 per month!
What’s included?
Every Monday, you will be sent a recorded lesson that teaches 10 new words related to a a particular theme.
You will receive 5 fun activities each week (one activity per day, Monday - Friday) to embed these words into your child’s long-term memory and help them to use the words with confidence!
At the end of each week, you will receive access to a quiz to assess understanding.