Teen Reads V

A nation of lies. A dangerous mission.

No more war, no more disease. On the island, everyone is safe. That's what Riley's been brought up to believe.

But when her sister goes missing, Riley discovers that her whole life is full of lies and the truth costs more than she can bear.

In a nation where every citizen is monitored, does freedom really exist?

With a modern 'eye-catching' cover, Beverly Sanford's Silent Nation is sure to capture the attention of any teenager! With the look and feel of a real book and a longer word count of 14,000, Silent Nation appears more like a YA title than a quick read.

All ten titles in this captivating series have been designed to appeal to reluctant teenage readers with a reading age of 8-9 years, and feature themes touching on loneliness, mental illness, amnesia, crime, being a young carer and dystopia.

Printed on off-white paper to reduce visual stress on sensitive eyes and with a dyslexia-friendly design,

We are really excited to announce that the fifth instalment of our highly-acclaimed Teen Reads is now available!
Teen Reads V consist of a new set of edgy and engrossing stories, at varying lengths designed to engage reluctant and developing readers.

With many pre-orders and fabulous feedback from Billy Badger's Book Club, we're confident Teen Reads V will be our most popular series to date! All the participants in Billy's Book Club have said they would recommend the title they read and would like to read more from the series.

Every book has been specifically written for reluctant teenage readers with a reading age of 8-9 by well-known and experienced authors, and are both accessible and appealing in equal measures.

Featuring a variety of themes including mental illness, being a young carer and dystopia, all ten thought-provoking titles are action-packed and will grab the attention of any reluctant reader.

Can you imagine what it would be like being

When Eric wakes up in hospital he can't even remember his own name. There's a blank space in his head where his life used to be. They tell him he was hit by a car. He's been in a coma.

But that's not the worst of it.

Everyone seems to hate him. They say he did something terrible – really terrible.

He can't believe he'd be so evil. But how can he defend himself, when his memory is a total blank?

Join him on his journey to discover who he is and what he was running from with this new addition to Badger Learning's Teen Reads series.

Ann Evans has written a captivating and intriguing novel specifically for struggling readers. Blank is an accessible read for teenagers who have a low reading age of 8-9, but who desire a longer story than the usual quick read. With no more than 7,000 words in total, Blank will undoubtedly encourage and reward the reader for their efforts with a story that will keep them engaged until the last page.

Read the blogs b

Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider will really understand and appreciate Iain McLaughlin's new title, The First Martian.

Lucas Wilson is the only person in his class, the only person in his school, the only person in the world, to have been born on Mars. His parents were astronauts sent on the first extended mission to Mars. Lucas was born there. His family had to wait ten years before they could come home as he wasn't strong enough to make the journey.

Even after a couple of years back on Earth, he is clearly different to everyone else, he stands out. He has to wear a special suit in order to get around under Earth's gravity. His two best friends are the only people who don't treat him like an outsider.

Following the success of Badger Learning's previous Teen Reads series, The First Martian is just one of 10 brilliant titles in Teen Reads V. With a reading age of 8-9 and the look and feel of a real book, these hi-lo titles are perfect for struggling readers

Everyone thinks Ella has the perfect life. A big house, the perfect mother. But it's all just one big fat lie.

If anyone knew the life she lived it would mean disaster for Ella and her mum. So the lies go on.

But her mum is getting sicker. Ella is torn. She can't tell anyone the truth. But she can't cope either.

This latest instalment of Teen Reads touches on the reality of challenging personal circumstances such as being a young carer for someone you love. Living the Lie, written by Ann Evans, depicts the fear and anguish suffered by keeping such a huge responsibility a secret.

With a word count of 7,000 and a reading age of 8-9, Living the Lie is an accessible read for your struggling readers. With the look and feel of a real book and appealing covers, all ten books in Teen Reads V will be an asset to any school library.

Things got a whole lot better when Ella got thin. People noticed her. She made new friends. Life was good. She wanted it to stay that way. She exercised. She took control of her diet.

Or did her diet take control of her?

How thin is too thin? Cheryl Lanyon's debut Teen Read for Badger Learning fearlessly tackles an incredibly sensitive and serious issue: eating disorders, and more specifically, anorexia.

Vanishing Point follows Ella as she tries to navigate teenage life plagued by a dangerous mental illness manifesting as the 'Voice'. The story intersperses diary entries with a third person narrative, illustrating the warped perspective that eating disorders can create.

As with all our Teen Reads, Vanishing Point is appropriate for less able teenage readers who are reading at a level of about 8-9 years. The spaced-out paragraphs and simple sentence structure help to draw reluctant readers into the story while the inviting and modern covers entice them to

In the year 2320 the Great Disaster happened.

A nuclear war destroyed all the main towns and cities of the world. The water dried up and the world became one big desert. Then a plague came.

Welcome to Omak's world.

Omak rescues an old man from a pack of ravenous Snappers. The old man gives Omak a map as a reward. It's a map to unlimited petrol and oil, a dream come true in Omak's desert world.

But do dreams come true anymore? Is it more likely to be a nightmare?

Due to the richness of Jon Mayhew's bleak, dystopian landscape in the much-loved Death Road, we asked him to write another story set in the same world. And so we bring you Death Wheels. Note that this is not a sequel, and can be enjoyed as a standalone novel like all the other Teen Reads from Badger Learning.

With an invitingly creepy, modern cover and the look and feel of a 'real' book, all at a pared down word count of 7,000 with spread out text, this book can't fail to attract teenage

What would you do if you could temporarily take someone's pain away?

What if they were begging you for your help, would you help them?

Could you stand there and watch someone suffer knowing that you're a painkiller?

In a world where diseases are rife, technology has stopped working and all hospitals are closed, Esme is one of a small group of gifted individuals who can temporarily take someone's pain away.

With bounty hunters scouring the country trying to capture painkillers for the rich and powerful, will Esme make it to a safe haven?

Popular author Tim Collins has written another fantastic Teen Read for struggling readers.

Painkiller is one of ten titles in our new series of Teen Reads which feature a dyslexia-friendly design with bite-sized, generously spaced chunks of text, making them an accessible read for students with a reading age of 8-9.

About the Author

Tim Collins is originally from Manchester, but now lives near

In an age when many teenagers envy the fame and fortune of celebrities, Fascination, written by Daniel Blythe, shows how easy it is to get swept up with all the glitz and glamour of the celebrity world, but is it everything Maya dreams of?

Maya can't believe her luck. Magnus Gold - THE Magnus Gold - has seen her YouTube videos and has heard her songs; he wants to make her a superstar!

All it means is leaving her old life behind her and transforming her existence as she knows it.

Alfie, her best friend, doesn't like it. He knows something's not quite right, but what? Maya is getting everything she has dreamed about, and everything Magnus has promised her has come true.

But she's different, it's like Magnus has control of her...

Daniel Blythe has written a fantastic novel that will capture the interest of teenagers everywhere! With a word count of 7,000, this instalment of Teen Reads V will keep its readers hooked until the end.

Following the

Tanith has a disease that affects the world around her. She makes wood rot, plants wither and metal rust.

Samira takes pity and tries to make friends with her, but she has no idea what she's getting herself into.

She's soon to find out a dark secret that will change the way she sees everything.

This brand new Teen Read from Tim Collins holds mystery and intrigue right up until the final page. Even reluctant readers will be engrossed by this spine-tingling story, which is creepy and tragic in equal measures.

At a manageable word count of roughly 6,000, Wasteland has the modern and inviting appearance of a typical teenage novel, but with a spine width that will not intimidate less confident readers. The text is set at a reading level of 8-9 and the line breaks and clear font provide a manageable means for the reader to digest the story.

Wasteland is just one of the ten diverse new titles in Teen Reads V. Check back here for updates and synopses on each