The Secret of Nightingale Wood
Lucy Strange
It is 1919, and twelve-year-old Henry and her grieving family move to Hope House in the countryside for a fresh start. But her mother is ill, her father is going abroad, and the new doctor seems far too keen to keep Mama locked away. Then Henry spots firelight flickering in the woods beyond the garden.
- Length
- About 60,000 words
- To read it
- About 40 days
- Stage
- Key Stage 2
Reading time at 1,500 words a day, the pace we start from until we know your child’s own.
Where it is taught
Why The Secret of Nightingale Wood is on the list
- Year 6, Stretch. A step up in length or difficulty, for a confident reader.
Reading it here
What your child does with it
- 1
Choose it and set a finish date
You get a suggested target from the length of the book and your child's reading pace.
- 2
Check in along the way
A longer book has short check-ins every week or two, so it keeps moving and nothing is forgotten.
- 3
Answer two questions
When they finish: a review of the book, and a deeper question about how it works.
- 4
Get it marked, and redraft
Every answer is marked against the rubric for their year, with a reason for every score.