Our Series

Accelerated Reader by Series

Carefully selected packs of titles at specific Accelerated Reader book levels. Perfect for filling gaps in your library.

321 Go!

A series of powerful and dramatic first-person, second-by-second accounts of jaw-droppingly exciting sports, stunts and missions. Now in new larger format editions

To view samples of some of our 321 Go! books, head here.

 

The books are carefully designed with appropriate fonts, lower case text, speech bubbles and captions to make them accessible to students with a lower reading age.

Now AR quizzed, with attractively low AR levels.

Alpha Stars

A set of colourful books to teach the basic letters and sounds of the alphabet. There are 49 books in total:

  1. 26 cover the letters A to Z
  2. 4 cover the letters ck, ff, ll, and ss met in the UK government’s phonics programme Letters and Sounds, Phase 2
  3. 19 cover the graphemes met in Letters and Sounds Phase 3

Each book presents 8 illustrations, each labelled with one word using the letter/grapheme in question. A final illustration is unlabelled, for the child to guess the word. A final page shows the child how the letter in question is written.

 

Boffin Boy

One of Ransom's best-selling series, Boffin Boy is great for getting boys reading. These books are action-packed comic-style page turners, with plenty of humour.

The 'manga' style is really popular with reluctant and struggling readers. These books are carefully designed with good fonts, lower case text, speech bubbles and captions to make them accessible to students with a lower reading age.

  1. Comic format to engage reluctant readers
  2. Simple layouts and carefully levelled texts
  3. Fantastic, striking illustrations
  4. Selected by the Book Trust five years in a row
  5. One of the Times 'Top 100 books for boys'

To view samples of some of our Boffin Boy books, head here.

 

The reading books are supported by photocopiable workbooks containing worksheets specific to each title, plus detailed teacher's notes and resources for readers to create their own Boffin Boy stories.

Series Contents

  1. 18 reading books
  2. 6 workbooks

Series Reviews

Boffin Boy is excellent because the characters are fun, especially Wu Pee, and the tasks we have to do are great – they make me feel like I'm part of the story.

- Boffin Boyz Reading Group Member, Holy Trinity Primary School, London

Very imaginative, and the pictures help you understand the story. They don’t have heaps of writing so it is easy to understand.

- Maddy. Age 11, Chiltern Tutorial School

Breakouts

A brand-new series featuring strong, modern adventure stories for boys and girls.

Perfect for readers who have gained a bit more confidence in reading and who are after a more challenging read, but who aren’t yet ready for full-length novels.

Features titles by popular authors such as John Townsend, Fanie Viljoen and Jill Atkins.

To view samples of some of our Breakouts books, head here.

Cold Fusion

A new series that caters for the interests of the more able – but not necessarily keen – reader; children who find that the run of the mill books available for their age group are just not stimulating enough.

Each of the books in the Cold Fusion series tackles a compelling topic in a way that is more demanding than the average book for 9 to 12 year-olds. The series includes both fiction and non-fiction, but in all cases the reader will be stretched with stimulating ideas.

The books in this series are not necessarily very long reads; more able readers do not always want to read ‘doorstops’. Rather it is the content of these books and the vocabulary used that is more demanding.

Dark Man

The Dark Man books are a phenomenon. This is by far the most successful series of books for engaging older, very reluctant readers. It’s been acclaimed around the world and has acquired a well-deserved reputation for succeeding where other series have failed.

To view samples of some of our Dark Man books, head here.

 

There are now 30 books in the series (plus accompanying workbooks), offering progression from a very low starting level (just 200 words a book to begin with). Dark Man offers older readers strong, atmospheric storylines combined with powerful black and white illustrations.

  1. Short, focused texts accompanied by sinister, atmospheric illustrations
  2. The stories hint at horror but have no difficult content
  3. Easy-to-read but ‘grown-up’ font, increasing the ‘cool’ factor
  4. Consistently voted into the top ten ‘What Kids Are Reading’ polls, carried out by Dundee University
  5. Sets 1 and 2 are lower level reads; Sets 3 and 4 are higher level, offering progression
  6. Six plays allow readers with different abilities to work together, taking on appropriate roles
  7. Winner of an Educational Resources Award.

Feely

Meet Feely, or Phoebe Dorcas Tonks (her full name). She’s clever and honest – but she also seems to be permanently annoyed with the world.

Written by Barbara Catchpole, author of the hugely successful Pig series, these are fresh, inventive stories, written in a first-person diary format. Hilariously funny and ideal for girls who are not in the habit of reading.

To view samples of some of our Feely books, head here.

 

Winner of the 2016 Primary Teacher Awards Books and Publications category.

Fergus

This new series of funny books for middle years readers was launched in February 2020.

The first title to have been published is Fergus the Furball. With a diary-like style and lively black and white illustrations, this series is going to be a winner for readers ages 7 - 9.

You can download a sample extract of Fergus the Furball here.

 

Goal!

One of Ransom's most succesful high interest age, low reading age reading programmes, Goal! is ideal for children who are struggling to develop the basics of reading and who need structured, systematic synthetic phonics-based reading books with a higher-interest age.

  1. 48 fiction and non-fiction titles, covering a wide variety of football-related topics and stories
  2. Popular, achievable reads
  3. Includes books written by leading professional football players (both male and female)
  4. Fully compatible with any synthetic phonics teaching programme. The books can be used individually or as a reading scheme, either on their own or in conjunction with other schemes
  5. Highly effective, structured approach for reluctant readers
  6. Proven results in motivating those readers who have never got to grips with conventional reading schemes

To view samples of some of our Goal! books, head here.

 

The Goal! programme follows the UK Government's Letters and Sounds phonics scheme and offers structured progression over five levels:

  1. Level 1 of Goal follows Letters and Sounds Phase 1 (no words)
  2. Level 2 follows Letters and Sounds Phase 2
  3. Level 3 follows Letters and Sounds Phase 3
  4. Level 4 follows Letters and Sounds Phase 4
  5. Level 5 follows Letters and Sounds Phase 5.

Microwave Shakespeare

Nine Shakespeare plays, each in an easily digestible form. Each play is retold as a straightforward, pacey narrative in chapter-book format, in the present tense. Each book includes introductions to the key characters and their important relationships in the play.

  1. Includes information about the time and place where each play is set
  2. The texts are useful summaries of the plays, but are also a rewarding read in their own right
  3. The texts use familiar, contemporary language
  4. Includes quotations from the original text, where appropriate
  5. Helpful illustrations guide the reader through the play

These books are perfect for reluctant and struggling readers who need a good understanding of the play, but who would struggle with the original text.

To view samples of some of our Microwave Shakespeare titles, head here.

 

Neutron Stars

This series provides 30 books for struggling teen and adult readers. The series is structured in levels, offering a progressive reading programme to develop reading skills, although each title can also be used as an individual read.

Each level in Neutron Stars currently has three titles. They include a mixture of fiction and non-fiction titles, covering a wide range of topics and genres.

To browse our Neutron Stars titles and view some samples, head here.

Neutron Stars is ideal for UK Adult Literacy Entry Levels 1 and 2. To find out more about the structure of Neutron Stars, including text levels and SMOG levels for each title, click here.

"My job is to get students who dislike or a don't believe they can read to pick up books. The Neutron Stars series make this a thousand times easier. I can lay out the books and just the covers will get people talking, the titles GBH, In the Stars etc all get people talking.

My students are all in prison so they're not likely to go for the softer titles but I had one of the best reading experiences ever with a copy of Ben's Jerk Chicken Van - a real breakthrough moment because we had a proper book, a proper story that we could share and understand on an equal basis.

I love the variety of subjects in the series and my students love the high quality photos and simple but meaningful narratives."

David Kendall, Reading Engagement Specialist

 

 

 

 

Phonics Levels

 

 

Book Bands

 
 

Pick Your Path

The Pick Your Path series offers a fresh take on the traditional ‘Choose your own adventure’ format.

These are short, strong,fast-moving stories, offering short, low-level texts with every page requiring the reader to choose the next course of action in the story. These are not just books; they are fully interactive adventures that will have the reader guessing and guessing – what happens next? The reader decides!

To view samples of some of our Pick Your Path books, head here.

 

PIG

Meet Peter Ian Green – PIG for short.

All his friends and family call him Pig. Even the teachers. Pig is 12 and is small for his age. He has sticky-out ears and bright red hair which is also sticky up. He attends Coalpits Road High School (or ‘The Pits’ as it is known locally) and lives with his mum. Pig is small for his age, but says his mum is huge for hers. She is a single mum, but Pig says she looks more like a double mum or even a treble mum.

To view samples of some of our PIG books, head here.

 

One of Ransom’s best-selling series, these are affectionate but hilariously funny page-turners, written in ‘handwritten’ first-person diary format. They will appeal to all readers who have experienced being a child in a world that is sometimes a bit too big for them.

There are 18 reading books altogether. They are best read in sequence, but this isn't strictly necessary.

Quick wins for struggling readers!

Professional Development in Literacy

A range of incredibly practical, hands-on books for everyone working in literacy – teachers, librarians, advisers, parents and specialists of all sorts.

Each book in the series focuses on a key literacy topic, with an emphasis on providing practical suggestions that can be implemented in the classroom.

Recognising that busy professionals do not always have time to read a book from beginning to end, these books are designed to be rewarding (and easy!) to dip into and browse for fresh ideas and perspectives.

 

Each subject is covered in two ways: first with a broad overview of the topic, followed by practical activity suggestions that can be used to engage the children.

An essential part of every professional's (and parent's) toolkit, these are books you will come back to time and time again.

To view samples of some of our Professional Development in Literacy books, head here.

Promises

A series of uplifting, funny, warm, romantic, contemporary reads from some great authors. The stories feature everyday life, friendship and love from a wide range of perspectives and cultures.

Authors include: Jo Cotterill, Miriam Halahmy, Rosemary Hayes, Kathryn White, Sue Purkiss, Anne Rooney and Barbara Catchpole.

The low-level, short texts are ideal for less able girl readers.

To view samples of some of our Promises books, head here.

 

Say goodbye to 'misery lit' with these heartwarming reads!

Ransom Reading Stars

A fresh contemporary reading programme from literacy specialist Ransom Publishing.

Reading Stars provides a modern, structured range of beautifully illustrated fiction and non-fiction titles that all children will find engaging and enjoyable to read.

The series starts with simple phonics-based texts, for phases 1 to 5 of Letters and Sounds. It then progresses on to bookband levels with titles from Pink through to Lime.

 

 
 

Reluctant Teenage Fiction

This range of teenage fiction for reluctant readers brings you some of the best writing from authors around the world.

Ransom is well known for its superb range of titles designed to engage and encourage reluctant readers, and we are now taking the opportunity to build on our strong programme with a growing list of shorter fiction for reluctant teens.

Shades

This series offers fast-paced, shorter novels (just 64 pages each) for older readers who may find longer books too daunting but who still want the excitement of a great story told with pace and style.

There are two different ranges of titles available:.
  1. 36 Shades titles, each offering a full 64 page, 6,000 word story.
  2. 4 Shades Shorts, each based upon a theme. Each book features four short (1,500-word) stories, written by a Shades author. Perfect for readers with less stamina or those simply looking for a quick read.
Authors who have contributed to this series include Jill Atkins, John Townsend, Anne Cassidy, Gillian Philip, Malcolm Rose and Jo Cotterill.

To view samples of some of our Shades books, head here.

 

Sharp Shades

These 27 Sharp Shades books are shorter, 'sharper' versions of our Shades titles. At only around 3,000 words each and using simpler language, these are perfect quick reads for teens and adults with a reading age of 8-9. A Sharp Shades book is 64 pages, with illustrations and a larger font than that of the Shades series.

To view samples of some of our Sharp Shades books, head here.

Siti's Sisters

A series of fast-moving, perfectly pitched stories about a group of girls who call themselves ‘The Sisters’. These popular stories cover all sorts of real-life issues that readers will eagerly relate to. Written by Helen Orme, an experienced author with a real understanding of girls at this age.

Illustrated with contemporary black and white illustrations throughout, each fast-moving story offers simple sentences, controlled vocabulary and low word counts.

Ideal for 9-14 year-olds with a reading age of 7-8. We think Set 4 is more suitable for readers aged 11 and above.

To view samples of some of our Siti's Sisters books, head here.

 

Starchasers

A series of fast-paced, high-action, no gimmicks space adventures featuring carefully controlled vocabulary and simple sentence structures.

The books feature superb illustrations that combine classic science fiction with a modern Manga twist. The exciting plots (a bit like 'The A Team' in space) and entertaining characters ensure these are classic, simple and rewarding reads for reluctant and struggling readers.

To view samples of some of our Starchasers books, head here.

 

Starstruck

By Cathy West

A series with strong appeal to girl and boy readers who love the performing arts. Gorgeous photos and colour illustrations combined with accessible texts make these great reads that will capture the imagination. Each book features a non-fiction section and a fiction story in each book.

 

Steve Sharp

Meet Steve Sharp – an Afro-Caribbean detective trying to do the right thing in the tough world of gangsters and organised crime.

These stories are a low-level, fresh update of the traditional ‘hard-boiled’ tough detective fiction of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. The texts are based around recognised high frequency vocabulary, and emphasis has been placed on making the texts phonetically decodable wherever possible.

The books are designed to be read in sequence and the very low AR levels make them particularly attractive for older struggling readers.

To view samples of some of our Steve Sharp books, head here.

 

Streetwise

This series is ideal for developing both reading skills and awareness of personal, social and health education (PSHE) topics.

Each short story raises some tricky issues for discussion. Questions and discussion points at the back of each book allow topics to be covered in a 20-minute session.

The edgy black and white photography and gripping high interest stories make for successful engagement with struggling readers.

 

Tales From the Pitch

Fictionalised biographies to help you stay "onside" with reluctant-to-read sports fans.

Each of these fast-moving reads focuses on the inspiring story behind one football superstar - the players and managers are from all walks of life and have faced failure, injury and rejection to ultimately make their dreams come true.

To view an extract of some of our Tales from the Pitch books, head here.

 

The Outer Reaches

From the award-winning author Malcolm Rose.

The Outer Reaches introduces you to a world inhabited by two distinct humanoid species: majors (the majority) and outers. The two races look similar, but they have different talents and different body chemistry. In this world, meet major Troy Goodheart and outer Lexi Iona Four. They form a teenage detective partnership investigating grisly crimes, mysterious murders, dark worlds of deception, and even illegal trade in body parts.

Drawing on the best of science-fiction, mystery and crime fiction, The Outer Reaches is perfect for inquisitive and demanding readers. These are gritty SF-based crime thrillers with intricate plots and plenty of forensic science. Fast-paced storylines with a sound logical foundation make them ideal for teenage readers who find that other books move too slowly.

To view samples of some of The Outer Reaches books, head here.

Thunderbolts

By David and Helen Orme

A series of levelled reading books covering popular non-fiction topics, with particular appeal to older readers. Twenty-four stunning, full-colour titles offer progression over four levels:

  1. Set 1 has no words, allowing readers with the greatest difficulty to engage.
  2. Set 2 introduces a limited number of words.
  3. Sets 3 and 4 offer further progression.
  4. The books in Set 4 are high enough to have been levelled for AR.

To view samples of some of our Thunderbolts books, head here.

 

With strong, colourful photographs and illustrations throughout, these books are ideal for engaging older, struggling readers and building their confidence in reading. Accompanying workbooks are also available.

"Honestly the Thunderbolts series is amazing... Students with very little English have been entranced by the high quality photos. Other students have loved the wide range of topics - science and animals always seem winners. I love seeing bored faces crack into smiles when I lay the books out on the table."

David Kendall, Reading Engagement Specialist

Toxic

From jungles, zombies and swamps to robots, time-travel and space travel, these stand-alone reads from Jonny Zucker (with one title from John Townsend) offer plenty of danger. These are fast-paced action adventures, with progression over five levels.

To view samples of some of our Toxic books, head here.

 

There are 10 titles in the series: two each at four of the higher-level book bands, from Lime through Brown, Grey, Dark Blue and Dark Red.

Just perfect for developing children’s reading.

Trailblazers

By David and Helen Orme

Fantastic books for reluctant readers. Each book is on a non-fiction topic, with a non-fiction section followed by a fiction story in every book. The fiction story includes a short ‘speech bubble’ version in addition to a fuller text account. Great for buddy reading!

These books are full-colour throughout, fully illustrated with amazing photographs and story illustrations.

Turbo-charge their reading with these fast-paced reads.

To view samples of some of our Trailblazers books, head here.

 

Vampire Dawn

This is a gripping and edgy reinvention of the vampire genre. Mixing the contemporary world of YouTube and smartphones with the centuries-old, traditional vampires of yesteryear, these must-read books have high appeal for both boys and girls.

Start with Die Now or Live Forever, then read the other books in any order. Follow these new young vampires as they struggle to cope with immortality and their craving for human blood. From Juliette modelling in Paris to rising music star Finn and would-be scientist Omar, they face tough challenges and deadly threats.

To view samples of some of our Vampire Dawn books, head here.

YA Fiction - Raven Books

The Raven Books imprint is Ransom Publishing's publishing arm for our mainstream fiction and non-fiction. It includes a range of Young Adult fiction from fantastic authors such as Malcolm Rose, John Townsend, and Rosemary Hayes in the UK, Claire Zorn from Australia and Fanie Viljoen from South Africa.

The list includes award winning fiction covering a range of different genres, including science fiction, fairytale, humour and contemporary stories.

To view samples of some of our YA fiction books, head here.

Visit our Free Resources section where you will find posters, sample chapters and readers notes to accompany Raven titles.

Zone 13

Exciting action-packed stories that will appeal to children aged 8 to 14 with a love of the unexplained. The stories are very varied: some are comic, while others have dark and gripping themes.

The books have a reading age of 8 – 9, so are ideal for reluctant or struggling readers.

To view samples of some of our Zone 13 books, head here.

 

These stories were originally published in 1998 and have been republished owing to popular demand, but with updated texts and striking new illustrations and cover designs.

Unlocking Letters and Sounds

A DfE validated SSP programme of phonics teaching resources, including digital lessons and resources.

Unlocking Letters and Sounds is a phonics teaching programme, supported by a programme of decodable phonics readers. The SSP has been developed by experienced teachers currently working in the classroom, and it is supported with CPD training by staff from the Unlocking Excellence and Mangotsfield Primary English Hub. Ransom's Reading Stars decodable phonics book programme works with the SSP and the books have been matched to ensure complete fidelity. Also available is an extensive range of digital and physical decoable phonic readers and other physical teaching resources.

To view samples of teaching materials and resources from the programme, head here.

 

Unlocking Letters and Sounds is DFE Validated.