Home → The Journey
The eight books

How the series is put together

The books run from age six to seventeen, roughly a book a year. Books 1–5 are for primary and upper-primary readers. Books 6–8 are for secondary students and use a different format. Here is what's in each one.

Ages 6–11 · Primary & Upper Primary

Books 1 to 5

Short stories and poems, heavily illustrated, grouped into small trails. These cover the Foundational and Preparatory stages of the NCF.

5
TAL 5 · Ages 10–11

Insight Investigators

Voice, tone & meaning · Reading ocean
Bridge

Poetry sheets

How to Read Poetry, TAL 2 & 5
Ages 11–17 · Secondary

Books 6 to 8

These use a different format. Instead of chapters, the reading is organised into "Moves," each built around one story and one skill. A Student Supplement for each book connects the reading to group discussions, written tests, and interviews.

Using the books for exam preparation

The Supplements link each Move to the kinds of questions asked in entrance processes like CAT, IPMAT, CLAT, NID, and the NLUs — reading a text closely, forming a view, and explaining it. The work is the same reading and discussion; the Supplement points out where it applies.

Get the free Supplements
Why the set divides at 5 and 8

The format follows the reader's age

Books 1 and 2 are for children just starting to read on their own. Books 3 to 5 add longer texts and more to talk about. Books 6 to 8 take on harder subjects — belonging, judgement, the climate — and ask readers to form and defend their own views. The divisions line up with the stages the NCF already uses for these age groups.