Adventures of Tom
Sawyer by Twain
Lexile level: 950
34 copies
The Adventure of Ulysses
by Bernard Euslin
Heroes, monsters, gods,
battles, kings -- the legend of Ulysses is brought to life.
85 copies
Angel on the Square
by Whelan
A girl joins the family
of Russian Tsar Nikolai II, when her mother becomes his empress's
ladies-in-waiting. Katya Ivanova has an insider's view of the crumbling
of tsarist Russia from 1913 to 1918.
Lexile level: 820
4 copies
Animal Farm by Orwell
Lexile Level: 1170
100 copies
Anne of Green Gables
by Montgomery
Set on Prince William
Island an aging brother and sister, the Cuthbert's, make the decision
to adopt a young boy to help with chores. However, as the result
of a misunderstanding the boy turns out to be a feisty, independent,
and wildly imaginative redheaded girl named Anne.
Lexile level: 990
40 copies
Anpao by Highwater
This Newbery Honor book
chronicles a young Indian's mystical journey that crosses many time
periods.
Lexile level: 880
31 copies
Artemis Fowl by Colfer
Anti-hero Artemis Fowl
is a boy-genius last in line of a legendary crime family teetering
on the brink of destruction. With the assistance of his bodyguard,
Butler, he masterminds his plan to regain the Fowls' former glory:
capture a fairy and hold her ransom for the legendary fairy gold
Lexile Level: 600
4 copies
Autobiography of Miss
Jane Pittman by Gaines
Set in rural southern Louisiana,
the novel spans 100 years of American history--from the early 1860s
to the onset of the civil rights movement in the 1960s--in following
the life of the elderly Jane Pittman, who witnessed those years.
Lexile level: 710
15 copies
Because of Winn Dixie
by Di Camillo
Opal makes new friends
among the somewhat unusual residents of her new hometown, Naomi,
Florida. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins to find her place in
the world and let go of some of the sadness left by her mother's
abandonment seven years earlier.
Lexile level: 610
24 copies
Black Stallion Returns
by Farley
Alec Ramsey loves The Black,
the horse that was his companion after a shipwreck. Now that love
takes him from his New York home to the deserts of Arabia
Lexile Level: 850
40 copies
The Book of Three
by Lloyd Alexander
Taran sets out with some
strangely assorted companions to save his beloved land.
Lexile level: 770
28 copies
The Boy Who Could Make
Himself Disappear by Platt
Lexile Level: 810
29 copies
Brian's Song by William
Blinn
True story of courage and
brotherhood on and off the football field. Tie in to Emmy award-winning
film.
31 copies
Call of the Wild by
London
Stolen from his family,
a dog named Buck must quickly learn the harsh law of survival among
the men and dogs of the goldcrazed North.
Lexile Level: 1120
48 copies
The Castle of Llyr
by Lloyd Alexander
While undergoing training
to be a princess, Eilonwy learns about magic for evil purposes.
Lexile Level: 790
5 copies
Celine by Brock Cole
Before Celine, a 16-year-old
artist, can take a promised trip to Europe, she must "show a little
maturity," finish an overdue paper and support her 7-year-old neighbor
during his parents divorce.
Lexile level: 720
89 copies
Child of the Owl by
Laurence Yep
A savvy street kid finds
her roots in the maze of San Francisco's Chinatown.
Lexile Level: 920
Clay Marble by Ho
Dara's is one of the thousands
of Cambodian families separated or destroyed by war, but there is
hope as she and her brother and mother head for a refugee camp on
the Thailand border.
Lexile level: 869
76 copies
Crispin by Avi
Set in 14th-century England,
Avi’s 50th book begins with a funeral, that of a village outcast
whose past is shrouded in mystery and whose adolescent son is known
only as "Asta's son." Mired in grief for his mother, the
boy learns his given name, Crispin, from the village priest, although
his presumably dead father's identity remains obscure.
Lexile Level: 780
69 copies
Dandelion Wine by
Ray Bradbury
Unknown, supernatural events
transformed into everyday occurrences.
Lexile Level: 880
A Day No Pigs Would Die
by Robert Peck
A gentle, heartwarming
novel about a 13-year-old about a 13-year-old farmboy, his love
for his father, his coming to manhood.
Lexile Level: 690
92 copies
Death Be Not Proud
by John Gunther
A father's moving story
of a son's fight for life.
Lexile Level: 1060
Do Bananas Chew Gum
by Jamie Gilson
Sam, a sixth grader who's
a math whiz, has trouble learning to read and spell. High interest,
easier reading.
Lexile Level: 690
14 copies
Door in the Hedge
by Robin McKinley
A fantastical collection
of four stories: "All four stories are linked by a leisurely
richness of expression and by their motifs: the temptation of fairy
magic versus the joyful acceptance of human mortality and the immutability
of love in the face of enchantment.
30 copies
Door in the Wall by
Marguerite De Angeli
A crippled boy in fourteenth-century
England proves his courage and earns recognition from the king.
1950 Newbery Medal.
Lexile Level: 990
34 copies
Dragonwings by Lauernce
Yep
The beautiful story of
Moon Shadow and his father Windrider, a Chinese immigrant who made
a flying machine in 1909.
Lexile Level: 870
107 copies
Fellowship of the Ring
by J.R.R. Tolkien
The first book of the famous
fantasy trilogy.
Lexile Level: 860
Funny Girl Like Me
by O'donnell
Everything is new for Jeanne.
She's in a new town, going to a new school. When she discovers a
way to be the life of every party, she's Miss Popularity, always
in demand. Only Tim, who isn't part of the "right" crowd
but is the right boy for Jeanne, doesn;t like what she's doing.
Giver by Lowry
Winner of the 1994 Newbery
Medal, this thought-provoking novel centers on a 12-year-old boy's
gradual disillusionment with an outwardly utopian futuristic society.
Lexile Level: 760
145 copies
Ghost Soldier by Alphin
Alexander Raskin is a special
boy, which is why he sometimes sees ghosts from events long past.
Alexander hasn't seen ghosts for a long time, nor felt special,
either. Least of all when he and his dad drive from Indiana to North
Carolina for a visit with his father's girlfriend, Paige Hambrick,
and her two children. Alexander is upset to learn that these strangers
may become his stepfamily, and it's cold comfort that the oldest
Hambrick kid seems equally unenthusiastic about the idea. By the
time the group visits a Civil War battle site, Alexander's emotions
are in turmoil, his supernatural ability suddenly reappears, and
he falls into a "window through time."
Lexile Level: 750
30 copies
Glory Field by Myers
This moving, effective
novel is a sort of Roots for young adults. It chronicles the African
American experience through the lives and times of one family, beginning
in 1753 with the capture of Muhammed Bilal in Sierra Leone. He survives
his journey to America on a slave ship to become the founder of
a family, whose history The Glory Field is all about.
Lexile Level: 800
127 copies
Harriet Tubman by
Petry
Born a slave, Harriet Tubman
dreamed of freedom. And through hard work and her willingness to
risk everything-including her life-she was able to make that dream
come true. So she became a conductor on the Underground Railroad,
and devoted her life to helping others make the journey out of bondage.
Lexile level: 1000
73 copies
High King by Alexander
When the sword of dyrnwyn,
the most powerful weapon in the kingdom of Prydain, falls into the
hands of Arawn-Death-Lord, Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, and Prince
Gwydion raise an army to march against Arawn's terrible cohorts. After
a winter expedition filled with danger, Taran's army arrives at
Mount Dragon, Arawn's stronghold. There, in a thrilling
confrontation with Arawn and the evil enchantress Achren, Taran
is forced to make the most crucial decision of his life.
Lexile Level: 900
4 copies
High Elk's Treasure
by Sneve
Trying to locate a valuable
filly lost during a storm, thirteen-year-old Joe High Elk discovers
an object of historical importance.
Lexile Level: 820
44 copies
Holes by Sachar
Stanley Yelnats has been
wrongly accused of stealing a famous baseball player's valued sneakers
and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention home where
the boys dig holes in the miserable Texas heat. It's just one more
piece of bad luck that's befallen Stanley's family for generations
as a result of the infamous curse of Madame Zeroni.
Lexile Level: 660
15 copies
Homeless Bird by Whelan
Whelan blends modern Hindu
culture with age-old Indian traditions as she profiles a poor girl's
struggle to survive in a male-dominated society. Only 13 when her
parents find her a husband, Koly can't help feeling apprehensive
about leaving home to live in a distant village with her in-laws
and husband, none of whom she has met.
Lexile Level: 800
4 copies
The House of Dies Drear
by Virginia Hamilton
A mystery about a young
black boy's house, which had onlce played a part in the Underground
Railway.
Lexile Level: 670
83 copies
I Heard the Owl Call my
Name by
This book tells of a young
vicar named Mark, sent to a remote Kwakiutl village not knowing
he has less than three years to live. In the village, Mark comes
to understand the Kwakiutl Indians around him and sees how their
traditions are being destroyed through the influence of white men.
Lexile Level: 1080
27 copies
I, Juan de Paraja
by Trevino
Novel, written in the
form of an autobiography, about the painter Velezquez and his Negro
slave and assistant, Juan de Pareja who was legally prohibited from
painting because he was a slave
Lexile Level: 1100
8 copies
Incredible Journey
by Burnford
Instinct told them that
the way home lay to the west. And so the Labrador retriever, the
bull terrier and the Siamese set out through the Canadian wilderness.
Separately, they would have died. But, together, the three house
pets faced starvation, exposure, and wild forest animals to make
their way home to the family they love
Lexile Level: 1320
35 copies
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
An Indian girl is left
alone on an island for ten year.
Lexile Level: 1000
20 copies
Journey to Topaz by
Yoshiko Uchida
The story of 11-year-oldYuki
and her family who, after Pearl harbor, are forced from their home
and made to live in Topaz, a concentration camp in the desert.
Lexile Level: 970
36 copies
Journey to Jo'Burg: A
South African Story by Beverley Naidoo
Separated from their mother
by the harsh social and economic conditions prevalent among blacks
in South Africa, 13-year-old Naledi and her younger brother make
a journey over 300 kilometers to find her in Johannesburg.
Lexile Level: 760
64 copies
Julie of the Wolves
by George
Miyax, like many adolescents,
is torn. But unlike most, her choices may determine whether she
lives or dies. At 13, an orphan, and unhappily married, Miyax runs
away from her husband's parents' home, hoping to reach San Francisco
and her pen pal. But she becomes lost in the vast Alaskan tundra,
with no food, no shelter, and no idea which is the way to safety.
Lexile Level: 860
76 copies
Let the Circle by Unbroken
by Taylor
Four black children growing
up in rural Mississippi during the Depression experience racial
antagonisms and hard times, but learn from their parents the pride
and self-respect they need to survive.
Lexile Level: 850
29 copies
Lightland by McCutcheon
When a magic box made by
her father transports Lottie and her friend Lewis to a dreamlike
world called LightLand, they are drawn to the tower of the NightKing,
who is stealing people's memories for his own diabolical use.
Lexile Level: 600
5 copies
Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe by Lewis
Lexile Level: 940
69 copies
Lizard Music by Pinkwater
When left to take care
of himself, a young boy becomes involved with a community of intelligent
lizards who tell him of a little known invasion from outer space.
Lexile Level: 790
27 copies
Lyddie
by Paterson
Paterson deftly depicts
a Lowell, Massachusetts fabric mill in the 1840s and a factory girl
whose life is changed by her experiences there.
Lexile Level: 860
6 copies
Matilda Bone by Cushman
Matilda, the medieval orphan
girl who arrives as an apprentice to Peg the Bonesetter on Blood
and Bone Alley. Matilda has been brought up by Fr. Leufredus in
a manor house where her late father had been clerk, and she is horrified
that she is now expected to perform such tasks as cleaning, shopping,
and tending the fire.
Lexile Level: 850
66 copies
Missing May by Rylant
This short novel is a study
of grief--chiefly, that felt by Summer after her foster mother's
sudden death, but also her sorrow at witnessing the grief of Ob,
her foster father--she realizes that she herself may not be reason
enough for him to go on living. And for several months it seems
as if he may not in fact go on, until Summer and Ob take a short
car trip that somehow transforms their lives
Lexile Level: 980
52 copies
Murder on the Orient Express
by Christie
What more can a mystery
addict desire than a much-loathed murder victim found aboard the
luxurious Orient Express with multiple stab wounds, thirteen likely
suspects, an incomparably brilliant detective in Hercule Poirot,
and the most ingenious crime ever conceived?
Lexile Level: 640
28 copies
Never Cry Wolf by
Mowat
Mowat's account of the
summer he lived in the frozen tundra alone-studying the wolf population
and developing a deep affection for the wolves (who were of no threat
to caribou or man) and for a friendly Inuit tribe known as the Ihalmiut.
Lexile Level: 1330
59 copies
Nothing But the Truth
by Avi
A ninth-grader's suspension
for humming, "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes
a national news story.
20 copies
Number the Stars by
Lowry
Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark
in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who
undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend.
Lexile Level: 670
66 copies
The Outsiders by S.E.
Hinton
An impassioned teenage
author tells it like it is with the long-haried kids from the wrong
side of the tracks.
Lexile Level: 750
59 copies
Pearl by Steinbeck
Kino, a poor Mexican pearl
fisher, finds a valuable pearl. Yet instead of bringing blessings,
the pearl acts as a harbinger of misfortune to Kino and his wife,
Juana.
Lexile Level: 1010
16 copies
Reflections of a Gift
of Watermelon Pickle by Dunning
27 copies
The Pushcart War by
Jean Merrill
The laugh-out-loud saga
of the fierce war waged by New York city pushcart peddlars and the
city's children against the mencacing bully trucks.
Lexile Level: 1020
Red Pony by Steinbeck
Book of four related stories
by John Steinbeck, published in 1937 and expanded in 1945. The stories
chronicle a young boy's maturation
Lexile Level: 810
25 copies
Return of the King
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Sam and Frodo must make
their way deep into Mordor to destroy the Ring of Power in the fires
of Mount Doom. Third book of the famous fantasy trilogy.
Lexile Level; 920
29 copies
Road to Memphis by
Taylor
The Newbery Medalist's
third powerful entry in the Logan family saga concerns 17-year-old
Cassie's involvement in civil rights.
Lexile Level: 670
29 copies
Roll of Thunder, Hear
My Cry by Taylor
Mildred Taylor's Newbery
Award-winning book is the bittersweet and beautifully written story
of the Logans, a poor black family struggling through poverty and
racism in Depression-era Mississippi.
Lexile Level: 920
52 copies
Sarah Bishop by Scott
O'Dell
With the outbreak of the
Revolutionary War, Sarah, a young New yorker, finds herself fugitive
from the British Army, living outside the law.
Lexile Level: 760
30 copies
Scorpions by Myers
Jamal, who is pressured
to become leader of the Scorpions gang, worries about school, family,
and the rough kids on the street. When a fellow gang member gives
him a gun, Jamal suddenly gains a new level of respect from his
enemies. A realistic look at a boy who wants to do the right thing
but gets caught up in the culture of violence.
Lexile Level: 610
12 copies
Shakespeare:
Taming of the Shrew
39 copies
Twelfth Night 15
copies
Romeo and Juliet
59 copies
Hamlet 14 copies
Shiloh by Naylor
Lexile Level: 890
65 copies
Slave Dancer by Fox
Lexile Level: 970
40 copies
So Far from the Bamboo
Grove by Watkins
This riveting novel, based
on the author's own experiences, describes a Japanese family forced
to flee their home in Korea at the end of WW II.
Lexile Level: 730
51 copies
Something Wicked This
Way Comes by Bradbury
Memorable story of two
boys, James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips
their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a "dark carnival"
one Autumn midnight.
Lexile Level: 820
29 copies
Stargirl by Spinelli
Part fairy godmother, part
outcast, part dream-come-true, the star of Spinelli's novel shares
many of the mythical qualities as the protagonist of his Maniac
Magee. Spinelli poses searching questions about loyalty to one's
friends and oneself and leaves readers to form their own answers,
Lexile Level: 590
8 copies
Story Catcher by Sandoz
A young Sioux warrior earns
the right to be called historian for his tribe after numerous adventures
and trials which test his ability to tell the story of his people
with truth and courage.
Lexile Level: 1310
25 copies
Tears of a Tiger by
Sharon M. Draper
A young African-American
boy has difficulty coming to terms with the death of friend who
died as a result of a car accident that resulted from drinking and
driving.
Lexile Level: 700
76 copies
That was then, This is
Now by Hinton
Hinton paints a richly
textured portrait of two boys at a crossroads in their friendship.
With careful, intimate strokes, Hinton reveals a boy struggling
over whether to protect his best friend or whether to follow his
own beliefs about right and wrong.
Time Bike by Langton
Eighth-grader Eddy Hall
and his older sister Eleanor plan to use their time-traveling bicycle
to improve the past and avoid hassles in the future, until several
misadventures show them that time is too powerful for even an enchanted
bike to change.
Lexile Level: 810
66 copies
Touching Spirit Bear
by Mikaelsen
Cole Matthews is a violent
teen offender convicted of viciously beating a classmate. Cole elects
to participate in Circle Justice, an alternative sentencing program
based on traditional Native American practices that results in his
being banished to a remote Alaskan Island where he is left to survive
for a year.
Lexile Level:670
60 copies
The True Confessions of
Charlotte Doyle by Avi
As the long "young lady"
on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain
is murderous and the crew rebellious.
Lexile Level: 740
90 copies
Two Towers by Tolkien
Lexile Level: 810
22 copies
Walkabout by Marshall
40 copies
Westing Game by Ellen
Raskin
Sixteen game players, heirs
to Sam Westing's fabulous fortune, are all suspected of his murder.
1979 Newbery Medal.
Lexile Level: 750
35 copies
When Legends Die by
When his father killed another brave, Thomas Black Bull and his
parents sought refuge in the wilderness. Left alone, the young Indian
boy vowed never to return to the white man's world, to the alien
laws that had condemned his father.
Lexile Level:
Where the Red Fern Grows
by Rawlings
Billy and his precious
coonhound pups romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to "tree"
the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted
gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost
coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion.
Lexile Level: 700
96 copies
White Fang by London
Lexile Level: 900
58 copies
Who Put That Hair on My
Toothbrush by Jerry Spinelli
It's all out war between
brother and sister, Megin (Megamouth) and Greg (Grosso), who do
everything to sabotage each other.
Lexile Level: 600
36 copies
The Witch of Blackbird
Pond by Elizabeth Speare
Puritan neighbors regard
Kit Tyler with suspicion, fear, and anger, when she befriends an
old woman accused of witchcraft. 1959 Newbery Medal.
Lexile Level; 850
25 copies
Wrinkle in Time by
L'Engle
Meg's shattering, yet ultimately
freeing, discovery that her father is not omnipotent provides a
satisfying coming-of-age element. Readers will feel a sense of power
as they travel with these three children, challenging concepts of
time, space, and the triumph of good over evil.
Lexile Level: 740
37 copies
Year Down Yonder by
Peck
Mary Alice has been sentenced
to a year-long stay in rural Illinois with her irrepressible, rough
and gruff grandmother. Soon, however, she becomes Grandma's partner
in crime, helping to carry out madcap schemes to benefit friends
and avenge enemies.
Lexile Level:
7 copies
Genre Sets
Adventure
Mystery - 7th
