Kids and Families

High Interest/Lower Reading Level Books for Middle and High Schoolers

List taken from More Rip Roaring Reads for Reluctant Readers
By Bette Ammon and Gale Sherman, Libraries Unlimited 1999

Books for Middle Schoolers

The 13th Floor: a ghost story by Sid Fleischman
Fourth grade reading level with fourth through eighth grade interest level

When his older sister disappears, twelve-year old Buddy Stebbins follows her back in time and finds himself aboard a seventeenth century pirate ship captained by a distant relative.

The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman
Fourth grade reading level with fourth through eighth grade interest level

Eleven-year old Eddie gets a chance to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the NBA finals.

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
Fourth grade reading level with third grade and up interest level

Say Curtis describes his meeting with Pinkus Aylee, a black soldier, during the Civil War, and their capture by Southern troops.

Grab Hands and Run by Frances Temple
Fourth grade reading level with fourth to eighth grade interest level

After his father disappears, twelve-year-old Felipe, his mother, and his younger sister set out on a difficult and dangerous journey, trying to make their way from their home in El Salvador to Canada.

Virtual War by Gloria Skurzynski
Fifth grade reading level with fifth through ninth grade interest level

In a future world where global contamination has necessitated limited human contact, three young people with unique genetically engineered abilities are teamed up to wage a war in virtual reality.

Tae's Sonata by Hemi Balgassi
Fifth grade reading level with sixth to ninth grade interest level

Tae, a Korean American eighth grader, tries to sort out her feelings when she is assigned a popular cute boy as a partner for a school report and later has a falling out with her best friend.

Kokopelli's Flute by Will Hobbs
Fifth grade reading level with fourth through ninth grade interest level

Thirteen-year-old Tepary discovers an old flute in a cliff dwelling in New Mexico, and through its power learns about Native American magic.

No Turning Back: A Novel of South Africa by Beverly Naidoo
Fifth grade reading level with fifth through tenth grade interest level

When the abuse at home becomes too much for twelve-year-old Sipho, he runs away to the streets of Johannesburg and learns to survive in a post-apartheid world.

The Art of Making Comic Books by Michael Pellowski
Sixth grade reading level with fourth through twelfth grade interest level

This non-fiction book includes a historical overview, an explanation of jobs in large comic book companies, and an in-depth look at the "how" of comic book creations.

The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker by Cynthia DeFelice
Sixth grade reading level with fifth to eighth grade interest level

After his family dies of consumption in 1849, twelve-year old Lucas becomes a doctor's apprentice.

The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes and Uncover Mysteries of the Dead by Donna Jackson Kallner
Seventh grade reading level with fifth through twelfth grade interest level

Explores the world of forensic anthropology and its application in solving crimes by reconstructing an investigation centered on the discovery of a human skeleton buried at a remote Missouri Boy Scout camp.

Books for High School Students

Flash Fire by Caroline Cooney
Fifth grade reading level with sixth through twelfth grade interest

As fire sweeps through a canyon near Los Angeles, teenagers Danna and Hall Press and other children whose parents are not around must work together to save themselves.

Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
Fifth grade reading level with fourth through twelfth grade interest

One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful garden, and in doing so, the gardeners themselves are transformed.

Confess-O-Rama by Ron Koertge
Fifth grade reading level with seventh through twelfth grade interest

While his mother grieves the death of her fourth husband, Tony vents his feelings to the Confess-O-Rama, never suspecting who is on the other end of the line.

Don't Scream by Joan Lowery Nixon
Fifth grade reading level with eighth through twelfth grade interest level

When two new guys come to her school, Jess thinks things are really looking up, but she doesn't know their real identities or if she can trust them.

Liar by Winifred Morris
Fifth grade reading level with sixth grade through eleventh grade interest level

Fourteen-year-old Alex struggles to rise above the life events which seem to conspire against him, from a mother who lies, to a probation officer who won't give him a break, to bullies at his new school.

The Night the Heads Came by William Sleator
Fifth grade reading level with a sixth through twelfth grade interest level

When aliens abduct both Leo and his artist friend Tim, Leo tries to determine why these creatures from outer space want particularly to use his friend's talent.

Wrestling Sturbridge by Rich Wallace
Fifth grade reading level wth a eighth through twelfth grade interest level

Stuck in a small town where no one ever leaves and relegated by his wrestling coach to sit on the bench while his best friend becomes state champion, Ben decides he can't let his last high school wrestling season slip by without challenging his friend and the future.

The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer
Sixth grade reading level with a eighth grade through twelfth grade interest level

Seventeen-year-old Kate hopes for romance when her older brother's friend Richard comes to stay at their house during Christmas vacation.

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Sixth grade reading level with a seventh through twelfth grade interest level

In order to earn money for college, fourteen-year-old LaVaughn babysits for a teenage mother.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
Seventh grade reading level with seventh grade through twelfth grade interest level

The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.

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