Middle School Reads!

by Yona Zeldis McDononough Lexile: 650 Genre: Biography Harriet Tubman was a courageous woman. She was a former slave who risked her life over and over again to help slaves escape to freedom. She was a secret conductor on the Underground Railroad and worked as a nurse and a spy during the Civil War.

by Jessica Day George Lexile: 810 Genre: Traditional Literature "The lass" is the youngest of nine children. Her mother's disappointment in having yet another girl causes her to grow up without a name. Until "the lass" meets the mysterious white reindeer who gives her a gift - a name and the ability to communicate with animals. One day a bear appears at the cottage door and asks "the lass" to go with him to his enchanted palace where she must live with him for one year and a day. If she complies, her family will have wealth and happiness the rest of their lives. "The lass" goes, much to the horror of her older brother, who knows secrets about the palace that he cannot tell her.

by Eric Berlin Lexile: 670 Genre: Mystery Winston Breen loves to solve puzzles. He thinks he's giving his sister a little wooden box for her birthday, but it turns out to have a false bottom with some mysterious puzzle pieces inside. When Winston shows the pieces to the town librarian, her hysterical reaction surprises and startles him. Before Winston and his friends realize it, they are in the midst of a full scale treasure hunt.

by Rick Riordan Lexile: 650 Genre: Fantasy Brother and sister, Carter and Sadie Kane, have been living apart for 6 years, since their mother's death. They seemingly have nothing uncommon until they are reunited by their father on Christmas Eve. They go with him to the British Museum, but things go terribly wrong when their father vanishes in a mysterious explosion. Who exactly are Sadie and Carter Kane? And who were their parents? They have no idea of the adventure that awaits within the Red Pyramid!

by Alan Gratz Lexile: 840 Genre: Historical Fiction The Schneider kids have one thing in common: baseball. This novel is a collection of nine stories that span from 1845-2002 that explains how each generation of the Schneider family connected their lives to baseball. Felix, the German immigrant, begins the family's American story. Each successive story furthers this tradition that Felix began. One baseball comes full circle by the end of the book.

by Tim Green Lexile: 800 Genre: Realistic Fiction Troy White has an amazing gift. He can watch a football game and predict just about any play before it happens. His mom has just landed a new job with the Atlanta Falcons and they are in the midst of a losing season. Troy thinks he can turn things around for them. But how will he convince the Falcon organization to listen to a 12 year old kid?

by Dan Gutman Lexile: 660 Genre: Realistic Fiction Jimmy and his skateboarding friends on are their way to a summer vacation in California where they hope to be discovered by a skateboarding company. Their journey begins uneventfully, but quickly turns deadly when terrorists attack the pilots and take control of the plane. Now their main concern is survival. Will they ever skateboard again?

by Nora Raleigh Baskin Lexile: 640 Genre: Realistic Fiction Jason Blake is a 12 year old with autism trying to make sense of the world around him. He struggles in school with making friends and following social cues, but in his own world and the world he's created on his online Storyboard website, he feels comfortable with who he is. He strikes up a correspondence with another writer, Rebecca, and when their two worlds intersect, Jason is terrified that once she meets him, she will no longer want to be is friend.

by James Dashner Lexile: 770 Genre: Science Fiction Thomas has no memory of who he is when he wakes up in a strange new place where no one will answer his questions. But he has a nagging sense, that he has been there before and knows more about it than he can remember. The Gladers welcome Thomas into their strange world where a strict order is followed to make sure they all continue to survive. But the order is threatened as things start to change and people panic. Why has Thomas been sent to the Glade?

by Roland Smith Lexile: 750 Genre: Historical Fiction It's 1941 and London is no longer safe for 14 year old Nick Freestone. His mother decides that the safest place for him is in Burma, with his father who runs a teak plantation. Shortly after Nick's arrival, he discovers that Burma is not a safe place as Japanese forces are attacking. His father is carried off to a work camp and Nick is left a prisoner in his own home. Will he and his father be able to survive the war?

iu by Lauren Tarshis Lexile: ??? Genre: Historical Fiction Danny has recently moved to Hawaii and is unhappy that he had to leave his friends behind in New York City. His mom has a new job as a nurse and is trying to start a new life for them. Danny's plan is to run away back to New York, until the awful morning of December 7, 1941, when Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor. Danny and the lives of many other Hawaiians are about to change forever.

by Janet B. Pascal Lexile: 820 Genre: Biography Who was Dr. Seuss? As a boy, he loved drawing silly zoo animals. As a college student, he was voted least likely to succeed. As an adult, he wrote children's books that changed young reader's lives forever.

by Stephanie S. Tolan Lexile: 910 Genre: Realistic Fiction Charley's main goal for her summer vacation is to learn to walk without pain. Her schoolyear ended early when she was in a car crash that left her hospitalized for weeks. Now she is home, her best friend is gone for the summer, and her father wants her out of the house and moving around. Things look pretty bleak until Charley catches sight of a wild dog running through the woods. She decides to make taming him her summer project.

by Kathryn Erskine Lexile: 630 Genre: Realistic Fiction Caitlin lives in a very black and white world. She has Asperger's Syndrome and is dealing with her brother's recent and very tragic death. Life at home and school is difficult for Caitlin as she struggles to make sense of her world and tries to understand why so many people see things so differently. She works with her dad, her school counselor, and her friend Michael, to find closure - the one thing that she thinks will help bring her world to order.

by Michael Northrop Lexile: 750 Genre: Realistic Fiction Nobody knew that it was going to snow for a week, least of all the 7 students who were waiting at school to be picked up by their parents. Once they realize that they're on their own, an adventure begins that will test their patience, friendships, and ultimately become a tale of survival. Without lights, heat, water, and the increasing buildup of snow, these teenagers will have to put their trust in each other and work together in order to survive.