*Items may be found in multiple locations. Check the catalog or ask a librarian for assistance. 

Adventure

Hesse, Karen. Stowaway. [AR BL 6.1, Pts. 11.0] A fictionalized journal relates the experiences of a young stowaway from 1768 to 1771 aboard the Endeavor which sailed around the world under Captain James Cook.  

London, Jack. Call of the Wild. [AR BL 8.0, Pts. 7.0] The classic story of the dog Buck and his adventures in the Klondike gold fields.  

Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. [AR BL 5.7, Pts. 7.0]  After a plane crash, 13-year-old Brian spends 54 days in the Canadian wilderness learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents’ divorce. 

Vanderpool, Clare. Navigating Early. [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 11.0]  An odyssey-like adventure of two boys’ incredible quest on the Appalachian Trail, where they deal with pirates, buried secrets, and extraordinary encounters.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. [AR BL 8.3, Pts. 12.0] While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate's fortune.  

Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. [AR BL 13.5, Pts. 25.0] The voyages of an Englishman carry him to a land of people six inches high, a land of giants, an island of sorcerers, and a land where horses are masters of human-like creatures.

Watson, Jude. Loot: How to Steal a Fortune. [AR BL 4.2, Pts. 8.0] When Alfie McQuinn, the notorious jewel thief, is killed on a job, his last words to his son, March, are to "find jewels." This leads the boy to Jules, the twin sister he never knew he had, and the perfect partner to carry on the family business.  

Wyss, Johann David. The Swiss Family Robinson. [AR BL 9.7, Pts. 23.0] Shipwrecked on a tropical island, a Swiss minister, his wife, and their four sons struggle to survive until they can be rescued.  

Realistic Fiction

Benjamin, Ali. The Thing about Jellyfish. [AR BL 5.0, Pts. 7.0]  12-year-old Suzy Swanson wades through her intense grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish she is convinced was responsible for her friend’s death.  
   
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. [AR BL 4.7, Pts. 7.0]  A modern classic depicting the rivalry between rich and poor gangs in 1960s Oklahoma which leads to the deaths of three teenagers and intense soul-searching for one of the kids involved, a sensitive 14-year-old writer named Ponyboy.  

Kelly, Erin Entrada. You Go First. [AR BL 4.7, Pts. 5.0] Charlotte, 12, and Ben, 11, are highly-skilled competitors at online Scrabble and that connection helps both as they face family issues and the turmoil of middle school.

Kim, Patti. I’m OK. [AR BL 4.4, Pts. 8.0] Ok, a Korean American boy, tries a get rich quick scheme of starting a hair braiding business and winning the school talent competition to hide the fact that he is struggling with the loss of his father and the financial hardships he and his mother must now bear.  

Papademetriou, Lisa. Apartment 1986.  [AR BL 5.1, Pts. 7.0] Skipping a day at her elite New York City prep school when things get a bit too intense, Callie befriends a boy who is doing research throughout the city's museums while they try to reveal why her grandmother wants to travel back to 1986.  

Perez, Celia C. The First Rule of Punk. [AR BL 4.5, PTs. 7.0] Twelve-year-old María Luisa O'Neill-Morales, who really prefers to be called Malú, reluctantly moves with her Mexican American mother to Chicago and starts seventh grade with a bang, violating the dress code with her punk rock aesthetic.  

Philbrick, W.R. (W. Rodman). Freak the Mighty. [AR BL 5.5, Pts. 5.0]  At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.   

Reynolds, Jason. Ghost. (Track #1) [AR BL 4.6, Pts. 6.0] Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down.  

Schmidt, Gary D. Okay for Now. [AR BL 4.9, Pts. 11.0]  14-year-old Doug Swieteck faces an abusive father, a brother traumatized by Vietnam, and suspicious teachers and police officers, but when he meets a girl known as Lil Spicer, he finds a safe place at the local library. 

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie. [AR BL 5.9, Pts. 8.0]  The life of eighth-grader Steven Alper, already complicated by his friendship with two girls and a prodigious talent for drumming, is turned upside down when his five-year-old brother Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia.

Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. [AR BL 4.2, Pts. 6.0]  In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.  
    
Williams, Alicia D. Genesis Begins Again. [AR BL 4.5, Pts. 11.0] 13-year-old Genesis is self-conscious of the color of her skin and her family's troubles. But then she starts to find a thing or two she likes about herself. 

Humorous  

Benjamin, Ali. The Next Great Paulie Fink. [AR BL 4.9, Pts. 9.0] Led by new student Caitlyn, seventh-graders at a tiny rural school in Vermont create a realityshow inspired competition to determine who will replace the school's legendary class clown, Paulie Fink.  

Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs. [AR BL 4.5, PL 5.0] Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play, where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play, but his own life as well.  

McCafferty, Megan. True to your Selfie. [AR BL 5.0, Pts. 8.0] Twelve-year-old Ella has everything she needs to take seventh grade by storm, from the perfect outfit to the perfect new best friend—maybe.  

Vail, Rachel. Well, That Was Awkward. [AR BL 4.3, Pts. 8.0] There are unexpected consequences when 13-year-old Gracie sends texts pretending to be her bashful best friend, Sienna, and their friend Emmett starts texting back pretending to be shy AJ. 

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Flipped. [AR BL 4.8, Pts. 8.0]  In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.   

Science Fiction / Fantasy

Beatty, Robert. Serafina and the Black Cloak. [AR BL 5.9, Pts. 11.0]  In 1899, a 12-year-old rat catcher on North Carolina’s Biltmore estate teams up with the estate owner’s young nephew to battle a great evil and, in the process, unlocks the puzzle of her past.   

Cervantes, Jennifer. Storm Runner. (Storm Runner Series #1) [AR BL 4.4, Pts. 14.0] To prevent the Mayan gods from battling each other and destroying the world, thirteen-year-old Zane must unravel an ancient prophecy, stop an evil god, and discover how his physical disability connects him to his ancestors.  

Donnelly, Jennifer. Deep Blue. (WaterFire Saga #1) [AR BL 4.4, Pts. 10.0] After an ancient evil returns, a mermaid named Serafina searches for five other mermaid heroines, who are scattered across the six seas, to save their hidden world.  

Flanagan, John. The Ruins of Gorlan. (Ranger’s Apprentice #1) [AR BL 7.0, Pts. 12.0]     
When 15-year-old Will is rejected by ‘battleschool’, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger. 

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. (Shadow Children #1) [AR BL 4.8, Pts. 5.0]  In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his 12 years in insolation and fear on his family’s farm, until another “third” convinces him that the government is wrong. 

Hale, Shannon. The Princess Academy. (Princess Academy #1 [AR BL 6.0, Pts. 10.0] While attending an academy for potential princesses with other girls from her mountain village, 14-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.  

Lu, Marie. Legend. (Legend Trilogy #1) [AR BL 4.8, Pts. 11.0] In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, 15-year-olds—famous criminal Day and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him—discover they have a common enemy.

McKinley, Robin. The Hero and the Crown. [AR BL 7.0, Pts. 15.0]  Aerin, with the guidance of the wizard Luthe and the help of the blue sword, wins the birthright due her as the daughter of the Damarian king and a witchwoman of the mysterious, demonhaunted North. 

Mull, Brandon. A World Without Heroes. (Beyonders #1) [AR BL 5.1, Pts. 19.0]  13-year-old Jason Walker is transported to a strange world called Lyrian, where he joins Rachel and a few rebels to piece together the Word that can destroy Maldor, the malicious wizard emperor. 

Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn. (Airborn #1) [AR BL 5.1, Pts. 15.0] Matt, a cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of mysterious creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's surface.  

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. (The Inheritance Cycle #1) [AR BL 5.6, Pts. 25.0] A 15-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters.  

Scott, Michael. The Alchemyst. (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1) [AR BL 6.4, Pts. 14.0] While working at summer jobs, 15-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, find themselves caught up in a deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of secret formulas.  

Shusterman, Neal and Eric Elfman. Tesla’s Attic. [AR BL 6.0, Pts. 11.0]  With a plot combining science and the supernatural, four kids are caught up in a dangerous plan concocted by the eccentric inventor, Nikola Tesla.   

Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbit. [AR BL 6.6, Pts. 16.0] Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return. 

Historical Fiction

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. (The Seeds of America Trilogy #1) [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 11.0]  After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.   

Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. [AR BL 5.3, Pts. 8.0]  As the lone “young lady” on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the crew rebellious.

Collier, James. My Brother Sam is Dead. [AR BL 4.9, Pts. 7.0]  Recounts the tragedy that strikes the Meeker family during the Revolution when one son joins the rebel forces while the rest of the family tries to stay neutral in a Tory town.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. [AR BL 5.4, Pts. 12.0]  In 1859, 11-year-old Elijah, the first freeborn child in Buxton, Canada, a haven for slaves fleeing the American South, uses his wits to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.  

Gidwitz, Adam. The Inquisitor’s Tale. [AR BL 4.5, Pts. 11.0]  Crossing paths at an Inn, 13th-century travelers impart the tales of a monastery oblate, a Jewish refugee, and a psychic peasant girl with a loyal greyhound, the three of whom join forces on a chase through France to escape persecution. 

Gratz, Alan. Projekt 1065. [AR BL 5.3, Pts. 10.0] At age 13, Michael O'Shaunessey lives in Nazi Germany with his parents. When he joins the Hitler Youth to spy for the British Secret Service, he finds himself fighting for what matters most.  

Hiranandani, Veera. The Night Diary. [AR BL 4.5, Pts. 8.0] Shy 12-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing in the pages of her diary.  

Nielsen, Jennifer A. A Night Divided. [AR BL 5.4, Pts. 11.0]  When her family is abruptly divided by the rise of the Berlin Wall, 12-year-old Gerta harbors forbidden thoughts about freedom and reuniting with her loved ones, before a coded message from her father inspires a daring plan.

Park, Linda Sue. A Long Walk to Water. [AR BL 5.0, Pts. 3] 11-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family when the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, and he must walk with other Dinka tribe members in search of a safe haven. 
    
Park, Linda Sue. When My Name Was Keoko. [AR BL 4.6, Pts. 8.0] With national pride and occasional fear, a sister and brother face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely.   

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. [AR BL 5.3, Pts. 6.0] Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to work in the labor camps of Southern California on the eve of the Great Depression.  

Schlitz, Laura Amy. The Hired Girl. [AR BL 5.7, Pts. 18.0] 14-year-old Joan Skraggs chronicles her life in a journal when she leaves her family’s farm  in Pennsylvania to work as a hired girl in Baltimore in the summer of 1911. 

Mystery

Balliett, Blue. Hold Fast. [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 9.0] On a cold winter day in Chicago, Early’s father disappeared, and now she, her mother and her brother have been forced to flee their apartment and join the ranks of the homeless – and it is up to Early to hold her family together and solve the mystery surrounding her father. 

Cavendish, Meg. Assassin. (Lady Grace Mysteries #1) [AR 5.8, Pts. 6.0] 13-year-old Lady Grace Cavendish, favorite Maid of Honour of Elizabeth I, must solve a murder mystery and clear the name of her betrothed. 

Connor, Leslie. The Truth as Told By Mason Buttle. [AR BL n/a, Pts. 8.0] As he grieves his best friend Benny's death, Mason and his friend Calvin, who are targeted by the neighborhood bullies, create an underground haven for themselves. But Mason finds himself in trouble when Calvin goes missing. 

Dionne, Erin. Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking: A 14 Day Mystery. [AR BL 5.3, Pts. 9.0] Instead of spending a carefree summer exploring downtown Boston with best friend Ollie, 13year-old Moxie must solve a famous art heist in order to protect those she loves from her ailing grandfather's gangster past.  

Fitzgerald, Laura Marx. The Gallery. [AR BL 6.1, Pts. 10.0] In 1929 New York City, 12-year-old housemaid Martha O'Doyle suspects that a wealthy recluse may be trying to communicate with the outside world through the paintings on her gallery walls.  

Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. (An Alex Rider Adventure #1) [AR BL 5.1, Pts. 7.0]  After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, 14-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle’s dangerous work for Britain’s intelligence agency MI6. 

Lane, Andrew. Death Cloud. (Sherlock Holmes, the Legend Begins #1) [AR 6.3, Pts. 12.0] In 1868, with his army officer father posted to India and his mother mysteriously "unwell," 14-year-old Sherlock is sent to stay with his uncle and aunt in Hampshire, where he uncovers his first murder. 

Rosoff, Meg. Picture Me Gone. [AR 4.8, Pts. 7.0] 12-year-old Mila travels with her father to upstate New York to visit friends and family, who may lead them to clues to the whereabouts of her father's best friend who has gone missing. 

Sands, Kevin. The Blackthorn Key. (A Blackthorn Key Adventure #1) [AR BL 4.6, Pts. 10.0] In 1665 London, 14-year-old Christopher Rowe, apprentice to an apothecary, and his best friend, Tom, try to uncover the truth behind a mysterious cult, following a trail of puzzles, codes, pranks, and danger toward an unearthly secret with the power to tear the world apart.