Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lexiles But Were Afraid to Ask
What Are Lexiles?
Lexiles are one way of measuring reading ability. The Lexile Framework for Reading (www.lexile.com) is a scientific approach to measuring readers and reading materials. Standardized tests used in Texas measure students reading levels in Lexiles (L). If you want to know more about Lexiles, you can read this flyer produced by the company.
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This Chart is a rough measure of appropriate Lexiles for many students.
Grade Level |
Reader Measures |
Text Measures (Lexile Range) |
| 1 | up to 300L | 200L to 400L |
| 2 | 140L to 500L | 300L to 500L |
| 3 | 330L to 700L | 500L to 700L |
| 4 | 445L to 810L | 650L to 850L |
| 5 | 565L to 910L | 750L to 950L |
| 6 | 665L to 1000L | 850L to 1050L |
| 7 | 735L to 1065L | 950L to 1075L |
| 8 | 805L to 1100L | 1000L to 1100L |
| 9 | 855L to 1165L | 1050L to 1150L |
| 10 | 905L to 1195L | 1100L to 1200L |
| 11-12 | 940L to 1210L | 1100L to 1300L |
Lists of Books by Lexile
English Lists |
Spanish Lists |
Beginning Reader 
Are you my mother? - Eastman, P. D. A little bird asks animals, planes, and boats, "Are you my mother?" until he finds his own mother. AR: 1.6, Lexile BR
Clifford makes a friend - Bridwell, Norman. Because Clifford, the big red dog, imitates everything the boy does, he quickly makes a friend. AR: 0.4, Lexile BR
Come to school, dear dragon - Hillert, Margaret. A boy's pet dragon visits him at school and joins in the classroom activities. AR: 1.0, Lexile BR
Go, dog, go! - Eastman, P. D. A story for beginning readers about busy dogs of all sizes and colors, engaged in all manner of silly activities. AR: 1.2, Lexile BR
Great day for up - Seuss, Dr.
Rhymed text and illustrations introduce the many meanings of "up." AR:
0.8, Lexile BR
Hop on Pop - Seuss, Dr. Pairs of rhyming words are introduced and used in simple sentences, such as "Day. Play. We play all day. Night. Fight. We fight all night." AR: 1.5, Lexile BR
Amelia Bedelia and the baby - Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia follows to the letter the list of instructions for looking after the Lanes' baby. Lexile: 80
Amelia Bedelia - Parish, Peggy. A literal-minded housekeeper causes a ruckus in the household when she attempts to make sense of some instructions. AR: 2.5, Lexile: 140
My nine lives - Priceman, Marjorie. Purports to be the journal of a cat recounting all nine of the lives she has lived and her remarkable effect on history, beginning in Mesopotamia in 3000 B.C. and culminating in Wisconsin in 1995. AR: 2.5, Lexile: 180
The William problem - Baker, Barbara, Liza hates third grade because she is separated from her best friend and she has mean Mrs. Rumford as her teacher, until she begins to make new friends. AR: 2.6, Lexile: 200
Third grade is terrible - Baker, Barbara, Liza is convinced third grade is going to be great until she gets to school that first day and everything starts going wrong. AR: 2.7, Lexile: 230
Mummies in the morning - Osborne, Mary Pope. Jack and his younger sister take a trip in their tree house back to ancient Egypt, where they help a queen's mummy continue her voyage to the Next Life. AR: 2.7, Lexile: 230
My Grandma, major-league slugger - Greenburg, Dan. When magic enables Zack's eighty-eight-year-old grandmother to become a terrific batter, she ends up playing in a Chicago White Sox baseball game. AR: 3.4, Lexile: 250
The chicken pox panic - Lewis, Beverly, Chicken pox interferes with Abby's birthday surprise for her adopted Korean brother.AR: 2.7, Lexile: 270
Beans on the roof - Byars, Betsy Cromer As each of the five members of the Bean family tries to write a "roof" poem, they come to realize just how nice it is to be a Bean. AR: 2.4, Lexile: 280
The case of the class clown - Preller, James. Jigsaw and Mila investigate when someone in Ms. Gleason's class plays practical jokes. AR: 2.8, Lexile: 280
Night of the Ninjas - Osborne, Mary Pope. The magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back in time to feudal Japan where the siblings learn about the ways of the Ninja. AR: 2.7, Lexile: 280
Afternoon on the Amazon - Osborne, Mary Pope. Eight-year-old Jack, his seven-year-old sister, Annie, and Peanut the mouse ride in a tree house to the Amazon rain forests, where they encounter giant ants, flesh-eating piranhas, hungry crocodiles, and wild jaguars. AR: 2.6, Lexile: 290
Marvin Redpost : kidnapped at birth? - Sachar, Louis, Red-haired Marvin is convinced that the reason he looks different from the rest of his family is that he is really the lost prince of Shampoon. AR: 2.8, Lexile: 290
Marvin Redpost : why pick on me? - Sachar, Louis, A small incident during recess threatens to turn nine-year-old Marvin into the outcast of his third-grade class. AR: 2.7, Lexile: 290
Pirates past noon - Osborne, Mary Pope. The magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back to the days of deserted islands, secret maps, hidden gold, and nasty pirates. AR: 2.8, Lexile: 290
Who's in love with Arthur? - Krensky, Stephen. Best friends Arthur and Francine begin to have doubts about their relationship when their classmates accuse them of being in love with one another. AR: 3.0, Lexile: 290
Grades 3-6 Lexile 300
Sachar, Louis, Marvin Redpost : is he a girl?
After Casey Happleton tells him that if he kisses his elbow he will turn into a girl, nine-year-old Marvin experiments and finds himself very confused about his identity. AR:2.8, Lexile: 300
McKissack, Pat, Miami gets it straight
With
only five more days of school remaining before summer vacation,
nine-year-old Miami still faces several hurdles, such as how to get
along with Destinee Tate, his nemesis.
AR: 2.8, Lexile: 300
O'Malley, Kevin, Mount Olympus basketball
Zeus,
Hera, Athena, Poseidon, and Hades pull some dirty tricks as they face
off against Hercules, Jason, Odysseus, Achilles, and Theseus in this
gods versus mortals basketball game in ancient Greece.
AR: 3.0, Lexile: 300
Fletcher, Ralph J., Tommy Trouble and the magic marble
Five-year-old Bradley tries to help big brother Tommy earn enough money to buy a magnificent marble for his collection. AR: 2.6, Lexile: 310
Osborne, Mary Pope, Dingoes at dinnertime
The magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie away to Australia where they must save some animals from a wildfire. AR: 3.2, Lexile: 310
Cox, Judy. Third grade pet
Fearing for the safety of the third grade's class pet, Cheese the rat, Rosemary takes him home in her backpack and creates chaos in the household. AR: 3.1, Lexile: 320
Hermes, Patricia. Westward to home
In
1848, nine-year-old Joshua Martin McCullough writes a journal of his
family's journey from Missouri to Oregon in a covered wagon. Includes a
historical note about westward migration.
AR: 3.1, Lexile: 320
Adler, David A. Cam Jansen and the school play mystery
When a thief takes the box office money at the school play, Cam uses her photographic memory to solve the mystery. AR: 3.4, Lexile: 330
Bulla,
Clyde Robert. Shoeshine girl
Determined to earn some money, ten-year-old Sarah Ida gets a job at a
shoeshine stand and learns a great many things besides shining
shoes. AR: 2.7, Lexile: 330
Haas, Jessie. Runaway Radish
When Radish the pony grows too big for the girls who own him, he goes to live at a horse camp where there are always new children for him to train. AR: 3.2, Lexile: 340
Kline, Suzy. Horrible Harry goes to the moon
Inspired by his third-grade class's study of the moon, Harry announces
that he is going there.
AR: 2.9, Lexile: 340
Spinelli, Jerry. Blue ribbon blues
When Tooter Pepperday and her family move to her aunt's farm, she decides to show everyone and win a blue ribbon at the county fair. AR: 2.7, Lexile: 340
Osborne, Mary Pope. - Ghost town at sundown
Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back to the Wild West, where they experience excitement and danger and try to solve a riddle. AR: 3.0, Lexile: 350
Spinner, Stephanie. - Aliens for dinner
Aric the alien returns to Earth to help Richard Bickerstaff save the
world from an invasion of Dwilbs, pollution-loving aliens who want to
turn the planet into a toxic theme park. AR: 3.4, Lexile: 350
Cox, Judy. - Weird stories from the Lonesome Cafe
Sam moves to Nevada with his uncle to run a cafe in the middle of nowhere, and although Uncle Clem insists that nothing ever happens there, his clientele consists of a number of strange characters, including Dorothy and Toto, Elvis, and Bigfoot. AR: 3.0, Lexile: 350
Hermes,
Patricia. - The starving time
Nine-year-old Elizabeth keeps a journal of her experiences in the New
World as she encounters Indians, suffers hunger and the death of
friends, and helps her father build their first home. AR: 3.2, Lexile:
360
Krensky, Stephen. - Arthur and the Crunch cereal contest
Arthur really wants to enter a song in the Crunch Cereal Jingle Contest, but when he cannot come up with a good idea, he enters a song his sister wrote instead. AR: 3.0, Lexile: 360
Warner, Gertrude Chandler, The woodshed mystery
The
boxcar children uncover a double mystery involving an old friend of Aunt
Jane's.
AR: 4.3, Lexile: 360
Blume, Judy. - Freckle juice
Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon's freckle recipe for fifty cents.
AR: 3.1, Lexile: 370
Simon, Francesca. - Horrid Henry
Horrible Henry causes his brother Perfect Peter all sorts of problems when he behaves properly for a change, upstages Peter at a dance recital, plays pirates, and goes on a camping trip. AR: 3.3, Lexile: 370
Byars, Betsy Cromer. - The seven treasure hunts
Two boys make up a series of treasure hunts for each other, with disastrous and hilarious results.
AR: 2.7, Lexile: 380
McKissack, Pat, 1944- - Tippy Lemmey
Leandra, Paul, and Jeannie keep trying to avoid a dog named Tippy Lemmey until they discover that he is not really their enemy. AR: 3.0, Lexile: 380
Greene, Stephanie. - Owen Foote, soccer star
Eight-year-old Owen and his best friend Joseph face a test of their game skills and their friendship when they join a neighborhood soccer league. AR: 3.1, Lexile: 380
Wick,
Walter . - Walter Wick's optical tricks
Presents a series of optical illusions and explains what is seen.
AR: 3.2, Lexile: 380
Avi, 1937- - Abigail takes the wheel
When the first mate of the freight boat Neptune falls ill, it is up to Abigail, the captain's daughter, to steer the ship up the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York City. AR: 2.9, Lexile: 390
Conford,
Ellen. - Annabel the actress starring in Gorilla my dreams
Though a little disappointed that her first acting part is to be a
gorilla at a birthday party, Annabel determines to really get into the
role. AR: 2.9, Lexile: 390
McDonald, Megan. - Judy Moody predicts the future
After Judy obtains a mood ring, she tries to convince herself and her third-grade classmates that she can predict the future. AR: 3.1, Lexile: 390
Grades 3-6 Lexile 400
Conford, Ellen. - Jenny Archer to the rescue After perfecting her first aid skills, Jenny is disappointed in not finding anyone to rescue and decides to invent her own emergencies. AR: 3.1, Lexile: 400
Hamilton, Virginia. - Time pieces : the book of times
Valena, her family, and dog live in rural Ohio, where she and her cousin
Melinda share experiences that include seeing the aurora borealis,
surviving a tornado, and going to an amazing circus. AR: 3.2, Lexile:
400
Joosse, Barbara M. - Ghost trap : a Wild Willie mystery When Wild Willie's best friend Kyle moves back to the neighborhood the boys suspect that Kyle's new house is haunted. AR: 3.2, Lexile: 400
Hale, Bruce. - The chameleon wore chartreuse When hired by a fellow fourth-grader to find her missing brother, Chet Gecko uncovers a plot involving a Gila monster's revenge upon the school football team. AR: 3.5, Lexile: 410
Krensky, Stephen. - Arthur and the goalie ghost Arthur and his hockey teammates, as well as the ghost of the greatest goalie of all time, help out when Buster worries he'll never be as good a goalie as his hero. AR: 3.5, Lexile: 410
Rappaport, Doreen. - Martin's big words : the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Looks at the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, explaining his work to bring about a peaceful end to segregation. AR: 3.4, Lexile: 410
Etra, Jonathan. - Aliens for breakfast Finding an intergalactic special agent in his cereal box, Richard joins the extraterrestrial in a fight to save Earth from the Dranes, one of whom is masquerading as a student in Richard's class. AR: 3.2, Lexile: 420
Montes, Marisa. - A crazy mixed-up Spanglish day In Northern California, Maritza Gabriela Morales Mercado struggles to deal with the third grade bully, to control her temper, and to remember to speak Spanish at home and English at school. AR: 3.1, Lexile: 420
Spinelli, Jerry. - The bathwater gang Bertie's all-girl gang becomes involved in a harmless but heartfelt war with an all-boy gang, until Bertie's grandmother steps in with a perfect solution. AR: 3.0, Lexile: 420
The night has ears : African proverbs A collection of twenty-six proverbs, some serious and some humorous, from a variety of African tribes. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 420
Kline, Suzy. - Horrible Harry and the dungeon It's almost summer vacation and the students in room 2B are having trouble concentrating on their butterfly project, until a frightening-looking new teacher comes to supervise the Suspension Room and Harry is sent there as punishment for unruly behavior. AR: 3.1, Lexile: 430
Gilson, Jamie. - Bug in a rug Seven-year-old Richard is self-conscious when he receives a pair of purple pants from his aunt and uncle and has to wear them to school, but he is even more worried when his uncle shows up for a visit to his classroom. AR: 2.9, Lexile: 430
Giff, Patricia Reilly. - Kidnap at the Catfish Cafe Assisted by her cat Max, sixth grader Minnie starts up her new detective agency by investigating a kidnapping and a thief who will steal anything, even a hot stove. AR: 3.5, Lexile: 440
Hermes, Patricia. - The wild year In this book, Joshua's diary comes to an end with stories of life in Oregon, his sister lost in the woods, and Joshua starting school. AR: 3.5, Lexile: 440
Sachar, Louis, 1954- - Wayside School is falling down More humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, where students learn to tango, face the cafeteria's dreaded Mushroom Surprise, and study a hobo during Show and Tell. AR: 3.4, Lexile: 440
Christopher, Matt. - The lucky baseball bat Marty loses his lucky baseball bat, and his confidence along with it, and wonders if he will recover both in time to help the Tigers win the championship. AR: 3.2, Lexile: 450
Kimmel, Eric A. - Website of the cracked cookies While trying to play the games at a seemingly harmless Website, Jess and her friend Matt are sucked into a cyber world filled with characters from familiar fairy tales, all controlled by the evil Granny Goose. AR: 3.5, Lexile: 450
Rylant,
Cynthia. Summer party
Nine-year-old cousins Lily, Rosie, and Tess are sad when it is time to
leave Aunt Lucy, so they plan a party and get a special surprise to look
forward to in the near future. AR: 3.5, Lexile: 460
Blume,
Judy. - Tales of a fourth grade nothing
Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever-increasing
problem. AR: 3.3, Lexile: 470
MacLachlan, Patricia. - Skylark
When a drought tests the commitment of a mail-order bride from Maine to
her new home on the prairie, her stepchildren hope they will be able to
remain a family. AR: 3.2, Lexile: 470
Levine, Gail Carson. - The princess test In this humorous retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea," Lorelei must pass many difficult tests in order to prove that she is a true princess and win the hand of Prince Nicholas. AR: 4.0, Lexile: 480
Warner, Gertrude Chandler, 1890- - The boxcar children Four orphans, two boys and two girls, set up housekeeping in an old boxcar. AR: 3.9, Lexile: 490
Tripp,
Valerie, 1951- - Samantha and the missing pearls When her
friend Nellie is suspected of stealing Mrs. Van Sicklen's black pearls
at Christmastime, Samantha helps her discover where they really went.
AR: 3.6, Lexile: 490
Slote,
Alfred. - Finding Buck McHenry
Eleven-year-old Jason, believing the school custodian Mack Henry to be
Buck McHenry, a famous pitcher from the old Negro League, tries to
enlist him as a coach for his Little League team by revealing his
identity to the world. AR: 3.5, Lexile: 500
Wallace, Bill, 1947- - Snot stew Brother and sister cats are taken in by a family and learn the pleasures and dangers of living alongside humans. AR: 3.2, Lexile: 500
Auch, Mary Jane. - I was a third grade spy When Brian's dog Arful suddenly begins talking, Brian and his two friends send the dog to find out what their classmates are planning for the school talent show. AR: 3.3, Lexile: 510
Etra,
Jonathan. – Aliens for lunch
When their bag of microwave popcorn explodes and a space alien emerges,
Richard and Henry join him on a top secret interstellar mission to save
the desserts of the universe. AR: 3.7, Lexile: 510
Gorman, Carol. – Dork in disguiseStarting middle school in a new town, brainy Jerry Flack changes his image from “dork” to “cool kid,” only to discover that he’d rather be himself. AR: 4.2 Lexile: 510
Climo,
Shirley. - Atalanta's race : a Greek myth -.
Retells the myth of the Greek princess, rejected by her father, raised
by bears, won in marriage in a race by Melanion, and then changed into a
lioness by an angry Aphrodite. AR: 4.3, Lexile: 520
Creech,
Sharon. – Pleasing the ghost
Nine-year-old Dennis, whose uncle and father died within a year of one
another, is visited by the ghost of his uncle, and together they settle
some unfinished business. AR: 3.0, Lexile: 520
Evans, Douglas, 1953- - The elevator family The four members of the Wilson family decide to spend their holiday in one of the elevators at the San Francisco Hotel. AR: 4.0, Lexile: 520
George,
Jean Craighead. - How to talk to your dog Describes how dogs
communicate with people through their behavior and sounds and explains
how to talk back to them using sounds, behavior, and body language.
AR: 4.4, Lexile: 530
Pinkwater, Daniel Manus, 1941- - The Werewolf Club meets the Hound of
the Basketballs
The Watson Elementary School Werewolf Club goes on a field trip to
Basketball Hall, where Sir Hugo hopes they will solve the mystery of the
hound which has plagued his family for generations. AR: 4.0, Lexile:
530
Tripp, Valerie, 1951- - Josefina's song In the early 1800s, when ten-year-old Josefina accompanies her father into the New Mexican mountains to check on the elderly shepherd who works for him and she proves herself a good traveling companion when her father has an accident. AR: 3.6, Lexile: 530
Avi, 1937- - Windcatcher While learning to sail during a visit to his grandmother's at the Connecticut shore, eleven-year-old Tony becomes excited about the rumors of sunken treasure in the area and starts following a couple who seem to be making a mysterious search for something. AR: 4.0, Lexile: 540
Rodda, Emily. - Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal Destiny leads Rowan of Rin to make choices which could save a powerful crystal, thereby ensuring the safety of his people and his people's shore-dwelling allies. AR: 4.5, Lexile: 540
Park, Barbara. - Maxie, Rosie, and Earl..partners in grime When their disciplinary meetings with the principal are postponed, three students skip school with humorous results. AR: 3.8, Lexile: 550
DiTerlizzi, Tony. – The seeing stone When Mallory and Jared attempt to rescue Simon from goblins, they use a magical stone which enables them to see things that are normally invisible. AR: 4.0, Lexile: 560
Erickson, John R., - The case of the burrowing robot Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, uses his keen detective skills to find the ruffian responsible for digging holes in Sally May’s garden. AR: 4.3, Lexile: 560
Linda Brown, you are not alone Ten authors of juvenile literature evaluate the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case which outlawed discrimination in the public schools of the United States. AR: 6.9, Lexile: 560
Fleischman, Sid, 1920- - The whipping boyA bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. AR: 3.9, Lexile: 570
Byars, Betsy Cromer. – Me Tarzan When Dorothy gets the part of Tarzan in the class play, her tremendous yell attracts the attention of increasingly larger and wilder animals. AR: 4.6, Lexile: 580
Lauber, Patricia. - What you never knew about fingers, forks, & chopsticks Describes changes in eating customs throughout the centuries and the origins of table manners. AR: 4.4, Lexile: 580
Turner, Ann Warren. - Grasshopper summer In 1874 eleven-year-old Sam and his family move from Kentucky to the southern Dakota Territory, where harsh conditions and a plague of hungry grasshoppers threaten their chances for survival. AR: 3.6, Lexile: 580
Nimmo, Jenny. - Charlie Bone and the time twister While at Bloor's Academy, Charlie Bone gets a surprise when Henry Yewbeam arrives from the year 1916 and needs Charlie's help to stay alive. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 590
Scieszka, Jon. - 2095 While on a field trip to New York's Museum of Natural History, Joe, Sam, and Fred travel one hundred years into the future, where they encounter robots, anti-gravity disks, and their own grandchildren. AR: 3.8, Lexile: 590
Auch, Mary Jane. - I was a third grade science project While trying to hypnotize his dog for the third grade science fair, Brian accidentally makes his best friend Josh think he's a cat. AR: 3.7, Lexile: 600
DeClements, Barthe. - Nothing's fair in fifth grade Initially repelled by an overweight new student who has serious home problems, the fifth grade class finally learns to accept her. AR: 3.7, Lexile: 600
Dalgliesh, Alice, 1893- - The courage of Sarah Noble
Remembering her mother's words, an eight-year-old girl finds courage to
go alone with her father to build a new home in the Connecticut
wilderness and to stay with the Indians when her father goes back to
bring the rest of the family. AR: 3.9, Lexile: 610
DiCamillo, Kate. - Because of Winn-Dixie
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of
Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of
her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie. AR: 3.9, Lexile: 610
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. - Among the impostors
In a future where the law limits a family to only two children,
third-born Luke has been in hiding for the entire twelve years of his
life, until he enters boarding school under an assumed name and is
forced to face his fears. AR: 4.9, Lexile: 620
Manes,
Stephen, 1949- - Make four million dollars by next Thursday!
Jason attracts a lot of attention when he starts following the zany
advice in a get-rich-quick book by the bizarre Dr. Silverfish. AR:
4.1, Lexile: 620
Byars, Betsy Cromer. - The burning questions of Bingo Brown A boy is puzzled by the comic and confusing questions of youth and worried by disturbing insights into adult conflicts. AR: 4.1, Lexile: 630
Clifford, Eth, 1915- - Help! I'm a prisoner in the library Two girls spend an adventurous night trapped inside the public library during a terrible blizzard. AR: 4.0, Lexile: 630
Howe, James, 1946- - Howliday Inn While their family is away, Harold and Chester, a dog and a cat, are boarded at Chateau Bow-Wow where Chester becomes increasingly alarmed by the strange behavior of his fellow guests and the sudden disappearance of one of them. AR: 4.0, Lexile: 630
Gauthier, Gail, 1953- - My life among the aliens Two brothers begin to wonder if it is their mother's unusual cooking that is attracting the aliens that keep showing up at their house. AR: 4.1, Lexile: 640
Korman, Gordon. - The 6th grade nickname game Eleven-year-old best friends Jeff and Wiley, who like to give nicknames to their classmates, try to find the right one for the new girl Cassandra, while adjusting to the football coach who has become their new teacher. AR: 4.3, Lexile: 640
Byars, Betsy Cromer. - Wanted-- Mud Blossom Convinced that Mud is responsible for the disappearance of the school hamster that he was taking care of for the weekend, Junior Blossom is determined that the dog should be tried for his "crime." AR: 4.2, Lexile: 650
Coville, Bruce. - My teacher is an alien After Susan sees Mr. Smith the substitute teacher peel off his face, she knows he's an alien and only Peter believes her; together they work to save the class from Mr. Smith's horrible plans. AR: 5.3, Lexile: 650
Blume, Judy. - Blubber When several members of Jill's fifth-grade class decide to make life miserable for one girl, unexpected problems occur. AR: 3.8, Lexile: 660
Byars, Betsy Cromer. - Bingo Brown and the language of love As fifth-grader Bingo Brown strives for the triumphs of today and steels himself against the tribulations of tomorrow, he discovers that he will have to undergo a few more trials and triumphs before growing up. AR: 4.3, Lexile: 660
Creech, Sharon. - Ruby Holler Thirteen-year-old fraternal twins Dallas and Florida have grown up in a terrible orphanage but their lives change forever when an eccentric but sweet older couple invites them each on an adventure, beginning in an almost magical place called Ruby Holler. AR: 4.3, Lexile: 660
Wells, Rosemary. - Mary on horseback : three mountain stories Tells the story of Mary Breckinridge, the first nurse to go into the Appalachian Mountains and give medical care to the isolated inhabitants. Includes an after word with facts about Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service she founded. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 660
DiCamillo, Kate. - The tale of Despereaux : The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 670
Levine, Gail Carson. - Ella enchanted In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. AR: 4.6, Lexile: 670
Konigsburg, E. L. - Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth Elizabeth is very lonely until she meets Jennifer, who is a witch and who teaches Elizabeth to become a witch herself. AR: 4.5, Lexile: 680
Gilson, Jamie. - Do bananas chew gum? Able to read and write at only a second grade level, sixth-grader Sam Mott considers himself dumb until he is prompted to cooperate with those who think something can be done about his problem. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 690
Smith, Charles R., Jr. Rimshots : basketball pix, rolls, and rhythms Stories and poems about playing basketball. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 690
Byars, Betsy Cromer. - Bingo Brown's guide to romance
Bingo Brown's work on his definitive "Guide to Romance" hits a snag when his long-distance girlfriend Melissa returns unexpectedly from Oklahoma. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 700
Konigsburg, E. L. - From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler
Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order
in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to
herself. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 700
Baker, E. D. - The frog princess After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again. AR: 4.8, Lexile: 710
Borden, Louise. - Fly high! : the story of Bessie Coleman Discusses the life of the determined African-American woman who went all the way to France in order to earn her pilot's license in 1921. AR: 4.5, Lexile: 710
Coville, Bruce. - Jeremy Thatcher, dragon hatcher Small for his age but artistically talented, twelve-year-old Jeremy Thatcher unknowingly buys a dragon's egg. AR: 4.9, Lexile: 710
Howe, Deborah. - Bunnicula : a rabbit-tale of mystery Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 710
Coville,
Bruce. - I was a sixth grade alien
When aliens come to Earth on an interplanetary trade mission,
sixth-grader Tim makes friends with the ambassador's son and together
they uncover a plot to sabotage the mission. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 720
Dahl, Roald. - The BFG Kidsnatched from her orphanage by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant) who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts a plan with him to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants. AR: 4.8, Lexile: 720
Manes, Stephen, 1949- - Be a perfect person in just three days! Milo, tired of problems with his sister, parents, and classmates, finds a book in the library which promises to make him perfect in just three days. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 720
Gantos, Jack. - Jack adrift : fourth grade without a clue When his father rejoins the Navy and moves the family to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, ten-year-old Jack becomes confused by a crush on his teacher, contradictory advice from his parents, and a very strange neighbor. AR: 4.9, Lexile: 730
Gilson, Jamie. - Hello, my name is Scrambled Eggs When his parents host a Vietnamese family that has come to settle in their town, Harvey enjoys Americanizing twelve-year-old Tuan. AR: 4.0, Lexile: 730
Lord,
Bette. - In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
In 1947, a Chinese child comes to Brooklyn where she becomes
Americanized at school, in her apartment building, and by her love for
baseball. AR: 4.6, Lexile: 730
St. George, Judith. - So you want to be president? Presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton. AR: 4.8, Lexile: 730
Eager, Edward. - Seven-day magic A seven-day book of magic proves to be fractious for five children, who must learn the book's rules and tame its magic. AR: 5.0, Lexile: 750
De Paola, Tomie . - 26 Fairmount Avenue Children's author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy. AR: 4.4, Lexile: 760
Erickson, John R., 1943- - The original adventures of Hank the Cowdog Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, is framed for the murder of a chicken and becomes an outlaw with the coyotes. AR: 4.5, Lexile: 760
Lowry, Lois. - Anastasia has the answers Anastasia continues the perilous process of growing up as her thirteenth year involves her in conquering the art of rope climbing, playing Cupid for a recently widowed uncle, and surviving a crush on her gym teacher. AR: 4.9, Lexile: 760
Byng, Georgia. - Molly Moon's incredible book of hypnotism Unlucky and unloved, Molly Moon, living in a dreary orphanage in a small English town, discovers a hidden talent for hypnotism and hypnotizes her way to stardom in New York City. AR: 5.5, Lexile: 770
Catling, Patrick Skene. - The chocolate touch A boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 770
Banks, Lynne Reid, 1929- - The Indian in the cupboard A nine-year-old boy receives a toy Native American, a cupboard, and a little key for his birthday and embarks on an adventure when the toy comes to life and befriends him. AR: 4.6, Lexile: 780
Hahn, Mary Downing. - Stepping on the cracks In 1944, while her brother is overseas fighting in World War II, eleven-year-old Margaret gets a new view of the school bully Gordy when she finds him hiding his own brother, an army deserter, and decides to help him. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 780
Coville, Bruce. - I left my sneakers in dimension X Rod and his bratty cousin Elspeth are snatched into another dimension by the monstrous alien Smorkus Flinders. AR: 5.5, Lexile: 790
Hodges, Margaret. - Joan of Arc : the lily maid A biography of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English, witnessed the crowning of King Charles VII, and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft. AR: 4.6, Lexile: 790
Haddix,
Margaret Peterson. - Among the hidden
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a
family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in
isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces
him that the government is wrong. AR: 4.8, Lexile: 800
Hahn, Mary Downing. - The doll in the garden : a ghost story After Ashley and Kristi find an antique doll buried in old Miss Cooper's garden, they discover that they can enter a ghostly turn-of-the-century world by going through a hole in the hedge. AR: 4.8, Lexile: 800
Dahl,
Roald. - Charlie and the chocolate factory
Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr.
Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the
situation in his own way. Lexile: 810
Shannon, George. - More stories to solve : fifteen folktales from around the world - Fifteen brief folktales in which there is a mystery or problem that the reader is invited to solve before the resolution is presented. AR: 5.3, Lexile: 810
Lisle,
Janet Taylor. - Afternoon of the elves
As Hillary works in the miniature village, allegedly built by elves, in
Sara-Kate's backyard, she becomes more and more curious about
Sara-Kate's real life inside her big, gloomy house with her mysterious,
silent mother. AR: 5.0, Lexile: 820
Morgenstern, Susie Hoch. - Secret letters from 0 to 10 Ten-year-old Ernest lives a boring existence in Paris with his grandmother until a lively girl named Victoria enters his class at school. AR: 5.2, Lexile: 820
Sturges, Philemon. Bridges are to cross Discusses different kinds of bridges, from train bridges to fortified castle bridges, and provides an example of each. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 820
Byars, Betsy Cromer. - The summer of the swans A teenage girl gains new insight into herself and her family when her mentally handicapped brother gets lost. AR: 4.9, Lexile: 830
Clements, Andrew, 1949- - Frindle When he decides to turn his fifth-grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control. AR: 5.4, Lexile: 830
Blackwood, Gary L. - The Shakespeare stealer A young orphan boy
is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in
order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the
meaning of friendship and loyalty.
AR: 5.2, Lexile: 840
Fitzgerald, John Dennis. - The Great Brain The exploits of the
Great Brain of Adenville, Utah, are described by his younger brother,
frequently the victim of the Great Brain's schemes for gaining prestige
or money.
AR: 5.2, Lexile: 840
Creech, Sharon. - Bloomability When her aunt and uncle take her from New Mexico to Lugano, Switzerland, to attend an international school, thirteen-year-old Dinnie discovers her world expanding.AR: 5.2, Lexile: 850
Cleary, Beverly. - The mouse and the motorcycle A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling. AR: 5.1, Lexile: 860
Fritz, Jean. - The cabin faced west Ten-year-old Ann overcomes loneliness and learns to appreciate the importance of her role in settling the wilderness of western Pennsylvania. AR: 5.1, Lexile: 860
Mann, Elizabeth. The Great Pyramid A history of the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza and the civilization that produced it. AR: 5.6, Lexile: 860
Osborne, Mary Pope. - Favorite medieval tales A collection of well-known tales from medieval Europe, including "Beowulf," "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," "The Song of Roland," and the story of Finn MacCoul. AR: 6.0, Lexile: 860
Tanaka, Shelley. - Lost temple of the Aztecs Uses the discovery of the temple in Mexico City, what was the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, to introduce the story of the Spanish conquest of Moctezuma and his empire in the sixteenth century. AR: 6.1, Lexile: 860
Konigsburg, E. L. - The view from Saturday Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition. AR: 5.9, Lexile: 870
Lindgren, Astrid, 1907- - Pippi Longstocking Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey--but without any parents--at the edge of a Swedish village. AR: 5.2, Lexile: 870
Ibbotson, Eva. - Island of the aunts
As they get older, several sisters decide that they must kidnap children
and bring them to their secluded island home to help with the work of
caring for an assortment of unusual sea creatures.
AR: 5.9, Lexile: 890
Maestro, Betsy. The story of money A history of money, beginning with the barter system in ancient times, to the first use of coins and the development of modern monetary systems. AR: 5.8, Lexile: 890
Cline-Ransome, Lesa. Satchel Paige - Examines the life of the legendary baseball player, who was the first African-American to pitch in a Major League World Series.AR: 5.2, Lexile: 900
Cleary,
Beverly. - Dear Mr. Henshaw
In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his
problems in coping with his parents' divorce, being the new boy in
school, and generally finding his own place in the world. AR: 4.9,
Lexile: 910
Norton, Mary. - The Borrowers The adventures of the family of miniature people who have their home under the kitchen floor of an old English house. AR: 6.4, Lexile: 910
Gliori, Debi. - Pure dead magic The Strega-Borgia children, their mysterious new nanny, and a giant tarantula use magic and actual trips through the Internet to bring peace to their Scottish castle after the children’s' father is kidnapped. AR: 5.9, Lexile: 920
Ibbotson, Eva. - The great ghost rescue
A young English boy decides to establish a sanctuary for an assortment
of ghosts when the homes they have haunted are replaced by highways and
other modern "improvements." AR: 5.8, Lexile: 920
Snyder,
Zilpha Keatley. - The witches of Worm
A lonely twelve-year-old is convinced that the cat she finds is
possessed by a witch and is responsible for her own strange
behavior. AR: 5.7, Lexile: 920
Robinson, Barbara, 1927- - The best Christmas pageant ever
The six mean Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars (even the girls) and
then become involved in the community Christmas pageant. AR: 5.1,
Lexile: 930
Bash, Barbara. Shadows of night : the hidden world of the little brown bat - Describes the life cycle, and habits of the little brown bat. AR: 5.1, Lexile: 940
Bateman, Robert. Safari - Paintings and brief text present some of the animals found in Africa, including elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, lions, and zebras. AR: 5.2, Lexile: 940
Clements, Andrew, 1949- - The Landry News : a brand new school story
A fifth-grader starts a newspaper with an editorial that prompts her
burnt-out classroom teacher to really begin teaching again, but he is
later threatened with disciplinary action as a result. AR: 6.0,
Lexile: 950
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. - Beetles, lightly toasted Andy's entering the fifth-grade essay contest stirs his imagination to creative heights as he competes with his know-it-all cousin by making recipes with some unusual food sources and testing them on unaware friends and family. AR: 5.7, Lexile: 950
Porter, A. P. Jump at de sun : the story of Zora Neale Hurston - Follows the life of the African-American writer known for her novels, plays, articles, and collections of folklore. AR: 5.9, Lexile: 950
King-Smith, Dick. - The cuckoo child With the unknowing help of his pet geese, eight-year-old Jack Daw decides to raise an ostrich on his father's farm. AR: 5.7, Lexile: 960
Lowry,
Lois. - Stay! : Keeper's story
Separated early in life from his mother and siblings, Keeper tells of
his adventures with various human masters and his continual search for
his little sister. AR: 6.4, Lexile: 960
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. - Gib and the gray ghost In 1909, after spending several months back at the Lovell House Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Boys, eleven-year-old Gib returns to live on the Thornton ranch, where his natural way with horses helps to make him feel at home. AR: 6.4, Lexile: 960
Ammon, Richard. Conestoga wagons - Explains how Conestoga wagons were built and driven as well as their historical significance and importance to the early American economy. AR: 5.8, Lexile: 970
Burnett, Frances Hodgson, - The secret garden Ten-year-old Mary comes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors and discovers an invalid cousin and the mysteries of a locked garden. AR: 6.3, Lexile: 970
Byars,
Betsy Cromer. - The midnight fox A young boy saves the life of a
fox that has been raiding his uncle's farm.
AR: 4.9, Lexile: 970
Dowell, Frances O'Roark. - Dovey Coe Accused of murder in her North Carolina mountain town in 1928, Dovey Coe, a strong-willed twelve-year-old girl, comes to a new understanding of others, including her deaf brother, as she attempts to clear her name. AR: 5.4, Lexile: 980
De
Angeli, Marguerite, - - The door in the wall
A crippled boy in fourteenth-century England proves his courage and
earns recognition from the King. AR: 6.2, Lexile: 990
Montgomery, L. M. - Anne of Green Gables An adventurous young orphan goes to live on a farm with an elderly brother and sister.AR: 7.3, Lexile: 990
Baum,
L. Frank. The Wizard of Oz
Dorothy, swept from Kansas by a cyclone, is deposited over the rainbow
in the magical land of Oz where she runs afoul of an evil witch who
tries to keep Dorothy from finding her way back home. Lexile 1000
Bishop,
Nic. Digging for bird-dinosaurs The story of Cathy Forster's
experiences as a member of a team of paleontologists who went on an
expedition to the island of Madagascar in 1998 to search for fossil
birds.
AR: 6.9, Lexile: 1000
Fox, Paula. One-eyed cat An eleven-year-old shoots a stray cat with his new air rifle, subsequently suffers from guilt, and eventually assumes responsibility for it. AR: 5.4, Lexile: 1000
Creech,
Sharon. - Love that dog
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal
understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises
himself by writing his own inspired poem. AR: 4.5, Lexile: 1010
Facklam, Margery. - The big bug book Describes thirteen of the world's largest insects, including the birdwing butterfly and the Goliath beetle. AR: 5.8, Lexile: 1010
Sewell, Anna, 1820-1878. - Black Beauty A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. AR: 7.7, Lexile: 1010
Snyder,
Zilpha Keatley. - The Egypt game
A group of children, entranced with Egypt, play their own Egypt game,
are visited by a secret oracle, become involved in a murder, and
befriend the Professor before they move on to new interests, such as
Gypsies. AR: 6.4, Lexile: 1010
Banks, Lynne Reid, Alice-by-accident Nine-year-old Alice must write about herself for an assignment in her London school, and in doing so, she sorts out her feelings about her somewhat prickly single mother, the father she has never met, her flamboyant paternal grandmother, and the rest of her sometimes confusing life. AR: 5.2, Lexile: 1020
Naylor,
Phyllis Reynolds. - Saving Shiloh
Sixth-grader Marty and his family try to help their rough neighbor, Judd
Travers, change his mean ways, even though their West Virginia community
continues to expect the worst of him. AR: 4.9, Lexile: 1020
Robinson, Barbara. - The best school year ever
The six horrible Herdmans, the worst kids in the history of the world,
cause mayhem throughout the school year. AR: 5.4, Lexile: 1020
Cerullo, Mary M. - The truth about great white sharks Describes the habits and behavior of the white shark and uses this information to dispel myths about this predator. AR: 6.4, Lexile: 1030
Stanley, Diane. - Bard of Avon : the story of William Shakespeare A brief biography of the world's most famous playwright, using only historically correct information. AR: 6.2, Lexile: 1030
Wilder,
Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957. - The first four years During their
first four years of marriage, Laura and Almanzo Wilder have a child and
fight a losing battle in their attempts to succeed at farming on the
South Dakota prairie.
AR: 5.8, Lexile: 1030
Macy,
Sue. - Bull's-eye : a photobiography of Annie Oakley
A photographic biography of Annie Oakley, discussing her early life, her
prowess with a gun, her stint with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, and
her enduring image in movies, books, television shows, and plays.
AR: 6.9, Lexile: 1150
San Souci, Robert D. - Kate Shelley : bound for legend A biography of the fifteen-year-old Iowa teenager who helped avert a train disaster in 1881 and became a national heroine. AR: 5.7, Lexile: 1050
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. - Gib rides home Despite the harsh treatment he has endured at the Lovell House orphanage, ten-year-old Gib Whittaker manages to maintain his hopeful outlook when he is "farmed out" to help with the horses of a wealthy banker in 1908. AR: 6.3, Lexile: 1060
Stevenson, Robert Louis, - Treasure Island 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.
AR: 8.3, Lexile: 1100
White, T. H. (Terence Hanbury), 1906-1964. - The sword in the Stone A retelling of the Arthurian legend. AR: 7.5, Lexile: 1120
Grahame, Kenneth, - The wind in the willows The escapades of four animal friends who live along a river in the English countryside-- Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger. AR: 8.2, Lexile: 1140
Field, Rachel, 1894-1942. - Hitty, her first hundred years Hitty, a doll carved from mountain ash in the nineteenth century, has many adventures as she travels around the world with different owners. AR: 7.1, Lexile: 1180
Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, The Birds' Christmas Carol Although she is a sickly child, Carol Bird manages to make a decent Christmas for a poor family. AR: 7.3, Lexile: 1200
Defoe, Daniel, Robinson Crusoe During one of his several adventurous voyages in the seventeenth century, an Englishman becomes the sole survivor of a shipwreck and lives for nearly thirty years on a desert island. AR: 12.3, Lexile: 1320
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