FICTION:
stories that did not occur in real life; typically include all four literary elements - character, setting, problem, solution
REALISTIC FICTION:
made up stories, but they could happen in real life.
100 Days and 99 Nights
By: Alan Madison
Chapter Book
Summary: Esme and Ike are very close to their dad. They spend a lot of time together and have special things they do, like making pancakes on the weekends. Unfortunately, their dad has to go away to war and Esme and Ike are devastated. They now have to learn how to manage while awaiting their father’s return home!
Interest Level: 4th – 7th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 5.6 (5th Grade 6 Months)
By: Alan Madison
Chapter Book
Summary: Esme and Ike are very close to their dad. They spend a lot of time together and have special things they do, like making pancakes on the weekends. Unfortunately, their dad has to go away to war and Esme and Ike are devastated. They now have to learn how to manage while awaiting their father’s return home!
Interest Level: 4th – 7th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 5.6 (5th Grade 6 Months)
Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
By: Judith Viorist
Picture Book
Summary: From the moment he wakes up, Alexander decides that he is going to have a rough day. Nothing seems to be going right for him, whether at the breakfast table, in the car ride to school, at school, and all of his afterschool activities. Even when he is getting ready for bed, his day is still rough. Alexander decides that he is going to move to Australia, but his mother reminds him that he could have hard days in Australia too.
Interest Level: 2nd – 5th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 3.7 (3rd Grade 7 Months)
By: Judith Viorist
Picture Book
Summary: From the moment he wakes up, Alexander decides that he is going to have a rough day. Nothing seems to be going right for him, whether at the breakfast table, in the car ride to school, at school, and all of his afterschool activities. Even when he is getting ready for bed, his day is still rough. Alexander decides that he is going to move to Australia, but his mother reminds him that he could have hard days in Australia too.
Interest Level: 2nd – 5th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 3.7 (3rd Grade 7 Months)
Chocolate Fever
By: Robert Kimmel Smith
Chapter Book
Summary: Henry Green is a young boy who eats chocolate on everything and anything all the time. Except, one day at school in Mrs. Kimmelfarber’s math class he notices black spots beginning to appear all over his arms, then face and make a popping sound! Nurse Farthing rushes Henry to the hospital to be evaluated by Dr. Farber, who diagnosed him with Chocolate Fever. Scarred of his strange and unknown disease, Henry ran away from the hospital. While Henry is on the run, he meets Mac, a truck driver who works for Alfred Cane’s candy warehouse. While in Mac’s truck, Louie and Lefty hijack them. Fortunately, Mac and Henry are saved by a group of dogs, running after Henry’s chocolate smell. Henry meets Alfred Cane, who tells him the cure to his spots is to eat chocolate in moderation and take vanilla pills.
Interest Level: 4th – 7th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 4.2 (4th Grade 2 Months)
By: Robert Kimmel Smith
Chapter Book
Summary: Henry Green is a young boy who eats chocolate on everything and anything all the time. Except, one day at school in Mrs. Kimmelfarber’s math class he notices black spots beginning to appear all over his arms, then face and make a popping sound! Nurse Farthing rushes Henry to the hospital to be evaluated by Dr. Farber, who diagnosed him with Chocolate Fever. Scarred of his strange and unknown disease, Henry ran away from the hospital. While Henry is on the run, he meets Mac, a truck driver who works for Alfred Cane’s candy warehouse. While in Mac’s truck, Louie and Lefty hijack them. Fortunately, Mac and Henry are saved by a group of dogs, running after Henry’s chocolate smell. Henry meets Alfred Cane, who tells him the cure to his spots is to eat chocolate in moderation and take vanilla pills.
Interest Level: 4th – 7th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 4.2 (4th Grade 2 Months)
The Dark
By: Lemony Snicket
Picture Book
Summary: This book tells the story of a little boy named Laszlo. He shares his house with the dark, which he was very afraid of. He knew where the dark lived and where the dark would be during certain times of the day and night. However, the dark was always in the basement. One night, the dark came to visit Laszlo and asked him to go down to the basement. Laszlo did as he was told and the dark gave him a light bulb for his room. Now, Laszlo is no longer afraid of the dark.
Interest Level: Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 3.1 (3rd Grade 1 Month)
By: Lemony Snicket
Picture Book
Summary: This book tells the story of a little boy named Laszlo. He shares his house with the dark, which he was very afraid of. He knew where the dark lived and where the dark would be during certain times of the day and night. However, the dark was always in the basement. One night, the dark came to visit Laszlo and asked him to go down to the basement. Laszlo did as he was told and the dark gave him a light bulb for his room. Now, Laszlo is no longer afraid of the dark.
Interest Level: Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 3.1 (3rd Grade 1 Month)
Freak the Mighty
By: Rodman Philbrick
Chapter Book
Summary: Max lives with him grandfather, Grim and grandmother, Gram because his father, Kenny also referred to as “Killer”, killed his mother and is not in prison for life. While in middle school, an old childhood friend, Kevin who was referred to as Freak because he has Morquio Syndrome, moves into the house next to Max. They have many adventures together and become the best of friends, calling themselves “Freak the Mighty”. Around Christmas, Kenny is released on parole and kidnaps Max. Kenny wants Max to help him in his murders. After Kenny tries to kill Max because of his refusal to be apart of his murders, Kevin comes to Max’s rescue. Due to Kevin’s disorder, he has a seizure and dies. The day before he dies, he gives Max a book to write down all of their adventures and memories they had together!
Interest Level: 5th – 9th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 5.5 (5th Grade 5 Months)
By: Rodman Philbrick
Chapter Book
Summary: Max lives with him grandfather, Grim and grandmother, Gram because his father, Kenny also referred to as “Killer”, killed his mother and is not in prison for life. While in middle school, an old childhood friend, Kevin who was referred to as Freak because he has Morquio Syndrome, moves into the house next to Max. They have many adventures together and become the best of friends, calling themselves “Freak the Mighty”. Around Christmas, Kenny is released on parole and kidnaps Max. Kenny wants Max to help him in his murders. After Kenny tries to kill Max because of his refusal to be apart of his murders, Kevin comes to Max’s rescue. Due to Kevin’s disorder, he has a seizure and dies. The day before he dies, he gives Max a book to write down all of their adventures and memories they had together!
Interest Level: 5th – 9th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 5.5 (5th Grade 5 Months)
The Grudge Keeper
By: Mara Rockliff
Picture Book
Summary: In a town called Bonnyripple, it was Cornelius' job as the "Grudge Keeper" to listen to everyone's complaints and arguments with others. He kept it all the problems piled high in his house. Then, one day a powerful wind came through the town and blew all of Cornelius' papers around. The next day, the town people came running to complain to him and they saw all of the papers mixed up in front of his house. No one cared to see where Cornelius was, until Sylvester Quincy exclaimed that he was under the huge, mixed up pile of papers! After reading some of the complaints, the townspeople all made up! Now it was Cornelius' job to keep track of all of the compliments instead!
Interest Level: Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 4.2 (4th Grade 2 Months)
By: Mara Rockliff
Picture Book
Summary: In a town called Bonnyripple, it was Cornelius' job as the "Grudge Keeper" to listen to everyone's complaints and arguments with others. He kept it all the problems piled high in his house. Then, one day a powerful wind came through the town and blew all of Cornelius' papers around. The next day, the town people came running to complain to him and they saw all of the papers mixed up in front of his house. No one cared to see where Cornelius was, until Sylvester Quincy exclaimed that he was under the huge, mixed up pile of papers! After reading some of the complaints, the townspeople all made up! Now it was Cornelius' job to keep track of all of the compliments instead!
Interest Level: Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 4.2 (4th Grade 2 Months)
Love You Forever
By: Robert Munsch
Picture Book
Summary: A mother rocked her newborn son to sleep, in a rocking chair, while singing a rhyme. As the boy grew up, his mom would still sneak into his room at night, while he was sleeping, and would rock him while singing the same rhyme. She did this even when he was a teenager and even when he became a man and moved into his own home. One day, she called her son and told him to come visit her because she didn’t have much time left to live. Then, he rocked her while singing the same rhyme. Then, he did the same to his own new baby daughter.
Interest Level: Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 3.4 (3rd Grade 4 Months)
By: Robert Munsch
Picture Book
Summary: A mother rocked her newborn son to sleep, in a rocking chair, while singing a rhyme. As the boy grew up, his mom would still sneak into his room at night, while he was sleeping, and would rock him while singing the same rhyme. She did this even when he was a teenager and even when he became a man and moved into his own home. One day, she called her son and told him to come visit her because she didn’t have much time left to live. Then, he rocked her while singing the same rhyme. Then, he did the same to his own new baby daughter.
Interest Level: Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 3.4 (3rd Grade 4 Months)
The Wednesday Wars
By Gary D. Schmidt
Chapter Book
Summary: Holling Hoodhood is entering seventh grade and he believes his teacher, Mrs. Baker dislikes him. The kids in school consist of either Catholic or Jewish, except Holling. He is the only Presbyterian because the other Presbyterian kids moved away, leaving him the only one in his class. On Wednesday afternoons the students go to their religious groups and Holling has to stay back in the classroom where Mrs. Baker makes him read Shakespeare and clean the dirty classroom! Not only does he have this problem at school, but also his parents give very little care or concern to him and his sister, Heather. However, reading Shakespeare teaches Holling more about life besides his own, its difficulties, and different perspectives around the world.
Interest Level: 5th – 9th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 5.9 (5th Grade 9 Months)
By Gary D. Schmidt
Chapter Book
Summary: Holling Hoodhood is entering seventh grade and he believes his teacher, Mrs. Baker dislikes him. The kids in school consist of either Catholic or Jewish, except Holling. He is the only Presbyterian because the other Presbyterian kids moved away, leaving him the only one in his class. On Wednesday afternoons the students go to their religious groups and Holling has to stay back in the classroom where Mrs. Baker makes him read Shakespeare and clean the dirty classroom! Not only does he have this problem at school, but also his parents give very little care or concern to him and his sister, Heather. However, reading Shakespeare teaches Holling more about life besides his own, its difficulties, and different perspectives around the world.
Interest Level: 5th – 9th Grade
Grade Level/Reading Level: 5.9 (5th Grade 9 Months)