High Interest / Low Reading Level Books

RL = Reading Level (By Grade Level)
IL = Interest Level (By Grade Level)

Reading and Interest Level notations taken from The Elementary School Library Collection (21st Ed.) and the Logan (Utah) Library web site at http://www.logan.lib.ut.us/booklist/children/reluctan.htm.

Avi. The Barn.
RL = 3 / IL = 5-12
To fulfill their dying father's last request, Ben and his siblings build a barn in the Oregon Territory.

Blume, Judy. Superfudge.
RL = 2 / IL = 2-4
The highs and lows of Peter's life with his brother Fudge. Sequel to Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

Blume, Judy. Tales Of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
RL = 3 / IL = 3-5
Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an every increasing problem.

Bunting, Eve. Cheyenne Again.
RL = 2 / IL = 3-5
In the late 1880's, a Cheyenne boy named Young Bull runs away from a white man's boarding school.

Byars, Betsy. The Pinballs.
RL = 3 / IL = 5-6
Three lonely foster children are tired of being bounced from home to home like pinballs.

Catling, Patrick S. The Chocolate Touch.
RL = 2-3 / IL = 2-5
A boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch to chocolate.

Cleary, Beverly. Socks.
RL = 2 / IL = 3-5
Hilarious episodes in the life of the Brickers' pampered cat.

Conford, Ellen. The Frog Princess Of Pelham.
RL = 3 / IL = 4-12
Danny's kiss turns Chandler into a frog, and his attempts to change her back land them on a TV talk show.

Corbett, Scott. The Great McGoniggle Rides Shotgun.
RL = 2 / IL = 3-5
Mac and Ken accept a ride from a nervous stranger and find themselves involved in a robbery.

Cutler, Jane. Spaceman.
RL = 2 / IL = 4-12
Gary, who is failing and has trouble getting along with other students, tries to adjust to his learning disability.

Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy.
RL = 3 / IL = 3-5
A bratty prince and his whipping boy accidently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.

Hatrick, Gloria. Masks.
RL = 3 / IL = 6-12
When his brother is paralyzed by a rare disease, Pete uses tribal animal masks to communicate with Will.

King-Smith, Dick. A Mouse Called Wolf.
RL = 3 / IL = 3-5
A mouse with an unusual name shares his musical gift with a widowed concert pianist.

King-Smith, Dick. Mr. Potter's Pet.
RL = 2 / IL = 3-5
Mr. Potter's boring life changes considerably after buying an unusual mynah bird.

Monpurgo, Michael. Wreck Of the Zanzibar.
RL = 3 / IL = 4-6
In 1907, Laura, living with her family on the Isles of Scilly, participates in a shipwreck rescue.

Napoli, Donna J. The Prince of the Pond.
RL = 3 / IL = 3-12
Turned into a frog, a prince makes the best of his life and instills a new kind of thinking into his frog family.

Orgel, Doris. Don't Call Me Slob-O.
RL = 2 / IL = 3-5
Shrimp must decide whether to befriend a new boy in his neighborhood, who is a Croatian American.

Partridge, Elizabeth. Clara and the Hoodoo Man.
RL = 3 / IL = 5-12
When her sister is near death, Clara risks seeking the help of the herbal healer her mother calls a hoodoo man.

Pinkwater, Daniel Manus. The Muffin Fiend.
RL = 2-3 / IL = 3-5
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart helps Inspector LeChat catch the thief who is stealing all the muffins of Europe.

Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say.
RL = 2 / IL = 4-6
Say describes his meeting with Pinkus, a black soldier, during the Civil War, and their capture by Rebels.

Richemont, Enid. The Magic Skateboard.
RL = 3 / IL = 3-5
Danny's skateboard is transformed into a kind of flying carpet that allows him to visit any place he imagines.

Ryan, Mary E. The Trouble With Perfect.
RL = 3 / IL = 6-12
Kyle, who is hopeless in math, is tempted to cheat to please his demanding, heavily drinking father.

Schecter, Ellen. The Big Idea
RL = 2 / IL = 3-5
Luz is determined to turn a run-down vacant lot into a garden, but she must convince her neighbors to help.

Scieszka, Jon. The Time Warp Trio series.
RL = 3 / IL = 3-6
Three boys find themselves taking hilarious trips through time due to the gift of a mysterious book.

Spinelli, Jerry. Crash.
RL = 3 / IL = 5-12
" Crash" reconsiders his tough, aggressive behavior after befriending a Quaker boy.

Warner, Sally. Dog Years.
RL = 3 / IL = 4-6
After his father is imprisoned, Case switches to a new school.

Compiled by Sarah S. Wright for MCPL Children's Services (6/99).