KDL Recommends

Lonely in his house beside a road in the desert, Alejandro builds an oasis to attract the many animals around him.
Lexile Level: 840
Guided Reading Level: O

Sassy tries out for a summer dance festival in Washington, D.C., despite the other girls’ taunts that she is much too tall.
Lexile Level: 540

Introduces twin brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber, who worked hard to overcome obstacles and became National Football League stars, one as runningback for the New York Giants, the other as cornerback for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Lexile Level: 590

Having gotten all the glory for his touchdowns, Ronde becomes jealous of his best friend, teammate, and twin Tiki and it starts to affect their game, but soon Ronde gets his moment to shine in a story of two brothers who make it to the NFL.
Lexile Level: 590

When ten-year-old River, who is crazy about basketball, is not chosen to play in the tournament set up in the town of Azalea, Oregon, she decides to organize a team of her own and accepts the help of her older brother.
Lexile Level: 630

Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon’s freckle recipe for fifty cents.
Lexile Level: 370

Eight-year old Alex is determined to keep the toy mouse he finds tied to a balloon, even after posters appear asking for its return, but when his dog Patch disappears, Alex discovers what it is like to lose something you love more than anything.

A Boy and his father come from far away to visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington and find the name of the boy’s grandfather, who was killed in the conflict.
Lexile Level: 270

Every Wednesday night, as Anna and her grandmother read story after story together, they are also planning a terrific surprise for the girl’s father that will be revealed on his birthday.
Lexile Level: 540

When thirteen-year-old Joelle, a star baseball player, moves to a new town where the only option for girls is softball, she starts an all-girl baseball league against the wishes of her school coaches and others in the town.
Lexile Level: 580

The students in Mr. Magro’s class submit stories for the SOS file about their biggest emergencies, and then they read them aloud for extra credit.
Lexile Level: 600
Guided Reading Level: R

An all-American girl with Chinese ancestors and a new immigrant from China find little in common when they meet in their fourth grade classroom, but they are both missing their best friends and soon discover other connections.
Lexile Level: 600

Ramona’s year in third grade is highlighted by the arrival of Howie’s rich uncle, a change in her after-school situation, a surprise wedding, a death and a new arrival in the family, and her father’s getting a job.
Lexile Level: 810
Guided Reading Level: O

Best friends Matt and Eddie have a falling out that threatens to ruin their science fair project in a story that includes instructions for making a model of an erupting volcano.
Lexile Level: 450

Five-year-old Edward and his older brother Jason find themselves in such wild predicaments as surviving a motorcycle convention and confronting the three-headed mysteries of their own backyard.
Lexile Level: 610

When Randall changes to a new school, he pretends to be an anonymous hero until, when his third grade class plans a fundraiser, he finds that being himself is good enough.
Lexile Level: 500

Four-year-old Tommy enjoys his relationship with both his grandmother and great-grandmother, but eventually learns to face their inevitable death.
Lexile Level: 530

A child is sent to find a younger brother at dinnertime and is introduced to a variety of cultures through encountering the many different ways rice is prepared at the different households visited.
Lexile Level: 690

Cody Michaels is “unplugged” from his computer games when he is sent to Camp Bear for summer vacation, and he must learn to cope with wild animals, poison ivy, and a fellow camper called The Moose.
Lexile Level: 530

In winning a medal she is no longer there to receive, a tight-lipped little Polish girl teaches her classmates a lesson.
Lexile Level: 870
Guided Reading Level: O

A boy describes his fun visit to the barbershop, including who he sees there, how they interact, and how the conversation is “different from talking anywhere else.”

Having reluctantly agreed to run for sixth-grade president, Jerry, who has been trying to change his image as a dork, finds his opponent playing dirty tricks on him.
Lexile Level: 640

After their archaeologist mother fails to return from Mexico and they discover that someone is stalking their Albuquerque house, twelve-year-old Kevin and his opera-singing older sister flee to Venice, California, where they hope that new identities will keep them safe.
Lexile Level: 550

A young Egyptian boy describes the city of Cairo as he goes about his daily work and waits for the evening to share a special surprise with his family.
Lexile Level: 810

A ten-year-old Lebanese boy goes to school, helps his mother with chores, plays with his friends, and lives with his family in a basement shelter when bombings occur and fighting begins on his street.
Lexile Level: 600

Nick tries to maintain his sense of integrity as he works to succeed on the school basketball team, adjust to his new stepmother and little “dorky” stepbrother, and deal with peer pressure from his friends.
Lexile Level: 510

Accompanied by Nana, Grace travels to Africa to visit her father, who left home when she was little, and learns that love can be without bounds even in divided families.
Lexile Level: 650

Sisters Sarah and Susan look forward to each visit to great-great-aunt Flossie’s home, where they delight in listening to their beloved aunt’s tales of the days when she was a little girl.
Lexile Level: 400

While visiting their Great-Aunt Flossie, two sisters get a chance to see what family treasures are stored in a locked room there.
Lexile Level: 510

Seven-year-old Pinky, a confirmed dog lover, has a change of heart after his family’s new pet kitten pounces on his foot in the middle of the night.
Lexile Level: 530

There’s a new boy in class . . . and he has the same name as Tyrone! The old Tyrone can’t stand it. What will he do?

Chaos ensues during a Junior Badgers camping trip when Martin Bridge, after falling for his friend’s horror-movie slime prank, gets revenge while dealing with bicycle repairs and an old lawn mower.
Lexile Level: 700

Considered an outcast until the most popular girl in her class, Liliandra, discovers that she has a special pink and gold Thai dancing dress, Oy, a young girl from Thailand who longs to be accepted, is forced to choose between shaming her family or becoming a member of Liliandra’s elite club.
Lexile Level: 710

As part of an experiment in a social studies class, fifth graders Justin Davies and Andrea Carey are declared king and queen for two weeks, but they soon learn that royal life is a royal pain as their classmates revolt.
Lexile Level: 650

Follows the activities of two children spending their summer vacation on an islands off the coast of Maine.
Lexile Level: 940
Guided Reading Level: O

In segregated 1950s Nashville, a young African American girl braves a series of indignities and obstacles to get to one of the few integrated places in town: the public library.
Lexile Level: 550

Recently arrived in Seattle from China, musically untalented Yingtao is faced with giving a violin performance to attract new students for his father.
Lexile Level: 720
Guided Reading Level: P

In a celebration of African-American life and family bonds, a child describes a year’s worth of family events, like making apple butter and having relatives visit, that center around Momma’s kitchen.
Lexile Level: 530

Alex “Skinnybones” Frankovitch lands a part in a cat food commercial, but his plans for stardom go astray when his classmates think the commercial is the dumbest thing they’ve ever seen.
Lexile Level: 620

Stewart, Winston, and their new adopted Russian-American sister pool their money to buy their gramma, Miss Eula, an Easter bonnet, but they come up short and must think of an innovative way to earn the money.
Lexile Level: 650
Guided Reading Level: N

Naomi, an Amish girl whose elders have impressed upon her the importance of adhering to the simple ways of her people, is horrified when one of her hen eggs hatches into an extremely fancy bird.
Lexile Level: 660

When Mr. Lincoln, “the coolest principal in the whole world,” discovers that Eugene, the school bully, knows a lot about birds, he uses this interest to help Eugene overcome his intolerance.
Lexile Level: 450

A long-lasting friendship develops between Larnel, a young African-American, and Mrs. Katz, a lonely Jewish widow, when Larnel presents Mrs. Katz with a scrawny kitten without a tail.
Lexile Level: 530

Patricia had waited all her life for the summer that she can learn to ride a horse, and when her father takes her to a shabby old stable, she meets Mrs. Mack, with her snakeskin boots and big Southern smile, who teaches her everything about riding.
Lexile Level: 610

Drawing on the author’s memories of her youth, a girl recalls the special summer spent in Michigan with her yarn-spinning father and a magic rock.
Lexile Level: 640

Frankie and his eight brothers and sisters learn lessons about giving, family, and tradition during a snowy Michigan Christmas long ago.
Lexile Level: 780

In a true story, Pinkus Aylee, a black Union soldier, finds Sheldon Curtis left for dead and carries him home to be tended by his mother, but when the two boys attempt to rejoin the Union troops, they are captured and sent to Andersonville Prison.
Lexile Level: 590
Guided Reading Level: S

At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.
Lexile Level: 650
Guided Reading Level: M

Grandma finds a way to dispel her grandchild’s fear of thunderstorms.
Lexile Level: 630

During a scarlet fever epidemic one winter in Michigan, a Jewish family helps make Christmas special for their sick neighbors by making their own Hanukkah miracle.
Lexile Level: 630
Guided Reading Level: M

A young girl describes the family reunion at her grandmother’s house, from the food and baseball and photos to the flickering fireflies on the lawn.
Lexile Level: 540

Realizing that Joey Pignattano has been falsely accused of starting a food fight, Jigsaw Jones investigates to find the real culprit.
Lexile Level: 390

When his mother gives him a garden plot for his tenth birthday, Jackson Jones hopes to earn enough money to buy a basketball, but all he seems to get is trouble.
Lexile Level: 510

A Japanese boy learns of Christmas when his mother decorates a pine tree with paper cranes.
Lexile Level: 470

When Kevin comes to live at his cousin Jonathan’s house, both boys must make some big adjustments.

In 1957, a young girl is torn between life in the neighborhood she grew up in and fitting in at the school she now attends.
Lexile Level: NP

Despite her father’s objections, a young Amish girl secretly looks forward to attending public school where she makes a best friend and gains a new perspective on her family’s way of life.
Lexile Level: 710
Guided Reading Level: Q

Heidi, a Swiss orphan, is heartbroken when she must leave her home and grandfather to go to school and care for a sick girl named Clara in the city.
Lexile Level: 960

The classic adventure story of boyhood escapades on the shores of the Mississippi chronicles the exploits of the mischievous Tom Sawyer and his friends.
Lexile Level: 950
Guided Reading Level: Z

Little Justin’s refusal to help around the house with “girl things” exasperates his mother and older sisters, but Grandpa’s special rodeo vacation changes Justin’s outlook.
Lexile Level: 620
Guided Reading Level: P

A shy Japanese boy having difficulty adjusting to school is misjudged by his classmates.
Lexile Level: 760
Guided Reading Level: L

Even though his brothers have warned him not to go outside Chinatown, Ming, a Chinese immigrant, doesn’t listen and meets Patrick, a fun-loving Irish boy, with whom he forms a remarkable friendship.
Lexile Level: 580