Hi Lo Book List

I thought I'd add my Hi Lo book list to the blog. Hi Lo books are books that appeal to teens but are easier to read. They are generally fast paced, have more white space on the page and have shorter chapters. Often the font size is larger. The covers are often quite attractive to teen readers. Many of these books have under 200 pages, but there are a few that are over 300. The story lines are generally direct and easy to follow. I included books that can help students bridge to higher reading levels. These books have more complex story lines with time shifts and often multiple story lines.

I have only added books that I've personally read and feel comfortable recommending. If you are an author who would like me to review a book that might fit on this list, please let me know.

Hi Lo Book List

Curated and Compiled by Catherine Crosby @ www.Buildinglifelongreaders.blogspot.com

Lexile	Books Designated and Marketed as Hi/Lo
500HL	Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans – Science Fiction, fantasy; superpowers, evil scientist, mind control, manipulation, friendships, trust, betrayal, fast paced, more white space on page, short chapters, great cover, first in a series of five and all but one are designated HL, 326 pages
520HL	The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender – Autobiography. This is her account of her time spent in concentration and death camps during the WWII Holocaust. 264 pages. This is the first of a three book series.
520HL	Running for my Life by Ann Gonzalez – Realistic fiction; mental illness, abuse, running, friendship, good characters, more white space on page, okay cover, 235 pages.
530HL	Benito Runs by Justine Fontes – Realistic fiction; Iraq war, PTSD, anger management, running away from home, more white space on page, short chapters, great cover, 98 pages.
560HL	Wired by Sigmund Brouwer – Mystery; skiing, snowboarding, burglary, larger font, more white space on page, short chapters, great cover, 104 pages.
610HL	Beneath by Roland Smith 2015 – Realistic Fantasy/Adventure. Brother must fight his fears to rescue his older brother. Danger, going under NYC, cults, homelessness, friendship, siblings, bravery, more white space on page, short chapters, 264 pages.
650HL	The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen – Realistic fiction; amputation, running, friendship, determination, great characters, fast paced, short chapters, great cover, 336 pages.
680HL	The Selection by Kiera Cass – Dystopian: A futuristic book that mimics the television show, The Bachelor, friendships, class war, romance, betrayal, beautiful cover, more white space on the page, 327 pages.
680HL	Under a War-Torn Sky by L. M. Elliot – Historical fiction: WWII American pilot shot down behind enemy lines, hunger, torture, resistance to Nazis, allies, friendships, PTSD, inspired by true stories, fast paced, more white space on the page, short chapters, 284. First book of two. A Troubled Peace is the second book and has a Lexile of 820.
700HL	Girl Stolen by April Henry – Realistic Fiction; kidnapping, blindness, self-sufficiency, friendship, fast paced, intense, strong female character, more white space on page, 213 pages.
HL700	Inhuman by Kat Falls – Dystopian: war, biological warfare, biological disasters, mutants, friendships, betrayal, loyalty, violence, cool cover, more white space, larger font size, short chapters, 375 pages. First book of a two-book series.
710HL	Legend by Marie Lu – Dystopian; war, family, friends, courage, trust strong male and female characters, fast paced, intense, point of view changes, font color changes when point of view changes, good cover, first in a series of three, 305 pages.
HL720	Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige – Fantasy: A continuation of The Wizard of Oz where everything has gone wrong and Dorothy is evil. Violence, fast pace, more white space, short chapters, 432 pages, first book of a four-book series. Students need background knowledge of The Wizard of OZ to understand this book.

Figure 2. Books Not Designated as Hi/Lo but that Work as Hi/Lo

Lexile	Books Not Designated as Hi/Lo, but that Work as Hi/Lo
500L	The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender – Autobiography; teen Holocaust survivor, writing, poetry, simple language, larger font, good cover, first in a series of three, 264 pages.
520L	The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo – Realistic fiction; relationships, death, ethical treatment of animals, death of mother, abuse, good characters, more white space on page, poor cover, 116 pages.
530L	Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury – Adventure, realistic fiction; natural disaster, earthquake, tsunami, friendship, scouts, survival, good cover, 191 pages.
570L	The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate – Realistic Fiction based on the true story of Ivan the gorilla from Atlanta Zoo; Animal cruelty and neglect, environment, friendship, communication, art. This book has a tremendous amount of white space on the page allowing students to focus and read. Short chapters, 320 pages.
570L	Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor– Realistic fiction; mental illness, learning disabilities, neglect, strong main character, larger font, more white space on page, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award, babyish cover, 290 pages.
570L	Heartland: Coming Home by Lauren Brooke – Realistic Fiction; horses, death of mother, accident, trust, horse whisperer, friendship, family relationships, larger font size, more white space on page, great cover, first of a series of twenty, 140 pages.
580L	Beastly by Alex Flinn – Traditional literature; fairy tale told from the Beast’s point of view, romance, magic, friendship, larger font size, more white space on page, short chapters, great cover, 304 pages.
580L	Zach’s Lie by Roland Smith – Realistic fiction; witness protection program, drug smuggling, identity, friendship, fitting in, short chapters, good cover, first in a series of two, 211 pages.
590L	Searching for David’s Heart by Cherie Bennett – Realistic fiction; sibling relationships, friendship, accidents, heart transplant, anger, adventure, larger text size, poor cover, 220 pages.
590L	Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli – Realistic fiction; high school popularity, friendship, strong female character, larger font size, more white space on page, good cover, first in a series of two, 186 pages.
600L	Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko – Historical Fiction, Sports; living on Alcatraz, Al Capone, disabilities, family, friends, more white space on page, first of a series of two, 215 pages.
620L	Haunted Sister by Lael Littke – Mystery; mental illness, death of sister, large font, more white space on page, great cover, 217 pages.
650L	Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan – Mystery/Horror: vampires, theft, friendship, spiders, monsters, circus, parental relationships, sibling relationships, death, pretty dark at times, more what space on page, larger font, short chapters, good cover, 257 pages.
650L	Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn – Mystery; ghost story, drowning, beach, good cover, 187 pages.
650L	Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake – Realistic fiction about Raspberry Hill, a girl who has been homeless and now lives precariously in a bad neighborhood with her mother. She is obsessed with making money because she never wants to be homeless again. Larger font, plenty of white space, short chapters, interesting characters and situations. Great cover. Coretta Scott King award.
650L	Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff – Realistic fiction; foster care, trust, family, larger font, more white space on page, great characters, good cover, Newberry Honor book, 166 pages.
660L	The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney – Mystery; kidnapping, mental illness, romance, high school age characters, family, great cover, first in a series of six, 184 pages.
670L	Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz – Action, mystery, science fiction; murder, intrigue, fast paced, dangerous situations, close calls with death or injury, great cover, larger font, more white space on page, first in a series of ten, 256 pages.
690L	Dark Life by Kat Falls – Adventure, mystery, science fiction; farming underwater, complex characters, danger, intense, fast paced, larger font size, more white space on page, great cover, first in a series of two, 297 pages.
690L	The Limit by Kristen Landon – Dystopian; family, kidnapping, political prisoners, economics, value of life and belongings, over spending, government control, intelligence, more white space on page, short chapters, 291 pages.
690L	Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements – Science fiction; invisibility, friendship, fast paced, mediocre cover, first in a series of three, 251 pages.
720L	The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn – Dytopian; rebellion against government control, people getting bar coded, strong characters, friendship, family, trust, first in a series of three, 256 pages.
730L	Ghost by Jason Reynolds – Realistic Fiction: Family, Family trauma, shoplifting, running, track, family violence, larger font, more white space on page, 180 pages. This is the first book of a series of four.
Unknown Lexile	Counting Wolves by Michael F. Stewart – Realistic fiction: mental illness, destigmatizing mental illness, fairytales, friendships, trauma. Wonderful cover, plenty of white space, short chapters, and a story that is fast paced, exciting, and a bit scary. Definitely content that older teens can relate to. 215 pages.

Figure 3. Books to Bridge Hi/Lo Reading Experiences to Grade Level Reading

Lexile	Books to Bridge Hi/Lo Reading Experiences to Grade Level Reading
620L	The Last Dog on Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft – Science fiction; epidemic illness, step-parent, fast paced, exciting, strong main character, short chapters, good cover, changes in point of view; reminds me of I Am Legend, 234 pages.
650L	When She Was Good by Norma Fox Mazer – Realistic fiction; mental illness, abuse, intense storyline, flashbacks, great cover, 228 pages.
660L	Holes by Louis Sachar – Realistic fiction; juvenile punishment, obsessions, loyalty, fast paced, exciting, relatable characters, more white space on page, changes in point of view and flashbacks, good cover, Newberry winner, first in a series of two, 233 pages.
670L	Crazy by Han Nolan – Realistic fiction; multiple personality disorder, mental illness, parts of story are told by the voices (personalities), fast paced, intense, foster care, abuse, more white space on page, time changes, good cover, 348 pages.
670L	Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen – Realistic fiction; bullying, fighting, reparative justice, alcoholism, abuse, relatable characters, bear attack, flashbacks, first half is fast paced but second half slows down, good cover, first in a series of two, 240 pages.
680L	Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan – Fantasy, Historical Fiction: Fairy tales, WWII, The Great Depression, orphans, migrant workers, Europe, United States, music, families, siblings, Japanese Internment Camps, beautiful cover, more white space, short chapters, 587 pages. This book is a work of art.
700L	The Angel Experiment by James Patterson – Science fiction, fantasy; human/avian experiments, loyalty, flying, PTSD, fast paced, exciting, great cover, larger font, more white space on page, extremely short chapters, first in a series of nine, 413 pages.
710L	Dread Locks by Neal Shusterman – Mythology, Fairy tales; Goldilocks, Medusa, mystery, horror, fast paced, dark, geared toward older teens, more white space on page, short chapters, great cover, 164 pages.
750L	Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman – Historical fiction; women’s rights in India, family roles and structure, students will need background knowledge of WWII, strong characters, more white space on page, good cover, 243 pages.
750L	Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney – Realistic fiction: Refugees, war, family roles, diamond trade, immigration, suspense. More white space on page.
750L	As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds – Realistic Fiction: families, blindness, pulling together, grandparents, birds, nature, guns, hard work, large font, plenty of white space, 410 pages.