JEFF KINNEY - Books About the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Author

THE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID series has been one of the most popular series for elementary and middle school readers for quite a few years.

I know these books are ones that my son and I enjoyed sharing.  It was great to curl up (he did this even as a middle-schooler) on the couch and just laugh our heads off at Greg's and his family's exploits.  And I created this list because I thought young readers might be interested in this wonderful author.

There are now 3 books at the 4th Grade Reading level, which is the same level as the series.  I also found two others, one much longer book at the 5th Grade reading level and one short book at the 6th Grade level.

Enjoy!

**all ratings from GoodReads 
**all links to Amazon

Jeff Kinney
(Blastoff! Readers Level 4: Children's Storytellers)
by Christina Leaf

I couldn't find any reviews for this BlastOff book.  The description says that there are full color photos and simple language.

Reading Information
Word Count: 848
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reader: 4.1 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 176585

Jeff Kinney

(Capstone)
by Kelli L. Hicks
Michael Byers (Illustrations)

This short biography talks about Jeff's  childhood, education, and milestones as a best selling children's author.

There are photos, of course, but also information like the fact that the WIMPY KID books have been translated into 41 languages.  (How is that for popular!)

Word Count: 712
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reader: 4.1 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 160019
Lexile: 770L

Jeff Kinney
Abdo Publishing Company
(Checkerboard Biography)
by Megan M. Gunderson

4.18 avg rating — 94 ratings

This biography covers Jeff Kinney's life beginning with his early life in Maryland.  Interestingly it talks about his middle school memories, his love of reading, and what he is doing now.

Word Count: 1,823
Page Count:  24
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 147470
--library binding

Who Is Jeff Kinney?
by Patrick Kinney
John Hinderliter (Illustrations)

Publisher's Blurb:

Even as a kid, everyone thought Jeff Kinney was talented. People loved his drawings, and when he went to college, his comic strip Igdoof was so popular that it spread to other universities! Still, Jeff faced challenges. His cartoons were rejected by syndicates that claimed his art was unprofessional. 

Then, an idea struck: Jeff would write a journal from the perspective of a child, illustrated with doodles just like a kid might do. And so, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was born--and it was a hit! In this biography, Jeff's brother, Patrick Kinney, provides a knowledgeable look at the life of this best-selling author/illustrator. From Jeff's childhood pranks to his job developing online games, kids will love the chance to learn more about the creator of the popular Wimpy Kid books.

Word Count: 7,991
Page Count:  112
Accelerated Reader: 5.5 / points: 1.0
Ar quiz: 176429
Lexile: 830L
--available for Kindle

Jeff Kinney
(Remarkable Writers)
by Christine Webster

4.28 avg rating — 57 ratings

Did you know that Jeff was a computer programmer and that he worked on the wildly popular website Poptropica?  Tis true.  

And did you now he had an older brother who is not named Roderick?

This biography is at the 6th Grade reading level but has the advantage of being only 32 pages long. 

Word Count: 4,636
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 6.1 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 154778


compiled by Pam
updated November 2015 

To find the Diary of a Wimpy Kid list in English, check here.

For the Spanish version, check here.

MISTBORN series reading level (Brandon Sanderson)

Brandon Sanderson roared onto the fantasy scene and has become a tremendously popular author.  His MISTBORN series are the books that most new readers hear about.  

Suitable for Adults and Young Adults.  If you want to read a sampler, check this out -- amazon

**all ratings from GoodReads
**all links to Amazon.com

THE FINAL EMPIRE
(Mistborn #1)
by Brandon Sanderson
9780765311788

4.40 avg rating — 145,331 ratings 

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more?  In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage - Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 212,417
Page Count: 541
Accelerated Reading level: 5.5 / points: 33.0
AR quiz: 166366
--sample pages available
--other reviews available
--audio version available
--amazon


THE WELL OF ASCENSION
(Mistborn, #2)

4.33 avg rating — 101,509 ratings

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler – the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years – has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier’s protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 245,672
Page Count: 590
Accelerated Reader: 5.3 / points: 38.0
AR quiz: 170174
--sample pages available
--other reviews available
--audio version available
--amazon


THE HERO OF AGES
(Mistborn, #3)

4.42 avg rating — 96,002 ratings

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy.  The ramifications of the first two books begins to cascade.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 235,114
Page Count: 572
Accelerated Reader: 5.7 / points: 37.0
AR quiz: 171267
Lexile: HL750L
--sample pages available
--other reviews available
--audio version available
--amazon


 OTHER MISTBORN NOVELS
--without reading information

The Alloy of Law 
(Mistborn #4)

4.19 avg rating — 46,308 ratings

From here on out the series jumps 300 years.  There is still Allomancy and Feruchemy but the Mistborn/reborn world now has trains, electricity and steel construction.

There are still frontier areas though.  And enter Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax must now put away his guns and assume the duties incumbent upon the head of a noble house--until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

--amazon

Shadows of Self      ---- OCTOBER 6th 2015
(Mistborn #5)
--amazon

 Bands of Mourning  ---- January 26th 2015
(Mistborn #6)
--amazon


compiled by Pam
June 2015

STEELHEART / THE RECKONERS series reading infornation

BRANDON SANDERSON is best known for his adult series Mistborn, and for his work finishing Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time.  With THE RITHMATIST  Brandon made his first foray into the Young Adult market.  This series earned good marks from readers and the RECKONERS first book, STEELHEART, followed quickly.

**all ratings from GoodReads


**New York Times Bestseller**
STEELHEART
(Reckoners, #1)
by Brandon Sanderson

**Starred Review** ALA BookList
4.14 avg rating — 56,780 ratings

The School Library Journal calls STEELHEART a 'fast-paced, futuristic science-fiction superhero story' and I think that's an accurate description.  

The backstory: One day the sky exploded and darkness came and stayed.  Even worse, some people developed super-human skills.  They are called Epics. And as it turns out they quickly become unpleasant people.

Enter David. When he was a young boy he went to the bank with his father. There they unfortunately crossed paths with Steelheart, the worst of the Epics, and their leader.  David's father is murdered and David swears to destroy Steelheart.  To this he worms his way into a group called the Reckoners.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 107,599
Page Count:  384
Accelerated Reader:  5.0 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 161310
Lexile: 680L
--sample pages and reviews available

 

MITOSIS
(Reckoners, #1.5)

3.90 avg rating — 10,265 ratings

Mitosis takes place after the Reckoners reclaim Newcago --trying to fill the space left by the death of Steelheart.

Looking at the reviews at Amazon I'd say that most people loved the story BUT thought it was too short for the price. 

Look for it on sale.  (It does happen. Sometimes the e-stories will drop to 99cents in price.)

Page Count: 35
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available

------------------------------------------------------------------
You might also want to look at:
Review: The Rithmatist 
Review: Screaming Staircase
Review: California Bones
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FIREFIGHT
(Reckoners, #2)

4.36 avg rating — 16,688 ratings

David and the Reckoners continue their fight against the Epics, humans with superhuman powers, except they may have met their match in Regalia, a High Epic who resides in Babylon Restored, the city formerly known as the borough of Manhattan.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 104,499
Page Count: 304
Accelerated Reader: 5.1 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 171445
 Lexile: HL700L
--sample pages and reviews available


compiled by Pam
updated June 2015

THE SCHOOL OF GOOD AND EVIL series reading level information (Soman Chainani)

Soman Chainani has penned a series which stands the fairytale tropes on their heads.  Though written for Middle-Graders these books also have adult fans.

**all ratings from GoodReads

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL   
(The School for Good and Evil #1)
by Soman Chainani
Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

3.93 avg rating — 8,502 ratings

Sophie and Agatha find out where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good and Evil.  A school were regular kids are are trained to be heroes... or villains.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 105,365
Page Count:  488
Accelerated Reader: 5.2 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 161269
Lexile: 830L

A WORLD WITHOUT PRINCES
(The School for Good and Evil #2)
by Soman Chainani
Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

4.20 avg rating — 1,285 ratings

Sophie and Agatha are back in the real world... for a while.  But not everything is resolved and they continue to think about the nature of good and bad, and about their relationship.  

Page Count: 400
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available

✓ You might also like: THE PRINCESS ACADEMY

compiled by Pam
updated August 2014

THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD series reading information (Heather Brewer)

My teen daughter urged me to put this list together.  She just turned 14 and she is loving this series -- almost as much as the Escape from the Furnace books.

Heather Brewer has a winner here. 

**all ratings from GoodReads 


Eighth Grade Bites
(The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1)
by Heather Brewer

3.94 avg rating — 21,279 ratings

13 year old Vlad isn't your normal teen. His mom was human, but his dad was a vampire.  This means he has a difficult time keeping his blood urges under control.  And it also means that he's different, even for a vampire, because he was born a vampire instead of being created.

In this book Vlad has all the usual middle school hurdles and then some. Bullies are targeting him, the principle is watching him closely, and worse, the girl he likes, likes his best friend better.  But none of this is as dangerous as the substitute teacher who is on the verge of blowing his cover.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 42,383
Page Count:  182
Accelerated Reader: 5.4 / points: 7.0
AR quiz: 116596
Lexile: 780L
-- sample pages available
-- manga version available
-- audio CD available


Ninth Grade Slays
(The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #2)

4.16 avg rating — 15,651 ratings

Some good stuff, and some very bad stuff.

First the good. Vlad get to study abroad! Unfortunately it's not Paris. Uncle Otis and Vlad head off to Siberia so that Vlad can study under a very old vampire named Vikas.  He also learns of the Pravus myth of which hints that he could be 'the vampire of the prophecy'.

But there's not much time to think about those lessons and the myth because there's a vampire slayer is in town,  and he's stalking Vlad!

Word Count: 61,874
Page Count: 278
Accelerated Reading level: 5.3 / points: 9.0
AR quiz: 122154
Lexile: 780L
-- sample pages available
-- audio CD available


Tenth Grade Bleeds
(The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #3)

 4.26 avg rating — 12,521 ratings

Changes are in the works.  First Henry wants to be free (no longer a drudge) and Vlad's blood supply is becoming iffier by the minute.  Add to that a strange and dangerous vampire demanding Vlad's father's journal, and you have book #3.

Word Count: 63,430
Page Count: 292
Accelerated Reader: 5.7 / points: 10.0
AR quiz: 130904
Lexile: 820L
-- sample pages available
-- audio CD available


Eleventh Grade Burns
(The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #4)

4.33 avg rating — 10,070 ratings

Wow. Eleventh grade sucks. Vlad breaks up with Meredith, and now seems to have a sort-of relationship with Snow.  Uncle Otis is being tried for killing another vampire and all sorts of people --old former best friends and other vampires-- what to out him or kill him or drink his blood.

What's a guy to do?

Word Count: 70,346
Page Count: 309
Accelerated Reader: 5.3 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 136090
Lexile: 770L
-- sample pages available
-- audio CD available


Twelfth Grade Kills
(The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #5)

 4.38 avg rating — 8,830 ratings

Pravus prophecy and more.  Vlad's dad may even be alive!

Word Count: 71,416
Page Count: 325
Accelerated Reader: 5.1 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 140207
Lexile: 700L
-- sample pages available
-- audio CD available

compiled by Pam
updated April 2014

LEGEND series reading information (Marie Lu)

Marie Lu has become legend for her dystopic series that has earned rave reviews.

**all ratings from GoodReads

LIFE BEFORE LEGEND
(Legend, #0.5) ebook only
 
3.93 avg rating — 2,290 ratings

This ebook has two original stories that give insight into the lives of June and Day.

Reading Information:
Page Count: 38
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available


LEGEND
(Legend, #1)

**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** ALA Booklist
**Starred Review** VOYA


4.14 avg rating — 74,701 ratings

15-year-old June was born into an elite family and she being groomed to be a member of an elite military circle. Day on the other hand was born and raised in a slum, and he had become the country's most wanted criminal.

June and Day might never have met except that one day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect.  This sets off a search for 'The Truth'.

Word Count: 75,464
Page Count:  320
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 148251
Lexile: HL710L
--sample pages and reviews available
--read an excerpt


PRODIGY
(Legend, #2)

**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** ALA Booklist
**Starred Review** VOYA

4.30 avg rating — 25,892 ratings

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the Elector Primo dies.  Anden, the Elector's son fills the political void and with this act  the Republic edges closer to chaos.  The Patriot rebels are eager to help Day rescue his brother, but Day and June have one more mission-- to assassinate the new Elector.

Word Count:  97,881
Page Count: 384
Accelerated Reading level: 5.3 / points: 15.0
AR quiz: 156557
--sample pages available

CHAMPION
(Legend, #3)

**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** ALA Booklist
**Starred Review** VOYA


4.51 avg rating — 5,152 ratings

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion? 

 June and Day have found their separate places within the Republic but they are brought back together when a virulent, deadly plague breaks out.

Page Count: 384
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available

Here is sampler from the Legend Series, featuring excerpts from Legend and Prodigy


compiled by Pam


You might also be interested in:   #1

UNWIND Series reading information (Neal Shusterman)

 In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound. 

Set in the near future, Neal Shusterman explores a world if which the transplant organ trade is essentially 'wide open' and abortion is legal, but delayed.

If those two concepts were not horrific enough, Shusterman manages to make them sound entirely possible. 

Fans of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Series should definitely check this out.  But know, that unlike the Uglies, this series has less 'bubbly' and more horror. 

*Adult Worthy~
**all ratings from GoodReads


UNWIND
by Neal Shusterman

4.22 avg rating — 65,370 ratings

**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly

**Starred Review** SchoolLibraryJournal

UNWIND is an rivoting, fast paced story that develops through the eyes of Connor, Risa, and Lev.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 95,297
Page Count: 352
Accelerated Reading level: 5.0 / points: 14.0
AR quiz: 120008
Lexile: 740L
--sample pages and reviews available


UNSTRUNG  (short e-story)
(Unwind, #1.5)
 3.80 avg rating — 1,740 ratings

From 'tithe' to clapper:  this story reveals what happened to Lev between the time he left CyFi, until he showed up at the Graveyard..

Page Count: 92
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available


UNWHOLLY
(Unwind, #2)

4.29 avg rating — 11,481 ratings

As Kirkus Reviews says --"A breathless, unsettling read."

Connor and Risa drift apart, as Lev strives to give his life meaning by ministering to other jailed youths.  Starkey wants to become the new Graveyard leader, and Cam is groomed for leadership by an mysterious group that is going to take advantage of his having been completely made from the parts of dozens of unwound teens.

Word Count: 116,298
Page Count: 416
Accelerated Reader: 5.8 / points: 18.0
AR quiz: 154002
Lexile: 860L
--sample pages and reviews available


UNSOULED
(Unwind, #3)

4.25 avg rating — 944 ratings

The Graveyard is destroyed and now Connor and Lev are on the run, searching for a mysterious woman who the government and all who support unwinding are frightened of.  

Cam struggles without Risa and plots to take down the organization that created him to prove to her how much he cares.

Page Count: 416
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available


compiled by Pam

ASHES Trilogy reading information (Ilsa Bick)

The dystopia ASHES caught the imagination of many YA readers as Ilsa Bick brought Alex, Tom, and Ellie to life.  I know the intense, nonstop action had me turning pages until late at night.  

*This series becomes increasingly violent as it proceeds.  The first book, ASHES, would be suitable for most readers.  By the time we get to volume 3 there is a great deal of violence, sexual situations, and profanity.  I would say that MONSTERS is not suitable for most  middle-graders.  The plot is very complicated and the violence is very graphic and intense.

**all ratings from GoodReads


ASHES
(Ashes Trilogy #1)

Audie Award Nominee for Solo Narration -- Female (2012)
ALA Teens' Top Ten Nominee (2012),

3.94 avg rating — 10,907 ratings

Alex has a brain tumor and she's tired of chemo and the constant day to day struggle to stay positive.  When she hikes into the woods alone it's to consider what her next step should be.  What she doesn't imagine is that it's all going to be taken out of her hands when a huge series of huge electromagnetic pulses blast the United States.

These flashes destroy more than every piece of technology the world.  They do something strange to almost every human being.  Some people it kills outright.  Others it alters their minds so that they can think of nothing better than to chow-down on the next person they meet.

Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.  Together they try to survive.  Violence.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 104,605
Page Count: 496
Accelerated Reading level: 5.0 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 146122
--get sample pages, reviews, and prices


SHADOWS

3.71 avg rating — 3,409 ratings

In SHADOWS there are a number of changes.  We get the story from multiple Points of View, and the tone changes as Alex finds the strange community of Rule, where safety is an illusion.


Word Count: 119,220

Page Count: 528
Accelerated Reading level: 4.9 / points: 18.0
AR quiz: 154948
--get sample pages, reviews, and prices

MONSTERS
(Ashes #3)

3.78 avg rating — 329 ratings

MONSTERS is the exciting finale of Bick's ASHES Trilogy.

Alex finds that The Changed are still changing.  And all the different plot strings come together, as some characters are reunited, while others die.  Graphic Violence, profanity.

Word Count: 197,073
Page Count: 688
Accelerated Reader: 5.2 / points: 30.0
AR quiz: 161577
--get sample pages, reviews, and prices

compiled by Pam
updated June 2014

GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS series reading information (Rae Carson)

The FIRE AND THORNS series from Rae Carson is one of the best conceived and written YA series I have read in some time.  It's beautifully done and like  Megan Whalen Turner's series, The Queen's Thief, it is suitable for adults.

It's a tale about a religious, scholarly girl who is called upon by Fate to save her people and the world.  It's sounds cliche but the brilliant world-building by Carson makes this series stand out.  Powerful and well done. 

**all ratings from GoodReads


The Shadow Cats (Fire and Thorns, #0.5)
3.77 avg rating — 1,068 ratings


The Shattered Mountain (Fire and Thorns, #0.6)
4.09 avg rating — 450 ratings


The King's Guard (Fire and Thorns, #0.7)
4.23 avg rating — 423 ratings

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS 
(Fire and Thorns, #1)

YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2012)
Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Scifi/Fantasy (2011)
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** SchoolLibraryJournal

3.86 avg rating — 21,266 ratings

Alodia is the crowned princess of the realm. The sister who knows how to rule and who is confident and most prepared for court life and court politics.  So when her younger sister, Elisa, is chosen to be the wife of a distant King, everyone is astonished.  And no one more than scholarly Elisa.

But Elisa has been chosen once before; to receive the stone: a sacred, devine jewel which she bears in her navel.  And despite her being the second, spare, princess, and despite her protests and doubts, Elisa heads off, sure that she will only disappoint this King.

The King and most other people do indeed undervalue her.  Which is perhaps what leads to her abduction by a radical desert revolutionary wants to either control her or kill her.

Suitable for Adults too.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 102,803
Page Count: 448
Accelerated Reading level: 5.0 / points: 15.0
AR quiz: 147890
--sample pages and reviews available

THE CROWN OF EMBERS
(Fire and Thorns, #2)

**Starred Review** Kirkus   
4.33 avg rating — 8,472 ratings

In Book #1 Elisa fought the desert folk and won. Now she must battle her own people in a kingdom in which many distrust her, or merely want her out of the way so that they can rule.

But that struggle must wait because Elisa is fated to cross the ocean to search for the source of the Godstone's power. It is a journey that tests relationships, and raises new questions. 

Word Count: 101,422
Page Count: 432
Accelerated Reader:  5.0 / points: 15.0
AR quiz: 156258




THE BITTER KINGDOM
(Fire and Thorns, #3)

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
4.36 avg rating — 2,696 ratings

Elisa's power grows stronger as she and her friends follow a path directly to the door of their enemies.  She seeks Hector, of course.  But it is also clear to her that that she must confront the powerful native inhabitants in their home.

Word Count: 103,365
Page Count: 448
Accelerated Reader: 5.3 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 162497
Lexile: HL760L

compiled by Pam
updated June 2014

THE UNWANTEDS reading level information (Lisa McMann)

Lisa McMann's trilogy can be thought of as a dystopia for Middle-Graders. It is set in a society where only the useful are allowed to liven and at 13 children are divided into classes: The Wanteds, the Necessaries, and the Unwanteds.

In true dystopian style the Unwanteds are to be disposed of.  But in fact they end up safe on an island where they are encouraged to hone their special abilities.

• some violence
• deliciously grim tone

**all ratings from GoodReads


THE UNWANTEDS
(Unwanteds #1)
by Lisa McMann

3.86 avg rating — 4,220 ratings

Aaron and Alex are identical twins.  Which makes it all the more horrible that one of them is sent to attend University while the other is defined as useless and 'unwanted'.  

When Alex ends up on the island, the boys find that they can read each others minds.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 68,014
Page Count:  416
Accelerated Reader: 5.7 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 146290
Lexile: 880L
--get sample pages, reviews, and prices
--BOXED SET of the first 3 books available

 ISLAND OF SILENCE 
(Unwanteds #2)
by Lisa McMann

4.16 avg rating — 938 ratings

In this book the magical barrier between Quill and Artime is gone, and it's a shock to both societies.  The Artimeans struggle to forgive those that dismissed them as useless, while the Quillians struggle with the collapse of their goverment that followed the death of their leader.

The two boys find themselves at odds with Aaron's political fall having been caused by Alex's success.  And while Alex recovers from his wounds, Aaron plots a rebellion to bring him to power once again.

Word Count: 69,917
Page Count:  432
Accelerated Reading level: 5.4 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 153742
Lexile: HL820L
--get sample pages, reviews, and prices

ISLAND OF FIRE
(Unwanteds #3)

4.35 avg rating — 159 ratings

Aaron has been successful and Artime is no longer.  The Unwanteds are without food and much hope is put on Alex.  But can he find an ally to help them?  And can he and Aaron ever be friends again?

Word Count: 79,223
Page Count:  464
Accelerated Reader: 5.2 / points: 12.0
AR quiz: 162058
Lexile: HL810L


compiled by Pam
updated June 2014

THE LAND OF STORIES reading information (by Chris Colfer)

The LAND OF STORIES series from Chris Colfer is a popular one with middle-graders.  Action and fantasy fun. 

**all ratings from GoodReads 

THE WISHING SPELL
(The Land of Stories, #1)
by Chris Colfer
Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)

4.07 avg rating — 8,236 ratings

Alex and Conner are twins.  On their 12th birthday, after a tragedy, their grandmother gives them a book of fairy tales. They start to read them only to find themselves falling into the tales, with no clear cut way to get out.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 98,248
Page Count: 438
Accelerated Reading level: 5.0 / points: 15.0
AR quiz:154,466
--get sample pages and reviews

THE ENCHANTRESS RETURNS
(The Land of Stories, #2)

4.49 avg rating — 576 ratings

The twins are drawn back into the Land of Stories when they find out that the Enchantress has kidnapped their mother.
 
Word Count: 123,485
Page Count:  528
Accelerated Reader:  5.3 / points: 19.0
AR quiz: 160688
--get sample pages and reviews


compiled by Pam
updated June 2014

IF I STAY series reading information

Starred reviews abound for Gayle Forman's popular series.

**all ratings from GoodReads


IF I STAY
(If I Stay, #1)
by Gayle Forman

**Starred Review** Booklist
**Starred Review** School Library Journal
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 

3.98 avg rating — 83,925 ratings

While in a coma following an accident that killed her parents and younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weighs whether to live with her grief or join her family in death.

Word Count: 49,653
Page Count: 272
Accelerated Reading level: 5.3 / points: 8.0
AR quiz: 129747
Lexile: 830L
--sample pages and reviews available  
--available in Spanish

WHERE SHE WENT 
(If I Stay, #2)

ALA Teens' Top Ten Nominee (2012)
4.18 avg rating — 43,050 ratings

Adam, now a rising rock star, and Mia, a successful cellist, reunite in New York and reconnect after the horrific events that tore them apart when Mia almost died in a car accident three years earlier.

Word Count: 55,415
 Page Count: 208
Accelerated Reader: 5.1 / points: 8.0
AR quiz: 143768
Lexile: 800L
--sample pages and reviews available
--available in Spanish

compiled by Pam
updated June 2014

DARK LIFE series reading information (Kat Falls)

KAT FALLS writes some great dystopia/adventure books for middle-graders.  Her first series, DARK LIFE, was well received, having been nominated for for many awards.

The setting is a future earth where the polar caps have melted and the oceans have risen so much that earth's population is crowded closely on the remaining land. Ty Townsend is part of an experimental community that lives in the ocean's depths. 

DARK LIFE
(Dark Life, #1)
by Kat Falls

*Children's Book Award Nominee (2012)
*Georgia's Children's Book Award Nominee (2012)
*Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2012)

3.90 avg rating — 5,558 ratings

Life isn't easy deep under the seas.  Desperate 'topsiders', hungry for food, oppress the underwater pioneers, and pirates wait to steal their goods. As the first child born born to the underwater enclave, Ty has little liking for land dwellers... that is until he meets Gemma. Gemma is feisty and different and she soon engages Ty to help her find her missing brother, who may have been captured by the pirates, or who may have joined them.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 62,350
Page Count:  304
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 9.0
AR quiz: 136705
Lexile: 690L
--sample pages and other reviews available
--audio available

RIP TIDE
(Dark Life, #1)

3.94 avg rating — 1,444 ratings

Trouble is everywhere. Ty's parents have been charged with sedition, and now an entire village is missing, while the local underwater fauna are suddenly more dangerous. Was tying up with the Seablite gang a good idea?

Word Count: 67,475
Page Count: 320
Accelerated Reader:  5.3 / points: 10.0
AR quiz: 145219
--sample pages and other reviews available

KAT FALLS author index

You might also be interested in:   #1

compiled by Pam
updated June 2014