56 Books for Reluctant High School Readers

This is the last installment of my books for reluctant readers. Today's list is for high school students. All three lists are available under the tab "Books for Reluctant Readers" at the top of this page. You can download a PDF copy of the high school list here.


11/22/63- Stephen King

Blank Confession- Pete Hautman

Bluford High Series- (various authors)

The Book Thief- Marcus Zusak

Box Out- John Coy

Breathing Underwater- Alex Finn

Chasing Lincoln's Killer- James L. Swanson

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul- Jack Canfield

The Chocolate War- Robert Cormier

Cirque du Freak Series- Darren Shan

City of Glass Series- Cassandra Clare

The Coldest Winter Ever- Sister Souljah

Dairy Queen- Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Dope Sick- Walter Dean Myers

The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)- Kody Keplinger

Fat Kid Rules the World- K.L. Going

The Fault in Our Stars- John Green

Feed- M.T. Anderson

The First Part Last- Angela Johnson

The Giver- Lois Lowry

Glimpse- Carol Lynch Williams

Gone Series- Michael Grant

Gossip Girl Series-Cecily von Ziegesar

Guinness Book of World Records- any year, any book

Hunger Games Trilogy- Suzanne Collins

I'd Tell you I Love you, But Then I'd Have to Kill You- Ally Carter

Just Listen- Sarah Dessen

King Dork- Frank Portman

The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini

Life of Pi- Yann Martel

Looking for Alaska- John Green

Monster- Walter Dean Myers

My Sister's Keeper- Jodi Picoult

One Hundred Young Americans- Michael Franzini

Paper Towns- John Green

Payback Time-Carl Deuker

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

Push- Sapphire

Rikers High- Paul Volponi

Ripley's Believe it or Not- any year, any issue

Rooftop- Paul Volponi

Scars- Cheryl Rainfield

Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Style: How to Find Your Perfect Look- Ann Shoket

Shiver Trilogy- Maggie Stiefvater

Someone Like You- Sarah Dessen

Star Wars Character Encyclopedia- DK Publishing

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes- Chris Crutcher

Stuck in Neutral- Terry Trueman

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)- Sarah Mylnokski

The Top Ten of Everything- Caroline Ash

The Truth About Forever- Sarah Dessen

Twilight Series- Stephenie Meyer

Uglies Trilogy- Scott Westerfeld

Vampire Academy Series- Richelle Mead

What I Saw and How I Lied- Judy Blundell

Zombie High Yearbook '64- Jeff Busch

Reluctant Readers in Your School? Middle School Students Will Enjoy These 56 Titles

I admit it. As a child, I really didn't enjoy reading. The one time it was fun was when my dad would read with me before bedtime. I had chosen the story (the last one I remember was Nobody's Boy- French version here ) and over the course of many weeks read together. It was a wonderful bonding experience for me. Do parents today have time to read with their kids, or do they place them in front of the TV or computer to "entertain" them? Here's a great quote about books: "There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book."- Frank Serafini

Author James Patterson began writing books for young kids when he found that his son didn't like to read. There a a few series books by now: Witch and Wizard, Maximum Ride, Daniel X and Middle School. Students in my school who didn't enjoy reading are checking out these books every day. I thought that a list of book suggestions for reluctant readers would be very helpful, so read on...... today's books are for grades 5-8, depending on the student's reading level. I'll be covering K-4 and 9-12 in the next few postings. You can download today's list here.

The Absolutely Amazing Adventures of Auggie Spinoza- Steven Stickler

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Sherman Alexie

After Eli- Rebecca Rupp

Al Capone Does My Shirts- Gennifer Choldenko

Al Capone Shines My Shoes- Gennifer Choldenko

Artemis Fowl Series- Eon Colfer

Bad Island (Graphic Novel) - Doug Tennapel

The Batboy- Mike Lupica

The Black Stone Prophecy- Alex Baj

Bud, Not Buddy- Christopher Paul Curtis

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Extra Credit -Tom Greenwald

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading -Tom Greenwald

Chomp- Carl Hiaasen

Comeback Kids Series- Mike Lupica

Crispin: The Cross of Lead- Avi

Crossing the Wire- Will Hobbs

The Cruisers (3 books)- Walter Dean Myers

Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love - Gary Paulson

Daniel X Series- James Patterson

The Dawn Patrol- Don Winslow

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series -Jeff Kinney

Dork Diaries Books- Rachel Renee Russell

The Encyclopedia of Me- Karen Rivers

Flipped- Wendelin Van Draanen

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making- Catherynne M. Valente

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There- Catherynne M. Valente

The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman 

Grey Griffins Series- Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis

Holes- Louis Sachar

Hoops- Walter Dean Myers

Hoot- Carl Hiaasen

I Funny: A Middle School Story- James Paterson

Island of Thieves- Josh Lacey

Joey Pigza Books- Jack Gantos

Journal of a Schoolyard Bully: Notes on Nooglies, Wet Willies,  and Wedgies -Farley Katz

The Kill Order- James Dashner

Liar and Spy- Rebecca Stead

Lula Bell on Geekdom, Freakdom and the Challenges of Bad Hair- C.C. Payne

Maniac Magee- Jerry Spinelli

Maximum Ride Series- James Patterson

The Maze Runner Books- James Dashner

Middle School: Get Me Out of Here!- James Patterson

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life- James Patterson

My Life as a Stuntboy- Janet Tashjian

The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World- E.L. Konigsburg

NERDS Books- Michael Buckley

Peak- Roland Smith

Percy Jackson Series- Rick Riordan

Sean Yeager and the DNA Thief- David Jarrett

See You at Harry's- Jo Knowles

A Series of Unfortunate Events Series- Lemony Snicket

Stickman Odyssey, Book 1: An Epic Doodle- Christopher Ford

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea- Ellis Weiner

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963- Christopher Paul Curtis

The Wish List- Eon Colfer

Witch and Wizard Series- James Patterson