Reading List For American Middle School High School Students
1. Reading List
Middle School
Title
Grade Read
Level of Difficulty
Additional Notes/Comments
Fahrenheit 451
(Ray Bradbury)
7
Easy
Along with Fahrenheit 451, we read other short stories by Ray Bradbury, such as “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”.
To Kill a Mockingbird
(Harper Lee)
7
Medium
The Outsiders
(S.E. Hinton)
7
Easy
The Giver
(Lois Lowry)
8
Easy
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
(Mildred Taylor)
8
Easy
Roots
(Alex Haley)
8
Medium
This was a book that our teacher challenged us to read in 8th grade. It was an excellent book although a little long.
War and Peace
(Leo Tolstoy)
7
Difficult
I chose this book as a challenge from a classmate for our “book of choice” project. I got through all 1400 some pages, but looking back, as a 7th grader, I don’t think I understood all of the finer points.
High School
Title
Grade Read
Level of Difficulty
Additional Notes/Comments
Interpreter of Maladies
(Jhumpa Lahiri)
9
Medium
This was the book we read in my old high school before I transferred. I believe we were set to read The Odyssey after that.
Oedipus Rex
9
Easy
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
9
Easy
Things Fall Apart
(Chinua Achebe)
9
Medium
The Crucible
(Arthur Miller)
10
Easy
The Bell Jar
(Sylvia Plath)
10
Easy
The book was an easy read but rather uninteresting. I picked it because we were required to read in groups and someone else in the class was the only person who wanted to read it, but later I kind of regretted my choice.
The Joy Luck Club
Catch-22
Slaughterhouse Five
Brave New World
1984
10 n/a Some of the other books offered as choices.
The Great Gatsby
(F. Scott Fitzgerald)
10
Easy
Bob Dylan discography
11
Difficult
I did my IOP (individual oral presentation) on this work. We essentially analyzed Bob Dylan’s songs as if they were poems. For my IOP, I compare/contrasted two of his songs.
Song of Solomon
(Toni Morrison)
11
Medium
I found this book very interesting
White Teeth
(Zadie Smith)
11
Medium
Midaq Alley
(Naguib Mahfouz)
11
Medium
The character
Middle School
Title
Grade Read
Level of Difficulty
Additional Notes/Comments
Fahrenheit 451
(Ray Bradbury)
7
Easy
Along with Fahrenheit 451, we read other short stories by Ray Bradbury, such as “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”.
To Kill a Mockingbird
(Harper Lee)
7
Medium
The Outsiders
(S.E. Hinton)
7
Easy
The Giver
(Lois Lowry)
8
Easy
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
(Mildred Taylor)
8
Easy
Roots
(Alex Haley)
8
Medium
This was a book that our teacher challenged us to read in 8th grade. It was an excellent book although a little long.
War and Peace
(Leo Tolstoy)
7
Difficult
I chose this book as a challenge from a classmate for our “book of choice” project. I got through all 1400 some pages, but looking back, as a 7th grader, I don’t think I understood all of the finer points.
High School
Title
Grade Read
Level of Difficulty
Additional Notes/Comments
Interpreter of Maladies
(Jhumpa Lahiri)
9
Medium
This was the book we read in my old high school before I transferred. I believe we were set to read The Odyssey after that.
Oedipus Rex
9
Easy
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
9
Easy
Things Fall Apart
(Chinua Achebe)
9
Medium
The Crucible
(Arthur Miller)
10
Easy
The Bell Jar
(Sylvia Plath)
10
Easy
The book was an easy read but rather uninteresting. I picked it because we were required to read in groups and someone else in the class was the only person who wanted to read it, but later I kind of regretted my choice.
The Joy Luck Club
Catch-22
Slaughterhouse Five
Brave New World
1984
10 n/a Some of the other books offered as choices.
The Great Gatsby
(F. Scott Fitzgerald)
10
Easy
Bob Dylan discography
11
Difficult
I did my IOP (individual oral presentation) on this work. We essentially analyzed Bob Dylan’s songs as if they were poems. For my IOP, I compare/contrasted two of his songs.
Song of Solomon
(Toni Morrison)
11
Medium
I found this book very interesting
White Teeth
(Zadie Smith)
11
Medium
Midaq Alley
(Naguib Mahfouz)
11
Medium
The character