Life Success
For Students With Learning Disabilities:
A Teacher Guide
Book List: General Children’s Literature
Proactivity
Alice in April – Phyllis Reynolds Naylor IL: 5-8 RL: 5.4
While trying to survive seventh grade, Alice discovers that turning 13 will make her the Woman of the House at home, so she starts a campaign to get more appreciated for taking care of her father and older brother.
Catwings – Ursula Le Guin IL: 3-6 RL: 4.5
Four young cats with wings leave the city slums in search of a safe place to live. They finally meet two children with kind hands.
The Chocolate War – Robert Cormier IL: YA RL: NR
Jerry Renault is forced into a psychological showdown with Trinity School’s gang leader, Archie Costello, for refusing to be bullied into selling chocolates for the annual fund-raising.
Darby – Jonathon Scott Fuqua IL: 5-8 RL: 5.0
In 1926, nine-year-old Darby Carmichael stirs up trouble in Marlboro County, South Carolina, when she writes a story for the local newspaper promoting racial equality.
Elbert’s Bad Word – Audry Wood IL: K-3 RL: 2.5
After shocking the guests at the elegant garden party by using a bad word, Elbert learns some acceptable substitutes from a helpful wizard.
The Gardener – Sarah Stewart IL: K-3 RL: 3.5
In a series of letters, Lydia Grace relates what happens when, after her father loses his job, she goes to live with her Uncle Jim in the city but takes her love for gardening with her.
The Giver – Lois Lowry IL: 5-8 RL: 6.8
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
Hoot – Carl Hiaasen IL: YA RL: NR
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
Miss Rumphius – Barbara Cooney IL: K-3 RL: 2.9
As a child, great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful. She does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all.
Misfits – James Howe IL: 5-8 RL: 8.3
Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.
Mississippi Trial, 1955 – Chris Crowe IL: 5-8 RL: 5.1
In Mississippi in 1955, a 16-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a 14-year-old African-American from Chicago.
Nothing But the Truth – Avi IL: 7-10 RL: 6.9
A ninth-grader’s suspension for singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” during homeroom becomes a national news story.
Rules of the Road – Joan Bauer IL: YA RL: NR
Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire. Along the way, Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.
Seventeenth Swap – Eloise McGraw IL: 5-8 RL: 5.0
Having no money, a 13-year-old begins a series of swaps to get the child he babysits for a pair of cowboy boots.
Tangerine – Edward Bloor IL: YA RL: NR
Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness. In the process, he slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi IL: 5-8 RL: 7.0
As the lone “young lady” on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the crew rebellious.
Whale Talk – Chris Crutcher IL: YA RL: NR
Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school’s less popular students.
Where the Lilies Bloom – Vera and William Cleaver IL: 5-8 RL: 5.5
In the Great Smoky Mountains region, a 14-year-old girl struggles to keep her family together after their father dies.
Where the Red Fern Grows – Wilson Rawls IL: 5-8 RL: 5.2
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart’s desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.
Whipping Boy – Sid Fleischman IL: 3-6 RL: 4.8
A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.
Next: Book List – General Children’s Literature – Goal-Setting
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