2. How Tía Lola Saved the Summer By Julia Alvarez
Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 5.3 or T
When three girls and their father visit for a week in the summer, it takes T́́ía Lola to make Miguel forget his unhappiness at the absence of any boys and embrace the adventures that ensue.

3. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda By Tom Angleberger
Fantasy
Reading Level: 4.7 or T
Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.

4. El Deafo By Cece Bell
Graphic Novel
Memoir
Reading Level: 3.3 or K
The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower."

5. The One and Only Ivan By Katherine Applegate
Reading Level: 3.3 or M
Animal Tale
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.
Video interview:
Video Ivan:
Book Trailer:

6. The Shakespeare Stealer By Gary Blackwood
Historical Fiction
Mystery
Reading Level: 5.5 or Q
A young orphan boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty.

7. Tua and the Elephant By R. P. Harris
Adventure
Reading Level: 5.2 or U
In Chiang Mai, Thailand, nine-year-old Tua releases an abused elephant from its chains. Can she complete the rescue by getting it to an elephant refuge without being caught herself?

8. Heart of A Samurai By Margi Preus
Historical Fiction
Survival/Adventure
Reading Level: 5.4 or W
In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro, who dreams of becoming a samurai, learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.

9. Saving Kabul Corner By N. H. Senzai
Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 6.1 or V
Twelve-year-old Ariana, a tomboy, and her ladylike cousin Laila, recently arrived from Afghanistan, do not get along but they pull together when a rival Afghani grocery store opens, rekindling an old family feud and threatening their family's livelihood.
A rough and tumble tomboy, twelve-year-old Ariana couldn’t be more different from her cousin Laila, who just arrived from Afghanistan with her family. Laila is a proper, ladylike Afghan girl, one who can cook, sew, sing, and who is well versed in Pukhtun culture and manners. Arianna hates her. Laila not only invades Ariana’s bedroom in their cramped Fremont townhouse, but she also becomes close with Mariam Nurzai, Ariana’s best friend. Then a rival Afghan grocery store opens near Ariana’s family store, reigniting a decades-old feud tracing back to Afghanistan. The cousins, Mariam, and their newfound frenemie, Waleed Ghilzai, must ban together to help the families find a lasting peace before it destroys both businesses and everything their parents have worked for.

10. Hana's Suitcase on Stage By Karen Levine
True Story
Reading Level: 5.3 or R
A biography of a Czech girl who died in the Holocaust, told in alternating chapters with an account of how the curator of a Japanese Holocaust center learned about her life after Hana's suitcase was sent to her, with the text of the play based on this biography.
Website

11. P.S. Be Eleven By Rita Williams-Garcia
Historical Fiction
Reading Level 4.5 or X
The Gaither sisters return to Brooklyn, where they adapt to new feelings of independence while managing changes large and small, from Pa's new girlfriend to a very different Uncle Darnell's return from Vietnam.