Here are some more great ESL book recommendations for our ENGin buddies. These books fall into the middle school reading level.
Holes
by Luis Sackler
Holes is a 1998 young adult novel written by Louis Sachar…. The book centers on Stanley Yelnats, who is sent to Camp Green Lake, a correctional boot camp in a desert in Texas, after being falsely accused of theft. The plot explores the history of the area and how the actions of several characters in the past have affected Stanley’s life in the present. These interconnecting stories touch on themes such as labor, boyhood and masculinity, friendship, meaning of names, illiteracy, and elements of fairy tales.
Wikipedia
I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzai
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban is an autobiographical book by Malala Yousafzai, co-written with Christina Lamb.
The book details the early life of Yousafzai, her father’s ownership of schools and activism, the rise and fall of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in Swat Valley and the assassination attempt made against Yousafzai on 9 October 2012, when she was aged 15, following her activism for female education.
Wikipedia
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O’Dell
Island of the Blue Dolphins is a 1960 children’s novel by American writer Scott O’Dell, which tells the story of a girl named Karana, who is stranded alone for years on an island off the California coast. It is based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Native American left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island during the nineteenth century.
Wikipedia
Julie of the Wolves
by Jean Craighead George
Julie of the Wolves is a children’s novel by Jean Craighead George, published by Harper in 1972 with illustrations by John Schoenherr. Set on the Alaska North Slope, it features a young Inuk girl experiencing the changes forced upon her culture from outside.
Wikipedia
My Side of the Mountain
by Jean George
My Side of the Mountain is a middle-grade adventure novel written and illustrated by American writer Jean George published by E. P. Dutton in 1959. It features a boy who learns courage, independence, and the need for companionship while attempting to live in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. In 1960, it was one of three Newbery Medal Honor Books.
Wikipedia
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
The Giver is a 1993 American young adult dystopian novel written by Lois Lowry, set in a society which at first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses.
In the novel, the society has taken away pain and strife by converting to “Sameness”, a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. In an effort to preserve order, the society also lacks any color, climate, terrain, and a true sense of equality. The protagonist of the story, a 12-year-old boy named Jonas, is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, the person who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness.
Wikipedia
The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children’s fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim…. and is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million copies sold.
Wikipedia
The Hobbit is set in Middle-earth and follows home-loving Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit of the title, who joins the wizard Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves of Thorin’s Company, on a quest to reclaim the dwarves’ home and treasure from the dragon Smaug. Bilbo’s journey takes him from his peaceful rural surroundings into more sinister territory.
Where the Red Fern Grows
by Wilson Rawls
Where the Red Fern Grows is a 1961 children’s novel by Wilson Rawls about a boy who buys and trains two Redbone Coonhounds for hunting. It’s a work of autobiographical fiction based on Rawls’ childhood in the Ozarks.
Wikipedia
