GUIDED READING LEVEL CHARACTERISTICS AND SUGGESTED AUTHORS LEVELS O – P – Q Characteristics of text at these higher levels include: greater number of pages (100+), lots of text per page and few if any pictures, smaller print and narrower word spacing, wide variety of texts with complex language structures and sophisticated vocabulary, highly detailed and descriptive and present abstract concepts and themes, subtleties of these texts require more background knowledge, greater variety and number of primary and secondary characters. Many of the same authors write books for young adult readers at these higher levels. There are fewer series books and many more individual titles by the same author. O Joanna Hurwitz (Aldo Applesauce series and other stories) Dean Hughes (Angel Park series) Beverly Cleary (Henry, Beezus and Ramona series) Betsy Byars (Blossom series) Parker Hinter (Clue Jr. series) Childhood of Famous Americans series Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking series) Jean Betancourt (Pony Pals series) Ann Martin (Stacey series) P John Erickson (The Case of . . . series) Roald Dahl stories Gary Paulsen stories Donald Sobel (Encyclopedia Brown series) Joanna Cole (Magic Schoolbus series) Jean Craighead George (One Day . . . series) Louis Sachar (Wayside School series) Jon Scieszka (Time Warp Trio series) Q American Girl series Lois Lowry (Anastasia series) Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew series) Phyllis Reynolds Naylor stories James Howe (Bunnicula series) Jackie French Koller (Dragon series) Laura Ingalls Wilder stories Judy Blume (Fudge series) Jean Van Leeuwen (Hannah –Pioneer Daughters series) Todd Strasser (Help I’m Trapped . . . series) Kay Moore, Ann McGovern, Ellen Levine (These 3 authors write a type of If You Lived in the Time of . . .series) Susan Shreve (Joshua T. Bates series) James Herriot stories Sandra Markle (Inside and Outside series) Marvin Miller (You Be the . . . series) Books Arranged by Guided Reading Level These trade books are available at many public libraries as well as bookstores. If you don’t know your student’s guided reading level, scan the titles until you find books your student can read independently and try other books at the same level. Guided Reading Level O The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein by Johanna Hurwitz Aldo series, Johanna Hurwitz All about Sam by Lois Lowry Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad by Marlene Brill And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? By Jean Fritz Angel Park Soccer Stars series by Dean Hughes Ant Cities by Arthur Dorros The Arctic Ocean by Anne Ylvisaker The Atlantic Ocean by Anne Ylvisaker Aunt Clara Brown: Official Pioneer by Linda Lowery Baseball Fever by Johanna Hurwitz Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki Baseball’s Best, Five True Stories by Andrew Gutelle Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary Benjamin Banneker by Ginger Wadsworth The Blind Pony by Jeanne Betancourt The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady by Betsy Byars Borreguita and the Coyote by Verna Aardema The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude C. Warner Bugs by Nancy Parker Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz The Case of the Dirty Bird by Gary Paulsen Charles Lindbergh by Lucile Davis Chocolate Fever by Robert Smith Class Clown by Johanna Hurwitz Corn Is Maize by Aliki The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh Cowpokes and Desperadoes by Gary Paulsen Davy Crockett by Kathy Feeney Dirty Beasts by Roald Dahl Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar Dragon Bones by Paul Hindman Earthworms by Kevin Holmes Einstein Anderson, Science Detective series by Seymour Simon Eleven Kids, One Summer by Ann M. Martin Elizabeth Cady Stanton by Lucile Davis Face-Off by Matt Christopher The Finch’s Fabulous Furnace by Roger Drury Flossie and the Fox by Patricia McKissack Foolish Gretel by Jennifer Armstrong The Fortune-tellers by Lloyd Alexander Frederick Douglass by Margo McLoone George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff The Ghost Pony by Jeanne Betancourt Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes Good Grief Third Grade by Colleen McKenna Gorgonzola Zombies in the Park by Elizabeth Levy The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz Gymnastics by Christin Ditchfield Happily Ever After by Anna Quindlen The Haunting of Grade Three by Grace Maccarone Henry Huggins series by Beverly Cleary Her Seven Brothers by Paul Goble Herbie Jones series by Suzy Kline Here Comes McBroom by Sid Fleischman The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes Jason and the Aliens Down the Street by Greg Greer The Key to the Playhouse by Carol York The King’s Equal by Katherine Paterson Lake Huron by Anne Ylvisaker Lake Michigan by Anne Ylvisaker Lavender by Karen Hesse The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie DePaola Like Jake and Me by Mavis Jukes Lions by Kevin J. Holms Lucretia Mott by Lucile Davis Ma and Pa Dracula by Ann Martin Make a Wish, Molly by Barbara Cohen Malcolm X by Lucile Davis Martial Arts by Bob Knotts Mary McLeod Bethune by Margo McLoone Maxie, Rosie and Earl – Partners in Grime by Barbara Park McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm by Sid Fleischman Mieko and the Fifth Treasure by Eleanor Coerr Moons by Gregory Vogt Moonwalk – the First Trip to the Moon by Judy Donnelly The Most Beautiful Place in the World by Ann Cameron The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series by Betty MacDonald Much Ado about Aldo by Johanna Hurwitz Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary Mystery on October Road by Alison Herzig The Night Crossing by Karen Ackerman No One Is Going to Nashville by Mavis Jukes The Not-Just-Anybody Family by Betsy Byars Owl Moon by Jane Yolen The Pacific Ocean by Anne Ylvisaker Patrick Doyle is Full of Blarney by Jennifer Armstrong Pippi Longstocking series by Astrid Lindgren Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary Ramona series by Beverly Cleary Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar Socks by Beverly Cleary Sojourner Truth by Margo McLoone Spider Kane and the Mystery Under the May Apple by Mary P. Osborne Stay away from Simon! by Carol Carrick The Story of Benjamin Franklin by Margaret Davidson The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles Susan B. Anthony by Lucile Davis The Swamp of the Hideous Zombies by Geoffrey Hayes Talk about a Family by Eloise Greenfield Ten True Animal Rescues by Jeanne Betancourt They Led the Way: 14 American Women by Joanna Johnston Tornado by Betsy Byars Track and Field by Bob Knotts Tyrannosaurus Rex by Daniel Cohen The Vicar of Nibbleswick by Roald Dahl Virtual Fred by Vincent Courtney Wall of Names: The Story of the Viet Vets Memorial by Judy Donnelly Walt Disney by June Preszler What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman Wingman by Daniel Pinkwater Wrestling by Christin Ditchfield Guided Reading Level P Against the Odds by Joe Layden All About Sam by Lois Lowry Amazing but True Sports Stories by Phyllis Hollander Attaboy Sam by Lois Lowry Baby Island by Carol R. Brink A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch by Jill Murphy Book of Black Heroes from A to Z by Wade Hudson The Bicycle Man by Allen Say Bunnicula by James Howe The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown by Betsy Byars The Canada Geese Quilt by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock Circle of Gold by Candy Boyd The Daring Rescue of Marlon the Swimming Pig by Susan Saunders The Dragon series by Jackie Koller Eddie and the Fire Engine by Carolyn Haywood Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald Sobol Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl Felicia the Critic by Ellen Conford Felita by Nicholasa Mohr Finding the Titanic by Robert Ballard Five Brave Explorers by Wade Hudson Five Notable Inventors by Wade Hudson The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl Gerbilitis by Stephanie Spinner The Ghost Fox by Laurence Yep The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl A Girl Called Al by Constance Greene A Head Full of Notions: A Story about Robert Fulton by Andy Bowen Helen Keller by Stewart Graff Hot Fudge Hero by Pat Brisson Howliday Inn by James Howe The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon B. Mathis Hurricanes: Wild Weather by Lorri Hopping If You Grew Up with Abraham Lincoln by Ann McGovern If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War by Kay Moore If You Lived With the Sioux Indians by Ann McGovern If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine The Indian School by Gloria Whelan It’s Mine! by Leo Lionni Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang by Mordecai Richler Jazz, Pizzazz, and the Silver Threads by Mary Quattlebaum Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Walter and Mildred Pitts Koi’s Python by Miriam Moore and Penny Taylor Koya Delaney and the Good Girl Blues by Eloise Greenfield Last Chance for Magic by Ruth Chew Last Look by Clyde Bulla A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Bulla The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland The Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole The Magic Squad and the Dog of Great Potential by Mary Quattlebaum Martin’s Mice by Dick King-Smith The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds The Minpins by Roald Dahl Mixed-Up Max by Dick King-Smith A Nose for Trouble by Nancy Wilson Odds on Oliver by Constance Greene Oh, Brother by Johnnice Wilson One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean C. George Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat The Private Notebook of Katie Roberts, Age 11 by Amy Hest Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl The School Mouse by Dick King-Smith Shoebag by Mary James The Skates of Uncle Richard by Carol Fenner The Spray-Paint Mystery by Angela Medearis Stone Fox by John R. Gardiner The Story of Alexander Graham Bell by Margaret Davidson The Story of Harriet Tubman by Kate McMullen The Tales of Olga da Polga by Michael Bond Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold A Taste of Blackberries by Doris B. Smith Time Warp Trio series by Jon Scieszka Tornadoes! by Lorraine Hopping Tut’s Mummy: Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly Twisters and Other Terrible Storms by Will and Mary P. Osborne The Twits by Roald Dahl The Wall by Eve Bunting Wayside School Is Falling Down by Louis Sachar Who Stole The Wizard of Oz? by Avi Wild and Woolly Mammoths by Aliki Witch’s Cat by Ruth Chew The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear by Lensey Namioka Guided Reading Level Q Addy series (American Girls) by Connie Porter The Airplane by Julie Sinclair The Alamo by Tom McGowen Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville All about Deer by Jim Arnosky All about Owls by Jim Arnosky All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor Amazing but True Sports Stories by Phyllis Hollander Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry And Still the Turtle Watched by Sheila MacGill-Callahan Animal Ark series by Ben Baglio Antarctica by David Peterson Australia by David Peterson The Automobile by Julie Sinclair Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith Beetles Lightly Toasted by Phyllis R. Naylor Betsy-Tacy by Maud Lovelace The Bicycle by Larry Hills The Big Wave by Pearl Buck Black Diamond: the Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues by Patricia McKissack Black-Eyed Susan by Jennifer Armstrong Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura I. Wilder Canada by Elaine Landau The Cat who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White Class Trip to the Cave of Doom by Kate McMullan Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary Erosion by Becky Olien Farmer Boy by Laura I. Wilder Felicity series (American Girls) by Valerie Tripp Florence Nightingale by Lucile Davis Fourth Grade Wizards by Barthe DeClements Franklin D. Roosevelt by Steve Potts Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume George Washington by T.M. Suel The Ghost on Saturday Night by Sid Fleischman Grandpa’s Face by Eloise Greenfield Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson Hannah of Fairfield by Jean Van Leeuwen Harry’s Mad by Dick King-Smith Homer Price by Robert McCloskey India by Elaine Landau James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Jim Ugly by Sid Fleischman John Adams by Muriel Dubois Josefina series (American Girls) by Valerie Tripp Junebug by Alice Mead Just Juice by Karen Hesse Kirsten series (American Girls) by Janet Shaw Langston Hughes by B. A. Hoena The Lemonade Trick by Scott Corbett Little House in the Big Woods by Laura I. Wilder Little House on the Prairie by Laura I. Wilder The Long Winter by Laura I. Wilder The Lost Flower Children by Janet T. Lisle Mary on Horseback: Three Mountain Stories by Rosemary Wells Medieval Feast by Aliki Mixed-up Max by Dick King-Smith Molly series (American Girls) by Valerie Tripp Mostly Michael by Robert K. Smith The Mouse of Amherst by Elizabeth Spires Native American Stories by Joseph Bruchac On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura I. Wilder On the Banks of the Bayou by Roger MacBride Onion Tears by Diana Kidd Outside and Inside Bats by Sandra Markle Outside and Inside Kangaroos by Sandra Markle Outside and Inside Sharks by Sandra Markle Outside and Inside Snakes by Sandra Markle The Pennsylvania Colony by Martin Hintz Peru by Elaine Landau Peter Tchaikovsky by Mike Venezia Picasso by Mike Venezia Prairie Songs by Pam Conrad A Rain Forest Tree by Lorien Kite The Roar of the Crowd by Bill Wallace Sacagawea by Barbara Wittman Sierra by Diane Siebert The Solar System by Gregory Vogt Soup by Robert Peck Superfudge by Judy Blume The Supreme Court by Patricia Quiri Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume Technical Foul by Bill Wallace The Telephone by Marc Nobleman There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar There’s an Owl in the Shower by Jean C. George The Toilet Paper Tigers by Gordon Korman The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Whose Side Are You on? by Emily Moore You Be the Jury by Marvin Miller