Crash by Jerry Spinelli (1995)

Crash3A story told from the point of view of a total jerk.

Recommended grade level: 4-8

Pages: 176 (for ISBN 9780440238577)

Genre(s) and keywords: realistic fiction, humor, reluctant readers

Tone/Style: simple, judgmental (at the beginning)

Pace: fast

Topics: bullying, jocks

Themes: identity, change, family

Summary: Crash Coogan, a seventh-grade football star, has been an aggressive person from the time he was very young; sometimes, he is too aggressive. Continue reading

Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle (2013)

51Oei844sIL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_A simple but emotion-packed middle grade boy-and-his-dog story.

Recommended grade level: 3-6

Pages: 224 (for ISBN 9780805095166)

Genre(s) and keywords: novel in verse, realistic fiction, animal fiction, reluctant readers, Latino/Latina

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