Bud, Not Buddy

Go back in time, a hard time in American history, and experience life as a young boy on his own. During the Great Depression Bud is in search of a man he believes to be his father after escaping a bad foster home situation.  Bud, Not Buddy (AR level 5.0) written by Christopher Paul Curtis is for upper elementary readers and is also a good historical read for jr. high, high schoolers, and adults.  

The River

A realistic fiction author that is great for upper elementary through high school is Gary Paulsen. Paulsen creates a survival story in The River (AR level 5.5) with a character from a previous book called The Hatchet (AR level 5.7). When I read Paulsen I am taken to a real place and learn essential survival skills. This is a story about solving problems and asking yourself, what would I do in this situation?