English as a Second Language (ESL)

Award: Caldecott Medal, 1987
Lexile Reading Level: 320L
Al, a janitor, and his faithful dog, Eddie, live in a single room on the West Side. Their room is crowded and cramped; their life is an endless struggle. Al and Eddie are practically at each others throats when a large and mysterious bird offers them a new life in paradise. After some debate, they decide to accept.

Awards: Sydney Taylor Book Award (2015) -- Award Winner for Older Readers
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2015, ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens (2015),
ALSC Graphic Novels Reading List 2014 - Grades 3-5, Mildred L. Batchelder Award Honor (2015), & Teachers' Choices 2015 (International Literacy Association)
Lexile Reading Level: 300
Dounia, a grandmother, tells her granddaughter the story even her son has never heard: how, as a young Jewish girl in Paris, she was hidden away from the Nazis by a series of neighbors and friends who risked their lives to keep her alive when her parents had been taken to concentration camps.

Award: Caldecott Medal, 1995
Lexile Reading Level: 360L
In a night of rioting, Daniel and his mother are forced to leave their apartment for the safety of a shelter.

Awards:Publisher's Weekly Best Books 2012 - Children's Picture Book; Amazon Editors' Best Books of 2012 -- Children's Picture Books; School Library Journal Best Books 2012; ALA Notable Children's Book, 2013; Caldcott Medal, 2013.
Lexile Reading Level: 340L
A tiny minnow wearing a pale blue bowler hat has a thing or two up his fins in this underwater light-on-dark chase scene.

Awards: National Book Award Nominee 2015: Finalist for Young People's Literature, 2015 Publisher's Weekly Best Books (Young Adult), & 2015 School Library Journal Best Books
Lexile Reading Level: 350
Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc.

Lexile Reading Level: 340L
A simple retelling of the fateful days in 79 A.D. when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and the people in the ancient town of Pompeii perished.

Awards:Randolph Caldecott Medal Honor Book (2015), Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book (2015), & ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens - 2015
Lexile Reading Level: 300
Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.