High/Low Books for Middle School and High School Kids

Hi-lo (high-interest, low readability) books are designed to engage struggling readers by exploring complex, age-appropriate themes at a lower reading level. They typically feature simple sentences, controlled vocabulary, lower page counts, and short chapters.

Updated August 28, 2025
S
Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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The collectors :
Paper Book
A USA Today and National Bestseller From Michael L. Printz Award winner A.S. King and an all-star team of contributors including Anna-Marie McLemore and Jason Reynolds, an anthology of stories about remarkable people and their strange and surprising collections.
Eyes open /
Miller-Lachmann, Lyn,
Paper Book
Portugal, 1967. Sónia thinks she knows what her future holds. She'll become a poet, and together she and her artist boyfriend, Zé Miguel, will rise above the government restrictions that shape their lives. The restrictions on what Sónia can do and where she can go without a man's permission. The...
Pangu's shadow /
Bao, Karen,
Paper Book
There are no second chances in the Pangu Star System. Ver and Aryl, apprentices at the most prestigious biology lab among the system's moons, know this better than anyone. They've left behind difficult pasts and pinned their hopes for the future on Cal, their brilliant but demanding boss....

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