I teach students who are special needs ESL kids. They are in 6th and 7th grade, reading on a 3rd to 4th grade reading level. I have been given funds to buy class sets of books. I want to avoid books with too many illustrations or that may be too babyish. Harry Potter is too hard for them. I'm thinking of the following titles: Encyclopedia Brown, The Littles, and Pippi Longstocking. Any elementary or middle school librarians out there who can recommend more titles?

Captain Underpants, Goosebumps, biographies of sports and entertainment figures.

My son is currently in the fourth grade and he loves Shiloh, they read that in the beginning of the year. Talked about it everyday. I would ask the 4th grade teachers in your district what are the reading lists and which books the kids liked the best. Most of the books they are reading have very few illustrations if any in the book. I liked the box car children, island of the blue dolphins, and bridge to terabitha at that age!

1. Bible
2. Karma Sutra
3. Islamic Bible
4. Jewish Bible
5. Hungry Hungry Cattttyyyypilllarrr My personal fave

Any book by Roald Dahl. He wrote "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," but has numerous other books that keep kids interested.

the boxcar children
the magic treehouse series