Leveled texts
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo ~ Lexile: HL800L
Acevedo, E. (2019). The Poet X. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company.
Xiomara starts to write slam poetry to discover new parts of her mother's religion and herself. She feels vulnerable living in Harlem since her body is changing. She has to learn how to navigate the world with fierceness and stand up for herself. This story is a mirror for all young girls that are growing into their body and students who practice religion in their household. It is a window for those who aren't of color and may have more privileges than others.
Mae Among The Stars - Roda Ahmed ~ Lexile: AD580L
Ahmed, R., & Burrington, S. (2018). Mae among the stars. New York, NY: Harper.
Pair Mae's insatiable curiosity with her parent's unconditional support and you get the first African American woman to travel in space. This book teaches determination and allows students who relate to her culture and background to see themselves being successful in STEM fields.
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish - Pablo Cartaya ~HL580L
CARTAYA, P. (2019). MARCUS VEGA DOESNT SPEAK SPANISH. Place of publication not identified: PUFFIN Books.
Marcus is six feet tall and has a mustache. Everyone thinks he's a bully. He is trying to work through the fact that his dad left him when he was little. After a problem at school, he goes on a trip to Puerto Rico. There, he visits family. He uses this opportunity to meet his father. This book is a window for those students who may not have family problems. It allows them to see that everyone has their own problems at home and that you can't judge people based on how they look. It also shows that you need to treat all people with grace and compassion. It is a mirror for students who may be from single parent households or divorces.
Sofia Martinez: Abuela's Special Letters - Jacqueline Jules ~ Lexile: 550L
Jules, J., & Smith, K. (2017). Abuela's special letters. North Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, a Capstone imprint.
Sofia is making a time capsule. Her family gives her pictures and items to put in it. Abuela writes a letter to her grandchildren. Sofia struggles to wait until the time capsule is opened to read the letters. This book comes with an English/Spanish glossary, It is a window for those that have never been exposed to time capsules, don't have background in Spanish, don't live with extended family and may not have strong ties to family.
The Science of Breakable Things - Tae Keller ~ Lexile: 840L
KELLER, T. (2019). SCIENCE OF BREAKABLE THINGS. Place of publication not identified: YEARLING Books.
Natalie believes she can help her mom who has depression. If she can win money to go to New Mexico and show her botanist mother the Cobalt Blue Orchid then everything will be fixed. A story based around mental health can be a mirror for those who face similar problems or those who are responsible for caring for their parents. It can also be representative for students who have to be extremely independent.
Can I Touch Your Hair? - Irene Latham ~ Lexile: NP
LATHAM, I. W. (2019). CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR?: Poems of race, mistakes, and friendship. S.l.: ONEWORLD PUBLICATIONS.
Irene and Charles are partners for a poetry project but aren't sure they want to be. Irene is white and Charles is black. They learn about each others differences such as hair, hobbies and family dynamic. This is a great example of both a window and mirror. It allows students that can relate to Charles, see themselves and their family. It also shows students like Irene that they can learn about other people and their cultures without being rude or inappropriate about it.
The First Rule of Punk - Celia Perez ~ Lexile: 670L
Pérez, C. C. (2018). The first rule of punk. New York: Puffin Books.
Twelve-year-old Malú learns about her identity when she moves to a new school and home. She learns what it means to be a friend, how to rock out and be herself. This acts as a mirror for most middle schoolers as they work through their identities and find themselves. This is more general and can reach more students through mirrors instead of windows.
Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds ~ Lexile: HL720L
Reynolds, J. (2019). Long way down. New York, NY: Antheneum.
Will is looking for revenge after the murder of his brother Shawn. As he makes his way down the elevator, he discovers new parts of the story and different people that are involved. He realizes he didn't actually know the full story. This book acts a mirror for those who have been affected by gun violence. It is also a window for students who live in areas that don't see a lot of violence.
Yes I Can!: A Story of Grit - Mari Schuh ~ Lexile: 500
Schuh, M. C., & Byrne, M. (2018). Yes I can!: A story of grit. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.
Jada’s finding out if plants grow better in water, milk, juice, or soda. However, she keeps getting interrupted by texting, her friends and her little brother. Jada uses grit to keep working hard. This is a mirror for anyone that has had to work hard on something in their life. For some students it can be a window if their parents help them do all their projects or if they don't have access to materials to complete projects at home.
The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas ~ Lexile: HL590L
Thomas, A. (2018). The hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Starr lives in an impoverished area but attends a high class prep school. She struggles to balance both parts of her identity when she witnesses the murder of her best friend Khalil. He was gunned down by a police officer and was unarmed. This book acts as a window to those who haven't experienced the acts of violence and a mirror to students who have lived through similar events. It showcases police brutality that is currently happening every day. This is another example of both mirrors and windows.
Acevedo, E. (2019). The Poet X. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company.
Xiomara starts to write slam poetry to discover new parts of her mother's religion and herself. She feels vulnerable living in Harlem since her body is changing. She has to learn how to navigate the world with fierceness and stand up for herself. This story is a mirror for all young girls that are growing into their body and students who practice religion in their household. It is a window for those who aren't of color and may have more privileges than others.
Mae Among The Stars - Roda Ahmed ~ Lexile: AD580L
Ahmed, R., & Burrington, S. (2018). Mae among the stars. New York, NY: Harper.
Pair Mae's insatiable curiosity with her parent's unconditional support and you get the first African American woman to travel in space. This book teaches determination and allows students who relate to her culture and background to see themselves being successful in STEM fields.
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish - Pablo Cartaya ~HL580L
CARTAYA, P. (2019). MARCUS VEGA DOESNT SPEAK SPANISH. Place of publication not identified: PUFFIN Books.
Marcus is six feet tall and has a mustache. Everyone thinks he's a bully. He is trying to work through the fact that his dad left him when he was little. After a problem at school, he goes on a trip to Puerto Rico. There, he visits family. He uses this opportunity to meet his father. This book is a window for those students who may not have family problems. It allows them to see that everyone has their own problems at home and that you can't judge people based on how they look. It also shows that you need to treat all people with grace and compassion. It is a mirror for students who may be from single parent households or divorces.
Sofia Martinez: Abuela's Special Letters - Jacqueline Jules ~ Lexile: 550L
Jules, J., & Smith, K. (2017). Abuela's special letters. North Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, a Capstone imprint.
Sofia is making a time capsule. Her family gives her pictures and items to put in it. Abuela writes a letter to her grandchildren. Sofia struggles to wait until the time capsule is opened to read the letters. This book comes with an English/Spanish glossary, It is a window for those that have never been exposed to time capsules, don't have background in Spanish, don't live with extended family and may not have strong ties to family.
The Science of Breakable Things - Tae Keller ~ Lexile: 840L
KELLER, T. (2019). SCIENCE OF BREAKABLE THINGS. Place of publication not identified: YEARLING Books.
Natalie believes she can help her mom who has depression. If she can win money to go to New Mexico and show her botanist mother the Cobalt Blue Orchid then everything will be fixed. A story based around mental health can be a mirror for those who face similar problems or those who are responsible for caring for their parents. It can also be representative for students who have to be extremely independent.
Can I Touch Your Hair? - Irene Latham ~ Lexile: NP
LATHAM, I. W. (2019). CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR?: Poems of race, mistakes, and friendship. S.l.: ONEWORLD PUBLICATIONS.
Irene and Charles are partners for a poetry project but aren't sure they want to be. Irene is white and Charles is black. They learn about each others differences such as hair, hobbies and family dynamic. This is a great example of both a window and mirror. It allows students that can relate to Charles, see themselves and their family. It also shows students like Irene that they can learn about other people and their cultures without being rude or inappropriate about it.
The First Rule of Punk - Celia Perez ~ Lexile: 670L
Pérez, C. C. (2018). The first rule of punk. New York: Puffin Books.
Twelve-year-old Malú learns about her identity when she moves to a new school and home. She learns what it means to be a friend, how to rock out and be herself. This acts as a mirror for most middle schoolers as they work through their identities and find themselves. This is more general and can reach more students through mirrors instead of windows.
Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds ~ Lexile: HL720L
Reynolds, J. (2019). Long way down. New York, NY: Antheneum.
Will is looking for revenge after the murder of his brother Shawn. As he makes his way down the elevator, he discovers new parts of the story and different people that are involved. He realizes he didn't actually know the full story. This book acts a mirror for those who have been affected by gun violence. It is also a window for students who live in areas that don't see a lot of violence.
Yes I Can!: A Story of Grit - Mari Schuh ~ Lexile: 500
Schuh, M. C., & Byrne, M. (2018). Yes I can!: A story of grit. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.
Jada’s finding out if plants grow better in water, milk, juice, or soda. However, she keeps getting interrupted by texting, her friends and her little brother. Jada uses grit to keep working hard. This is a mirror for anyone that has had to work hard on something in their life. For some students it can be a window if their parents help them do all their projects or if they don't have access to materials to complete projects at home.
The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas ~ Lexile: HL590L
Thomas, A. (2018). The hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Starr lives in an impoverished area but attends a high class prep school. She struggles to balance both parts of her identity when she witnesses the murder of her best friend Khalil. He was gunned down by a police officer and was unarmed. This book acts as a window to those who haven't experienced the acts of violence and a mirror to students who have lived through similar events. It showcases police brutality that is currently happening every day. This is another example of both mirrors and windows.