PRE-AP AR Reading List by Title

Bold Text titles are available in CKJH Library
Highlighted with Gray are non-fiction  

Books are selected for this list for many reasons including: classic literature, text or plot complexity/difficulty, cultural significance/reference, award winners, etc.

All books on this list will count for independent reading. Should you find a book you'd like to read this is NOT on the list, TALK TO YOUR TEACHER! New books are approved all the time; New AR tests are purchased on a regular basis.

CONTENT Warning: Some of these novels have material that may be offensive (obscene language, sexual issues,  religious issues, racial issues, and violence.) Parents, if you have concerns about the material that your child chooses to read, please use Kitsap Regional Library, Amazon.com, or Barnes and Noble.com to read summaries and/or reviews of the novels to assist your child in finding a novel that is not offensive to your family. There are many novels on this list that do not have objectionable material.

Author Title RL Pts  
Orwell, George 1984 8.9 17  
Clark, Arthur C. 2001: A Space Odyssey 9 12  
Clark, Arthur C. 2010: Odyssey Two 7.8 13  
Clark, Arthur C. 2061: Odyssey Three 8.3 11  
Clark, Arthur C. 3001: The Final Odyssey 8.3 9  
Twain, Mark Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 6.6 18  
Twain, Mark Adventures of Tom Sawyer 8.1 12  
Wharton, Edith Age of Innocence, The 8.8 19  
Carroll, Lewis Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass 7.8 10  
Read, Piers Paul Alive 7.7 19  
Herriot, James All Creatures Great and Small 6.8 26  
Remarque, Erich All Quiet on the Western Front 6 10  
Warren, Robert Penn All the Kings Men 6.8 36  
Herriot, James All Things Bright and Beautiful 6.7 23  
Herriot, James All Things Wise and Wonderful 6.7 26  
Pullman, Philip Amber Spyglass, The 6.7 26  
Dreiser, Theodore American Tragedy, An 8.5 65  
Crichton, Michael Andromedia Strain, The 6.6 11  
McCourt, Frank Angela's Ashes 5.9 23  
Brown, Dan Angels and Demons 5.6 23  
Orwell, George Animal Farm 7.3 5  
Tolstoy, Leo Anna Karenina 9.6 69  
Fast, Howard April Morning 6.1 9  
Verne, Jules Around the World in Eighty Days 9.6 12  
Faulkner, William As I Lay Dying 5.4 9  
Gaines, Ernest Authobiography of Miss Jane Pitman 4.6 13  
Franklin, Benjamin Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, The 12 15  
Malcolm/Haley Autobiography of Malcolm X, The  7.5 32  
Chopin, Kate Awakening, The  8.5 12  
McKinley, Robin Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast 6.2 11  
King, Laurie Beekeeper's Apprentice, The 7 19  
Hersey, John Bell for Adano, A 5.9 13  
Plath, Sylvia Bell Jar, The 7.2 11  
Morrison, Toni Beloved  6 15  
Anonymous/Raffel Beowulf 10 5  
Cormier, Robert Beyond the Chocolate War 5.4 10  
Stevenson, Robert Louis Black Arrow, The 9 14  
Wright, Richard Black Boy 7.4 22  
Griffin, John Howard Black Like Me 7 11  
Pyle, Howard Book of King Arthur 9.4 21  
Adamson, Joy Born Free 7.3 9  
Huxley, Aldous  Brave New World 7.5 11  
Huxley, Aldous  Brave New World Revisited 11 7  
Tyler, Anne Breathing Lessons 6.5 15  
Yolen, Jane Briar Rose 5 8  
Wilder, Thornton  Bridge of San Luis Rey, The 7.1 5  
Grisham, John Broker, The 5.9 16  
Dostoevsky,  Fyodo Brothers Karamazov, The 10 74  
Brown, Dee Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee 7.9 27  
Wouk, Herman Caine Mutiny, The 6.4 34  
Steinbeck, John Cannery Row 6 8  
Kipling, Rudyard Captains Courageous 8 9  
Heller, Joseph  Catch-22 7.1 30  
Salinger, J.D. Catcher in the Rye, The 4.7 11  
Sandoz, Mari Cheyenne Autumn 6.9 20  
Mah, Adeline Chinese Cinderella: the True story of an Unwanted Daughter 5.7 8  
Cormier, Robert Chocolate War, The 5.4 8  
Potok, Chaim  Chosen, The 6.6 15  
King, Stephen Christine 6.6 30  
Dickens, Charles Christmas Carol, A 6.7 5  
Auel, Jean Clan of the Cave Bear, The 7 35  
Clancy, Tom Clear and Present Danger 6.5 44  
Frazier, Charles Cold Mountain 6.9 27  
Walker, Alice Color Purple, The 4 9  
Toole, John Kennedy Confederacy of Dunces, A 5.5 20  
Styron, William Confessions of Nat Turner, The 8.5 28  
Crichton, Michael Congo 7.5 15  
Twain, Mark Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 9.2 21  
Sagan, Carl Contact 9.4 23  
Dumas, Alexandre Count of Monte Cristo, The 8.8 34  
Dostoevsky,  Fyodo Crime and Punishment 8.7 40  
Wilkerson, David Cross and the Switchblade, The 6.2 11  
Miller, Arthur Crucible, The 4.9 5  
Paton, Alan  Cry the Beloved Country 6.2 14  
King, Stephen Cujo 6.3 19  
Haddon, Mark Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time 5.4 10  
Rostand, Edmond Cyrano de Bergerac 7.6 7  
Brown, Dan Da Vinci Code 6.4 23  
Webster, Jean Daddy-Long-Legs 6.1 6  
Bradbury, Ray Dandelion Wine 6 10  
Dickens, Charles David Copperfield 9.5 66  
Wiesel, Elie Dawn 5.4 4  
Gunther, John Death Be Not Proud 8 8  
Cather, Willa Death Comes for the Archbishop 7.9 12  
Agee, James Death in the Family, A 6.1 16  
Miller, Arthur Death of a Salesman 6.2 5  
Cooper, James Deerslayer, The 11 44  
Frank, Anne Diary of a Young Girl, The 6.5 14  
Wells, Rebecca Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood 5.7 20  
Ibsen, Henrik  Doll's House, A 5.9 4  
deCervantes, Miguel Don Quixote 13 91  
Stevenson, Robert Louis Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 9.5 5  
Stoker, Bram Dracula 6.6 25  
Boyd, James Drums 7.9 25  
Edmonds, Walter Drums Along the Mohawk 6.2 31  
Herbert, Frank Dune 5.7 28  
Guterson, David East of the Mountains 6.7 14  
Austen, Jane Emma 9.3 30  
Card, Orson Scott Ender's Game 5.5 16  
Card, Orson Scott Ender's Shadow 5.9 22  
Alexander, Caroline Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition 8.6 11  
Wharton, Edith Ethan Frome 7.6 6  
Uris, Leon Exodus 6.7 41  
Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451 5.2 7  
Myers, Walter Dean Fallen Angels 4.2 11  
Hardy, Thomas Far from the Madding Crowd 9.7 25  
Hemingway, Ernest Farewell to Arms, A 6 13  
Schlosser, Eric Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal 10 22  
Tolkien, J.R.R. Fellowship of the Ring, The 6.1 29  
Malamud, Bernard Fixer, The 7 17  
Keyes, Daniel Flowers for Algernon 5.8 13  
Hemingway, Ernest For Whom the Bell Tolls 5.8 28  
Lurie, Alison Foreign Affairs 7.8 19  
Rand, Ayn Fountainhead, The 7 53  
Shelley, Mary Frankenstein 12 17  
Bissinger, H.G. Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream 8 19  
Flagg, Fannie Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café 5.6 15  
West, Jessamyn Friendly Persuasion, The 6.1 12  
Toffler, Alvin Future Shock 12 30  
Lowry, Lois Gathering Blue 5 7  
Gaines, Ernest Gathering of Old Men, A 4.4 9  
Katz, Jon Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet out of Idaho 8.3 10  
Rolvaag, Ole Edvart  Giants in the Earth 8.4 28  
Chevalier, Tracy Girl with a Pearl Earring 5.4 11  
Lowry, Lois Giver, The 5.7 7  
Williams, Tennesse Glass Menagerie, The 5.3 3  
Heinlein, Robert Glory Road 6 13  
Abelove, Joan Go and Come Back 3.8 5  
Baldwin, James Go Tell it on the Mountain 6.5 13  
O'Brien, Tim Going after Cacciato 4.6 14  
Pullman, Philip Golden Compass, The 7.1 19  
Mitchell, Margaret Gone with the Wind 7.1 71  
Buck, Pearl S.  Good Earth, The 6.8 19  
Hilton, James Good-bye, Mr. Chips 6.5 3  
Steinbeck, John Grapes of Wrath, The 4.9 25  
Dickens, Charles Great Expectations 9.2 35  
Fitzgerald, F. Scott Great Gatsby 7.3 8  
Baker, Russell Growing Up 6.9 15  
Swift, Jonathan Gulliver's Travels 14 25  
Bradbury, Ray Halloween Tree, The 4.7 4  
Shakespeare, William Hamlet 11 7  
Atwood, Margaret  Handmaid's Tale, The 5.4 14  
McCullers, Carson Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The 6.3 19  
Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness 9 10  
TenBoom, Corrie Hiding Place, The 6.4 13  
Hersey, John Hiroshima 8.4 9  
Adams, Douglas Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 6.6 8  
Tolkien, J.R.R. Hobbit, The 6.6 16  
Preston, Richard Hot Zone 7.3 16  
Doyle, Arthur Conan Hound of the Baskervilles, The 8.3 11  
Momaday, N. Scott House Made of Dawn 6.2 11  
Hawthorne, Nathaniel House of Seven Gables, The  11 22  
Cisneros, Sandra House on Mango Street, The 4.5 3  
Saroyan, William Human Comedy, The 5.8 8  
Hugo, Victor Hunchback of Notre-Dame 12 38  
Clancy, Tom Hunt for Red October, The 6.3 25  
Angelou, Maya I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 6.7 13  
Rubio, Gwyn Hyman Icy Sparks 4.7 15  
Homer  Iliad, The  11 25  
Eckert, Allan Incident at Hawk's Hill 7.2 9  
Krakauer, Jon Into Thin Air 8.9 17  
Ellison, Ralph Invisible Man 7.2 30  
Wells, H.G. Invisible Man, The 7.7 9  
King, Stephen It 6 70  
Scott, Walter Ivanhoe 13 40  
Bronte, Charlotte Jane Eyre 7.9 33  
Trumbo, Dalton Johnny Got His Gun 5.9 11  
Alcott, Louisa May Jo's Boys 8.8 18  
Verne, Jules Journey to the Centre of the Earth* 9.9 17  
Smith, Betty Joy in the Morning 4.9 13  
Tan, Amy Joy Luck Club, The 5.7 14  
Hardy, Thomas Jude the Obscure 8.9 27  
Shakespeare, William Julius Caesar 11 6  
Sinclair, Upton  Jungle, The  8.0 22  
Crichton, Michael Jurassic Park 7.3 20  
Mathabane, Mark Kaffir Boy 7.1 24  
Stevenson, Robert Louis Kidnapped 7.6 14  
Shaara, Michael Killer Angels, The 4.7 15  
Kipling, Rudyard Kim 7.7 18  
Haggard, Rider King Solomon's Mines 8.9 15  
Heyerdahl, Thor Kon-Tiki 8 14  
Cooper, James Last of the Mohicans, The 10 29  
LaFarge, Oliver Laughing Boy 5.7 10  
Irving, Washington Legend of Sleepy Hollow 11 3  
Hugo, Victor Les Miserables 9.8 105  
Gaines, Ernest Lesson before Dying 4.4 11  
Frank, E.R. Life is Funny 4.7 8  
Twain, Mark Life on the Mississippi 9.1 24  
Adams, Douglas Life the Universe and Everything 7.6 9  
Barrett, William Lilies of the Field 5.4 3  
Alcott, Louisa May Little Men 8.1 19  
Alcott, Louisa May Little Women 7.9 33  
Conrad, Joseph Lord Jim 9.1 24  
Golding, Willaim Lord of the Flies 5 9  
Card, Orson Scott Lost Boys 5.7 26  
Hilton, James Lost Horizon 9.5 12  
Crichton, Michael Lost World 5 17  
Shakespeare, William Macbeth 11 4  
Lewis,Sinclair  Main Street 8.6 30  
Hammett, Dashiell Maltese Falcon, The 6 11  
Auel, Jean Mammoth Hunters, The 6.6 48  
Bradbury, Ray Martian Chronicles, The 6.2 9  
Hardy, Thomas Mayor Of Casterbridge, The 9.5 22  
McCullers, Carson Member of the Wedding, The 6.3 9  
Golden, Arthur Memiors of a Geisha 6.5 31  
Pyle, Howard Men of Iron 9 14  
Pyle, Howard Merry Adventures of Robin Hood 8.6 21  
Shakespeare, William Midsummer Night's Dream, A 11 3  
Gibson, William Miracle Worker, The 5.2 4  
King, Stephen Misery 6.2 18  
Melville, Herman Moby Dick 10 42  
Myers, Walter Dean Monster 5.1 5  
Nordoff/Hall Muntiny on the Bounty 8.4 22  
Cather, Willa My Antonia 6.9 14  
Douglass, Frederick Narrative of the Life of Fredreick Douglass, an American Slave 7.9 7  
Bagnold, Enid National Velvet 5.5 11  
Wright, Richard Native Son 6.1 24  
Aasseng, Nathan Navajo Code Talkers 9.5 4  
Markandaya, Kamala Nectar In a Sieve 6.2 10  
Mowatt, Farley Never Cry Wolf 8.9 9  
Wiesel, Elie Night 4.8 4  
Lord, Walter Night to Remember, A 7 8  
Myers, Walter Dean Now is Your Time! 8.3 9  
Cather, Willa O Pioneers! 6.7 9  
Homer  Odyssey, The 10 24  
Maugham, Somerset Of Human Bondage 8.3 48  
Steinbeck, John Of Mice and Men 4.5 4  
Hemingway, Ernest Old Man and the Sea, The 5.1 4  
Dickens, Charles Oliver Twist 11 33  
Shute, Nevil On the Beach 6.3 14  
White, T.H. Once and Future King, The 7.4 41  
Mori, Kyoko One Bird 5.4 12  
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich 5.5 8  
Kesey, Ken One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 6.2 18  
Cather, Willa One of Ours 7.2 22  
Welty, Eudora Optimist's Daughter, The 5.6 6  
Shakespeare, William Othello 8.4 5  
Guterson, David Our Lady of the Forest 5.9 18  
Wilder, Thornton  Our Town 3.9 3  
Clark, Walter Ox-Bow Incident, The 5.4 12  
Morrison, Toni Paradise 5.8 17  
Grisham, John Partner, The 5.6 17  
Forster, E.M. Passage to India, A 7.7 18  
Clancy, Tom Patriot Games 5.5 31  
Hyde, Catharine Ryan Pay It Forward 5.1 12  
Steinbeck, John Pearl, The 7.1 4  
Junger, Sebastian Perfect Storm, The 7.4 13  
Leroux, Gaston Phantom of the Opera, The 7.1 12  
Dickens, Charles Pickwick Papers 12 60  
Wilde, Oscar Picture of Dorian Gray, The 7.7 14  
Poe, Edgar Allen Pit and the Pendulum 10 1  
Auel, Jean Plains of Passage, The 7 58  
Chambers, Aidan Postcards from No Man's Land 5.4 16  
Greene, Graham Power and the Glory, The 5.9 12  
Austen, Jane Pride and Prejudice 12 27  
Twain, Mark Prince and the Pauper 9.3 12  
Kennedy, John F. Profiles in Courage 11 13  
Twain, Mark Pudd'nhead Wilson 8.3 9  
Shaw, George Bernard Pygmalion 7 6  
Uris, Leon QB VII 8.4 22  
Updike, John Rabbit at Best 6.8 31  
Hansberry, Lorraine  Raisin in the Sun, A 5.5 6  
Du Maurier, Daphne Rebecca 6.8 26  
Crane, Stephen Red Badge of Courage, The 8 8  
Steinbeck, John Red, Pony, The 6.1 6  
Faulkner, William Reivers, The 6.1 16  
Adams, Douglas Restaurant at the End of the Universe 6.1 8  
Tolkien, J.R.R. Return of the King, The 6.2 22  
Hardy, Thomas Return of the Native, The 10 42  
Maclean, Norman River Runs Through It, A 6.1 13  
Defoe, Daniel Robinson Crusoe 12 27  
Shakespeare, William Romeo and Juliet 13 10  
Haley, Alex Roots 7.4 48  
King, Stephen Salem's Lot 5.4 23  
Hawthorne, Nathaniel Scarlet Letter, The 12 14  
Orczy, B. Emma Scarlet Pimpernel, The 8 15  
Keneally, Thomas Schindler's List 8.6 25  
London, Jack Sea-Wolf, The 8.1 18  
Austen, Jane Sense and Sensibility 8.4 22  
Knowles, John Separate Peace, A 6.9 10  
Card, Orson Scott Seventh Son 5.9 13  
Schaefer, Jack Shane 5.5 7  
Auel, Jean Shelters of Stone, The 6.8 53  
King, Stephen Shining, The 5.8 25  
Proulx, Annie Shipping News, The 4.8 16  
Mori, Kyoko Shizuko's Daughter 5.2 9  
Clavell, James Shogun 5.1 64  
Hesse, Hermann Siddhartha 7.1 6  
Eliot, George Silas Marner 9.7 14  
Tolkien, J.R.R. Simarillion, The 7.9 21  
Vonnegut, Kurt Slaughterhouse Five 6 8  
Rogasky, Barbara Smoke and Ashes: The Story of the Holocaust 7.9 10  
Guterson, David Snow Falling on Cedars 7 23  
Ferber, Edna So Big 5.8 14  
Adams, Douglas So Long and Thanks for the Fish 6.9 7  
Bradbury, Ray Something Wicked This Way Comes 4.8 9  
Myers, Walter Dean Somewhere in the Darkness 4.4 6  
Morrison, Toni Song of Solomon 5 14  
Faulkner, William Sound and the Fury 4.4 14  
Anderson, Laurie Halse Speak 4.5 7  
Crichton, Michael Sphere 7.1 16  
King, Stephen Stand, The 5.7 72  
Roach, Mary Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers 9.4 16  
Shields, Carol Diggory Stone Diaries, The 7.6 17  
Keller, Helen Story of my Life, The 6.8 12  
Heinlein, Robert Stranger in a Strange Land 5.6 25  
Camus, Albus  Stranger, The 6.8    
Grisham, John Street Lawyer, The 5.7 15  
Williams, Tennesse Streetcar Named Desire, A 5.7 4  
Pullman, Philip Subtle Knife, The 6.2 16  
Taylor, Peter Summons to Memphis, A 7.5 12  
Wyss, Johann Swiss Family Robinson 9.7 23  
Dickens, Charles Tale of Two Cities, A 9.7 27  
Burroughs, Edgar Rice Tarzan of the Apes 9 16  
Walker, Alice Temple of My Familiar 7.5 23  
Fitzgerald, F. Scott Tender is the Night 8.8 20  
Hardy, Thomas Tess of D'ubervilles 9.5 23  
Grisham, John Testament, The 5.6 20  
Smiley, Jane Thousand Acres 6 20  
Stuart, Jesse Thread that Runs So True, The 6 16  
Dumas, Alexandre Three Musketeers, The 11 42  
Pullman, Philip Tiger In the Well, The 5.9 20  
Wells, H.G. Time Machine, The 7.4 6  
Grisham, John Time to Kill, A 5.2 23  
Crichton, Michael Timeline 5.2 21  
Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird 5.6 15  
Stevenson, Robert Louis Treasure Island 8.3 12  
Smith, Betty Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A 5.8 23  
Geras, Adele Troy 4.9 13  
Albom, Mitch Tuesdays with Morrie 5.5 5  
James, Henry Turn of the Screw, The 8.5 10  
Verne, Jules Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea 10 28  
Tolkien, J.R.R. Two Towers, The 6.3 23  
Dana, Richard Henry Two Years before the Mast 7.7 26  
Lederer/Burdick Ugly American, The 8.2 13  
Stowe, Harriet Beecher Uncle Tom's Cabin 9.3 32  
Washington, Booker Up from Slavery 8.2 13  
Kaufman, Bel Up the Downstaircase 5.9 9  
Auel, Jean Valley of the Horses 6.6 37  
Thackeray, William Vanity Fair 12 66  
Wister, Owen Virginian, The 6.3 21  
Thoreau, Henry Davi Walden 8.7 21  
Jenkins, Peter Walk Across America, A 6.4 14  
Sparks, Nicholas Walk to Remember, A 5.8 8  
Tolstoy, Leo  War and Peace 10 118  
Wouk, Herman War and Remembrance 8.4 71  
Wells, H.G. War of the Worlds, The 9.1 11  
Adams, Richard Watership Down 6.2 25  
Borland, Hal When the Legends Die 5.2 13  
London, Jack White Fang 8.4 19  
Wouk, Herman Winds of War, The 6.6 61  
Aronson, Marc Witch hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials 8.8 8  
Bronte, Emily Wuthering Heights 11 23