Runner

by Carl Deuker
Lexile:  670
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Chance Taylor has to worry about lots of things his friends take for granted.  His father is an alcoholic who struggles with hanging on to a consistent job so Chance is often the only one earning money for his family.  He has a job he hates that pays him a minimum wage, so when he is approached by a stranger about earning some easy money, he is in.  However, with the easy money, comes the worry about what's in the packages that he is collecting and delivering.  Does Chance know what he has really gotten into?

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

by Kristin Levine
Lexile:  680
Genre:  Historical Fiction

Harry "Dit" Sims is expected when he learns that a new boy just his age is moving to town.  Imagine his surprise when he learns that the boy is actually a girl and the girl and her family are black.  An unlikely and at times dangerous friendship forms between the two.  When a terrible crime is committed, it could mean the end of their friendship...or it could be just the beginning.

Day of Tears

by Julius Lester
Lexile:  ???
Genre:  Historical Fiction

Sarah and Frances have been raised by Emma, a slave, owned by Pierce Butler.  Pierce has a gambling addiction and realizes that in order to pay off his debts, he must auction off all of his slaves.  It is the biggest slave auction in American history, and raises over $300,000, but it costs Pierce Butler the respect of his daughters and ultimately his humanity.

Hurricane Song

by Paul Volponi
Lexile:  850
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Miles has recently moved to New Orleans to live with a father he hardly knows.  His father's first love is music and Miles isn't sure how long he wants to stick around in second place.  But his relationship with his father changes, when Hurricane Katrina strikes.  He and his father are among the thousands of evacuees who are riding out the storm in the Superdome.  If Miles survives this, he knows his life will have changed forever.

Begging for Change

by Sharon G. Flake
Lexile:  1060
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
(Sequel to Money Hungry)

Raspberry Hill and her mom have a tough life and they are both working hard to change it.  Her mother is in the hospital with a serious head injury as a result of a fight she got into with another girl who lives on their street.  Raspberry just wants to earn enough money so that she and her mom can live in a safe place.  She's tired of being the only one without a real home.  Her jealously causes her to steal money from people who are trying to help her, just as her dad has stolen from her.  Can Raspberry make things right with her friends and find a safe life for her mother?

Money Hungry

by Sharon G. Flake
Lexile:  650
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Raspberry Hill hasn't had an easy life.  Her mom tries to make ends meet by working a lot of jobs, but there never seems to be quite enough money for them to find a stable home in a good neighborhood.  So Raspberry has learned that having money buys security so she is constantly looking for ways to earn it.  She sells chocolate and pencils at school, washes windshields on the street, and cleans homes for elderly women.  But a misunderstanding forces a confrontation with her mom, and Raspberry finds herself right back where she started - no home and no money.