High School High-Point AR Books

This sweeping work blends history, biography, and adventure to trace how the trauma of World War I shaped the British expeditions that first set their sights on Mount Everest. Wade Davis follows George Mallory and his companions from the trenches to the high Himalaya, exploring why they climbed and how their world fueled the quest. Rich with period detail and gripping accounts of exploration, it illuminates courage, obsession, and endurance against extreme odds. Best for advanced high school readers who enjoy true stories of survival, exploration, and history.

This landmark anti-slavery novel follows the intersecting lives of enslaved families and those who help or harm them, highlighting courage, faith, and the fight for freedom. Written to stir hearts and change minds, it offers powerful snapshots of life in the antebellum United States. Best suited for mature teen readers, it invites careful discussion of historical context, injustice, and empathy. Students often appreciate its memorable characters and its role in shaping American history.

Told through diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings, this classic Gothic tale follows a small group of friends who encounter a mysterious count from Transylvania and the chilling spread of his influence in England. Atmospheric settings, creeping suspense, and clever detective work keep readers turning pages. Teens are drawn to the vampire lore, brave heroes, and the clash between superstition and modern science. A staple classic for advanced readers who enjoy eerie mysteries and historical horror.

When a Swiss family is shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island, they rely on ingenuity, teamwork, and a spirit of curiosity to build a new life from scratch. Each chapter showcases clever problem-solving, encounters with exotic wildlife, and inventive homestead projects. Readers who enjoy survival stories and hands-on making will be drawn to the family’s creativity and optimism. A classic adventure that invites kids to imagine thriving in the wild together.

This authoritative biography explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s childhood, love of languages, service in World War I, and long career at Oxford, tracing how his life experiences shaped Middle-earth. Humphrey Carpenter, with access to Tolkien’s papers and family, paints a thoughtful portrait of the man behind The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Ideal for advanced teen readers and Tolkien fans, it offers rich context without requiring specialist knowledge. Readers enjoy the insider view of his creative process and the close-knit circle of friends who encouraged his work.

When a daring professor discovers a secret message, he drags his cautious nephew and a calm Icelandic guide on an expedition into a dormant volcano—and into a vast world beneath the earth. Along the way they encounter strange landscapes, prehistoric wonders, and real survival challenges. This classic science-adventure novel thrills readers who love discovery, big ideas, and edge-of-your-seat exploration. It’s a great pick for strong middle schoolers and high school readers who enjoy timeless adventures.

Dickens’s classic of love, sacrifice, and redemption follows Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton—two men linked by appearance and fate—against the backdrop of the French Revolution. As Paris and London are swept by turmoil, loyalties are tested and a final act of selflessness reshapes every life it touches. This Puffin Classics edition is specially abridged for younger readers.

The discovery of a clan of Pygmies in Kenya becomes a quest for justice in this coming-of-age story filled with international adventure, rich mythology, and magical realism from globally celebrated novelist Isabel Allende. If you faced your deepest fears, would you get out alive? When International Geographic commissions Alexander Cold’s grandmother to write an article about the first elephant-led safaris in Africa, the two of them head to the blazing, red plains of Kenya with Alex’s best friend Nadia to cover the story. Days into the tour, a Catholic missionary approaches their camp in search of his companions who have mysteriously disappeared. Kate, Alexander, Nadia, and their team, agreeing to aid the rescue, enlist the help of a local pilot to lead them to the swampy forests of Ngoubé. There they discover a clan of Pygmies who unveil a harsh and surprising world of corruption, slavery, and poaching. Alexander and Nadia, call on the magical strengths of Jaguar and Eagle, their totemic animal spirits, to fight to restore freedom to the Pygmies and return leadership to its rightful hands. The final installment of Isabel Allende’s celebrated trilogy of the journeys of Jaguar and Eagle is not to be missed.

George Orwell’s firsthand account of his service with a militia on the Aragon front during the Spanish Civil War. He chronicles the initial revolutionary fervor in Barcelona, the confusion and privations at the front, and the bitter infighting and propaganda that undermined the republican cause, shaping his lifelong opposition to totalitarianism.

Joseph Conrad’s classic follows Peter Willems, a disgraced trader who flees scandal in Makassar and hides in a remote island village. As he seeks a fresh start, his ambition and desire pull him toward dangerous choices that test loyalty and integrity. Rich, atmospheric writing explores colonial power, moral compromise, and the cost of self-deception. Best for mature high school readers who enjoy complex characters and layered, evocative prose.

This collection brings together several of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous Sherlock Holmes mysteries, including clever puzzles like The Red-Headed League, The Speckled Band, and The Adventure of the Dancing Men. Readers meet the brilliant detective and his loyal friend Dr. Watson as they untangle baffling crimes using sharp observation and logic. It’s a great fit for strong readers who enjoy classic prose, twisty plots, and piecing together clues. Teens and advanced middle schoolers especially enjoy the brainy challenges, atmospheric London setting, and the satisfying aha! moments.

George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier blends on-the-ground reportage from the coal-mining towns of northern England in the mid-1930s with sharp, reflective essays on class, poverty, and socialism. He documents housing squalor, dangerous labor, low wages, and chronic unemployment, then interrogates his own middle-class background and the political remedies he believes are needed. The result is a candid, often unsettling portrait of working-class life during the Great Depression and a probing critique of Britain’s social order.

Beren and Lúthien tells Tolkien’s legendary love story between a mortal man and an immortal elf, set long before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Edited from Tolkien’s manuscripts by Christopher Tolkien, it weaves romance, myth, and high adventure as the pair undertakes a perilous quest against a great darkness. It’s best for strong teen readers who enjoy rich language, deep lore, and classic epic fantasy. Fans of Middle-earth will relish exploring the First Age and the origins of themes that echo through Tolkien’s later works.

Neil Postman explores how the idea of childhood emerged with print culture and how television—and later screens—blur the lines between children and adults. Drawing on history and media studies, he examines how access to information shapes maturity, behavior, and expectations for young people. This is a thought-provoking read for advanced high schoolers interested in media, sociology, or education. Students who enjoy debate and big ideas will appreciate Postman’s clear, provocative arguments.

When mysterious cylinders crash into the English countryside, a Martian invasion upends ordinary life and sends a nameless narrator on a desperate journey to find safety and family. H.G. Wells’s classic blends fast-paced action with big ideas about science, power, and how people respond in a crisis. Ideal for advanced middle and high school readers who enjoy thought-provoking, edge-of-your-seat science fiction, it has inspired countless adaptations, including a famous 1938 radio dramatization. Expect suspense, vivid imagery, and a powerful look at human resilience under pressure.