Nonfiction Focus,
2nd Edition
NEW! Guided Reading Nonfiction Focus: 2nd Edition
Scholastic’s New! Guided Reading Nonfiction Focus: 2nd Edition is packed with new nonfiction books and instructional resources that explicitly support deep comprehension with strategically challenging texts in a complex text continuum.
- 80% nonfiction, 20% fiction
- Connections to Common Core State Standards
- Analysis of Informational Text Features
Buy multiple-level grade sets and save even more!
Kindergarten (4 levels, A-D)
40 titles, 6 copies each, 240 books
Grade 1 (9 levels, A–I)
90 titles, 6 copies each, 540 books
Grade 2 (10 levels, E–N)
100 titles, 6 copies each, 600 books
Grade 3 (8 levels, J–Q)
80 titles, 6 copies each, 480 books
Grade 4 (8 levels, M–T)
80 titles, 6 copies each, 480 books
Grade 5 (7 levels, Q–W)
70 titles, 6 copies each, 420 books
Grade 6 (7 levels, T–Z)
70 titles, 6 copies each, 420 books
Complete Set (26 levels, A–Z)
260 titles, 6 copies each; 1,560 books
Nonfiction Focus Reading Levels
Level A
Simple texts with one line of one to six words per page, easy-to-see print, and ample space between words. Children can focus on print and gradually increase their control overwords. Most of the texts in Level A focus on topics familiar to children.
Level A Titles
- The Beach — Ives
- Count on Fish — Tree
- Hair — Wilton
- In the Pond — Hearn
- In the Woods — Charles
- Let's Go! — Theo
- Let's Make Soup — Gibbs
- Little Panda, The — Noonan
- Skippy Likes the Seasons — Carroll
- Trucks — Craft
Level B
Texts focus on a simple story line or single idea, with direct correspondence between text and pictures; one or two lines of text per page, with a variety of punctuation; many texts at this level feature repeating patterns in the text.
Level B Titles
- Can It Float? — Carroll
- Count the Wheels — Daniels
- Houses — Frazier
- So Many Hats — Ryder
- Sounds on the Farm — Ives
- Sports — Wolfe
- Trees — Mitchell
- What Do You See? — Flaherty
- What's The Weather, Meg? — Smith
- Where are Jack and Jill? — Rothman
Level C
Texts explore familiar topics in a variety of ways to offer new viewpoints to the reader; simple sentences may have introductory clauses set off by punctuation; text may be patterned but is not as predictable as in Levels A and B.
Level C Titles
- All Kinds of Boats — Noonan
- Animal Tracks — Parker
- Be Happy! — Dale
- Big Dinosaur Day, The — Lee
- Birds and Beaks — Wolfe
- I Love Snow! — Ivesy
- Night — Ryder
- Push! Pull! Move it! — Taylor
- Spots or Stripes — Adley
- World of Flags, A — Roman
Level D
Texts cover familiar topics but introduce new, more abstract ideas; illustrations support the text but more attention to print is required; text contains more compound and multisyllable words and a full range of punctuation.
Level D Titles
- At Home In a Shell — Jordan
- Get Up and Go! — Taylor
- Good For Us — Rothman
- In the Cold, Cold Sea — Dana
- Insect Countdown — Ives
- Just Write! — Quick
- Meet the Bears — Stuart
- Penguins — Worley
- Snack Time — Smith
- What Kittens Needs — Parker
Level E
Stories have more or longer episodes; informational books present more complex ideas; books are longer than in previous levels, with more pages or more lines of text on each page; sentences carry over several pages, with more complex punctuation.
Level E Titles
- Awake at Night — Wolfe
- City or Country? — Ellen
- Horses Help — Cherrington
- In the Mountains — Eli
- Is This a Real Animal? — Caryn
- Just in Time — Worley
- On the Lake — Jones
- Pictures from Long Ago — Tree
- Tortillas — González-Jensen
- What About Frogs? — Michaels
Level F
Concepts presented in texts at this level are more distant from familiar topics; larger variety of frequently used words and many more new words; text reflects patterns of written, rather than oral, language.
Level F Titles
- Animals Are Living Things — Drew
- Investigators: Life Cycles Animals Grow Up — Nelson
- At Home in a Nest — Wilton
- Big Rivers — Ryder
- The Cows Are in the Corn — Young
- Elephants — Noonan
- The Enormous Turnip — McBeath
- The Grass Grows — Gibbs
- Growing Pumpkins — Ives
- Where Do People Hike? — Roberts
Level G
In texts at this level the language changes on each page, rather than repeating in patterns; texts offer challenges in ideas and vocabulary, with some introduction to technical language; variety of print styles and text layout require readers' close attention and flexibility.
Level G Titles
- Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs — Barton
- Fur, Feathers, or Fins? — Carroll
- Hippo and Rabbit in Brave Like Me — Mack
- Munch! Crunch! Healthy Snacks — Michaels
- Discovering My World: Under the Sea Sharks — Berger
- Three Little Pigs — Banks
- Way to Go! — Thomas
- Discovering My World: Under the Sea Whales — Berger
- What Can Insects Do? — Rothman
- Who Needs Water? — Rothman
Level H
Texts are similar in difficulty to level G, but the texts vary more widely in size of print, length of sentences, and type of language; texts are less repetitious in events and language structures, with expanded vocabulary.
Level H Titles
- Scholastic Reader L2 One Hundredth Day of School — Medearis
- Color My World — Carroll
- In the Jungle — Drew
- Discovering My World: Under the Sea Life on a Coral Reef — Berger
- Plants We Eat — York
- Blastoff! Readers — Watch Animals Grow Puppies
- Up, Down, and Around — Ayres
- Investigators: Toys Up, Up, and Away — Scott
- What Goes Up... — Mitchell
- A World of Homes — Baker
Level I
Longer and more complex stories than in levels G and H, with more highly elaborated information; multisyllable words arranged in longer sentences and paragraphs that require complex word solving; illustrations enhance meaning but provide less support for understanding the meaning of the text.
Level I Titles
- American Museum of Natural History Baby Dolphin's First Day — Roop
- Blackout — Rocco
- Butterflies — Neye
- Critters in Camouflage — Alexander
- The Gobi Desert — Alexander
- Kim's Trip to Hawaii — Cohen
- My Five Senses — Aliki
- The Shape of Things — Dodds
- Two Eyes, a Nose, and a Mouth — Intrater
- What the Dinosaurs Saw — Schlein
Level J
Beginning chapter books appear for the first time at this level, requiring readers to recall over more than one sitting; fewer illustrations with whole pages of text in some books.
Level J Titles
- Go Fly A Kite — Cowley
- Nature Upclose: A Monarch Butterfly's Life — Himmelman
- Only One — Harshman
- Owl at Home — Lobel
- Play Ball! — York
- Rap a Tap Tap — Dillon
- American Symbols: Scholastic News Nonfiction Readers What’s in Washington, D.C.? — Falk
- Investigators: Predators Wild Dogs — Evans
- Wonderful Worms — Glaser
- Young Cam Jansen Young Cam Lost Tooth — Adler
Level K
This level includes chapter books and short informational texts with difficult concepts; readers learn about concepts and events outside their own experiences; readers need to use a variety of strategies to figure out different writing styles.
Level K Titles
- 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World — Walsh
- A Boy Named Boomer — Esiason
- Clifford for President — Lapadula
- A Dandelion's Life — Himmelman
- Have You Seen Birds? — Oppenheim
- Monarch Butterflies — Alexander
- Ruby Bridges Goes to School — Bridges
- Sky Color — Reynolds
- Skyscrapers — York
- A Tree Is a Plant — Bulla
Level L
Texts at this level are much longer and more complex, and include biographies; longer texts include many multisyllabic words and expand readers' vocabularies; some texts present abstract or symbolic themes.
Level L Titles
- Biblioburro — Winter
- City Tales — Smith
- Elephants — Riggs
- Frogs! — Carney
- A House for Hermit Crab — Carle
- Panda Kindergarten — Ryder
- We are Alike, We are Different — Behrens
- What Do Roots Do? — Kudlinski
- What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? — Page
- Winter Wonderland — Esbaum
Level M
Text includes more complex language, and requires reader to make interpretations; most texts at this level have greatly expanded vocabulary; many texts at this level have smaller print with narrower word spacing.
Level M Titles
- Bat Loves the Night — Davies
- Chameleons Are Cool — Jenkins
- Dive! — Berger
- An Eye for Color — Wing
- Frida — Winter
- From Seed to Plant — Gibbons
- Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington — Ruffin
- Throw Your Tooth on the Roof — Beeler
- Two Bobbies — Larson
- Why Do Dogs Bark? — Holub
Level N
Vocabulary continues to expand and go beyond readers' own experiences; variety of texts offer readers a chance to interpret information and speculate on alternate meanings.
Level N Titles
- Butterfly Boy — Kroll
- Looking Closely in the Rain Forest — Serafini
- The Magic School Bus® Fixes a Bone — Earhart
- My Light — Bang
- Odd Animal Helpers — Reyes
- Owls — Gibbons
- The Paperboy — Pilkey
- Pet Heroes — Corse
- A Picture Book of Jesse Owens — Adler
- Surprising Swimmers — Ryan
Level O
Longer texts at this level present varied vocabulary that will require readers to interpret the meaning of the text; texts have more sophisticated subjects and more complex sentence structures.
Level O Titles
- Apples to Oregon — Hopkinson
- Beachcombing — Arnosky
- The Busy Body Book — Rockwell
- Coming to America — Maestro
- In the Garden with Dr. Carver — Grigsby
- Manfish — Berne
- Planets — Carney
- Rocks & Minerals — Zoehfeld
- Sonia Sotomayor (Bil) — Winter
- Tell Me, Tree — Gibbons
Level P
Informational texts at this level include history and biography, enabling readers to learn how to gain information from a variety of structures; concepts may include issues of early adolescence.
Level P Titles
- Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride — Muñoz Ryan
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind — Kamkwamba
- Girl Wonder — Hopkinson
- Grandma's Gift — Velasquez
- If I Ran for President — Avril
- Life in the Ocean — Nivola
- The Moon — Simon
- So You Want to Be an Inventor? — St. George
- Take a Giant Leap, Neil Armstrong! — Roop
- Who Would Win? Wolverine vs. Tasmanian Devil — Pallotta
Level Q
Selections contain themes to foster group discussion; relationship of illustrations to text also offers opportunities for exploration and discussion; texts contain difficult words, some from languages other than English.
Level Q Titles
- Amazing Magnetism — Carmi
- Scraps of Time Away West — McKissack
- Barnum's Bones — Fern
- Bugs — Arlon
- The Camping Trip That Changed America — Rosenstock
- Dinosaurs — Arlon
- A Medieval Feast — Aliki
- Playing to Win — Deans
- Testing the Ice — Robinson
- WordGirl Tobey or Consequences, A Teleplay — Ferraiolo
Level R
Texts in this level contain sophisticated vocabulary to challenge readers; some of the longer chapter books require sustained reading effort over several sittings; texts represent a range of times in history.
Level R Titles
- Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller — Lambert
- The Buzz on Bees — Rotner
- Everything Dolphin — Crisp
- Horses — Simon
- Looking Like Me — Myers
- Luis Alvarez — Venezia
- Queen of the Track — Lang
- Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes — Coerr
- Trail of Tears — Bruchac
- Volcanoes — Simon
Level S
Selections challenge readers to make connections with previous reading and with historical events; words present many shades of meaning that require readers' interpretation; this level includes chapter books in a variety of genres.
Level S Titles
- Cod's Tale, The — Kurlansky
- Dancing Home — Ada
- Helen Keller Her Life in Pictures — Sullivan
- Lizards — Bishop
- Louie — Noland
- Martin's Big Words — Rappaport
- Monster Hunt — Arnosky
- Nelson Mandela — Nelson
- Neo Leo — Barretta
- A Thousand Cranes: A Play — Miller
Level T
At this level, readers encounter a variety of nonfiction text structures; expanded vocabulary requires readers to consider both literal and connotative meaning.
Level T Titles
- Bad News for Outlaws — Nelson
- Bill the Boy Wonder — Nobleman
- Great Serum Race, The — Miller
- Hands Around the Library — Abouraya
- Ida B. Wells — Myers
- Jackie Robinson — Robinson
- Looking at Lincoln — Kalman
- Muscles — Simon
- My Librarian Is a Camel — Ruurs
- The Strongest Man in the World — Debon
Level U
Texts cover a breadth of topics and present specific, technical information; illustrations require interpretation and connection to text; text requires readers to employ a wide range of reading strategies.
Level U Titles
- Abe's Honest Words — Rappaport
- Around the World — Phelan
- Boys Who Rocked the World — McCann
- Fearless — Woodruffn
- Ghost Hunt — Dokey
- I Dreamed of Flying Like a Bird — Haas
- Life of Rice, The — Sobol
- Titanic Sinks! — Denenberg
- Touch the Sky — Irving
- The Wright Brothers' First Flight: A Play — de Lancie
Level V
Texts present complex issues and use technical language; topics are distant from students' experience in terms of time and geographic area, and may include realistic historical information and more difficult themes.
Level V Titles
- Detector Dogs — Stamper
- The Emperor's Silent Army — O'Connor
- Ice! — Pringle
- Into the Volcano — O'Meara
- King George: What Was His Problem? — Sheinkin
- My Havana — Fernandez
- Rebel in a Dress: Adventurers — Branzei
- Dear America — Teleplay So Far From Home — Binder
- Thunder From the Sea — Weigel
- The Unexpected World of Nature — Reisman
Level W
Texts present complex information requiring readers to employ a wide range of content knowledge and to understand the basic organizational structures of nonfiction; topics explore the human condition and social issues; texts vary in length; print is generally in a small font.
Level W Titles
- At Ellis Island — Peacock
- Baby Mammoth Mummy Frozen in Time! — Buigues
- Down to the Last Out — Myers
- Drawing from Memory — Say
- Freedom Heroines — Wishinsky
- Kubla Khan — Krull
- Tornado! — Fradin
- Walt Whitman — Kerley
- Who Wants Pizza? — Thornhill
- Wonderstruck — Selznick
Level X
Covers increasingly mature themes, and requires extensive prior knowledge; texts are designed to present a significant amount of new information.
Level X Titles
- Alexander Hamilton — Fritz
- A Black Hole is not a Hole — DeCristofano
- Case Closed? — Hughes
- Fort Mose — Turner
- Great Depression — McDaniel
- The Hidden Girl — Kaufman
- Lincoln Through the Lens — Sandler
- The Lions of Little Rock — Levine
- The Twilight Zone — Graphic Odyssey of Flight 33 — Kneece
- UFOs — Grace
Level Y
Texts feature similar themes to previous levels, with more explicit detail; requires critical reading skills to evaluate the quality and objectivity of the text.
Level Y Titles
- 10 Days Abraham Lincoln — David
- Assassin — Myers
- Courage Has No Color — Stone
- Everything Ancient Egypt — Boyer
- Gettysburg — Butzer
- How They Croaked — Bragg
- Our Town — Wilder
- We've Got a Job — Levinson
- Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? — Fies
- World War II — Rosenberg
Level Z
A challenge for more widelyread students requiring critical reading skills; topics include controversial social and political issues; readers experience complex examples of nonfiction organizational structure.
Level Z Titles
- Ancient Rome — Benoit
- Catching Fire — Collins
- Dark Game, The — Janeczko
- Ghosts in the Fog — Seiple
- Joseph Stalin — McCollum
- Graphic Monsters are Due on Maple Street, The — Kneece
- Mysterious Messages — Blackwood
- Teens at War — Zullo
- Thoreau at Walden — Porcellino
- Unraveling Freedom — Bausum
