2012 Best Paperback Books

Here are the best selling Paperbacks for 2012 as reported by the New York Times. This list will grow as the weeks pass.

13 REASONS WHY
by Jay Asher

Before she commits suicide, a girl sends recordings to 13 people. (Young Adult)

(see Jay Asher's reading information page)

Word Count: 62,496
Page Count: 336
Accelerated Reading level: 3.9 / points: 9.0
AR quiz: 119218
Lexile: 550L


A TALE DARK and GRIMM
by Adam Gidwitz

**Starred Review** School Library Journal
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly

Hansel and Gretel have adventure throughout many sections of the world of the Grimm brothers.

(see Adam Gidwitz' reading info page)
Word Count: 42,491
Page Count:256
Accelerated Reading level: 4.6 / points: 6.0
AR quiz: 141155

A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES
(The Beyonders)
by Brandon Mull

Great book for Tweens, middle-graders on up. The story is about a teen who finds himself transported to a world where a wizard has taken over and where the population has given up hope. They really need a hero. Fantasy. First book in the series.

(see reading info for other Brandon Mull books/series)
Word Count: 124,250
Page Count: 464
Accelerated Reading level: 5.1 / points: 19.0
AR quiz: 142617
Lexile: 710L


BEFORE I FALL
by Lauren Oliver

**Starred Review** VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates )
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly

After teenage Samantha dies in a car crash, she relives the day of her death over and over again until she finally discovers a way to save herself. Plot contains profanity, drug and sexual references. (YA)

(see reading info for other Lauren Oliver books)
Word Count: 117,295
Page Count: 496
Accelerated Reading level: 5.4 / points: 18.0
AR quiz: 136739
Lexile: 860L


BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY
by Ruta Sepetys

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** School Library Journal
**Starred Review** Booklist

15 year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp, and she vows to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. (YA)

Word Count: 64,750
Page Count: 344
Accelerated Reading level: 3.6 / points: 9.0
AR quiz: 142569


THE BOOK THIEF
by Markus Zusak

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** School Library Journal
**Starred Review** HornBook

In this tale Death tells the story of Liesel, a young German girl who begins stealing books as she struggles to survive Nazi Germany/WWII.

Word Count: 118,933
Page Count: 576
Accelerated Reading level: 5.1 / points: 18.0
AR quiz: 106101
Lexile: 730L


BRAVE: THE JUNIOR NOVELIZATION
novelization of the movie by Irene Trimble

In the movie Princess Merida defies societal pressure to do her own thing and inadvertently unleashes a curse upon the kingdom.

Page Count: 128
Reading Level: unknown


CLOCKWORK ANGEL
by Cassandra Clare

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. (YA)

To see reading levels for the Clockwork series, click here.

Word Count: 131,487
Page Count: 512
Accelerated Reading level: 5.6 / points: 21.0
AR quiz: 139502
Lexile: HL780L 


DARE TO DREAM: Life as One Direction

A look inside this boy band.

Page Count: 288
Reading Level: unknown



DELIRIUM
by Lauren Oliver

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates )

95 days before she is to be permanently cured of 'love', Lena meets Alex, and begins to doubt that love is as bad as society has been saying. More for teens than adults. Will require a heapin' helping of 'suspension of disbelief'.

(see this series reading information)
Word Count: 114,476
Page Count: 480
Accelerated Reading level: 6.1 / points: 18.0
AR quiz: 143097
Lexile: 920L


DIVERGENT

(Insurgent #2)
by Veronica Roth

**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly

Abnegation (selfless), Erudite (intelligence), Candor (honesty), Amity (peace), or Dauntless (brave): where would you fit? Beatrice lives in a society where she must choose either to remain with her family’s faction or set off towards independence and her beliefs. And what happens when the unity between these factions begins to fall apart?

Divergent is a fast-paced romance-driven read. Told in First Person, readers who liked Hunger Games and are tolerant of long drawn out romances are likely to find it just as interesting. Upon reading book#2 we've had to back off of our hardy recommendation. Indulgent Insurgent requires quite a bit of 'suspension of disbelief'. But still a fun summer-read type of book.

Some language, some sexual content, some romance (a note I add for some guys who asked me to add notes about such things).

Word Count: 105,143
Page Count: 576
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 144400
Lexile: HL

Insurgent
(Divergent #2)
Word Count: 106,028
Page Count: 544
Accelerated Reading level: 5.0 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 151402



FANCY NANCY - TEA FOR TWO
by Jane O'Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)

When Nancy is invited over to Bree’s house for a special tea party, she has only one thing to say: oui! The girls enjoy a few charming cups of tea before a disaster occurs that sets the two at odds. Will Nancy and Bree be able to save their friendship?

(see the Fancy Nancy reading info index here)
Word Count: 606
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading Level: 2.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 150765

GOBLIN SECRETS
by William Alexander

**Starred Review** Kirkus
2012 NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION FINALIST

In the town of Zombay, lives a witch named Graba.  She has clockwork chicken legs and can transport her house wherever she wants.  Graba takes in stray children, and Rownie is the youngest boy in her household. Rownie’s only real relative is his older brother Rowan, who is an actor. But acting is outlawed in Zombay, and Rowan has disappeared.

Desperate to find him, Rownie joins up with a troupe of goblins who skirt the law to put on plays. But their plays are not only for entertainment, and the masks they use are for more than make-believe. The goblins also want to find Rowan—because Rowan might be the only person who can save the town from being flooded by a mighty river.

(see reading info for other William Alexander books here)
Word Count: 44,957
Page Count:  256
Accelerated Reading level:  4.9 / points: 7.0
AR quiz: 150923
Lexile: 710L

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books  
• sample pages available

I AM NUMBER FOUR
by Pittacus Lore

In rural Ohio, friendships and a beautiful girl prove distracting to a fifteen-year-old alien hiding on Earth. Adventure and cliche packed! More for teens than adults.

(fine reading info for this series here)
Word Count: 100,385
Page Count: 496
Accelerated Reading level: 4.4 / points: 14.0
AR quiz: 139745
Lexile: 700L


IF I STAY
(book#2, see WHERE SHE WENT)
by Gayle Forman

**Starred Review** Booklist
**Starred Review** School Library Journal
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly

While in a coma following an accident that killed her parents and younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weighs whether to live with her grief or join her family in death.

Word Count: 49,653
Page Count: 272
Accelerated Reading level: 5.3 / points: 8.0
AR quiz: 129747
Lexile: 830L


LOOKING FOR ALASKA
by John Green

Another brilliant book by John Green. This one takes place in a school academy in Alabama.

(see reading info for other John Green books)
Word Count: 69,023
Page Count: 256
Accelerated Reading level: 5.8 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 86391
Lexile: 930L


THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT
by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** School Library Journal

Lovely writing from Kate. The tone of this one is pretty dark.

When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true.

Word Count: 23,335
Page Count: 208
Accelerated Reading level: 5.0 / points: 4.0
AR quiz: 133242
Lexile: 730L

MATCHED
by Ally Condie

Dystopian romance. In this book Cassia find that perhaps society doesn't know best. It's true she likes Xander, but there is such a strong connection to Ky that she's willing to challenge the system. (YA)

(find the Matched series reading info here)
Word Count: 89,124
Page Count: 400
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 13.0
AR quiz: 140501
Lexile: HL680L


MICHAEL VEY: THE PRISONER OF CELL 25
by Richard Paul Evans

Michael Vey, a fourteen-year old who has Tourette's syndrome and special electric powers, finds there are others like him, and must rely on his powers to save himself and the others from a diabolical group seeking to control them.

(Book#2 Rise of the Elgen:  to see the series reading info go here)

Word Count: 84,020
Page Count: 336
Accelerated Reading level: 3.5 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 146904
Lexile: HL500L


ONE DIRECTION: DARE TO DREAM
by the One Direction guys and their ghost writer

One direction tells about their 'incredible journey'.

Page Count: 288
Reading Level: unknown


OUT OF MY MIND
by Sharon M. Draper

**Starred Review** School Library Journal 
**Starred Review** BookList 
**Starred Review** Kirkus

A brilliant girl with cerebral palsy longs for a way to speak.

Word Count: 56,872
Page Count: 320
Accelerated Reading level: 4.3 / points: 8.0
AR quiz: 136421
Lexile: 700L


THE GENIUS FILES: MISSION UNSTOPPABLE
by Dan Gutman

Twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, fend off strange assassins as they try to come to terms with their being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files.

Word Count: 51,339
Page Count: 304
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 8.0
AR quiz: 142994
Lexile: 730L


THE LOST HERO
(Heroes of Olympus)
by Rick Riordan

Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for "bad kids," find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself. (middle-grades and up) (see the reading information for all Rick Riordan series here)

Word Count: 127,859
Page Count: 576
Accelerated Reading level: 4.5 / points: 19.0
AR quiz: 140427
Lexile: 660L



THE LYING GAME
 by Sara Shepard

**Starred Review** VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates )

A long-lost twin impersonates her dead sister to try to solve her murder. (YA)





(to see reading information for Sara's other series, click here)
Word Count: 63,047
Page Count: 329
Accelerated Reading level: 4.9 / points: 9.0
AR quiz: 142969
Lexile: HL730L


THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
by Stephen Chbosky

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. MTV books.

Word Count: 62,376
Page Count: 213
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 9.0
AR quiz: 32374
Lexile: 720L


THE RED PYRAMID
by Rick Riordan

**Starred Review** Booklist
**Starred Review** School Library Journal

Another good series from Rick. In this one, siblings Carter and Sadie Kane discover that they are descendents of Egyptian magicians and this knowledge means that they must pit themselves against the ancient Egyptian gods.

(see the reading information for all Rick Riordan series here)

Word Count: 124,305
Page Count: 544
Accelerated Reading level: 4.5 / points: 18.0
AR quiz: 137173
Lexile: 650L


SEARCH FOR WONDLA (#1)
by Tony DiTerlizzi

**Starred Review** School Library Journal

When a marauder destroys the underground sanctuary that Eva Nine was raised in by the robot Muthr, the twelve-year-year-old girl is forced to flee aboveground. Eva Nine is searching for anyone else like her: She knows that other humans exist because of an item she treasures—a scrap of cardboard on which is depicted a young girl, an adult, and a robot, with the strange word, “WondLa.”

(see the Wondla series reading information)
Word Count: 74,098
Page Count: 512
Accelerated Reading level: 5.2 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 139492
Lexile: 760L


SHELTER
by Harlan Coben

Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools. Fortunately, he's met a great girl, Ashley, and it seems like things might finally be improving. But then Ashley vanishes. Mickey follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that Ashley isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew.

Word Count: 63,432
Page Count: 304
Accelerated Reading level: 3.7 / points: 9.0
AR quiz: 146356
Lexile: HL530L


SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
by various

This book is a movie tie-in to a retelling of the classic tale.

Page Count: 240
Reading Level: unknown


SWITCHED (Trylle Trilogy #1)
by Amanda Hocking
Book #2 is "Torn" (see below)

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes. Some profanity.

(see the Amanda Hocking reading pages)
Word Count: 73569
Page Count: 318
Accelerated Reading level: 4.9 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 149031


THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN
by Sherman Alexie

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** HornBook
**Starred Review** VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates )

A boy with a flare for art leaves his reservation to live in an all-white community. (Ages 12 and up)

Word Count: 44,275
Page Count: 228
Accelerated Reading level: 4.0 / points: 6.0
AR quiz: 117771
Lexile: 600L


THE GREAT CAKE MYSTERY: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case
by Alexander McCall Smith

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly

Cake! Imagine the trouble that follows when a piece of cake goes missing from a classroom. In this story Precious ignores everyone else's assumption that a boy named Poloki is the culprit. And instead she sets out to find the real thief.

Word Count: 6360
Page Count: 96
Accelerated Reading level:  4.5 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 151753
Lexile: 720L


THEODORE BOONE: KID LAWYER
by John Grisham

The “kid lawyer” uses his legal skills to find a missing friend. (Ages 8 to 12)

Word Count: 50,657
Page Count: 272
Accelerated Reading level: 5.2 / points: 8.0
AR quiz: 137599
Lexile: 790L

(see the Theordore Boone support pages for reading information)


THEODORE BOONE: THE ABDUCTION
by John Grisham

Book#2 for this law-savvy boy.

Word Count: 42,646
Page Count: 256
Accelerated Reading level: 5.5 / points: 7.0
AR quiz: 144766
Lexile: 830L

TORN (Trylle Trilogy #2)
by Amanda Hocking
Book #1 is "Switched" (see above)

Wendy learns more about herself. She matures and begins to assume the role of princess. Some profanity.

(see the Amanda Hocking reading pages)
Word Count: 78979
Page Count: 336
Accelerated Reading level: 4.4 / points: 11.0
AR quiz: 150029


TURTLE IN PARADISE
by Jennifer L. Holm

**Newbury Honor Winner**
**Starred Review** BookList
**Starred Review** Kirkus

11-year-old Turtle discovers that life isn't like the movies. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935, and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met.

Word Count: 30,474
Page Count: 208
Accelerated Reading level: 3.7 / points: 4.0
AR quiz: 137063
Lexile: 610L


WAR HORSE
by Michael Morpurgo

A half-Thoroughbred farm horse is taken from his owner for battle in 1914. (Ages 8 to 14)

Word Count: 37,372
Page Count: 192
Accelerated Reading level: 5.9 / points: 6.0
AR quiz: 114464
Lexile: 1090L


WHEN YOU REACH ME
by Rebecca Stead 

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** School Library Journal
**Starred Review** HornBook

A sixth-grade girl begins receiving mysterious notes. (Ages 9 and up)  [see the Rebecca Stead reading page)

Word Count: 39,253
Page Count: 208
Accelerated Reading level: 4.5 / points: 6.0
AR quiz: 131144
 Lexile: 750L


WHERE SHE WENT 
(book#1, see IF I STAY) 
by Gayle Forman

Adam, now a rising rock star, and Mia, a successful cellist, reunite in New York and reconnect after the horrific events that tore them apart when Mia almost died in a car accident three years earlier.

Word Count: 55,415
 Page Count: 208
Accelerated Reading level: 5.1 / points: 8.0
AR quiz: 143768
Lexile: 800L


WILDWOOD
(The Wildwood Chronicles, Book I)
by Colin Meloy

A girl's brother is kidnapped by crows. (Ages 9 and up)

Word Count: 118,138
Page Count:  560
Accelerated Reading level: 6.3 / points: 19.0
AR quiz: 146438



See our other Must Read book lists!
--2013 Teen & Young Adult books
--2013 Best Middle-grade Books
--2012 Best MG/YA Books
--2012 Best Paperbacks - all ages