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Grades 10–12, 2025–26

Prepare for the 2025-26 America's Battle of the Books competition with this collection of book selections for students in grades 10-12.
  • Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë
    Jane is a strong-willed young woman who finds employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets the mysterious Edward Rochester and learns his darkest secret.
  • Death Comes for the ArchbishopWilla Cather
    Following the Mexican-American War, Bishop Jean Latour and Father Joseph Vaillant work to build a new Roman Catholic dicoese in New Mexico.
  • The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne
    After having a child out of wedlock, Hester Prynne is shunned by her Puritan community and forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her clothing — but Hester is not the only one who has transgressed. This classic novel explores guilt, sin, and hypocrisy.
  • SeabiscuitLaura Hillenbrand
    In this engrossing work of nonfiction, Laura Hillenbrand recounts how three men teamed up to turn an unlikely racehorse into an American racing icon.
  • The Beekeeper of AleppoChristy Lefteri
    When war destroys their life in Syria, Nuri Ibrahim tries to hold onto hope that he and his grieving wife will survive the dangerous journey to a new home.
  • A Night to RememberWalter Lord
    In this non-fiction book, Walter Lord provides a detailed account of the Titanic's fatal collision with an iceberg and the behavior of the passengers and crew in the aftermath.
  • Walter Lord
    John Walter Lord Jr. was an author, lawyer, and popular historian. He is best known for his nonfiction work, A Night to Remember, which recounts the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912.
  • A Night DividedJennifer A. Nielsen
    Separated from her father and brother by the Berlin Wall, Gerta comes up with a dangerous plan to reunite her family.
  • A Thousand Steps into NightTraci Chee
    After receiving a curse that causes her to slowly transform into a demon with a deadly touch, Miuko embarks on a quest to find a cure so that she can return to her normal life.
  • UtopiaThomas More
    In this 16th-century book, More imagines an ideal state. More coined the word utopia, which literally means "nowhere."
  • 1984George Orwell
    Published in 1949, this dystopian classic imagines a future of perpetual war, militaristic propaganda, and total government surveillance.
  • The Catcher in the RyeJ.D. Salinger
    In J.D. Salinger's classic novel, Holden Caulfield leaves his prep school and experiences disillusionment and alienation while wandering around New York City.
  • The PearlJohn Steinbeck
    In this novella based on a Mexican folk tale, a poor diver rejoices when he finds an enormous pearl — but the treasure may not be the blessing it seems to be.
  • The HobbitJ.R.R. Tolkien
    In this prequel to The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet life until a group of dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf enlist him in their quest for a dragon's treasure.

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