We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(3) Base Camp
Despite its really long title, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson isn't a really hard book to understand. Shirley's journey is pretty straightforward—literally, from China to America—and it's easy to get why and how she does things. What's particularly interesting, though, is how she changes over the course of the book. Shirley grows up, learning a lot about herself and others as she does, including how to fit in.