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Tough-O-Meter

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)

(2) Sea Level

This book is basically one of those novels that you can plow through in a couple of days. The language is flat-out easy (no real SAT words anywhere to be found—yay!). Plus, the chapters are short and the plot is—if not a page-turner—very close to being one. There aren't any tricks in terms of the plot or structure of the book and, to top it off, you have a really likable protagonist and what turns out to be a real-life, happy-ish ending. History made reader-friendly? Not sure you can top that…