The Door — Jan Fields

Thirteen-year-old Tom Goodwin is not happy about moving hundreds of miles away from his best friend, thanks to his dad’s new job. His new classmates think his Boston accent is weird, his new school is seriously old, and his new friends—just kidding. He has no new friends here. But at least he’s not as weird as Lata Seth, a fellow eighth grader who skips class to stare at an empty wall of the school hallway in the belief that a door will randomly appear there. Sure, she’s sad because her sister died, and her comments about wanting to disappear through the door are a bit alarming. But the door doesn’t exist, Tom tells himself, so he doesn’t need to worry about her.Then, to Tom’s shock, the door appears, and as he tries to keep Lata from going in, he is pushed through as well. On the other side, they find themselves in the exact same school hallway . . . except in this world, they don’t exist. These unlikely allies will have to work together to return to their homes and the people who love them.Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and age-appropriate themes, Harbor’s Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for tween reluctant readers. Harbor books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 10 and up.