Freak the Mighty
Read this to my 6h/7th grade readers, and it really connected with them. Even the "cool kids who aren't into book learnin'" listened intently and were genuinely touched by the story of Max and Kevin. I, as a reader, was also really charmed by the simple narrative style, and straight forward story telling which managed to be both sincerely touching and direct in some ways.
It's such a short read, everyone should get this one under their belts. It's a foundational piece of children's literature... and for good reason. :)
