I took a quick look around my room and pretty much everything is graphic novels and comics. *Intelligence lowers*
Try Pendragon. It's about a kid who gets sucked through space and saves planets from some bald, egotistical demon or something and some more interesting stuff. I haven't read it in awhile. I need to find the first book again.
A Series of Unfortunate Events was good too but they might be too short/under the assignment's age requirement.