2013 7th Grade Summer Reading Books-Total 2 Books
Students in enriched classes are required to read 1 of the 2 following books, plus 1 book from the
choice list.
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston
This is the true story of one spirited Japanese American family’s attempt to survive the indignities of forced
detention and of a native-born American child who discovered what it was like to grow up behind barbed
wire in the United Sates.
The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle
In the spring of 1942, Robert, his mother, and sister are living out the war in Rhode Island where Nazi
submarines are torpedoing U.S. ships. When violence breaks out in his paternal grandparents’ home,
Robert is afraid he and his family may not survive the war.
Students in regular and small group instruction classes read any 2 books from the following choice
list.
CHOICE LIST
Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Jason is a boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He loves to write short stories but finds connecting with
people in person to be much more difficult. Jason meets a girl, a “neurotypical,” online, through a
storyboarding site who gives him positive feedback on his short stories. When Jason finds out, however,
that she will be at the same storyboarding conference as him, he wonders if she will be able to accept him
for who he really is.
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
Eleven-year-old Primrose, who lives in a small fishing village in British Columbia, has lost her parents at
sea, but is convinced they are on an island waiting to be rescued. The only two people who do not try to
take that belief away are her Uncle Jack, and the owner and chef of the local restaurant.
All But My Life by Gerda Weissman Klein
This is a true story about a young woman’s fight for survival during the Holocaust. The Nazi’s have taken
her family, home, and friends. She must now fight for her life.
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
The author returns to her roots to paint an authentic portrait of 20th century China and to tell the story of
her painful childhood as an unwanted daughter.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
In this historical fiction work, two young African American sisters, who were promised their freedom, are
sold to a Tory couple living in New York City. It takes place during 1776 right in the middle of the
Revolutionary War.
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
In this sequel to Chains, Anderson shifts perspective from Isabel to Curzon and shows what it takes for
runaway slaves to forge their own paths in a world of obstacles during the American Revolution.
All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg
Two years after being airlifted out of war-torn Vietnam, Matt Pin is filled with the loss of everything he left
behind. Now he must learn to understand and accept his caring adoptive home in the United States. New
experiences and events will force him to choose between silence and candor, blame and forgiveness, fear
and freedom.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The story is about a boy named Nobody Owens who is raised and educated by ghosts of a graveyard. He
has lived in a graveyard all his life and he cannot leave the graveyard he calls home. However, after doing
some investigating, he learns how he ended up in his graveyard, and he discovers a secret society.
Note this book contains images that can be viewed as explicit in nature.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in flint Michigan during the Great Depression, escapes a bad
foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father-the renowned bandleader, H.E.
Calloway, of Grand Rapids.
Racing the Past by Sis Deans
Eleven-year-old Ricky stops taking the school bus home, to avoid fights with the school bully. He gradually
begins to increase his running speed, and tries to beat the bus home.
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Catherine’s brother, David, is autistic, and their family life revolves around his needs. Catherine loves
her brother, but when a girl moves in next door, she fears David will ruin the relationship. She also
develops a friendship with a mute paraplegic boy which makes things even more complicated.
Al Capone Does My Shirt Gennifer Choldenko
This is a fictional book which takes place in 1935 on Alcatraz Island. It is about a twelve year old boy with
an autistic sister. In moving to Alcatraz, Moose leaves all of his friends and his winning baseball team to
start a new life.
Heat by Mike Lupica
Michael Arroyo grows up close to Yankee Stadium and dreams of one day playing there himself. He plays
Little League and is an amazing pitcher. The problem is that he is too good. Other players and coaches
can’t believe that he’s really only twelve years old. With no parents and his birth certificate back in his
native country of Cuba, he has no way to prove his age. If you love baseball, you’ll love the many
descriptions of the game in this novel, and you’ll be rooting for Michael Arroyo to make it big in the game.
Hush by Jacqueline Woodson
Toswiah Green. Evie Thomas. One girl. Two names. Two lives. When her police officer father witnesses
two white cops killing a black boy, he makes the heart-wrenching decision to testify against his former
friends. Overnight, thanks to the witness protection program, Toswiah becomes Evie, and she and her
family leave their idyllic Denver, Colorado, life far behind. Toswiah's previously happy, lighthearted
mother abruptly turns to religion, her big sister makes secret plans to escape the family, and her proud
father collapses inward to a depressed, almost catatonic state. Adolescent Toswiah--now Evie--copes as
best she can, taking up track and field in school, and trying to fathom who she is, and who she is becoming.
.
Knots in My Yo-Yo String by Jerry Spinelli
This early autobiography recalls Spinelli’s experiences in the 1940s and 50s. It is entertaining and fastpaced and is a highly readable memoir.