Seventh Grade Independent Reading List
Crash, Jerry Spinelli - Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough,
aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make
him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.
The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy / Douglas Adams;
After Earth is demolished to make way for a new hyperspatial expressway, Arthur Dent begins to hitchhike through space.
Nothing but the truth / Avi;
A 9th grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national
new story.
http://eolit.hrw.com/hlla/novelguides/ms/Mini-Guide.Avi.pdf
Ender's game / Orson Scott Card; Child-hero Ender Wiggin must fight a desperate battle against a
deadly alien race if mankind is to survive. Also known as sci-fi for non-science fiction fans!
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/enders-game
Chasing Vermeer / Blue Balliet
When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting
disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMq7zFLV7d4
Hold Fast / Blue Balliet
On a cold winter day in Chicago, Early's father disappeared, and now she, her mother and her brother
have been forced to flee their apartment and join the ranks of the homeless--and it is up to Early
to hold her family together and solve the mystery surrounding her father.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/books/review/hold-fast-by-blue-balliett.html?_r=0
Hitler Youth : growing up in Hitler's shadow / Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The story of a generation of German young people who devoted all their energy to the Hitler Youth and
the propaganda that brought Hitler his power, and the youths that resisted the Nazi movement.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-439-35379-3
And then there were none / Agatha Christie
Considered the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, And Then There Were None is the
story of 10 strangers, each lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have arrived, the
host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to share their darkest
secrets--until they begin to die.
The call of the wild / Jack London;
This masterpiece of American fiction recounts the gripping adventures of Buck, a courageous creature
forced into the brutal life of sled-dog during the Alaskan gold rush. Forced to relinquish the safety of his
familiar world, Buck survives and ultimately prevails in the harsh realities of the Far North through the
discovery of his own primitive nature.
Seventh Grade Independent Reading List
Rosa Parks : my story / by Rosa Parks Even those familiar with her name will realize on reading this
engrossing account how little they really know of Parks's life and the events that surrounded the dawning
Civil Rights movement.
White fang / Jack London;
Born in the wilds of the freezing Yukon, the wolf-cub White Fang soon learns the harsh laws of nature,
growing fiercer and more independent in his struggle to survive. Yet buried deep inside him are distant
memories of affection and love - can he learn to trust man again?
Hoops / Walter Dean Myers
A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a former professional player who, after being
forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating
his mistake.
Slam/ Walter Dean Myers – Slam is about a basketball player with big dreams, but major obstacles to
overcome. This excellent novel deals with real life situations and complex decisions one has to make in
order to reach goals. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/slam#cart/cleanup
The greatest : Muhammad Ali / Walter Dean Myers
Through the story of Ali's childhood, his rise as a champion, his politics, and his battle against Parkinsons'
disease, readers will come to know the man behind the brash public persona -- the man whose talent and
legacy will stir and inspire a new generation of fans.
Freak the Mighty / Rodman Philbrick;
Two boys – a slow learner stuck in the body of a teenage giant and a tiny Einstein in leg braces – forge a
unique friendship when they pair up to create one formidable human force.
The Uglies/ Scott Westerfeld – The first of a series, this novel deals with society’s obsession
with physical beauty and conformity.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/23/review-uglies-scott-westerfield
Anne of Green Gables/ L.M. Montgomery
An adventurous young orphan goes to live on a farm with an elderly brother and sister.
Number the Stars/ Lois Lowry- Historical fiction about a young Jewish girl and her family’s
escape from Copenhagen during WWII.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/number-the-stars
The Face on the Milk Carton / Caroline B. Cooney
A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-face-on-the-milk-carton
Seventh Grade Independent Reading List
The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963: A Novel / Christopher Paul Curtis - The
ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint,
Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.