7th Grade (These titles are for incoming 7th Graders):
Required:
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Overview
Mia Winchell has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. Forced to
reveal her condition, she must look to herself to develop an understanding and appreciation of her gift in this coming-of-age novel.
Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until
she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the loss of something important to her.
Choice Titles (Students must select one):
Code Orange by Caroline Cooney
Overview
Walking around New York City was what Mitty Blake did best. He loved the city, and even after 9/11, he always felt safe. Mitty was a
carefree guy–he didn’t worry about terrorists or blackouts or grades or anything, which is why he was late getting started on his
Advanced Bio report. Mitty does feel a little pressure to hand something in–if he doesn’t, he’ll be switched out of Advanced Bio, which
would be unfortunate since Olivia’s in Advanced Bio. So he considers it good luck when he finds some old medical books in his family’s
weekend house that focus on something he could write about. But when he discovers an old envelope with two scabs in one of the
books, the report is no longer about the grade–it’s about life and death. His own. This edge-of-your-seat thriller will leave you
breathless. While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds an envelope containing 100-year-old smallpox scabs
and fears that he has infected himself and all of New York City.
Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
Overview
Greek myths, legends, and characters are alive and well and fighting in the skies above Manhattan! In this hip and hilarious series, the
adventures of the Greek gods get a new spin. Percy Jackson may seem like a loser, but he's really the son of Poseidon! And as he
discovers his heritage, he falls into mortal danger. Along the way, such topics as family, trust, war, the environment, dreams, and
perceptions are raised. "Rip snorting action sequences." - Horn Book
The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Overview
Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can't
wait. Not for her driver's license — for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a
repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really
great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who
shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the
society. She'd rather risk life on the outside and urges Tally to defect with her. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new
side of the pretty world — and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn
her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.
Last Shot by John Feinstein
Overview
Steven Thomas is one of two lucky winners of the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association’s contest for aspiring journalists. His prize? A trip
to New Orleans and a coveted press pass for the Final Four. It’s a basketball junkie’s dream come true! But the games going on behind
the scenes between the coaches, the players, the media, the money-men, and the fans turn out to be even more fiercely competitive
than those on the court. Steven and his fellow winner, Susan Carol Anderson, are nosing around the Superdome and overhear what
sounds like a threat to throw the championship game. Now they have just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing one of MSU’s star
players . . . and why.
Heroes of 9/11 by Allen Zullo
Overview
The first responders on September 11, 2001 — firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, military officers
and even many civilians — risked their lives to save people they didn't know. Every one of them is a hero. This book features ten
gripping stories that reflect the countless breathtaking acts of heroism that occurred inside the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and
a hijacked plane. Among other amazing true accounts, you will read about the miraculous survival of the fire captain and his men who
were buried alive when the north tower collapsed...the cop who dodged death twice to help save others...and the two navy officers
who ran into a burning, crumbling section of the Pentagon to rescue a trapped worker.