GREAT BOOKS FOR STUDENTS IN GRADE SEVEN

Read books by these authors:
Aiken, Joan (British)
Alexander, Lloyd (British)
Carman, Patrick
Clements, Andrew
Colfer, Eoin. (Irish)
Cushman, Karen
Ellis, Deborah (Canadian)
Friesen, Gayle (Canadian)
Garfield, Leon (British)
Haddix, Margret Peterson
Hesse, Karen
Horowitz, Anthony (British)
Horvath, Polly (Canadian)
Hughes, Monica (Canadian)
Jones, Diana Wynne (British)
Konigsburg, E.L.
Korman, Gordon (Canadian)
Lowry, Lois
McCaffrey, Anne
Matas, Carol (Canadian)
Meyer, Caroline
Mowat, Farley (Canadian)
Napoli, Donna Jo
Paterson, Katherine
Patterson, James
Paulsen, Gary
Paolini, Christopher
Pearson, Kit (Canadian)
Peck, Richard
Pratchett, Terry (British)
Riordan, Rick
Spinelli, Jerry
Sutcliff, Rosemary (British)
Uchida, Yoshiko
Tolkein, J.R.R. (British)
Voight, Cynthia
Walters, Eric (Canadian)
Whelan, Gloria
Yep, Laurence

Try some of these books:
Banks, Lynne Reid. Broken Bridge.
Bell, William. The Blue Helmet.
Bloor, Edward. Tangerine.
Bondoux, Anne-Laure. The Killer’s Tears.
Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Bredsdorff, Bodil. Crow-Girl.
Budhos, Marina. Ask Me No Questions.
Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen.
Cleaver, Vera and Bill. Hazel Rye.
Cleaver, Vera and Bill. Where the Lilies Bloom.
Colfer, Eoin. Half-moon Investigations.
Connor, Leslie. Waiting for Normal.
Corder, Zizou. the Lionboy series
Couloumbis, Audrey. Getting Near to Baby.
Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdy.
Fox, Paula. One-Eyed Cat.
Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller.
Hesse, Karen. Aleutian Sparrow.
Holt, Kimberly Willis. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town.
Horvath, Polly. The Corps of the Bare-boned Plane.
Klise, Kate. Deliver Us From Normal.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time.
Little, Jean. Willow and Twig.
Lord, Cynthia. Rules.
Martel, Susanne. The King’s Daughter.
Meyer, Carolyn. Patience, Princess Catherine.
Miklowitz, Gloria D. The Enemy Has A Face.
Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables.
Moses, Shelia P. The Baptism.
Naidoo, Beverly. The Other Side of Truth.
North, Sterling. Rascal.
Paterson, Katherine. Lyddie.
Paulsen, Gary. The Crossing.
Pearson, Kit. Perfect, Gentle Knight.
Peck, Robert Newton. On the Wings of Heroes and the Soup series.
Pratchett, Terry. Truckers.
Richter, Hans-Peter. Friedrich.
Rylant, Cynthia. Boris.
Tilly, Meg. Porcupine.
Trease, Geoffrey. Word to Caesar.
Voigt, Cynthia. Homecoming and The Runner.
Walters, Eric. House Party and Shattered.

Schmidt, Gary D. The Labors of Hercules Beal. New York: Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023.
Hercules’s seventh grade teacher has assigned a project: replicate in real life the twelve labours of the mythical Hercules. This could be a silly spoof of story. But the author is the award-winning Gary Schmidt, so you can be assured that while full of outrageous antics, this well-crafted novel is not light-weight entertainment. While completing his project, Hercules discovers that despite his parents’ death, he is not actually alone and unwanted in this world. Recommended without reservations for readers 11 to 14 years old. 

More Recommendations!

Blue Like Friday by Siobhan Parkinson (Roaring Book Press, 2008).
Every friendship is unique, but Hal and Olivia’s is especially unique because Hal sees the world differently: he has synesthesia and even days of the week have colours for him. But the problem in the novel is Hal’s mother’s boyfriend. Despite Hal and Olivia’s plotting, the boyfriend doesn’t disappear. Instead, Hal’s mother disappears. This quietly humorous novel from Ireland is perfect for middle school readers who enjoyed Criss Cross by Perkins or Stargirl by Spinelli. (Ms. Rosen)

O’Connor, Sheila. Sparrow Road.  New York : G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2011.
Twelve-year-old Raine and her mother move to an artists’ colony where Raine makes new friends, discovers her own creative talents and meets her father for the first time. (Fathers and daughters; Summer; Eccentrics and eccentricity; Mothers and daughters; Friendship; Creativity; Secrets) (Ms. Rosen)

Want to read something new? I recommend Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech (1998). The main character, Zinny, sees life like spaghetti and meatballs: you untangle yourself from your spaghetti of troubles and once in a while receive life’s surprises: meatballs. As Zinny gets tangled in more and more spaghetti, there are fewer and fewer meatballs. She and her parents never get along. Jake Boone is trying to get her attention while her sister May is trying to get his. Her spaghetti is so tangled she is on the verge of popping! She asks to camp on the Bybanks Chocton trail and ends up doing some crazy things: she cuts open a fence with wire cutters, steals a horse and gets attacked by a bear. Will Jake get his girl? Will Zinny finish the trail? I guess you’ll have to read to find out! (Jezerah in grade 7)

I highly recommend Blackthorn Winter by Kathryn Reiss. The novel is so intriguing and appealing that once you start reading, you simply cannot put it down! A girl named Juliana moves to Blackthorn, England with her mother, brother and sister since her mother is getting divorced. She then meets Liza, her mother’s old friend from art school, who, after a welcoming party for her family, gets murdered. Juliana knows the murderer is not who everyone else suspects but another person altogether, one who is doing very well at hiding their identity. Juliana wants to prove Simon, her new British friend, is innocent. Someone is getting away with this murder… but who? This is the kind of book that is full of suspense. And it shows that you can figure out a murder if you think out of the box. Read it yourself and discover the conclusion to this thrilling, enchanting novel! (Rachel in gr. 7)

I read Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman. This is a great book about facing and overcoming your inner fears. Blake’s brother runs away to an amusement park. Blake and his friends go to look for him. But they discover the amusement park is enchanted and if you die on the rides, you become part of the scenery. Everyone must make it through seven rides before dawn or they become part of the park. The rides themselves are built around people’s obstacles in life and their fears. No one has ever made it through all seven rides. Blake finally gets close. The owner of the park gets scared because the rides are starting to break down. At the end, the amusement park explodes and all the people who have died throughout the years are released. But what happens to Blake? Read this book to find out. (Gunnar in gr. 7)

I recommend Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. When I read this book, it was like watching a movie! I wanted to know the next thing so badly. My favourite sentence: “And so, with laughter and love, we lived ever after.” Oh my goodness, it is like princes and princesses but it’s real! I didn’t ever like stories about princes and princesses before, but now I do. (Susan in gr. 7)

Despereaux, in The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press, 2003), is a very kind and courageous mouse who always perseveres in the face of difficulty. When he needs to save a princess, he is kind enough to embark on a journey to warn her about danger. In fact, he is very courageous throughout many dangerous adventures. Furthermore, when he faces difficult challenges, he perseveres: when he was almost dead, he pushed himself a little further to save the princess from a tragic death. Despereaux’s noble character inspired me and will, I’m sure, inspire everyone who reads about him in this uplifting novel. (Mitch in gr.  7)