Ashlie (she/her) is an educator, librarian, and writer. She is committed to diversifying the reading lives of her students and supporting fat acceptance as it intersects with other women’s issues. She's also perpetually striving to learn more about how she can use her many privileges to support marginalized groups. Interests include learning how to roller skate with her local roller derby team, buying more books than she'll ever read, hiking with her husband and sons, and making lists to avoid real work. You can find her on Instagram (@ashlieelizabeth), Twitter (@mygirlsimple) or at her website, www.ashlieswicker.com.
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With most schools and libraries closed across the country closed, parents are left scrambling in a lot of ways: distance learning, social opportunities, and summer reading come to mind. Here is one thing you can cross off the list—below is a curated list of great books for 7th graders. Whether your middle schooler is looking to get lost in a fantasy or stay on top of recent award winners, there are some recs to try! (Pro tip: most of these are also excellent read-alouds for younger kiddos, and I’m an adult librarian who enjoyed them immensely, too!)
Running out of time by margaret peterson haddix.
This book, which was ruthlessly ripped off in the movie The Village , opens with a young girl finding out that her colonial-era life is an elaborate charade for a tourist destination and she is actually living in the ’90s. It gets even better from there.
A classic for a reason—amazing quotes, spunky female main character, sci-fi magic. Join Meg, Calvin, and her little brother Charles Wallace as they travel across time to rescue her father. The graphic novel version is absolutely amazing, as well.
A companion piece to A Wrinkle in Time set in the late ’70s, it offers everything from familiar adolescent growing pains to magically beautiful time travel. This book is hauntingly beautiful and very typical, a rare gem.
Sheets by brenna thummler.
A ghostly graphic novel without a single scare, this sweet and sad story is complimented by a soft blue color palate.
This awesome story destroys gender roles during a fun fantasy romp. Katie O’Neil is a favorite among my 5th grade students and the art is breathtaking.
My students love graphic novels that tell family stories, and Hey Kiddo does not disappoint; this graphic memoir includes photographs and artifacts from the author’s life and has struck a chord with many.
Aru shah and the end of time by roshani chokshi.
One of the amazing books from Rick Riordan’s imprint, the Aru Shah series is a family FAVORITE at my house. Fun, exciting, full of Hindu mythology presented with a fresh, modern spin…each new character quickly becomes beloved and most will make you laugh out loud at least once.
As lush and gorgeous as the title, this fantasy has a classic feel: forest witches, tiny dragons, eating starlight, missions to save the village, and dangerous/exciting spikes of magic.
Star-crossed by barbara dee.
The best books are set against the backdrop of school plays, and Star Crossed is set in a production of Romeo and Juliet . Mattie is smitten with the lead playing Juliet, and also her longtime crush Elijah. Her romantic feelings play out as the highs and lows of a middle school Shakespearean production surge. Empowering and sweet.
Rahul, a gay Indian American boy, experiences highs and lows while navigating middle school with his grandfather’s advice ringing in his ears: find one thing you’re good at, and become the BEST at it. Praises sung over the representation of the roller coaster that is middle school.
Ivy Aberdeen has been through a literal tornado: her family is displaced, she feels ignored, and the worst thing of all is that her secret drawings of girls holding hands with girls is missing. Soon she starts getting messages in her locker, encouraging her to open up about who she is. Is it the girl she has a crush on?
Sal and gabi break the universe by carlos hernandez.
Incredibly strong characters, unique family structures, science fiction wonder, slight-of-hand magic, parallel universes, grief and mourning…all against the backdrop of the typical middle school struggles. This was an absolute joy to read.
This book plunges you quickly into duel tragedies—a school bus accident that tortures Tristan, and the ruined world of Alke, where something sinister is destroying the settings of treasured African American folk tales. About the power of the stories we’re living and the ones we tell ourselves.
Mia is a young girl helping her parents run a motel. As Chinese immigrants, the family sees enormous employment discrimination, both towards themselves and their community…until they start to take matters into their own hands.
Seventh grader Jerry loves comics and longs to go to art school, but instead his family sends him to a private school outside of his neighborhood, where he is one of the only kids of color. New Kid follows Jerry as he navigates his school life, his old friends, and the confusion of being a middle schooler in general.
The vanderbeekers of 141st street by karina yan glaser.
Set at Christmas, a winning family story about a group of kids determined to convince their grumpy landlord to renew their lease. The Vanderbeekers will work their way quickly into your heart.
No one is better than Doreen Green, age 13. This was a DELIGHTFUL audio listen, with excellent characters and lots of Avengers tie ins to please everyone. Squirrels, super powers, an amazing teenaged girl, and some pretty supportive parents, which is always a bonus.
Patricia “Sweet Pea” DiMarco is dealing with a lot: divorced parents, an ex–best friend, and the general turmoil of growing up. When her neighbor, an advice columnist, asks Sweet Pea to forward her letters while on vacation, Sweet Pea recognizes the handwriting on one of the letters, and what happens next will change Sweet Pea (and all in her circle) forever!
Rad girls can: stories of bold, brave, and brilliant young women by kate schatz and miriam klein stahl.
Profiles of amazing girls who have changed the world, with stunning papercut illustrations. Perfect for dipping in and out while learning about awesome history.
Tackling (no pun intended) both American football history and the horrible, continuing history of the U.S. government’s treatment of Native Americans and their erasure of American Indian culture. A sports underdog story that will draw even reluctant readers.
Hopefully you can find some books for the 7th graders in your life in this list. The bonus is that several of these have great sequels or start a series. Looking for more magic? Check out this list of graphic novels for middle schoolers . Happy reading!
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We’re going to need a bigger bookmark.
Seventh grade is one of my favorite grades.
It’s the best of both worlds, middle school speaking. Students are “so past” the babyish immaturity of 6th graders, but not quite as jaded as their 8th grade counterparts. They’re too cool for the kind of silliness that totally derails class, but aren’t too cool for games or stickers. They’re just dipping their toes into who they are and their place in the world. And they’re (unfortunately for those of us who teach them and have to keep a straight face) hilarious.
The last year has seen a fantastic crop of books for this age, and our list is the perfect starting point for a 7th grade classroom or a 7th grader you know and love. While there are great lessons to be learned in each of these books, make sure to preview them before assigning or recommending them to ensure they’re a good fit for your kids.
(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)
Anya protects the lunar moths that keep her village thriving. But what happens when being a moth-keeper isn’t all she thought it would be? Seventh graders will love this gorgeous graphic novel and the world K. O’Neill builds within it.
Buy it: T he Moth Keeper on Amazon
Lina Gao is finally joining her parents and sister in America after five long years of being separated. But so far life in America isn’t turning out to be what she thought: at school, at home, or anywhere in between. A story about courage, resilience, and high-achieving little sisters (ugh), Finally Seen will be a welcome addition to any classroom library.
Buy it: Finally Seen on Amazon
What if you found out your teacher was an AI robot from a top-secret experimental project? For Oliver Zahn, that question is about to become a reality. Seventh graders will love getting to the bottom of this hilarious, mysterious story.
Buy it: The Superteacher Project on Amazon
So far, the pandemic is leading to a lot of stress and isolation for 13-year-old Matthew, who is dealing with big shifts in his family. But when he finds a clue in an old black-and-white photograph, he will learn that his family’s past contains a shocking story of strength and resilience from the Holodomor, the famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s and was covered up for decades. This book, called “the resistance novel for our times” by the New York Times, will hook your 7th graders from the first chapter.
Buy it: The Lost Year on Amazon
At first glance, the town of Gladder Hill seems like a utopia. Everyone seems happy in this town that has outlawed cameras and mirrors. But when Zailey is determined to see her face for the first time, she unlocks a world of knowledge that might unravel the history of her town and herself. Ask your 7th graders, “What would life be like if we didn’t have cameras or mirrors?” and they’ll be fully committed to find out what happens in this book.
Buy it: The Town With No Mirrors on Amazon
When Tai Choi is sold into slavery to pay for her father’s gambling debts, she is forced into a new life of huge change and hardship. She goes from Tai Choi to Tien Fu Wu, the name forged on her immigration papers, and from her home in the Zhejiang province of China to San Francisco. She is rescued from her life of servitude, but how can she trust her new friendship? Heather B. Moore and Allison Hong Merrill adapted a true story to this powerful, moving story for young readers that 7th graders (and their teachers) won’t be able to put down.
Buy it: The Paper Daughters of Chinatown on Amazon
Grief. Guilt. Death. You might be tempted to think these are topics a middle school audience isn’t ready for, and yet these are topics middle schoolers are already facing . This is the story of Lolo, a main character 7th graders will love, who encounters an unavoidable tragedy when babysitting her neighbor’s child. Walking through Lolo’s thoughts, emotions, and responses offers 7th graders the opportunity to have important conversations about grief and death, but also about redemption and life.
Buy it: Lolo’s Light on Amazon
From the author of Other Words for Home , A Rover’s Story is a powerful tale told from the point of view of Resilience, a Mars rover. Res was made to explore Mars, but will he be able to conquer the harsh terrain of this new planet, or disappoint the legions of people watching his journey back home? (A note for teachers: A Rover’s Story is fantastic for teaching character development and point of view.)
Buy it: A Rover’s Story on Amazon
Chet, Kaori, Virgil, and Valencia couldn’t be more different. In fact, one of the only things bringing them together is that they live in the same neighborhood. But all of that is about to change when a prank puts Virgil and his guinea pig’s life in danger. All at once, he’ll need the intelligence, courage, and a little cosmic fairy dust from his neighborhood gang.
Buy it: Hello, Universe on Amazon
There is one in every class. OK, there are several in every class: the kids who would rather watch informational TikToks than look at scores of memes. Kids who eschew fantasy and sci-fi with “Why would I want to read about something that isn’t real?” Life Skills for Tweens is perfect for those knowledge-hungry realists, with how-tos on everything from communication and self-regulation skills to keeping calm in emergencies.
Buy it: Life Skills for Tweens on Amazon
If you’re watching Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret this summer, this anthology with 16 short stories about menstruation is a perfect companion. Written by authors who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color, Calling the Moon showcases coming-of-age stories that range from hilarious to heartrending, helping readers understand they’re not alone in the period wilderness.
Buy it: Calling the Moon on Amazon
To stay and fight for a country you love or escape and survive? This speculative novel about the Syrian Revolution will have 7th graders hanging on Katouh’s every word. Something to note: Fans of The Book Thief will love As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow , particularly the way fear is personified as Salama’s companion Khawf.
Buy it: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow on Amazon
Kat Cho has done it. First, she has taken the secret dream of so many teenagers and written it down in book form: What if a K-pop star asked you to prom? Then, she has horrified legions of K-pop fans with: What if you’re not sure you want to go? Once Upon a K-Prom is fun and funny, and it’s one of those books that will entertain your 7th graders’ inner fanfolks.
Buy it: Once Upon a K-Prom on Amazon
Sue can’t wait to go to summer camp with her friends and make comics all day. So when her family announces they’re going to visit relatives in a remote area of Honduras with no cell service or Internet and they’re throwing her a surprise quinceañera complete with giant fluffy dress, she wonders if it’s humanly possible for her life to get worse. Kat Fajardo’s debut graphic novel is a hilarious journey about family, tradition, and self-discovery, perfect for middle schoolers.
Buy it: Miss Quinces on Amazon
After a condition in infancy damaged her vocal chords, Azar has decided to stay silent in high school. But when she hears about a local Battle of the Bands concert, she can’t resist—will she end up speaking to her crush to convince him to sing vocals, or miss out on a dream altogether? If you’re looking for books for 7th graders who love both music and feisty main characters, try Azar on Fire .
Buy it: Azar on Fire on Amazon
Twelve-year-old Abigail can’t wait to go to the inclusive camp for queer and trans kids, Camp QUILTBAG. Thirteen-year-old Kai is … not excited to be there. After a rocky start, the two make a pact to help each other in navigating camp life—will it end in success or disaster? We’re grateful for Nicole Melleby’s work in making sure all kids are represented in literature .
Buy it: Camp QUILTBAG on Amazon
Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu ended up on the same elite track team together. However, they’re worlds apart in terms of pretty much everything else. Seventh graders will love this series—each is told from a different character’s perspective—and teachers will love the insights that happen when reading the same story from a different perspective.
Buy it: The Track Series on Amazon
Your sushi-loving 7th graders (and even those who blanche at raw fish) will love this story about Susannah Mikami. Susannah dreams of being a famous sushi chef like her father, but he won’t teach her his skills (and won’t say why). Suddenly, cute Koji rolls around and offers to film her skills and share them with the world. Will she lie to her parents or go after her dreams?
Buy it: This Is How I Roll on Amazon
Simon O’Keefe is a funny kid with a seriously quirky family. But his life turns upside down when he is the lone survivor of a school shooting. He and his family move to the National Quiet Zone, the only place in America where the Internet is banned. Instead of journalists hounding him to talk about the incident, the NQZ is full of astronomers using the quiet to look for signs of life in space. What if Simon finds it? This review speaks to where the book meets 7th graders: “Blunt as trauma, delicate as healing, and hilarious and tragic as middle school can be. This book is as close to everything as one book can be.”—Kyle Lukoff, Newbery Honor–winning author of Too Bright to See
Buy it: Simon Sort of Says on Amazon
For Izzy Wilder, an autistic 14-year-old, losing her mom felt like the end of the world. That is until the world actually ends amid mysterious flashing lights, and Izzy and her dog, Akka, are seemingly the only survivors. Izzy embarks on a journey of regulating her anxiety, interpreting clues for survival that seem like they’re from her mom, and battling some seriously intimidating monsters. If you’re looking for books to hook your 7th graders, give them this nail-biting adventure novel!
Buy it: Izzy at the End of the World on Amazon
Sometimes you just need a Parent Trap meets The Holiday book, you know? Your 7th graders will love this story of friendship, family, and belonging about Allie and Sage, two girls from across the world who become friends (and confidantes about their family issues) when their families swap houses on vacation.
Buy it: The House Swap on Amazon
Twelve-year-old Lawrence moved to live with his granny in another city. He then promptly got expelled for a fight that wasn’t his fault. Instead of school, he goes to the rec center where a neighbor is running a chess program. Lawrence has a chance to compete in a chess tournament in his home city. Could this be his ticket home? Whether you’re looking for books for 7th graders who love chess or just love an endearing character, Not an Easy Win is a double check in our book.
Buy it: Not an Easy Win on Amazon
Hold please, while my inner 7th grader screeches with anticipation. OK, thank you. This book follows Hazel Rothbury’s stowaway voyage on the Titanic as she travels to work in a factory to help make ends meet for her family. While exploring the fancy ship in secret, she encounters a mystery—one that only gets more dangerous when disaster strikes on the Titanic . Adventure meets mystery meets survival? I’m just calling it now: This will be one of those books your 7th graders (or your inner 7th grader) will want to reread.
Buy it: Iceberg on Amazon
The Secret Garden meets Other Words for Home ? Say no more. To give her a better life, Maria Latif’s parents have sent her from her home in Pakistan to Long Island, New York. Her new life is in many ways not what she expects, the least of all being a secret garden where she feels at home. Peppered with beautiful poetic verses, A Bit of Earth is one of those perfect books for 7th graders to pair with The Secret Garden for a classic/contemporary comparison.
Buy it: A Bit of Earth on Amazon
Haven’t we all gotten mad that our family forgot our birthday and wandered into a forbidden forest? No? OK, maybe just Hamra, the lead character in Hamra and the Jungle of Memories . After breaking every rule of the jungle, Hamra soon discovers she’ll have to embark on the adventure of a lifetime to undo its curse involving mythical beasts, fantastical worlds, and her own courage.
Buy it: Hamra and the Jungle of Memories on Amazon
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Summer break means more time to read! Continue Reading
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This list 7th grade reading list gives fiction and nonfiction books for a wide variety of reading levels and topics.
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Middle school readers can handle longer books and more complex topics. This opens up so many more options for a 7th grade reading list. Suddenly, book choices are less about grade level and more about personal interest.
Young adults face new issues and emotional changes in 6th grade and 7th grade. They can find a lot of comfort in reading about characters experiencing similar things. Anything from different family dynamics to addiction issues to changes in friendships to questions about identity.
Middle schoolers also become more independent and may not look to parents for answers to their every thought and question. Recommending a good book here and there can be a subtle way for parents to guide 7th graders or teach them things about history or the world.
If you’re looking for books for other tweens, see our 4th grade reading list , 5th grade reading list or 6th grade reading list .
For seventh grade readers who appreciate artwork or just like images when they read, these graphic novels tell a great story in both words and pictures. Graphic novels are also great for reluctant readers.
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka In this graphic memoir, Jarrett talks about growing up with a drug-addicted mother, a missing father and grandparents with strong opinions.
Real Friends by Shannon Hale A book about good friends, and why they’re worth all of the hard work.
Compass South by Hope Larson This New York Times best seller offers pirates and adventure as 12-year-old twins escape one danger just to find the next.
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson In a dangerous world, children on Grand Avenue need to work together to find food, shelter and protection. But how long can they keep themselves safe, and what will they have to do.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale These graphic novels tell true stories from American history. An addition to any 7th grade reading list that will entertain and teach readers.
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova A story about surviving life at a new middle school and what rules are really worth keeping.
Estranged by Ethan M. Aldridge Full of magic, drama and adventure, Estranged has hundreds of pages of beautiful watercolor paintings.
Lots of the best chapter book options for 7th grade readers fall in the realistic fiction category. Fill your 7th grade reading list with any of the options below and your young reader won’t be disappointed.
Pair a book from this list with a game for a great gift (we have a list of the best board games for tweens and teens ).
The Crossover and Booked by Kwame Alexander For 7th grader readers who love sports, this award-winning series is a must-read. In Crossover, twin brothers learn about life and brotherhood through basketball. Booked follows 12-year-old Nick as he faces problems at home and learns about soccer, family, love and friendship. Alexander also wrote a prequel Rebound .
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart After she loses her mom and two sisters in a car accident, Coyote and her dad start a new life on the road in an old school bus. She wants to get back to her hometown to retrieve a memory box she and her sisters buried. She and her dad pick up some other travelers during the 3,000-mile journey home. Maybe her hardest journey yet.
Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Middle schooler Deslie lives with her Grammy and loves tracking the weather. But she finds herself wishing for a more typical family and wondering why a best friend suddenly doesn’t want to be friends any more. She learns she can weather any kind of storm.
All the Broken Pieces by Ann E Burg Trying to forget his memories of war-torn Vietnam, Matt Pin now has a new home with an adoptive family in the United States. He has to confront his past and choose whether to blame or forgive.
The Only R oad by Alexandra Diaz When Jaime’s small town in Guatemala is overrun by a powerful gang, he and his cousin leave to find a better life with his older brother in New Mexico. This book is inspired by true events.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen This rom-com for junior high readers is a comedy of errors told by two voices in alternating chapters. Others by this author might be better for high school readers.
Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry When Calliope June starts at her new school, she tries to hide her Tourette syndrome. Kids begin to notice and she wonders whether her neighbor and friend will be willing to risk his popularity to show the school she’s an interesting person and that they’re true friends.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds A group of kids from very different backgrounds come together to compete on an elite track team. The best-selling first book in the series is a National Book Award finalist and a parent-recommended addition to any 7th grade reading list .
My Seventh-Grade Life in Tights by Brooks Benjamin Dillon’s dad wants him to play football, but he wants to be a dancer. Things aren’t simple with his freestyle dance crew either. Dillon wants to go after a summer scholarship but his crew says dance studios are only for sellouts.
House Arrest by K.A. Holt Timothy is a good kid, but he screwed up and now he has a year of house arrest. Can he stay out of trouble and still help his struggling family?
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman A superintendent decides to assign a classroom of misfits and delinquents to the most burned-out teacher in the school. It might be a disaster, but then again, it might mean redemption.
I Will Always Write Back by Liz Welch An American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe become pen-pals through a class assignment. It began an exchange that changed both their lives.
Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes Rhodes makes all of my middle school must-read book lists. She’s a powerful storyteller who talks about important things in a way that really works for middle school readers. In Paradise on Fire, Addy loses her parents and goes to live with a grandmother. Years later she joins five other Black city kids at a summer wilderness program and faces a devastating forest fire.
The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller Natalie’s science teacher encourages her to enter an egg drop competition. She decides to go after the prize money to try to help her mother, who is suffering from depression. This story follows her uplifting journey about both science and love.
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams Genesis has a father with gambling and alcohol addictions. Her family also looks down on her and her father’s darker skin. This award-winner follows a young woman dealing with real-world issues.
Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly The 12 seventh graders at Fawn Creek Middle School have grown up together and know all of each other’s secrets. When one kid moves away and another moves in, dynamics shift and the seventh grade class has to explore important lessons in friendship and being true to yourself. This author also wrote Newbery Medal winner Hello, Universe and Newbery Honor Book We Dream of Space .
The Shadow Children by Margaret Peterson Haddix In a world where families are only allowed two children, illegal third children must live in the shadows. This bestselling series has seven books.
Fast Break by MIke Lupica After his mom dies, 12-year-old Jayson avoids social services and the foster care system until he’s caught stealing a pair of basketball shoes. Basketball and the family in his new foster home set him on a new journey.
Middle school readers rave about Mike Lupica, who also wrote:
Encourage seventh graders to try out different genres. Don’t listen even if they’re “sure” they’ll hate it. Put together a 7th grade summer reading list with a few books in each genre and ask that they choose at least one in each category.
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh A chilling story for middle school readers about Harper Raine, a seventh grader in a new city hearing rumors that the Raine family’s new house is haunted. She doesn’t believe it until she finds herself facing down the dangerous ghosts that haunt her younger brother.
Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories Seventh grade readers who want to try out a riveting ghost story can start with this collection of spooky tales and great stories by an author they likely recognize (he wrote James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld A dystopian world where turning 16 means surgery to become amazingly pretty. And about the not-so-pretty side of this “pretty” world.
Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans A seven-book series about a 14-year-old with Tourette’s syndrome who tries to take down an evil organization seeking world domination.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini My son said these were his favorite books of all time as a middle school reader. They’re long and the language can be a little daunting, but they’re also magical if you have a book lover.
The Giver by Lois Lowry Each of the four books in this series follows a different character until they all weave back together. It kicks off with the story of 12-year-old Jonas. His community and world seem perfect until he starts seeing more than the leaders want him to know. My son’s middle school English teacher told him this was a great choice for a 7th grade reading list.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins This series is a must-read for older kids who are mature enough for a plotline that involves sending children to participate in an annual Hunger Games that involves a fight to the death on live TV. It is set in a dystopian world where a shining Capitol keeps its 12 surrounding districts in line by forcing them to provide one boy and one girl ages 12 to 18 each year for the games. Katniss Everdeen finds a way to play the game by her own rules.
Divergent by Veronica Roth This is the first in a four-book series about a dystopian world where 16-year-olds must choose a community where they will spend the rest of their lives. Do they choose to live with the honest, the selfless, the brave, the peaceful or the intelligent? Or is there another choice altogether?
Harry Potter by J.K. Rawling By 7th grade, the length of the Harry Potter series look less daunting. These books and movies are not just for readers who know they love fantasy. They have captivated audiences of many ages and genres. That’s the mark of some of history’s best books.
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings , by J.R.R. Tolkien Seventh grade readers can follow Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit into the Lords of the Rings trilogy.
Ender’s Game (The Ender Saga) by Orson Scott Card This is an Amazon Teacher’s Pick series. Government agencies are creating child geniuses and training them as soldiers to protect against potential alien attacks. Siblings Peter and Valentine don’t make the final cut as soldiers. But they might still be the key to saving the world.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan This Rick Riordan series is a favorite among middle school readers. Percy Jackson has trouble in school and doesn’t get good grades. But then he learns he’s the son of Poseidon and his life changes as he goes to live at a camp with the other children of Greek gods and goddesses. Percy’s adventures continue in the five books of The Heroes of Olympus series .
95 Best Gifts for Tween & Teen Boys [2022 Gift Guide]
Nonfiction books transport young readers to different time periods. Reading about kids living during the Depression might shift perspectives – create more positive attitudes. Memoirs might offer different ways of thinking or doing things in a way that really gets through to young readers. Any 7th grade reading list should include some non-fiction options.
Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below Chilean Dessert by Marc Aronson The 2010 story of 33 miners trapped for 69 days with limited resources after a Chilean mine collapses.
Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly The story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who help achieve important things in the space program. Read the book and then watch the movie.
The Making of America: Susan B. Anthony by Teri Kanefield Seventh grade readers will learn about the life of Susan B. Anthony, a famous American suffragette. The Making of America series features other historical figures like Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln.
Girl CEO by Katherine Ellison A collection of mini-biographies from top female entrepreneurs such as Oprah to Sheryl Sandberg. They share their stories and the lessons in life and leadership they learned along the way.
Escape from Alcatraz by Eric Braun Two men escaped from Alcatraz in 1962 and were never found. This book details theories of what happened to them and facts provided first-hand by people who were involved with the men and this case.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown Seventh grade readers can likely handle the original version of this book, but there is an adapted version for younger readers as well. Set in the Great Depression, this is the true story of nine working-class American boys who fight their way to the 1936 Olympics.
Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers by Michelle Obama This memoir of Michelle Obama shares her journey from a modest childhood in Chicago to being the First Lady of the United States.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba (young readers edition) A boy saves his village by building a windmill from scrap metal that provides electricity and water.
Trevor Noah Born a Crime : Stories from South African Childhood (adapted for young readers) by Trevor Noah Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, tells his story growing up with a black South African mother and a white European father. The ornery Trevor used his keen smarts and humor to navigate a harsh life under a racist government.
75 Best Gifts for Tween & Teen Girls [2022 Gift Guide]
Mary teaches communication at the university level and wrangles two sons and a spitfire of a daughter at home. She's outside or traveling every chance she gets, unapologetically fueled by coffee and Diet Coke.
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K-12 School Reading List
Recommended reading books for elementary, middle & high school students
Home » Reading lists for Middle School children » 7th grade reading books for children aged 12-13
Books for grade 7 – this list of suggested reading books for grade 7 has been curated and compiled for middle and high school students aged 12-13. There is a range of exciting and thought-provoking books to suit all abilities in the 7th Grade, including easy readers and more difficult texts. This list of 7th grade reading recommendations includes titles by Lois Lowry, Lana Krumwiede, Markus Zusak, Kwame Alexander and S.E. Hinton.
Starfish by lisa fipps.
Using free verse, 12-year-old Ellie tells the reader about her swimming pool safe place where she can escape a world that fat shames and bullies her. With the help of her new neighbor, her dad, and her therapist, Ellie grows in confidence. An inspiring, empowering, and personal story that will appeal to less confident readers. Perfect for book club discussion.
Amal’s dreams of being a teacher when she’s older are put on hold when she has to look after her siblings instead of going to school in rural Pakistan. But her hope is further shattered when she is forced into working for a rich family to pay off a family debt. The corruption she sees and the enemies she makes put her in grave danger. Will she be able to save her family and realize her dreams? A sparkling story of bravery, resilience, justice, and revenge.
To keep themselves from thinking about being sent away to boarding school, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne Brontë create a game to pass the time. But in a spectacular story of enchantment, their Glass Town game comes alive, their toy soldiers have real weapons, and there’s a magic potion to be found and fought over. Highly recommended, this is a highly original and imaginative fantasy.
When 13-year-old Jake comes out, his family and his friends at middle school are supportive. But the same cannot be said for the small-town mindset of Barton Springs, Ohio. When Jake’s father shows his support by planting an enormous pride flag in their front yard, the townsfolk feel threatened and raise concerns with the Mayor. But Jake is not deterred and becomes determined to organize a town pride parade. In an era of book bannings and veiled homophobia, this heartwarming and positive book is a breath of fresh air.
Jordan loves to draw – especially cartoons. Denied the chance to go to art school by his parents, he is sent to an upmarket academic school away from his friends. Jordan has to find a new path and adapt to his new surroundings. A graphic novel – this will appeal to reluctant middle school readers.
An insightful chapter book that covers a less well known period of history. A Japanese / American family released from internment after WW2 are pressured to revoke their US citizenship and return to Japan. Bewildered hurt, and confused over her identity, young Hana finds herself living near Hiroshima with her elderly grandparents. Starvation, disease and the difficulty of coping with an unfamiliar Japanese culture awaken Hana to the realities of war.
When 12-year-old Jonas is appointed the Receiver of Memory he starts to uncover and understand the buried secrets held by the people he lives amongst. The first in a gripping quartet.
When Winnie Foster stumbles upon a fountain of eternal youth she thinks all her prayers are answered. But then she meets a family who drank from the spring water. Will she decide to live forever? Will she keep the magic water secret? A modern classic and an ideal seventh-grade group reader.
When millionaire Samuel Westing dies, he leaves a will like no other. Sixteen people will have to play a cunning game to inherit his vast fortune. A cracking page-turner which will appeal to young adults.
Told over the course of one year between 1967 and 1968 in Long Island, this novel follows Holling, a seventh-grader who juggles his home life, getting into trouble at school and growing up amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Great to read in one sitting.
An atmospheric quest story about a group of rabbits fleeing from danger to danger in search of a peaceful and safe life. When Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, and friends think they’ve found the perfect location, events take a turn for the worse. An ideal 7th grade reading book for more advanced students.
A stunning story, set entirely in verse, about two brothers who compete against each other in life and on the basketball court. Gripping and ideal for reluctant readers.
When Cole Mathews commits a terrible crime, the judge gives him an unusual choice: jail time or a rehabilitation program on a remote Alaskan wilderness island He chooses the latter and soon has to fight for his life in a captivating story of survival and iron will. A great addition to a 7th grade reading bookshelf.
A captivating and gripping story – told from the eyes of death – and set in Nazi Germany in 1939 which follows Liesel, a girl who steals books. A surprising friendship develops which allows her to read the vast library of a local dignitary. Her view of the world changes completely. A challenging and thought-provoking book for a 7th grade reading list.
A multi-award-winning middle-grade fantasy novel about Xan, a girl who breaks a sacred tradition and feeds a baby bound for sacrifice with moonlight. As a result, the child grows to become extraordinarily powerful with dangerous magical abilities.
A highly engaging graphic novel film noir style retelling of the Snow White tale. Set in 1930s New York, Samantha White has come home after years of exile, protected by seven street urchins. With vibrant artwork, this book is great for reluctant seventh-grade readers.
Cast down from Mouth Olympus by his angry father Zeus, Apollo finds himself fending for himself as a regular teen boy in New York. A regular teen with no superhuman powers. Can he ever make it up with his father and return to the gods?
After years of saving and waiting, Billy buys two pups, Old Dan and Little Ann. Soon he feels invincible, exploring the Ozarks with his stellar hunting dogs. But danger lurks just around the corner. This modern classic is a perfect easy reader for 7th grade.
A startling and moving story about family and sacrifice. 12-year-old Joe narrates the story of his friend Joseph, a father at the age of 13, but he has never seen his daughter and will do anything to find her. A gripping page-turner for more mature seventh-grade readers.
An epic fantasy series about Alex and Conner, twin brothers who find themselves embroiled in adventures in a fairy tale world after reading from a strange and magical book. This is an addictive and enthralling set of books which is bound to appeal to reluctant readers in grade 7.
The year is 793 in a quiet Saxon settlement. When Viking Berserkers appear from the mist and kidnap 11-year-old Jack, he and his sister are thrown into an epic quest with Olaf One-Brow.
When a practical joke goes badly wrong the unforeseen consequences last longer than high school friends John and Lorraine could ever have imagined. Perhaps their only chance of redemption is for them to tell the story of Pigman. A classic young adult novel ideal for more advanced readers.
In a sequel to Hatchet, Gary Paulsen asks the question – what if Brian hadn’t been rescued? What if he had to survive long enough to face the dangers of winter? Will he survive? Find out in this thrilling and exciting adventure.
A fun and easier read for children in grade 7. When Emmaline’s mother dies suddenly, her father Monsieur Beaumont tries to build a ghost machine. But when he spends longer and longer on the machine, Emmaline decides she must either destroy it or make it work herself. An ideal book to use in class when discussing loss or grief.
When Marty finds a stray dog in the woods, the beagle soon becomes the most important part of his life. But when he discovers who the dog ran away from, will the dangerous secret become too much for Marty to bear? A moving story that is perfect for less confident readers.
A thought-provoking and a character-driven novel about carefree Tex and his tense home life in the care of his resentful older brother. When their often absent father returns, Tex runs away and events spiral out of control. An ideal novel for 7th-grade book clubs.
Sophie and Agatha are sent to the school for Good and Evil where students are trained to be heroes and villains. A highly original and enchanting series of stories where which intertwine characters into fairy tales from which they must try to escape. Fast-paced – these books are ideal for less confident readers.
When four siblings are abandoned by their mother in a parking lot they have to use their wits and luck to trek across America’s East Coastal Highway from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Crisfield in Maryland where their grandmother lives. A more challenging read for seventh-grade students.
A story of triumph in the face of adversity. When introverted Willow’s parents both die tragically in a car accident she finds herself completely alone in a world she already finds challenging. Will she ever be able to connect with people and have a normal family life? A great book for group discussion.
Philip is left out of the track team due to his English grades but Philip is convinced it is all because of his unfair teacher Miss Narwin. However, when he stages a rebellious protest, he isn’t prepared for what follows when it goes viral…
In this high-octane sequel to Downriver, each one of the teenage crew has something to prove. Can Trey learn to work with other people? Is Jessie brave enough? Can the crew survive the perilous rapids? A stimulating book that is ideal to provoke 7th-grade reading discussions.
Tarlan, Elodie, and Gulph are triplets with superpowers who have never met each other. Events conspire to force them together in this epic tale of good and evil in a magical land filled with danger. Will they fulfill the ancient prophecy and bring peace and harmony to the world?
A classic historical drama that examines poverty and hardship in rural America. Mary Calls stops at nothing to carry out her dying father’s last wish to keep the family together. An uplifting tale of survival against the odds.
March’s father’s dying wish is for his son to find his long lost twin sister – Jules. But there’s no happy ending when he finds her – both are soon kept under lock and key in a dark orphanage. Will they find a way to escape and pull off the life-changing robbery their father had planned?
A despotic rat called Cluny the Scourge threatens to invade and conquer an enclave of peace-loving mice in Redwall Abbey. Seemingly, nothing can stop the rat army unless unlikely alliances can be made. A tale of good versus evil and an easier reader for children in the seventh grade.
Thomas knows who he is, but that’s it. Finding himself trapped in a walled encampment he has to choose friends and alliances carefully to survive the dangers of the maze. Thrilling and edgy, this story will appeal to reluctant readers. A captivating read for any 7th-grade reading group.
Mike wants to relate to his dad, but that’s hard when his dad is obsessed with math. When Mike agrees to stay with relatives for the summer vacation to appease his father, he cannot imagine the adventure that awaits. A great story about the human condition.
In this dark dystopian fantasy, Taemon unexpectedly loses his power to move objects with his mind – a power everyone in his world has. Faced with shame, discrimination and worse, how can he stop people from finding out? Or will the exile he fears turn out better than he could have imagined? An ideal novel for 7th-grade book clubs and class discussion.
High fantasy adventure with Bilbo Baggins joins Gandalf on an epic quest to the Lonely Mountain where vast treasure and the fierce dragon Smaug await them. The prequel to The Lord of the Rings.
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Looking for the best 7th grade books in a series for your 12-year-old middle school kids or students in 7th grade? Find the most amazing middle-grade and YA books that will keep your kids hooked on reading good books.
These are not book series that start great and lose quality by the 2nd or 3rd book — these are the best book series that STAY good throughout the entire series. Trust me. That’s my pet peeve, too. 🙂
That being said, I realize there are many more fantasy and sci-fi books than in other genres, so I will continue to add to this 7th grade reading list as I find more exceptional books in other genres. I think part of the issue is coming of age, realistic books generally are one-and-done. Book series are not as common for the upper middle school reading choices as they are for younger middle-grade choices.
What do you think? Which of these books would your seventh grader want to read first?
Go HERE to find all of my book recommendations for 12-year-olds.
Go HERE to see book series ideas for 6th graders.
Want a free printable pdf download of this book list? Get it here!
Lockwood & Co The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud GHOST ADVENTURE Dangerous ghosts and spirits appear everywhere in London, but only certain kids can see them and therefore, erradicate them. Teens Lucy, Anthony, and George badly need money for their ghost-hunting agency, Lockwood & Co., so they take a perilous job that may just be their last if the ghosts have their way. This mesmerizing series is also a now a Netflix show !
Rain Rising by Courtne Comrie REALISTIC RAIN RISING is a multilayered story about mental health, racism, family, friendship, and self-love — with a main character that you’ll cheer on through her tricky and beautiful growing-up journey. Rain’s older brother Xander always has taken good care of her; he helps her on her saddest days, especially after their dad left and their mom is gone at work most of the time. But, when Xander gets brutally attacked, he’s a shell of himself and barely speaks…and Rain can barely cope. In an after-school group, she starts to make new friends, and slowly finds her way back to health through the group and therapy. I LOVE this book. ( Sensitive readers: this story contains cutting. )
Ali Cross by James Patterson MYSTERY If you want an enthralling adventure & mystery that you can’t put down, read this one next. It’s Christmas Eve and Ali’s friend Gabe is missing, his FBI-agent dad is falsely accused of murdering an old man, and someone broke into their house while they were at church and stole his dad’s service weapon. Ali knows he has to try to fix things, starting by finding his friend Gabe. Don’t miss book two, Like Father, Like Son .
Escape from Atlantis by Kate O’Hearn ADVENTURE Don’t miss this wildly inventive, exciting, and thought-provoking adventure. Riley, her dad, her cousin, and her aunt are sailing in the Bermuda Triangle when they’re attacked by a leviathan. Riley and her unpleasant cousin, Alfie, wake up on an island with overly friendly, rule-centered people including half-animal people. They soon learn the sinister truth of the rule-centric community and are determined to escape. What a great book for 7th graders!
Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Forunet PARANORMAL Marius Grey is a 12-year-old Cajun Cemetery Boy and student. But he’s also working nights as a monster hunter to earn mystic coins for a really important spell that will bring his mother back to life…and time is running out. In desperation, Marius decides to hunt one of the most dangerous monsters in the swamp even though his only friend, a monstrous mermaid, doesn’t want Marius to attempt something so risky. The story is compelling and entertaining, with a heroic main character who loves his mom more than anything. You won’t be able to put this one down!
Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga by David A. Robertson FANTASY / INDIGENOUS CULTURE Foster kids with Indigenous heritage , Morgan and Eli, discover a portal in the attic leading to a magical world of Cree language and mythology. It’s a world with talking animals who need their help. Ochek, the Fischer, asks the kids to help solve the starving community’s forever winter by finding the human man who stole all the birds and summer. Their dangerous quest triggers Morgan’s memories of her mother and a new perspective on who she is.
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, illustrated by Chloe Bristol MYSTERY Elizabeth, an orphan, is unexpectedly sent to a large, stately hotel with a kind, grandfatherly proprietor for Christmas vacation. There, she discovers a magical book, a sinister couple, a family mystery , and a new friend who loves puzzles as much as she does. The writing is mesmerizing, the mystery is fascinating, and the characters are enchanting.
The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks MYSTERY / ADVENTURE One of the best edge-of-your-seat mystery books for middle grade. A boy with no memory is found at the National Gallery staring at a Degas sculpture. Strangely, this boy does know a great deal about art and artists. Soon we learn a team of professional bad guys is hunting him. The boy, Art, and his foster sister escape from several kidnapping attempts and begin to unravel who he is and what’s going on. Exceptional!
Pretty by Justin Sayre REALISTIC / COMING OF AGE Hiding her mom’s alcohol addiction affects everything, even Sophie’s schoolwork. When her mother leaves for a “trip,” her aunt moves in and gently helps Sophie learn about being a strong, beautiful, biracial woman. Sophie blossoms with the love and kindness of her aunt. Soon, Sophie must decide what she’ll do next — move with her aunt or stay with her mother who eventually returns home from rehab.
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani FANTASY Two girls are selected to attend the school for villains and school for heroes. Only all your stereotypes will be blown out of the water with which girl goes where. This book series for 12 year olds will make you think deeply about what makes someone good, friendship, and love. Boxed Set HERE .
Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly FANTASY If you like strong girl power books for teens, you’ll love this story of five mermaids who journey to find each other and the sea witches. An ancient evil is being unleashed and is not just trying to kill the girls but also planning on enslaving or killing their communities. Very entertaining.
Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen HISTORICAL / FANTASY Set in historical Rome we follow the life of a slave abandoned by his mother in the mines. After he accidentally discovers Julius Cesar’s magical amulet and its protector griffin, he’s in constant danger. It’s an exciting adventure with an unexpected revelation that will have you eager for the next book.
Beneath by Roland Smith ADVENTURE Pat’s parents are checked out and his brother is missing. Pat sneaks off to spend his Christmas vacation tracking his brother, Coop’s, last movements. His search leads him to an underground community but Coop isn’t there anymore, he’s gone deeper under the ground. And he is in terrible danger. One of the more popular books for 7th graders.
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd MYSTERY This middle-grade book for 12-year-olds is a puzzling mystery that only the boy named Ted who seems to be on the spectrum (his brain is different but not explained) can solve. How did his cousin disappear from a closed pod on the London Eye? The enjoyable action and intrigue will keep your attention throughout — and you’ll wonder why you didn’t guess the ending before Ted.
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BOOK SERIES LISTS
> 1st Grade Books (Age 6)
> 2nd Grade Books (Age 7)
> 3rd Grade Books (Age 8)
> 4th Grade Books (Age 9)
> 5th Grade Books (Age 10)
> 6th Grade Books (Age 11)
> 7th Grade Books (Age 12)
Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.
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Wow. So many great suggestions. My son is reading all the time and I expected that he would have read most of your suggestions but really he has only read the The Lord of The Rings books and the Maze Runner. I will show him your other ideas!
I hope he finds something that interests him.
Not much for girls, or those not into sci-fi fantasy. I have a 12 year old niece who’s a good reader, but doesn’t like this genre. I always give her books for birthday, Christmas, etc., but am at a loss. She’s also not fond of teen romance (thank God!). There just isn’t much out there for this “tween” age group that’s not fantasy or dystopian.
(The Laurie Halse Anderson books are good ones, tho!)
Some of her favorites were books like When You Reach Me, Orphan Island, Beyond the Bright Sea, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.
Thanks for the comment — and I love that your niece is a reader! There are many good books like you wrote about that are not in a series. If she prefers realistic, try this list of recommendations: https://imaginationsoup.net/excellent-realistic-books-for-kids/ and scroll to the middle and end to find books for her age group. Also, https://imaginationsoup.net/best-books-12-year-olds/ includes a variety of excellent book choices but not necessarily books in a series. I’ll keep looking for more realistic books to add to this series round-up. 🙂
The Ranger’s Apprentice series is for girls and boys. There are several strong female main characters that have just as much responsibility as the males. Also, are viewed as equals and treated as such with respect. No romance just good friendships.
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Here’s a list of books I want my seventh grader to read in our homeschool this year. There’s a heavy emphasis on historical fiction (because: #learning) and fantasy (one of her favorite genres).
The plan is for her to read about two books off of this list each month, that should be pretty easy for her.
Prairie lotus.
This book will give you Little House on the Prairie vibes but with a half-Chinese main character who has to deal with a lot of racism due to her skin color.
If you have suggestions for books that you think she would like, please leave them in the comments below!
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My favorite books for 7th graders.
One of the best parts of being an ELA teacher? Getting to read young adult literature (especially with students). There is no better feeling than a lively classroom discussion or socratic seminar about a class novel. That’s why I wanted to share some books for 7th graders that always result in passionate classroom discussions!
You can use this book list to find new books for your 7th grade reading curriculum or to add books to your classroom library.
Max is a slow learner inside the body of a teenage giant. Kevin is a tiny genius in leg braces. Together, they make an unlikely and powerful duo. This is a story of overcoming shame and loss, and embracing imperfection.
When I read this book in class, you could hear a pin drop! My students are zoned in and completely immersed in the novel. Of course, that’s followed by a lively discussion as we dive into this novel. My students always have a lot to say about this book. If you want help leading discussions and socratic seminars for Freak the Mighty , check out the novel study .
Chase has lost all of his memories. He doesn’t even know his name. When Chase wakes up from a coma, he must start over. But who exactly is Chase? When he goes back to school, he begins to discover that the person he was, may not be the person he wants to be.
Okay, I’m a sucker for any book with a great theme. This explores bullying, fitting in, and the dynamics of school. This book works really well in literature circles or book clubs because students can lead independent discussion with these topics.
It’s the summer of 1793, and mosquitos are invading Philadelphia. People are becoming sick with fever. At first, Polly is happy that her family business is growing as people visit her coffeehouse, far from the mosquito-infested river. But then the fever strikes closer to home…
This is a fictional story about the yellow fever epidemic. Not only is this a good book, but I enjoy being able to pair nonfiction passages with the novel. We also make connections to the world (even more relevant in our COVID world). I have a full novel study for Fever 1793 here!
Jaqueline Woodson grew up in the 1960s and 1970s during a pivotal time in America. As an African American girl, she watched the Civil Rights movement spark to life. This novel, which details her childhood, shows Jaqueline searching for her place in the world.
This novel is really powerful. This is another book that works well for pairing. I like to bring in primary sources and news articles to read along with the text. You can also dive into characterization with Brown Girl Dreaming . I created a full novel unit , which hits every single nonfiction ELA standard!
Jarrett has a complicated family. His mom is an addict, constantly in and out of rehab. His dad is a mystery. Jarrett lives with his loud, loving grandparents. Jarrett begins to express himself through art, and grapples with his complicated family.
Anytime I add a new graphic novel to my library, I know it will be checked out almost instantly. There is always a wait list for this book in my class because word gets around quickly about how good it is. This book contains some older themes, which I think makes it even more appealing to 7th graders. But it discusses everything in an age appropriate way.
Billie Jo is fourteen years old and living through some of the darkest times. As the Oklahoma dust storms rage through Billie’s family farm, she chronicles the emotional and environmental turmoil that comes with it.
If you are looking for another addition to your poetry unit or something to pair with The Dust Bowl, this is the novel for your class. This book can be a tough one because the emotion is easily felt. I think it makes for great discussion on diction and the power of poetry. Of course, I have a novel unit for Out of the Dust , which includes discussion questions, lesson plans, and PowerPoints to make teaching simple.
Chicago has been divided into five factions each dedicated to a different value. Beatrice must make a choice between her family and being true to herself. The faction she chooses surprises everyone, and the events that come after put Beatrice through more challenges than she could have imagined.
I always like to include books in my library that have been turned into movies. For lots of my reluctant and struggling readers, this often motivates them to read! Divergent is one of those easily recognizable books, and enough students have read it that I can always find a student willing to booktalk it for the class!
Thomas wakes up in a strange place with no memories. The same thing has happened to every single boy in this strange place – they woke up with no memories. And now, they are trapped in a changing maze. That is until one day, a girl arrives in the maze and the message she delivers startles them all.
I have lots of 7th grade students who love action and suspense, so this ends up being one of their favorite class novels every year! I have created a super in-depth novel unit for The Maze Runner , containing 28 lesson plans. By the end, I think your students will be obsessed with this book as mine were! If you want more books for 7th graders, I have more novel units available . Because sometimes you just want to enjoy reading with your 7th graders, instead of worrying about all the pesky planning!
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Books for Kids and Grown Ups
If you’re an educator or librarian who runs a book club for 7th graders, I have some wonderful book club suggestions for you! Some of these have curriculum guides with discussion questions already out, if you need them. For this list, I focused on FUN stories for the older middle school crowd with a lot of discussion potential. You’ll find a mix of genres, from mystery to fantasy to historical fiction. I’ve also added a few theme ideas to dive into with your students.
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Here are my top choices for your next 7th grade book club session:
Published: February 6, 2024
THEMES: Ethics of lying, wealth and class, family secrets, corporate greed
Weatherby is a new kid to the Boston School on a sailing scholarship: Old school phone booths, friends with kids who go to the country club, a famed school secret society… and a boy, Jack, who seems to hate her guts. When Jack, Weatherby, and three of their friends are contacted via an anonymous message, they think they’re getting invited to the famed Liars Society, only to unravel a deep secret about the Hunt family that involves Weatherby. Plenty of character setup and worldbuilding makes for a slightly slower start, but Gerber’s writing is engaging as always, and the second half of the book is wonderfully fast-paced. Middle schoolers looking for a tightly plotted mystery with characters to root for will love this one.
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Learn more about sailing, research secret societies, learn to use an old payphone
Published: October 31, 2023
THEMES: Family secrets, vocabulary, twin relationships, trust
Meet 13-year-old twins Hope and Gordon. They’ve just discovered that their dad was Brandon Winterton (of the wealthy dictionary magnate family). Unfortunately, Hope can’t stand rich people, especially since the twins and their mom barely make ends meet and live in a motel. But their fortune is about to change. When Gordon enters the family into the Winterton Bee, they’re thrust into the midst of the family’s secrets, with a deadly enemy and a scavenger hunt set up by the family’s dead matriarch. This is a fast-paced mystery with plenty to gnaw on between the twin relationship, family drama, character development, and flashbacks that help readers learn more about the Winterton family. This one does touch a bit on addiction, and there’s a scene where the kids’ lives are in danger, but all ends well!
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Organize a spelling bee, plan a scavenger hunt
Published: June 9, 2020
THEMES: US history, the science of time travel, ethics of time travel and changing history
Cadets Regan Fitz and Elliot Mason are two “Glitchers” in an academy for learning how to time travel and stop “Butterflies”—rebels traveling through time to change history—from successfully changing American history. Regan is the daughter of the school principal, and Elliot can’t stand her because he thinks she’s a snob. But when a letter from future Regan with a warning about the future threatens to disrupt his career plans, Elliot must team up with Regan to prevent a future disaster. Glitch is a thrilling, sci-fi time travel romp anchored by two formidable protagonists, their burgeoning unlikely friendship, and the United States’s turbulent history.
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Choose a time period of US history to travel back to and discuss why that’s your preferred choice
Published: September 19, 2023
THEMES: Immortality, Greek mythology, changing friendships, mistakes and forgiveness
Apple and Dorothy are half-gods, descendants of the Greek gods Zeus and Hera and Pandora, respectively. When Dorothy’s mother refuses to return to Olympus one solstice, she becomes a full human and is soon killed in a car accident, leaving Dorothy and her father grieving. Motivated by a promise she made to Dorothy’s mother, Apple befriends Dorothy. But when the gods rule that all half-gods must return home to Olympus and take their place as gods or remain human, Dorothy chooses Earth, to Apple’s dismay. Apple’s fear of losing Dorothy leads her to make a decision with terrible consequences. As a non-fantasy reader, I loved this book — how clever, creative, and profound it is, especially in the way it approaches friendship and grief. I think fans of Greek mythology will love it.
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Learn about the gods in Greek mythology
Published: April 9, 2024
THEMES: Ambition, achievement and self-worth, running as a meditative practice
This 5-star romance about two overachieving rivals is perfect for tweens and young teens. Grace feels like being smart is all she has. She doesn’t seem to good at social situations and can’t figure out fashion and styling like her friends. So she holds on to book smarts and finds worth in her grades — and in competing with her former best friend, Jonah. Their friendship exploded after his dad’s sudden illness and death. Now, it’s the end of 8th grade, and Jonah’s won the coveted top scholar spot, leaving Grace with no raison d’etre. She decides to compete in a half marathon that she finds out Jonah is training for, so she has one last chance to beat him, and she ends up learning a lot about what really matters in life. The romance is sweet and swoony, and Grace and Jonah’s dialogue is so authentic and left me an adult with heart eyes while feeling age-appropriate.
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Organize a writing workshop, plan marathon training, think about what it would mean to pursue balanced ambition
Published: September 15, 2020
THEMES: Ballet and body image, sexual harassment, evolving friendships
This book focuses on Monique (Mo) and Rasheeda (Sheeda)’s friendship and how it changes over a summer when both girls are drawn into different pursuits. Mo is off at a ballet intensive with Mila, while Sheeda is stuck at church (with her church “friends”) feeling like she has no life. At the ballet intensive, Mo comes face to face with her competitive attitude which is fueled by feelings of not “fitting in” with the mostly white, skinny ballet dancers. Even though she makes a couple of friends (who basically lovingly force her to befriend them), she’s insecure at times, afraid to be vulnerable because everything feels so different. On the other hand, Sheeda is desperate for something new. Unfortunately, she falls into a risky situation with Mo’s brother whom she happens to have a crush on. Will Mo and Sheeda’s friendship survive the summer? This is a compulsively readable upper middle-grade book (more mature than the average but not quite YA) that explores a horde of important themes.
Published: March 31, 2020
THEMES: Navigating a cancer diagnosis, intergenerational friendships, rock and roll music
When Ross is diagnosed with a rare lacrimal gland cancer (in his eye), it’s like a new trial for his seventh-grade existence. Add to that the fact that his mom died from cancer years before, he’s going blind in one eye, his best friend is moving away soon, and mean kids at school are making terrible memes about his illness, and you have a dumpster fire of a year waiting to happen. Or is it? This is a brilliant, funny, and thoughtful middle grade book about navigating a cancer diagnosis in 7th grade.
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Draw a comic based on a day in your life
Published: October 24, 2023
THEMES: Family secrets, forgiveness, basketball
When Rory moves to Cincinnati, Ohio, with her dad after her parents’ separation, she meets Abby, a tall fellow basketball lover, and the two become fast friends. Imagine their shock when they find out that their dads can’t stand each other — and not because they coach the city’s rival basketball teams but because of something that happened years ago when THEY were middle schoolers. Bishop takes us through the girls’ lives as they dig into what happened between their dads, telling the story from multiple perspectives: the girls’, their dads’, and a ball-playing nun in their lives. Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up is a fast-paced and compelling book about true friendships, family secrets, forgiveness, and basketball.
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Cincy dwellers can do a tour of the city, interview a parent about their childhood best friend
Published: April 2, 2024
THEMES: Stockholm syndrome, what makes a cult?
Fern and her mother have been living on The Ranch under the thumb of a charismatic leader named Ben. One day, Fern’s mom sneaks herself and Fern across the country from NY to CA, where they live in a motel in her mother’s teenage neighborhood. Although readers will know that Fern and her mom were in a cult, Fern is confused, misses the stability of living a regimented life, and worries about returning to the unstable lifestyle she and her mother had before The Ranch. Fern feels so real and relatable, and all the characters in this story feel well-rounded. Set largely in the atmospheric Driftbay area, this propulsive story of a girl learning to trust her inner voice is unforgettable and has excellent discussion potential in the classroom.
ACTIVITY IDEAS: Research what makes a cult
Published: October 24, 2023
THEMES: Bullying within the family, finding your voice, body image issues
Wyman’s writing feels so genuine, probably because it’s based on her experience with jaw malocclusion in childhood. I read all 300+ pages in one sitting and was breathless at the end. Max is getting bullied by kids at school for her jaw problems, and her kid sister is one of the bullies. Her parents’ relationship is strained. Her dad works nights and is an alcoholic, and her mom is a chain smoker. Yet, they do their best for the kids, and it’s the kids’ normal. Eventually, Max finds her voice and stands up to her bullies in the best way.
THEMES: Immigration, the history of Jews in Europe, women’s rights
This sprawling family saga follows three generations of women over nearly 100 years and the ancestor that came before them over 400 years earlier. Behar traces the journey of a line of Sephardic Jewish women as the first one flees Toledo, Spain, to Turkey, from where one of her descendants will be exiled to Cuba and from where her daughter will flee to Miami. I flew through this historical fiction title (and you know how rare that is for me) and admired the author’s ability to keep such a saga under 300 pages and kid-appropriate. Come for the moving history of Sephardic Jews and stay for the exquisite storytelling and literary tourism. Heads up for accounts of child marriage.
Published: June 27, 2023
THEMES: Toxic masculinity, wealth and class, sexual harassment and mental health
Gary Vo is a Vietnamese-American soon-to-be junior high schooler. Gary and his friend Preston have been at the bottom of the social totem pole forever, and Preston is determined that this is the summer they rise up the ranks. So when they’re approached by two popular classmates with an offer to join their group, the boys are all ears! The task is to steal a bracelet from Gloria Buenrostro (a popular, but mysterious A+ student) so the boys can add it to their collections of tokens from “the hottest girls” in school. Easy enough, no? That is until Gary Vo befriends Gloria and realizes that there’s more to her than meets the eye. Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend is a richly layered, relatable teen novel about what it means to be a man and how to be a good friend.
Published: July 5, 2022
THEMES: What it means to be smart, effort vs talent, self-worth and self-image
Marianne Blume has convinced herself that she’s not smart. She’s gotten through school so far by charming teachers out of questioning her. But her eighth-grade teacher, Mr. Garcia, isn’t easily fooled. To pull up her grades for high school, Marianne tries to win his favor by joining the school’s trivia team (which he coaches). But as the term progresses, Marianne bonds with the trivia kids and learns that there’s more to being smart than book smart — but also, she’s more intelligent than she gives herself credit for. Bright is a deeply insightful book about labels, persistence, and self-belief, featuring themes like sisterhood, female friendships, and family.
Published: May 6, 2014
THEMES: Family changes, multiple sclerosis, journaling
Maggie is a precocious 11-year-old who loves school and wants to be a US president when she grows up. Maggie knows that her dad’s legs don’t work like they used to, and sometimes his other limbs “fall asleep,” too. But she doesn’t yet know that he has multiple sclerosis—a degenerative and eventually terminal illness. In this slice-of-life novel, we follow Maggie through a turbulent season of life for her family, one through which her parents and sisters shield her incredibly well from her dad’s disease and its progression until they can’t anymore. The Meaning of Maggie is a heartwarming, humorous look at a family navigating turbulent times through the eyes of an unforgettable young protagonist.
Published: March 24, 2020
THEMES: The ethics of lying, the value of a mascot in sports, potatoes (so many potential activities!)
After a series of unfortunate incidents with potatoes, Ben Hardy is sure he’s cursed. So you can imagine his terror when his family moves to Idaho and his school’s mascot is a potato! When Ben accidently causes the mascot to sprain his ankle, the coach insists that he replace the injured mascot. As the new kid, Ben is scared to tank his social status and lose his new friends and potential friendships with the cool kids, so he decides to hide his identity as the mascot. But soon, one lie leads to another and Ben’s lies threaten to topple all the good things in his new life in Idaho. My Life As a Potato is a humorous, thought-provoking story about staying true to yourself and finding your tribe as the new kid in town.
Which other book clubs do you need recommendations for? I’m happy to help!
Afoma Umesi is the founder and editor of Reading Middle Grade where she curates book lists and writes book reviews for kids of all ages. Her favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction and she'll never say no to a graphic novel.
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Books suitable for seventh graders are a bit of a dilemma.
That being so, we’ve scoured the world for the best books for seventh grade. From fantasy and adventure to historical fiction and simple biographies, here are the 57 best chapter books you could possibly hope to find.
2. the benefits of being an octopus – ann braden.
While rich kids her age worry about homework and crushes, seventh-grader Zoey has to think about taking care of her younger siblings. Not only that but she’s also forced to join the debate club, which further puts a wall between her and her peers. So, can she speak her mind, even if it means risking her peaceful life? You tell us.
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It tells the moving story of Emmaline, who watches her father obsessively trying to bring her mother from the dead. Thus, with the help of her two best friends, Emmaline decides to put a stop to his endeavors in hopes of getting him back.
6. restart – gordon korman, 7. the hunger games – suzanne collins.
I’ve never met a middle schooler that hasn’t enjoyed, or at least been taken in, by the first installment of The Hunger Games trilogy. Truly, this book has the perfect mix of underdog protagonist and dystopian future that’ll have middle school readers hungry for more. So, take a stab at this book and see what Katniss has to do to beat 23 people looking to kill her.
9. the ruins of gorlan – john flanagan, 10. the unwanteds – lisa mcmann.
Another book to add to your 7th-grade reading list should be the Unwanteds. In a world where people are divided into Wanteds and Unwanteds, what can two brothers do when they’re separated and then pitted against each other? Honestly, this book will leave middle school readers at the edge of their seats, waiting for the worst and hoping for the best.
12. the wednesday wars – gary d. schmidt.
Though set in the time of the Vietnam war, when it comes down to it, this is a story of a seventh-grade student who can’t seem to figure out his place in the world. More importantly, he can’t for the life of him understand his English teacher or why he has to read the works of Shakespeare, which, let’s be honest, some of us still don’t know the answer to.
The list of best books for 7th graders would have to include York: The Shadow Cipher. It’s basically one great, splendid puzzle whose pieces keep coming together with every new chapter. Accordingly, middle-grade readers who have a thing for mystery and secret would absolutely love this book.
15. the great and only barnum: the tremendous, stupendous life of showman p. t. barnum – candace fleming.
Middle schoolers will greatly appreciate the true story of P.T. Barnum. While many people either think of him as good or evil, this book shows that things are more complicated than that, making younger readers more thoughtful of their thoughts and actions.
17. the prettiest – brigit young, 18. genesis begins again – alicia d. williams .
Young Genesis has a long list of reasons concerning why she dislikes herself. However, she discovers that there are things that she likes about herself as well, and she eventually learns that her attitude towards herself is the first thing she should fix.
20. serena says – tanita s. davis, 21. the midnight zoo – sonya hartnett .
7th-grade chapter books don’t get much better than The Midnight Zoo. In it, three siblings living during the time of Nazi Germany witnessed their friends and family being captured. While walking around searching for food, they encounter a zoo that has talking animals in dire need of help and hope.
23. freak the mighty – rodman philbrick.
Not everyone finds it easy to fit in. So, that’s exactly why two very different boys, one oversized and one tiny, decide to team up and find their way in the world. It goes without saying, this book is positively uplifting, and it’ll tackle some major issues that middle school students go through.
Nova and her big sister, Bridget, have always been there for each other. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Nova is placed with a new foster family, and she gets separated from her sister. Will the sisters make it back to each other, or will this story have a sad ending? Read and find out.
Even though Sam Westing is dead, he’s still maintaining his reputation as the eccentric millionaire. This is demonstrated when he gathers sixteen people, one of them a stranger, at his will reading for a chance to inherit his fortune. Why? Only he knows.
In this book, professional gamers are the top celebrities. Accordingly, kids start gaming from a young age in the hopes of joining a professional e-sports team. Reyna is one such kid. However, she keeps her identity hidden to avoid harassment. Still, what she fears comes to be, and she’s forced to confront the issue head-on, all while battling the biggest battle of her life.
Calliope has Tourette’s Syndrome, but she and her mother want nothing more in the world than to hide this little fact. That being so, she keeps moving around. So, when she finally settles down and makes a friend, will her friend stay by her side when the truth gets out, or will she be forced to move once again?
Want a book that transports you away from real life? Then, this is the book for you. Honestly, Percy Jackson makes for the perfect character; brave, kind, and most importantly, sarcastic. And add to this some fast-paced adventures centered around Greek mythology; it’s no wonder this series has quite the following.
Can children with no parents or homes survive long enough on their own without the help of grown-ups? While it seemed possible at first for our four main characters, a new development makes their situation dire. Honestly, this book is a wonderful addition to any classroom library, and it would make for a wonderful class discussion about when it’s okay to ask for help.
Jacob Reckless certainly lives up to his name in this novel. He frequently leaves his real life for another magical world named Mirrorworld. However, when his younger brother gets entangled with this world, Jacob must find a way to save him, or else all will be gone.
Another wonderful coming-of-age story is found in this book. It follows the life of twelve-year-old Ariel Goldberg, who feels as if her life is in shambles. From her parents’ financial troubles to her eloping sister, Ariel tries to cultivate the one constant in her life; her voice.
33. hearts unbroken – cynthia leitich smith.
When you’re caught between family obligations and your heart’s desires, which should you choose? Louise Wolfe is trying to find out that answer as she goes about her life, and many middle school students will definitely relate to her dilemma. That’s why this book is one of the absolute best books for 7th grade and a must-read for any young adult.
Since she started growing up, Xiomara Batista feels as if her family no longer hears her. However, she decides to take matters into her own hands and start saying what she wants. On a piece of paper, of course. However, when Xiomara is invited to join a slam poetry club, can she hide the fact from her parents, or will she be discovered? Read and see for yourself.
In a devastating turn of events, little Jerome gets shot when a police officer thinks he’s holding a gun. Now, Jerome wanders the world as a ghost, watching his family and community deal with the aftermath until he meets another ghost that helps him through the ordeal.
Charlie can’t sleep from all his nightmares. Still, the lack of sleep isn’t so bad when you come to realize that Charlie’s nightmares don’t just stay in his head. No, they start creeping onto the waking world and leaving a trail of chaos in their wake.
Auggie was born with some extensive physical deformities. However, he’s finally ready to leave home and go to a real school. As you can expect, Auggie doesn’t have an easy time at the school, where he’s constantly ogled at and bullied. You can’t help but cry and root for him, and when he finally finds his place, you’ll be practically cheering in your chair.
39. divergent – veronica roth.
In a world where you’re meant to join just one faction, Tris has a world of trouble brewing if anyone ever finds out she can join any faction she wants. So, will our divergent hero be able to keep her secret and live her life peacefully, or will sinister forces start hunting her down?
41. the menagerie – tui sutherland .
Looking for an easy, fun read? The Menagerie is your book. It depicts what happens to Logan when he discovers a griffin under his bed, which leads to the bigger discovery of a menagerie meant for magical creatures. However, not all is well in the menagerie, so Logan and his friend must find out what’s causing the problem in order to protect the beautiful menagerie.
If you’re looking for some inspiring and heart-wrenching stories, then you’ve come to the right place.
44. echo – pam munoz ryan .
Advanced readers of the world absolutely love this book. Not only is it very well written, but it also has a plot that was executed perfectly. Basically, it consists of three short stories, every one set in different time periods. However, these stories are all tied thanks to a magical harmonica, believe it or not.
46. the girl with the glass bird – esme kerr , 47. the blackthorn key – kevin sands .
You’d do well to read a copy of The Blackthorn Key at any point in your life. It’s highly intriguing and set in a beautiful world, where Christopher and his friend try to discover who’s been murdering the apothecary owners.
49. the astonishing color of after – emily x.r. pan, 50. crown of three – j. d. rinehart .
Three siblings were separated at birth but came together to fulfill a prophecy and bring peace to a magical land. However, they must first learn to work together and use their powers in order to fight the evil forces ravaging the land, and as you can imagine, that’s not exactly a walk in the park.
52. the absolute value of mike – kathryn erskine , 53. the hobbit – j.r.r. tolkien.
The Hobbit is the prequel to the beloved Lord Of The Rings series. In it, Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf go on an epic adventure to the Lonely Mountain and have their share of close calls and splendid success.
55. everywhere blue – joanne rossmassler fritz, 56. the fog diver – joel ross.
A fog covers the earth, and only humans who live on the highest mountaintops can survive. However, our heroes will need to brave the fog in order to save the closest thing they have o a mother, and well, it won’t exactly be an easy journey.
So, that’s it for our picks of the best books for the 7th grade they’d surely love.
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August 17, 2015 by ami 3 Comments
After typing out Elijah's 6th Grade Reading List , I determined to get serious about sharing my other lists. I know there are other moms out there like me who have voracious readers and who want to give their students quality literature.
I purposefully saved some of these books for Elijah's 7th grade reading list, even though the reading level may not be as high because some of the themes are more mature. Some of the books have minimal language. You can check for reviews at Plugged In in order to determine if a book is suitable for your child. I do not preview everything for Elijah. He typically comes to me with questions and concerns.
The list below represents many of the books Elijah read for his 7th grade year.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Men of Iron by Howard Pyle
The Complete Stories of Hans Christian Andersen
Flight: The Complete History by R. G. Grant
Louis Pasteur: Founder of Modern Medicine by John Hudson Tiner
Teresa of Calcutta by D. Jeanene Watson
Corrie ten Boom by Janet and Geoff Benge
Invincible Microbe: Tuberculousis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson
Lincoln’s Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin
Poetry for Young People Series (various poets)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham * by Christopher Paul Curtis
Bud, Not Buddy * by Christopher Paul Curtis
Elijah of Buxton * by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry * by Mildred D. Taylor
The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi (please preview)
Crispin: The Cross of Lead * by Avi
Crispin: At the Edge of the World by Avi
Crispin: The End of Time by Avi
A Single Shard * by Linda Sue Park
I, Juan de Pareja * by De Trevino
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer
The Westing Game * by Ellen Raskin
Summer of the Swans * by Betsy Byars
Chu Ju’s House by Gloria Whelan
On My Honor * by Marion Dane Bauer
Maniac Magee * by Jerry Spinelli
Moon Over Manifest * by Clare Vanderpool
A Long Way from Chicago * by Richard Peck
A Year Down Yonder * by Richard Peck
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
Code of Silence by Tim Shoemaker
Back Before Dark by Tim Shoemaker
Below the Surface by Tim Shoemaker
Flora and Ulysses * by Kate diCamillo
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Outcast of Redwall by Brian Jacques
Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques
The Legend of Luke by Brian Jacques
Mossflower by Brian Jacques
Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques
The Bellmaker by Brian Jacques
Salamandastron by Brian Jacques
Mattimeo by Brian Jacques
The Pearls of Lutra by Brian Jacques
Marlfox by Brian Jacques
Taggerung by Brian Jacques
Triss by Brian Jacques
Loamhedge by Brian Jacques
Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques
High Rhulain by Brian Jacques
Eulalia! by Brian Jacques
Doomwyte by Brian Jacques
Any title with an asterisk (*) notes a book that is a Newbery award winner or honor book.
What books would you add to a 7th grade reading list?
If you are looking for more lists for kids who love to read, please check out my Reading Lists for Voracious Readers page .
August 25, 2015 at 8:46 pm
Thank you so much for these lists! As the mom of 3 voracious readers, it can be difficult to keep enough books around or have suggestions for a library visit. This is a big help!
August 27, 2015 at 9:59 am
I am so happy to hear this! I have more lists in the works. I’ve been finding books for voracious readers for nine years! I’m not sure why I haven’t posted about it before.
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by Nikki | Jul 15, 2018 | Reading Lists | 0 comments
Looking for some really good nonfiction books for 7th graders? These top 20 books introduce your tweens to a myriad of fascinating subjects and help them learn more about the world around them! From ancient art to modern technology, there’s something here for every interest!
While I’ve always been a fiction kind of girl myself, my son is the opposite. Sure, he has his favorite fiction series (he’s especially into manga right now), but the bulk of his library consists of books filled with fun facts about his favorite subjects or how-to guides for his favorite games.
He’s learned more through reading nonfiction books that he picked out himself than he has in 7 years of elementary and middle school. Don’t get me wrong, school is important, but our kids are much more likely to retain information when they have some choice in how they receive it.
Since Jake just finished 7th grade, I thought now would be a great time to share some of the good nonfiction books that taught him so much throughout the year! Check them out!
*The book links are affiliate links, which means that I earn a tiny commission (at no extra charge to you) when you make a purchase through them. I broke this list down into the most popular nonfiction book categories to make it easier to browse. I’ve also embedded a preview whenever available. Some of these books are only available in print, though, because they are graphic-heavy and don’t translate well to an ebook.
6. the way things work now.
Leonardo da Vinci is the grandfather of pretty much every amazing discovery and invention. In this book by Maxine Anderson , tweens first learn about the times in which da Vinci lived and what inspired him to create such revolutionary (at least back then) inventions. Then, they can try their hand at making some of his simpler creations themselves using common household supplies!
It was hard to narrow down the vast sea of good nonfiction books for 7th graders, but these are my top picks for each category. While many of them are written for kids from 9-12, I picked books that weren’t too “little kiddie” so that they would appeal to preteens.
Do you know of any other good nonfiction books for 7th graders to read? Share with me below so I can check it out!
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Examples: learn from the efforts of others.
Learning how to write strong reviews takes time and not a little effort. Reading the reviews others have done can help you get a feel for the flow and flavor of reviews.
This book was about a bird who didn't yet know how to fly.
The bird has to decide if it will try to fly, but it was not sure if it wants to. The bird thought, "If I never forever endeavor" then I won't ever learn. On one wing, he worries he might fail and on the other wing he thinks of how he may succeed. He worries that if he tries, he may get lost in the world. That makes him want to stay in his nest where he's safe.
I think this book would help other children to learn that trying new things can be scary, but sometimes when we try, we can find things that make us happy too. And this book will help others know that mistakes are okay and part of learning.
My favorite part is that the bird tried and learned that she could fly. I also liked that I read this book because it gave me a chance to talk to mom about making mistakes and how I don't like making them. Then I learned they are good and part of learning.
Boys and girls who are 3 to 8 years old would like this book because it teaches about trying a new thing and how it's important to get past being scared so you can learn new things.
I give the book 5 stars since I think it's important for other children to learn about courage.
I liked this book. People who are interested in national disasters and US history as well as immigration will most probably be interested in reading this book.
Readers can gain knowledge of what it was like to work in New York City in the early 1900s. One of the things that was especially interesting was that there were no safety laws at work. Also, there was a big contrast between the rich and the poor. Some people may not like this book because it is very depressing, but it is an important event in history to remember.
This book was very well written. It has black and white photos along with descriptions of the photos. These photos give us a better idea of what people's lives were like. This book is suitable for 9-20 year olds.
I give this book 5 stars.
Journey To Juno is the second book of the Galaxy Zack series. It is just as good as the first one. It's awesome!
Zack joins the Sprockets Academy Explorers Club at school. They fly on a special trip to Juno, a new planet no one has ever visited. Zack gets paired up with Seth, the class bully, and that's dreadful but Zack is excited when he finds a huge galaxy gemmite. A gemmite that large had not been found in 100 years! Kids will love this book!
Boys and girls will both like it. It's an easy chapter book with pictures on every page. I love the illustrations. I think ages 6-8 would like this but younger kids would like the story being read to them.
My favorite parts are the galactic blast game (it is similar to baseball except there are robots playing), recess at Zack's school where everything is 3-D holographic images, the rainbow river in a crystal cave on Juno, and the galaxy gemmite that Zack finds on Juno. I also loved when a life-size holographic image of his Earth friend appears in Zack's room because he calls him on a hyperphone. I give this book one hundred stars! There is a "to be continued" at the end so you have to read the next book see what's in store. I can't wait to find out what happens!!!
Dodie Smith's novel I Capture the Castle is a journey through the mind of a young writer as she attempts to chronicle her daily life. Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain has recently learned to speed-write, and she decides to work on her writing skills by describing the actions and conversations of those around her.
Cassandra lives in a fourteenth-century English castle with an interesting cast of characters: her beautiful older sister, Rose; her rather unsociable author father and his second wife, artist-model Topaz; Stephen, the garden boy; a cat and a bull terrier; and sometimes her brother Thomas when he is home from school. One fateful day they make the acquaintance of the Cotton family, including the two sons, and a web of tangled relationships ensues.
While I definitely recommend this book to other readers, I would recommend it to older teenagers, mainly because it will resonate better with them. The writing is tame enough that younger teens could also read it, but most of the characters are adults or on the verge of adulthood. Older readers would take the most from it since they can not only relate, but they may also better pick up on and appreciate Cassandra's sometimes subtle humor.
Over the course of the novel, Cassandra undergoes a definite transformation from child to mature young adult, even though it's only over the course of several months. I love that I could see into her mindset and read exactly what she was feeling when she thought out situations. Her thoughts flowed well and moved the book along very quickly.
Cassandra's narrative voice is wonderful. She is serious at times, but also very witty, which makes for an engaging read. It feels absolutely real, as though I'm reading someone's actual journal. Sometimes I forget that I am reading a story and not a real-life account. Her emotions and the dialogue are so genuine, and they are spot-on for a seventeen-year-old girl in her situation.
Cassandra has many wonderful insights on life, on topics ranging from writing to faith to matters of the heart. I personally have had some of the same thoughts as Cassandra, except Ms. Smith was able to put them into words.
Capture the Castle should be essential reading for aspiring writers, those looking for historical fiction or romance, or anyone who loves reading amazing classic books. Dodie Smith is an exceptional writer, and I Capture the Castle is a book that will never become obsolete.
I appreciated Frankenstein's Cat for its fascinating explanation about the often baffling subject of bioengineering and its sister sciences. Emily Anthes explains the many sides of today's modern technology, such as gene modification, cloning, pharmaceutical products (from the farm), prosthesis, animal tag and tracking and gene cryogenics. This book provides a well-rounded summary of these complicated sciences without being boring or simply factual. Her real world examples take us on a journey from the farm, to the pet store and then from the pharmacy to the frozen arc.
Have you ever wondered if the neighborhood cat is spying on you? Read about Operation Acoustic Kitty and find out if this feline fantasy fiction or fact. Do you think bugs are creepy? What about a zombified cyborg beetle? Is Fido so special that you want two of him? Money can buy you an almost exact copy of your pooch BUT don't expect the same personality. Emily Anthes makes you crave more information. She makes you want to know the future of Earth's flora and fauna, as well as humanity itself.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who desires a guide to the future of biological science and technology. Frankenstein's Cat is best read by the light of a glow-in-the-dark fish, while cuddling your favorite cloned dog and drinking a glass of genetically modified milk.
About Marsupials is the title so the book is about...marsupials, of course. It's non-fiction. I really think everyone would like the book. I think someone who likes animals would especially like to read it.
The glossary of facts in the back of About Marsupials is the most useful part. I thought the most interesting parts were that some marsupials have their pouch at their back legs and one marsupial, the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, is very small but can jump 13 feet wide!
Kids in the 4-8 age range would like this book. Even though it's not a story book, 4 year olds would like the few words on each page and they would love the beautiful pictures. But older kids would like it because of all the facts in the back of the book. There's a lot of information for each animal. I think boys and girls (and parents) would enjoy reading it. This book is very interesting. I give it 4 stars.
Every day, people around the world use maps. Whether it is an airplane pilot or businessman, housewife or museum group, maps have always and will continue to provide useful information for all.
Mapping the World talks about the uses of maps, as well as how to differentiate between the type of map projection and type of map.
In this series, we travel to the past and learn about historical mapmakers, from Claudius Ptolemy (who stated the idea that the Earth is at the center of the universe) to Gerardus Mercator (who created one of the most widely used map projections) and more. This series goes into tremendous detail on the cartographer's life and maps. We then journey to the present era to learn about map projections and the diverse types of maps used today. You might ask, "What is the difference between the two? They sound the same to me." No map projection is perfect, because you cannot really flatten a sphere into a rectangle. An uncolored projection could be used in many ways. We could use it for population concentration, highways, land elevation, and so many other things!
For example, we could make a topographic map of the U.S., which shows land elevation. We could make it a colorful map that shows the amount of pollution in different areas, or it could be a population map, or it could even be a map that shows the 50 states, their capitals and borders! Our last step in this amazing excursion is the near future, where we see some hypothetical solutions as to what maps will be used for. Currently, we are working on better virtual map technology.
Now, scientists have been able to put maps on phones. Back in the early 1900s, people had to lug a lot of maps around to find your way from place to place, or just keep asking for directions. Now, all the information is on a phone or global positioning system (GPS). It is amazing how much maps have changed technology and the world in this century.
The Mapping the World 8-book set goes into amazing levels of detail. It is a long read, but it gives an immense range and amount of information that you would not find in any other book or series on maps. The flowing way the chapters and books are organized makes it easy to link passages from different books in this series together. Mapping the World is a treasure box, filled with the seeds of cartography. Collect and plant them, and you soon will have the fruits of cartography, beneficial to those who want to be cartographers. Use this series to the utmost, then the fruits of mapping will be sweet for all who endeavor to succeed in cartography.
This series of lessons was designed to meet the needs of gifted children for extension beyond the standard curriculum with the greatest ease of use for the educator. The lessons may be given to the students for individual self-guided work, or they may be taught in a classroom or a home-school setting. Assessment strategies and rubrics are included at the end of each section. The rubrics often include a column for "scholar points," which are invitations for students to extend their efforts beyond that which is required, incorporating creativity or higher level technical skills.
The best read-alouds for grade 7, reviewed by grade 7s.
I asked the students to brainstorm the books that we read at during readaloud time. I read to the class for about 25 minutes per day, and it’s not often skipped. Below you will find their honest reviews about our Grade 7 Read Alouds. Since there is no point in asking for feedback unless I plan to take action, I will only be reading aloud those books that received good student reviews.
I love to read to my class. It doesn’t matter that they are in Grade 7, the science is with me on this one! I love it, and they love it. So it’s coming to the end of June for this crew of students. They graduate from Elementary School and move on to High School, something they are ready for, particularly from their own point of view!
At the end of the year, I often ask my classes to reflect back on their time in my class and to give me some sort of feedback. Sometimes I’ll do this as a direct question, others I’ll have them create a “User Guide to Grade 7” for the upcoming Grade 6s. Regardless of how I do it, I want to know how to make each year just that little bit better.
My primary goal for my reading curriculum, above all other skills and elements of stories and conducting research, is to build a love of reading into my students. I really feel that a student who enjoys reading is already ahead in their chances of success at school and life, and, at the very least, has an entertaining and never-ending source of entertainment.
Ok, full disclosure…I am reading through the reviews of my students and there is a fair variety on most of the list. The top-ranking books are pretty consistent and I will point those out, but I’m going to list these in no particular order.
Aven Green is a girl who was born with no arms. She was adopted as a young toddler by a loving family and has grown up learning how to do everything herself. Her adoptive family has raised an independent, strong-willed girl. When her parents are hired to run a ranch theme park in Arizona, she has to change to a new school, facing a whole new group of people as a girl with no arms. Aven is such an appealing character and she is portrayed as cheeky and full of spark as she becomes close friends with two other students at her school, while trying to solve the mystery of the missing theme park owner.
The class really enjoyed listening to this. Because the story is so out of the ordinary and the character’s sense of humour is a little spicy, a little sarcastic and very relatable, this one was a hit. Students said:
” It was good and interesting to listen to.”
“I loved the accurate representation of Tourette’s Syndrome!”
“Not many books have a storyline like this, but I just really enjoyed it.”
“I liked the characters.”
“It was funny, interesting, and different.”
Note: this book was middle of the list for many of my students.
The main character, Benson Fisher, earns a scholarship to an exclusive school and accepts, hoping that it will help get him out of an otherwise dead-end existence. Upon his arrival, he is greeted by two students running away and a student guide who won’t talk about it. The mysteries pile up from there.
This is a really good story that keeps the students guessing. My class was obsessed with this one. My students said, in their own words:
“It had a lot of twists and turns and it was interesting”.
“There were so many cliffhangers!”
“It was very exciting and engaging”.
“I think you should do it again because it was very good, had a lot of little details, and was full of events and plot twists.”
A girl lies to her mom that she is staying with her dad, and tells her dad that she is staying with her mom. In reality, she is planning a sleepover with some friends at her Grandma’s while her Grandma is away. Her friends have to cancel, and she is left alone at her Grandma’s. Not in itself a problem. She has a lovely cozy evening in peace and quiet. When she wakes up, no one is there. Anywhere. She doesn’t know why or what happened. This is the story of what happens after.
What’s really cool about this book is that it’s all written in poetry. Many in my class have labelled this as their favourite book all year. Their reviews included:
“I think you should read it again because it had a very good story line and had a good description of the plot.”
“I liked the way it was written and the plot in general.”
“I liked this one a lot.”
Note about this book…even the kids who swore they hated reading, liked this one. A weird plug for a book, but if you’re a teacher with reluctant readers? This one rocked it.
One night a witch dies, and the ghost who was her familiar finds and binds itself to her granddaughter. As she grows, the witch’s granddaughter because close friends with the ghost but the friendship becomes…complicated. This book was funny, creepy, relatable, sad…it had everything. Full disclosure: I really liked the story, but it doesn’t seem to have been for everyone. Highly recommend trying it with your class though…the story is worth it.
My class generally thought I should read this one to a future class. They thought that:
“Girl and the Ghost was a really good book. I recommend it for next year’s people.”
“It was interesting.”
“It was funny, realistic, interesting, and relatable.”
This is a funny book (I thought) about three orphans who escape from a cheese factory that employs slave labour. There are pirates who steal cheese, and cheese masters. There are daring escapes. There are wild inventions, flying pirate ships, and a lot of porridge. Quite honestly, I think it’s really funny.
However, on this one my class seems to disagree with me. One or two students liked it but, on the whole, it was not enjoyed by this group. I think perhaps the humour was too silly, or too dry, or too ridiculous…I’m not sure, but they were not fans. One student wrote:
“To me, it wasn’t that interesting. I didn’t feel like it was so good that I wanted to hear more.”
That pretty much sums up the response. Perhaps try it with your class, but I think I will leave this one alone next year.
Our second Dusti Bowling novel this year, 24 Hours in Nowhere was a completely different sort of story. This one involved four students, thrown together in a misguided mission to find gold in an abandoned mine in the small town of Nowhere. It takes place over 24 hours, during which they have a number of dangerous adventures. The story involves dirt bikes, eccentric shopkeepers, desert prawns, and races, and those are only the elements outside of the mine!
This one received mixed reviews from my class, I think because of the structure, but those who loved it, loved it. It would appeal to a group that was really into the outdoors and typical adventure novels. In the words of some students:
“I liked the plot, there were surprises but it stayed with similar ideas with a theme that made sense.”
“It was good and cool.”
“Good book to listen to.”
This book was so relatable and uncomfortable, particularly for the Grade 7s in my class. That is precisely why I read it to them and why I had such mixed reviews of the book. It tells the story of a girl who is experiencing harassment from several boys in her grade, but harassment that is hard to pinpoint. She does not know what to do or even if there is a problem. She questions herself, and then when she realizes that she is right, then finds everyone else questioning her responses.
It’s an uncomfortable read and it was uncomfortable for the students to listen to. But! I think there are certain classes, and years of students, who really need to hear about these types of interactions to avoid accidentally going ahead and perpetrating them or being the victims of them, so read it we did. You can see from their responses that they got the big deal but definitely felt the discomfort.
“Awkward book but it was good to listen to.”
“Do read Maybe He Just Likes You again. It was not what I’d call enjoyable but Grade 7s need to hear it.”
Wow, this book. I have read this book to 4 Grade 7s classes in a row over the last 4 years and every time it is a hit. This is a bit on the edge in terms of action but it’s a great introduction to the delight of how fun reading can be for those reluctant readers who might be in the class. This is the story of Alfred, a boy without parents whose uncle is raising him. He finds himself, through a series of unfortunate decisions, thoroughly mixed up in a modern tale of King Arthur, Excalibur, Knights of the Round Table and the battle between good and evil. It’s just great, and this year, as before, it was a favourite. I read it at the beginning of the year, and they were still talking about it at the end.
Students said:
“I really liked this book. It had tons of interesting events and was very adventurous.”
“Good book, funny.”
“Definitely read Alfred Kropp again. It was really fun and everyone liked it.”
“I think you should read Alfred Kropp next year because there was lots of action and the overall story was cool.”
So, there you have it, the read alouds we did this year, as reviewed by the teacher (that’s me!) and the students. Given that my intent with reading aloud to 12 and 13 year olds is to get them interested in reading, I really find this activity useful, since there is no point in trying to get kids excited about books if the only person who is excited is the teacher!
Hope you find this useful, friends! If you have any great suggestions for read alouds, please comment below. I am always looking for new ideas!
And, if you’re interested in some Grade 7 curriculum ideas, check out that page here .
Full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, I will get a small payment, at no cost to you.
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Right in the heart of middle school, seventh grade students often struggle with finding great books to read. No longer younger readers but not yet high school students, middle grade students still enjoy the occasional picture book (even though they may not admit it) but also love to explore modern classics and great literature that pulls on their critical thinking skills. Here we have a variety of books that will appeal to reluctant readers as well as students with a higher reading level. These books for 7th graders are our top picks for students to read this school year.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy .
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis – The Watsons Go to Birmingham is about an African-American family that lives in the north. They go on a road trip down to Birmingham, Alabama, to see their grandmother, but they are met with a whole new world of discrimination. Middle schoolers will be amazed to see what life was really like in the South in the 1960s.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt – Tuck Everlasting is a book where a girl feels too restricted from the outside, and she runs away from home. She finds a person and talks to them, when another few people show up and take her away on their horse. I personally read this amazing book in sixth grade, but seventh graders like myself will love this one.
The Giver by Lois Lowry – This great read is about a twelve year old named Jonas who lived a normal life, before he started to search for the secrets around his community. This book received the Newbery Medal. Middle school students who love dystopian novels like The Hunger Games will enjoy reading The Giver.
Check out these awesome books for 6th graders too (trust us – 7th grade students will also love them!)
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – The Diary of Anne Frank is an eye-opening book on Anne Frank and her family’s life in hiding. Seventh graders would love this educational story on what it was like for the Jewish during the Holocaust.
Percy Jackson: The Complete Set by Rick Riordan – This series has adventures about greek mythology. It tells the tale of a brave boy who finds out he is a demigod, and goes on a quest with his friends to save the world from a war of the gods.
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai – This is the story of how a young girl named Malala changed the world. She made girls in Pakistan able to go to school, against the Taliban’s ruling. This is a good book for students learning what life is like in other countries outside the united states.
Click here for more great children’s books on women’s history!
New Kid by Jerry Craft – This award winning read is about a boy who is sent to a private school by his parents because he does too much drawing. This is great for seventh graders because it is relatable and shows how hard it is to fit in sometimes.
The Dollmaker of Krakow by R. M. Romero – This middle grade read is about a doll named Karolina. She is made by a dollmaker who has a special power. Set at the beginning of World War II in the year 1939 in Krakow, Poland, this book will engage seventh grade students with a mix of historical fiction and magical realism.
Holes by Louis Sachar – Holes is a classic mystery novel, that tells the tale of a boy named Stanley who was sent to a corrective juvenile boot camp for a crime he didn’t commit. Young readers will be able to relate to him as many kids have gotten in trouble for things they didn’t do as well. They will also enjoy reading as Stanley uncovers mysteries from his past as he attempts to deal with his present.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about an African-American man that was accused of rape. The story is told through a young girl’s eyes as her father defends the man’s life. This is one of the classic books usually included on the 7th grade reading list, but it is definitely one of the best books that middle grade students shouldn’t miss.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander – The Crossover is a book about about a boy named Josh and his twin brother, Jordan. The brothers are amazing on the basketball court, but they have a hard time off the court. This book has the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award, so I’m sure 7th graders will love it too.
Call of the Wild by Jack London – Call of the Wild is a book about a St. Bernard-Shepherd mix that is stolen from his owner and made into a sled dog in Alaska. The dog must learn the ways of the wilderness to survive. 7th Graders would love this book because of its character development, plus the storyline keeps you wanting to read more!
We hope this list of 7th grade books has given you a good start on finding some great reads for your middle schooler. Check your local library for these titles, or choose a few to add to your own home library. If there are other books that you think we should add to our list, please leave a comment below and let us know!
Teen. Gamer. Adventure seeker. Reader. Kaiden frequently writes book reviews and book recommendations that kids and teachers actually enjoy. He’d probably rather be hanging with friends, but he loves his mom so he helps her with articles for Parenting Nest.
You can also find Kaiden’s gift ideas on our other site, Gift Brilliant .
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We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test , and we know our roles in a Turing test . And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT . We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.
In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we’ll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor and student questions. As always, defer to instructor guidelines when writing student papers. For more about guidelines and policies about student and author use of ChatGPT, see the last section of this post.
If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.
Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications , with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation.
When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.
When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).
The in-text citations and references above are adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10). Although here we focus on ChatGPT, because these guidelines are based on the software template, they can be adapted to note the use of other large language models (e.g., Bard), algorithms, and similar software.
The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:
Let’s break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):
Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.
Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.
Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.
The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.
Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.
Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat . For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage).
You may have noticed the confidence with which ChatGPT described the ideas of brain lateralization and how the brain operates, without citing any sources. I asked for a list of sources to support those claims and ChatGPT provided five references—four of which I was able to find online. The fifth does not seem to be a real article; the digital object identifier given for that reference belongs to a different article, and I was not able to find any article with the authors, date, title, and source details that ChatGPT provided. Authors using ChatGPT or similar AI tools for research should consider making this scrutiny of the primary sources a standard process. If the sources are real, accurate, and relevant, it may be better to read those original sources to learn from that research and paraphrase or quote from those articles, as applicable, than to use the model’s interpretation of them.
We’ve also received a number of other questions about ChatGPT. Should students be allowed to use it? What guidelines should instructors create for students using AI? Does using AI-generated text constitute plagiarism? Should authors who use ChatGPT credit ChatGPT or OpenAI in their byline? What are the copyright implications ?
On these questions, researchers, editors, instructors, and others are actively debating and creating parameters and guidelines. Many of you have sent us feedback, and we encourage you to continue to do so in the comments below. We will also study the policies and procedures being established by instructors, publishers, and academic institutions, with a goal of creating guidelines that reflect the many real-world applications of AI-generated text.
For questions about manuscript byline credit, plagiarism, and related ChatGPT and AI topics, the APA Style team is seeking the recommendations of APA Journals editors. APA Style guidelines based on those recommendations will be posted on this blog and on the APA Style site later this year.
Update: APA Journals has published policies on the use of generative AI in scholarly materials .
We, the APA Style team humans, appreciate your patience as we navigate these unique challenges and new ways of thinking about how authors, researchers, and students learn, write, and work with new technologies.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
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There are so many upper middle grade books for 7th graders in middle school ages 12 and 13, so how do you find the best book choices for your 7th grade student or child?
Find fun, engaging books for 7th graders on this list with over 50 choices with themes like body image, history, greek mythology, romance and more.
Welcome to Amy's Bookshelf! Here, teachers will find carefully curated book lists for each grade level from kindergarten to twelfth grade.
The top 19 books, all appearing on 3 or more, "Best 7th Grade" book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The books include images, descriptions, and links. The remaining 500+ books, as well as the lists we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page. For more Best School Year book lists, check below! The Best ...
Check out the standout books for 7th graders, aggregated from top literary sources. These selections are the most mentioned and recommended across respected publications.
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Host a Book Fair Books for your students and funds for your classroom. Preview Library Read the first few pages of a book using our digital preview library. Search 7th GradeKids Books AudienceGrade LevelAge
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This guide is designed to help you become a strong book reviewer, a reader who can read a book and then cook up a review designed to whet the reading appetites of other book lovers.
Which books were the best read alouds for Grade 7? That depends on the kids. My primary goal for my reading curriculum, above all other skills and elements of stories and conducting research, is to build a love of reading into my students.
Here we have a variety of books that will appeal to reluctant readers as well as students with a higher reading level. These books for 7th graders are our top picks for students to read this school year.
This post outlines how to create references for large language model AI tools like ChatGPT and how to present AI-generated text in a paper.
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