Required Reading

for

Incoming Seventh Graders

The Misfits, by James Howe
Four close friends survive and eventually thrive during their 7th Grade year. The “Gang of Five” starts an unlikely campaign for class president, and they end up changing the culture of the school.

Faculty Recommendations
for
Incoming Seventh Graders

English
The Land by Mildred Taylor - What is the deep, seemingly sacred connection the Logan family has with their land? Find out in this 2002 Coretta Scott King Award winning novel, the prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake - Maleeka Madison is burdened by low self esteem due to her skin color which is darker than most of her African American friends. With the help of a teacher and some newly discovered inner strength, she is able to stand up to her taunting classmates.

Red Scarf Girl by Jiang Ji Li - Experience a young girl’s life at a bizarre time in Chinese history, the 1960’s Cultural Revolution. Jiang Jili loves her family and her country. Yet, her country tells her to reject her family and to criticize her family publicly.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien - Relish the extraordinary epic of Frodo and his band as they journey to return the magic ring to its rightful place.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman - This is the story of Lyra, an English girl from another dimension, who travels in search of the truth about Dust, a magical substance, with her companion Will, a boy with a remarkable knife. The books included in this series are The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte - In a neighborhood infused with violence, Alfred becomes interested in boxing (mature theme).

World Languages
Among the Volcanoes by Omar S. Castañeda - When her mother becomes ill, Isabel, a Mayan girl living in Guatemala, must care for her and continue to search for her own identity in a changing world.

Pen Pals: A Friendship in French and English and Pen Pals: A Friendship in Spanish and English by Catherine Bruzzone and Lone Morton - These books depict pen pal relationships between an American girl with boys in France and Mexico.

Math
The Shrinking of Treehorn by F.P. Heide - This is a good read aloud book about a boy who discovers he is shrinking but does not know the cause or cure.

How to Lie with Statistics by Darrel Huff - Although written in the 1950s, this little book remains a classic treatise on how statistics can be misleading.

Science
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - Professor Aronnax agrees to investigate a series of attacks by a mysterious sea monster. What he encounters is quite different and leads him into a whole other undersea world.

My Life with the Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall - Noted scientist and conservationist Jane Goodall shares stories about her life and her experiences studying chimpanzees in Africa.

California Blue by David Klaas - A sensitive teenager who likes track and ecology discovers a yet unknown species of butterfly whose very presence threatens the jobs in his logging town.

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong. In 1914 Shackleton set out to explore Antarctica from one side to the other, but he and his men had to abandon The Endurance which became icebound and eventually sank. In an incredible rescue mission that took 19 months, Shackleton was able to save his crew.

Social Studies
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare - A young boy seeks revenge against the Romans for killing his parents.

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye - This is a wonderful book filled with fascinating people. Fourteen-year-old Liyana is reluctant to leave her old life and new boyfriend. She and her family move from the USA to Jerusalem, the city where her father was born. The winding stone streets of Old Jerusalem filled with centuries of history and many cultures form a layered and complex backdrop for Liyana’s unfolding story. Troubling realities contrast with the surprise and joy of new experiences. As Liyana settles into
her new home, she forms a special friendship with an intriguing boy.

The Samurai’s Tale by Erik Christian Haugaard - In turbulent sixteenth century Japan, orphaned Taro is taken in by a general serving the great warlord Takeda Shingen and grows up to become a samurai fighting for the enemies of his dead family.

Special Areas
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli - As Palmer reaches a certain age, he refuses to accept the bullying of his “friends” and the horrible job of being a “wringer” in the town’s annual Pigeon Day.

Crash by Jerry Spinelli - Seventh grader “Crash” Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough aggressive behavior until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy makes him reconsider the meaning of friendship.

Reluctantly Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Alice is dreading her entrance into junior high and having to face up to older kids.

The Rocket Man: The Story of Robert Goddard by Tom Streissguth - This biography is about the man who was the first to successfully build a rocket propelled by liquid fuel.

Keeping Ahead in School: A Student’s Book about Learning Disabilities and Learning Disorders by Mel Levine - This book is designed to help students with a wide range of learning disorders “gain a realistic insight into their personal strengths and weaknesses.” It can also be used effectively by younger and older students.

The Shorty Society by Sheri Cooper Sinykin - Three seventh graders are the victims of mean pranks and then retaliate and risk becoming just like their tormentors.

Kid Picks
for
Incoming Seventh Graders

Novels
1. A Mango Shaped Space, by Wendy Mass
2. Holes, by Louis Sachar
3. Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
4. The Theif Lord, by Cornelia Funke
5. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
6. That Summer, by Sarah Dessen
7. Hoot, by Carl Hansen
8. Speak , by Laurie Halse Anderson
9. City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau
10. Eragon, by Christopher Paolini
Series
1. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
2. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
3. The Clique Series, by Lisi Harrison
4. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
5. The Lightning Theif (series), Rick Riordan