7th Grade Summer Reading 2022 - Forest Ridge
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7th Grade Summer Reading 2022
Directions: Your goal this summer is to READ. I encourage you to read five books this
summer—that’s roughly one book every two weeks. Try to select books that you have not
previously read, though some rereads are fine. As you go, log your reading on the attached
book log, which you’ll share at the start of school. (You will not be graded on it per se, but it is
a way for me to understand what types of books interest you.) Below is a list of suggestions.
You do not need to read books only from this list, but they’re a great place to get started!
Fiction
The Best at It
Maulik Pancholy, 2019
Realistic fiction. Heading into 7th grade, Rahul Kapoor is determined to find something he is
good at and become the best at it. While he’s not sure what that special thing is, he is sure that
life will be better once he finds it. With his friend Chelsea at his side, Rahul learns a lot more
about himself in this charming and funny read.
Orphan Island
Laurel Snyder, 2017
Science fiction. Jinny lives with eight other children on an island where everything is perfect.
They are happy and healthy. The only thing that ever changes is that one day each year a boat
arrives, bringing one new child and taking the oldest of them away. This year’s Changing is no
different, except now Jinny is getting older. She knows her time to leave the island is soon.
Will she be ready to leave the only home she’s ever known?
Akata Witch (1st in series)
Nnedi Okorafor, 2011 Amelia Bloomer Award 2012
Fantasy. Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York City. Her features are
West African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete but can't go out into the sun to play
soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something
amazing--she is a "free agent" with latent magical power. And she has a lot of catching up to do.
Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to
change reality. But as she's finding her footing, Sunny and her friends are asked by the magical
authorities to help track down a career criminal who knows magic, too. Will their training be
enough to help them combat a threat whose powers greatly outnumber theirs?
Before We Were Free
Julia Alvarez, 2002 Pura Belpré Award 2004
Historical fiction. In the Dominican Republic of 1960, Anita is baffled when her cousins suddenly
leave for the U.S. and the secret police show up. This novel describes the bloody rule of the
dictator General Trujillo and the attempts to overthrow his regime.
1Beyond the Bright Sea
Lauren Wolk, 2017 Scott O’Dell Award - Historical Fiction 2018
Family life fiction. Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the
starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands. Abandoned and set adrift when she was just hours old,
Crow's only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their
fierce and affectionate neighbor. Crow has always been curious about the world, but it isn't
until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her
own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow
down a path of discovery and danger.
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak, 2006 Michael L. Printz Honor Book 2007
Historical fiction. During World War II in Germany, Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside
of Munich. Liesel resorts to stealing something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her
accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen stories with her
neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
Children of Exile (1st in Series)
Margaret Peterson Haddix, 2016
Science fiction. A twelve-year-old girl raised in a foster village is returned to her biological
parents, and discovers home is not what she expected it to be.
Echo
Pam Munoz Ryan, 2015 Pura Belpré Award
Historical fiction. Lost in the Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and finds himself
entwined in a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica--and decades later three children,
Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California, find themselves caught up in
the same thread of destiny in the darkest days of the twentieth century, struggling to keep their
families intact, and tied together by the music of the same harmonica.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Jacqueline Kelly, 2009 Newbery Honor 2010
Historical fiction. Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the
yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little
help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the
green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can
get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close
relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes
up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.
Full Cicada Moon
Marilyn Hilton, 2015 Jane Addams Peace Association Honor 2016
2Historical fiction and free verse. It's 1969, and the Apollo 11 mission is getting ready to go to
the moon. But for half-black, half-Japanese Mimi, moving to a predominantly white Vermont
town is enough to make her feel alien. She struggles to fit in with her classmates, even as she
fights for her right to stand out by entering science competitions and joining Shop Class instead
of Home Ec. This historical middle-grade novel is told in poems from Mimi's perspective over
the course of one year in her new town and shows readers that positive change can start with
just one person speaking up.
Keep It Together, Keiko Carter
Debbie Machiko Florence, 2020
Realistic fiction. 7th grade should be an amazing year for Keiko and her two best friends, Audrey
and Jenny. But as the year unfolds, Keiko increasingly finds that everyone and everything
around her is shifting: her friends don’t seem to get along anymore, her mom seems to be away
all the time at work, and even her sister is acting different. Keiko just wants to go back to the
way things were, but can she?
A Place to Hang the Moon
Kate Albus, 2021
Historical fiction. We meet William, Edmund, and Anna, at the funeral of their not-so-friendly
grandmother, their last surviving relative. In need of a new guardian and spurred on by their
grandmother’s solicitor and housekeeper, the three join the hoards of children evacuating
bomb-threated London for temporary stays in the safety of the country. Their “preposterous
plan” is to find a new family… one that might let them stay on indefinitely. But in rationed and
fearful England during World War II, this is no small thing to ask. Will they find someone who
will welcome them in and accept them for the quirky, book-lovers they are? Or will they be left
to fend for themselves, orphaned and alone?
Etiquette & Espionage
Gail Carriger, 2013
Steampunk. Sophronia isn’t thrilled about being sent off to finishing school. She much prefers
climbing, hiding, running about, and getting into mischief over anything to do with decorum
and manners. So, you can imagine how delighted she is to find that the school which her
mother thinks will make her into the perfect lady, is actually a school for training spies! Join
Sophronia and her friends—and her darling mechanical dog, Bumpersnoot—on adventure after
adventure in their first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of
Quality.
Finding Langston
Lesa Cline-Ransome, 2018
Historical fiction. Langston misses Alabama. He misses his grandmother. He misses the sights,
sounds, and smells of the country. He misses his friends and fitting in. And, most of all,
Langston misses his mother. But she died, and her death is the reason he and his father left
and the reason his father is now so silent and sad all the time. Trying to escape his daily
bullying after school one day, Langston stumbles into a neighborhood library and discovers,
3quite by accident, another Langston’s book of poetry on the shelves—and that changes
everything.
The Crystal Ribbon
Celeste Lim, 2017
Fantasy. Jing loves living in her village with her father, grandmother, aunt, and siblings. But,
when she turns eleven, and her aunt makes a match for her in the city, Jing is forced to leave
and marry. With spirit and pluck—along with a kind heart and a connection to the spirit
world—Jing navigates adventure after adventure, showing that no one should be disregarded
or overlooked because of their status in society. Kirkus Review: “This hopeful coming-of-age
story weaves together historical facts and spiritual/cultural beliefs to tell a tale of
empowerment from the perspective of a poor, young female—one of the lowliest members of
society in medieval China.”
Ghost (1st in series)
Jason Reynolds, 2016 National Book Award finalist 2016
Realistic fiction. Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with
personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite
middle school track team--a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can
get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to
each other, but to themselves.
A Girl Called Problem
Katie Quirk, 2013
Historical fiction. In 1967 Tanzania, the people of Lawanima move to a new village, which, to
some, seems cursed, but where 13-year-old Shida and her female cousins are allowed to attend
school.
Hatchet
Gary Paulsen, 1987 Newbery Honor Book 1988
Adventure. After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness,
learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning
also to survive his parents' divorce.
Hattie Big Sky
Kirby Larson, 2006 Newbery Honor Book 2007
Historical fiction. Historical novel based on Larson’s great-grandmother, who risked everything
to homestead by herself in early 20th century Montana.
Hello, Universe
Erin Entrada Kelly, 2017 Newbery Medal 2018
Realistic fiction. Virgil feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia is deaf, smart,
and loves everything about nature. Kaori is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is
always following her around. And Chet wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different
4so that he can concentrate on basketball. They aren't friends. But when Chet pulls a prank that
traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well, Kaori, Gen, and Valencia begin a
quest to find the missing Virgil.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith, 1943
Historical fiction. Considered an American coming-of-age classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is
the semi-autobiographical story of young Francie Nolan, growing up in poverty in Brooklyn in
the early 1900s. Francie finds solace in the world of books.
Under the Persimmon Tree
Suzanne Fisher Staples, 2005 Notable Children’s Book 2006
Historical fiction. Alternating between the stories of Najmah, a 12-year-old Afghan girl, and
Nusrat, a young American woman, this novel depicts the emotional cost of the war in
Afghanistan. When Najmah and Nusrat meet at a refugee camp in Pakistan, they forge a
friendship.
Nonfiction
The Girl who Drew Butterflies: how Maria Merian’s art changed science
Joyce Sidman, 2018 Robert F. Sibert Medal 2019
One of the first naturalists to observe live insects directly, Maria Sibylla Merian was also one of
the first to document the metamorphosis of the butterfly. This visual nonfiction biography
paints a picture of one of the first female entomologists and a woman who flouted convention
in the pursuit of knowledge and her passion for insects.
I Will Always Write Back
Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, 2015
It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student
somewhere in a distant place. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen-pal letter. There were
only ten letters, and fifty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one.
That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two
lives. In this dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends --and
better people--through their long-distance exchange. Their story will inspire you to look beyond
your own life and wonder about the world at large and your place in it.
Notorious RBG: the life and times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: young readers ed.
Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, 2017
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become an icon to millions. Her tireless fight
for equality and women's rights has inspired not only great strides in the workforce but has
impacted the law of the land. This accessible biography of a fierce woman mixes pop culture,
humor, and expert analysis while detailing her searing dissents and powerful jurisprudence.
5Resist: 35 profiles of ordinary people who rose up against tyranny and injustice
Veronica Chambers, 2018
You may only be one person, but you have the power to change the world.
Before they were activists, they were just like you and me. From Frederick Douglass to Malala
Yousafzai, Joan of Arc to John Lewis, Susan B. Anthony to Janet Mock--these remarkable figures
show us what it means to take a stand and say no to injustice, even when it would be far easier
to stay quiet. Resist profiles men and women who resisted tyranny, fought the odds, and stood
up to bullies that threatened to harm their communities. Along with their portraits and most
memorable quotes, their stories will inspire you to speak out and rise up--every single day.
Red Scarf Girl
Ji-li Jiang, 1997 Notable Children’s Book Award 1998
Memoir. It’s 1966, and 12-year-old Ji-li Jiang has everything a girl could want: brains, friends,
and a bright future in Communist China. But it's also the year that China's leader, Mao Ze-dong,
launches the Cultural Revolution—and Ji-li's world begins to fall apart.
6Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
7th Grade Summer Reading Book Log 2022
Directions: Please record your summer reading books in the chart below. Remember, a good goal is five books for the summer
(about a book every two weeks).
Title Author’s Name Dates Read (give What did you think of the book? Why?
as a range) Consider whether you would recommend it to someone
else.
1Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2You can also read
