GRADE 7 BOOK LIST: 20 books I’m making my seventh grader read – mainly historical fiction & fantasy

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.

BOOKS MENTIONED

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.

Author: Linda Sue Park

Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is…

Purchase on: Amazon

A Place to Hang the Moon

Author: Kate Albus

For fans of The War That Saved My Life and other World War II fiction, A Place to Hang the Moon is the tale of three orphaned siblings who are evacuated from London to live in the countryside with the secret hope of finding a permanent family. It is 1940 and William, 12, Edmund, 11, and Anna, 9, aren't terribly upset by the death of the not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since…

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The Length of a String

Author: Elissa Brent Weissman

Imani is adopted, and she's ready to search for her birth parents. Anna has left behind her family to escape from Holocaust-era Europe to meet a new family--two journeys, one shared family history, and the bonds that make us who we are. Perfect for fans of The Night Diary. Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in…

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Number the Stars

Author: Lois Lowry

During the German occupation of Denmark, Annemarie helps shelter a Jewish friend from the Nazis.

Purchase on: Amazon

Tunnels of Time

Author: Mary Harelkin Bishop

Series: Moose Jaw Time Travel Adventure

Thirteen-year-old Amanda winds up in mysterious, dangerous tunnels from the past when she goes to Moose Jaw to attend her cousin's wedding.

Purchase on: Amazon

Andie’s Moon

Author: Linda Newbery

Andie dreams of becoming an artist and is particularly inspired by the moon for her paintings but worries that the first landing on the moon may cause her to lose her awe of it.

Purchase on: Amazon

Black Star, Bright Dawn

Author: Scott O'Dell

Bright Dawn must face the challenge of the Iditarod dog sled race alone when her father is injured.

Purchase on: Amazon

Mandie and the Secret Tunnel

Author: Lois Gladys Leppard

In 1900, Mandie is searching her dead uncle's mansion for a missing will when she finds a secret tunnel and strangers who claim to be her relatives.

Purchase on: Amazon

Clue in the Castle Tower

Author: Sarah Masters Buckey

Series: American Girl

While visiting an old castle in England, Samantha and Nellie solve mysteries involving a ghost and some missing rare books. Includes end note about England in the early twentieth century.

Purchase on: Amazon

The Dragon and the Stone

Author: Kathryn Butler

Series: The Dreamkeeper Saga

When 12-year-old Lily McKinley finds her deceased father's stone pendant, she is transported to a new dimension where she must battle evil nightmares with the help of a dragon named Cedric to save the dream keepers and rescue the Realm.

Purchase on: Amazon

Gregor the Overlander

Author: Suzanne Collins

Series: The Underland Chronicles

When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.

Purchase on: Amazon

Lost in a Book

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Smart, bookish Belle, a captive in the Beast's castle, has become accustomed to her new home and has befriended its inhabitants. When she comes upon Nevermore, an enchanted book unlike anything else she has seen in the castle, Belle finds herself pulled into its pages and transported to a world of glamour and intrigue. The adventures Belle has always imagined, the dreams she was forced to give up when she became a prisoner, seem within…

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York: The Shadow Cipher

Author: Laura Ruby

Series: York

“The pleasures of the novel go far beyond the crackling, breathless plot and the satisfaction of watching the puzzle fall into place. The book is shot through with humor, both laugh-out-loud and subtle.” —New York Times Book Review From National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner Laura Ruby comes an epic alternate history series about three kids who try to solve the greatest mystery of the modern world: a puzzle and treasure hunt laid…

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Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

Author: Jonathan Auxier

Series: Peter Nimble Adventure

It s been two years since Peter Nimble and Sir Tode rescued the kingdom of HazelPort. In that time, they have traveled far and wide in search of adventure. Now Peter and Sir Tode have been summoned by Professor Cake for a new mission: to find a 12-year-old bookmender named Sophie Quire. Sophie knows little beyond the four walls of her father s bookshop, where she repairs old books and dreams of escaping the confines…

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Crenshaw

Author: Katherine Applegate

In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience. Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again. Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into…

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Heartbeat

Author: Sharon Creech

Run run run. That's what twelve-year-old Annie loves to do. When she's barefoot and running, she can hear her heart beating . . . thump-thump, thump-thump. It's a rhythm that makes sense in a year when everything's shifting: Her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is forgetful, and her best friend, Max, is always moody. Everything is changing, just like the apple Annie's been assigned to draw a hundred times. Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech masterfully…

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Heist Society

Author: Ally Carter

Series: Heist Society

For as long as she can remember, Katarina has been a part of the family business—thieving. When Kat tries to leave “the life” for a normal life, her old friend Hale conspires to bring her back into the fold. Why? A mobster’s art collection has been stolen, and Kat’s father is the only suspect. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help. /DIVDIVThe only solution is to find the…

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Animal Farm

Author: George Orwell

A satire on totalitarianism in which farm animals overthrow their human owner and set up their own government

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Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel

Author: George Orwell

A beautiful graphic adaptation of George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel. "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." In 1945, George Orwell, called "the conscience of his generation," created an enduring, devastating story of new tyranny replacing old, and power corrupting even the noblest of causes. Today it is all too clear that Orwell's masterpiece is still fiercely relevant wherever cults of personality thrive, truths are twisted by those…

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If you have suggestions for books that you think she would like, please leave them in the comments below!