Great Books for Seventh and Eighth Grade
Under construction, sorry!
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
In the early 1960s in the Dominican Republic, twelve-year-old Anita learns that her family is involved in the underground movement to end the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo.
Call Number: X ALVAREZ, J. 167 p.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.
Call Numbers: X ANDERSON and YA FIC ANDERSON 316 p.
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.
Call Number: X LP CHOLDENKO and JPB 228 p.
The Diamond of Drury Lane: A Cat Royal Adventure by Julia Golding
Catherine "Cat" Royal, an orphan who lives at the Drury Lane Theater in 1790s London, tries to find the "diamond" supposedly hidden in the theater, which unmasks a treasonous political cartoonist and involves her in the street gangs of Covent Garden and the world of nobility.
Call Number: X Golding 424 p.
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.
Call Numbers: X HESSE, X LP HESSE and YA FIC HESSE 227 p.
The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child by Francisco Jiménez
Having come from Mexico to California as a four-year-old, Francisco spends his time working on the migrant farm or at school while he struggles to live with his poverty.
Call Numbers: X JIMENEZ and YAPB 134 p.
Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester
Emma has taken care of the Butler children since Sarah and Frances's mother, Fanny, left. Emma wants to raise the girls to have good hearts, as a rift over slavery has ripped the Butler household apart. Now, to pay off debts, Pierce Butler wants to cash in his slave "assets", possibly including Emma.
Call Numbers: X LESTER and YA FIC LESTER 177 p.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.
Call Number: X SCHMIDT 264 p.
Letters from Wolfie by Patti Sherlock
Certain that he is doing the right thing by donating his dog, Wolfie, to the Army's scout program in Vietnam, thirteen-year-old Mark begins to have second thoughts when the Army refuses to say when and if Wolfie will ever return.
Call Number: X SHERLOCK 228 p.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.
Call Number: X COLFER, E. and YAPB 277 p.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Follows Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering such wicked creatures as witches, along with kindly
strangers and other helpful folk.
Call number: X GIDWITZ 256 p.
Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones
When a teacher at an English boarding school finds a note on his desk accusing someone in the class of being a witch, magical things begin to happen and an Inquisitor is summoned.
Call Numbers: X JONES, D and JPB. 270 p.
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
When twelve-year-old Stephanie inherits her weird uncle's estate, she must join forces with Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton magician, to save the world from the Faceless Ones.
Call Numbers: X LP LANDY and YA FIC LANDY 392 p.
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.
Call Numbers: X LAW and YA FIC LAW 342 p.
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming.
Call Number: X MULL 359 p.
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.
Call Numbers: JPB, YAPB and YA FIC PULLMAN 399 p.
The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.
Call Numbers: X LP SCOTT and YA FIC SCOTT 375 p.
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventures which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone. There are three sequels: The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings.
Call Numbers: X TURNER and JPB 219 p.
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.
Call Numbers: X CLEMENTS, A., JPB, YA FIC CLEMENTS and YAPB 251 p.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.
Call Numbers: X FARMER, JPB and YA FIC FARMER 380 p.
Eager by Helen Fox
Eager is a special kind of robot who learns through his experiences, but will he be able to help determine why the new BDC4 robots are acting so strangely?
Call Number: X FOX 280 p.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.
Call Number: X HADDIX and YAPB 153 p.
Walker of Time by H. H. Vick
A fifteen-year-old Hopi boy and his freckled companion travel back 800 years to the world of the Sinagua culture, a group of people beset by drought and illness and in need of a leader.
Call Number: JPB 205 p.
The Giver by Louis Lowry
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
Call Numbers: X LOWRY, L. and YAPB 180 p.
Hidden Talents by David Lubar
When thirteen-year-old Martin arrives at an alternative school for misfits and problem students, he falls in with a group of boys with psychic powers and discovers something surprising about himself.
Call Number: YA FIC LUBAR 213 p.
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "birdkids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.
Call Numbers: YA FIC PATTERSON and YA LP FIC PATTERSON 422 p.
The Boyfriend Rules of Good Behavior by Catherine Bateson
Millie and her artist mother move away from their best friends to a new town, where her mother gets a proper job and a boyfriend, and Millie learns to cope with all the changes.
Call Number: X BATESON 181 p.
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.
Call Number: X BLOOR, JPB and YAPB 312 p.
Pieces of Georgia by Jennifer Bryant
In journal entries to her mother, a gifted artist who died suddenly, thirteen-year-old Georgia McCoy reveals how her life changes after she receives an anonymous gift membership to a nearby art museum
Call Number: X BRYANT 166 p.
Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal life as a teenage girl in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is the Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess and the heir to the throne.
Call Numbers: X CABOT, M., YA FIC CABOT, M. and YAPB 238 p.
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
As a sophomore at a secret spy school and the daughter of a former CIA operative, Cammie is sheltered from "normal teenage life" until she meets a local boy while on a class surveillance mission.
Call Number: YA FIC CARTER 284 p.
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko
Kirsten and Walk, seventh-graders at an elite private school, alternate telling how race, wealth, weight, and other issues shape their relationships as they and other misfits stand up to a mean but influential classmate, even as they are uncovering a long-kept secret about themselves.
Call Number: X CHOLDENKO 216 p.
Crush by Ellen Conford
A series of nine romantic short stories covering the lives of B.J. and other students at Cutter's Forge High as they plan for the Valentine's Day Sweetheart Stomp.
Call Number: YA FIC CONFORD 138 p.
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity.
Call Numbers: JPB and YAPB 184 p.
Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
After their mother dies, two brothers find a huge amount of money which they must spend quickly before England switches to the new European currency, but they disagree on what to do with it.
Call Number: X COTTRELL BOYCE 247 p.
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Sal tells the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.
Call Numbers: X CREECH, S.; JPB and YA FIC CREECH 280 p.
Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like.
Call Numbers: X FLAKE, S., YA FIC FLAKE and YAPB 171 p.
Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt
On the island of Guam, thirteen-year-old Isabel and her family cope with the suicide of Isabel's mother.
Call Number: X LP HOLT 318 p.
Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff by Jennifer Holm
The first year of middle school can be exciting, or scary— just ask Ginny.
Call Number: X HOLM [117 p.]
Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg
When he is wrongly accused of injuring his baby half-sister, thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech. Only his friend Connor is able to uncover the truth about what really happened.
Call Number: X KONIGSBURG, E. 261 p.
Heat by Mike Lupica
Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old and he has no parents to offer them proof.
Call Number: X LUPICA 220 p.
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
At the beginning of eighth grade, learning-disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.
Call Numbers: YA FIC PHILBRICK and YAPB 169 p.
So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
Thirteen-year-old Xio, a Mexican-American girl, and Frederick, who has just moved to California from Wisconsin, quickly become close friends, but when Xio starts thinking of Frederick as her boyfriend, he must confront his feelings of confusion and face the fear that he might be gay.
Call Numbers: X SANCHEZ and YA FIC SANCHEZ 230 p.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.
Call Numbers: X SPINELLI, YA FIC SPINELLI and YAPB 186 p.
Flipped by Wendelin van Draanen
In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.
Call Numbers: X VAN DRAANEN, W. and YAPB 212 p.
Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams
Like her idol Sherlock Holmes, eighth grader Ingrid Levin-Hill uses her intellect to solve a murder case in her hometown of Echo Falls.
Call Number: X ABRAHAMS 375 p.
Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison
During the summer before ninth grade, intrepid Gilda Joyce invites herself to the San Francisco mansion of distant cousin Lester Splinter and his thirteen-year-old daughter, where she uses her purported psychic abilities and detective skills to solve the mystery of the mansion's boarded-up tower.
Call Number: X ALLISON 321 p.
The Dark Stairs: A Herculeah Jones Mystery by Betsy Cromer Byars
The intrepid Herculeah Jones helps her mother, a private investigator, solve a puzzling and frightening case.
Call Number: X BYARS 130 p.
Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach
Named after a character in a Shakespeare play, misfit sixth-grader Hero becomes interested in exploring this unusual connection because of a valuable diamond supposedly hidden in her new house, an intriguing neighbor, and the unexpected attention of the most popular boy in school.
Call Number: X BROACH 250 p.
The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder by John Bellairs
In 1951, while visiting a distant cousin in the English countryside, thirteen-year-old Lewis Barnavelt accidentally unleashes demonic forces and summons the ghost of an evil wizard bent on killing the Barnavelt family.
Call Number: X BELLAIRS 153 p.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.
Call Numbers: X GAIMAN, X LP GAIMAN and YA FIC GAIMAN 312 p.
Horowitz Horror by Anthony Horowitz
Nine horror stories set in England focus on everyday items that have sinister qualities.
Call Number: X HOROWITZ 217 p.
Scary Stories by Barry Moser
A collection of stories, filled with suspense and horror features contributions from such authors as Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as such modern masters as Stephen King and Ray Bradbury.
Call Number: YA FIC SCARY 184 p.
Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales by Neal Shusterman
Imagine being trapped forever in someone else’s nightmare, with no means of escape. Or caught on one of the most terrifying roller coasters of all time, when suddenly the tracks ahead just disappear. You’ll find these and more within these tales.
Call Number: YAPB 291 p.
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
When home schooled farm girl Piper McCloud reveals her ability to fly, she is quickly taken to a secret government facility to be trained with other exceptional children, but she soon realizes that something is very wrong and begins working with brilliant and wealthy Conrad to escape.
Call Number: X FORESTER 329 p.
Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury
In 1975, eleven Boy Scouts, their leaders, and some new friends camping at Halape, Hawaii, find their survival skills put to the test when a massive earthquake strikes, followed by a tsunami.
Call Number: X SALISBURY 191 p.
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
Call Number: X SPINELLI, J. 184 p.
Laika by Nick Abadzis
This is the journey of Laika, the abandoned puppy destined to become Earth's first space traveler. With the blending of fact and fiction, this story intertwines three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika's health and life.
Call Number: X741.5 ABADZIS 205 p.
Houdini: the Handcuff King by Jason Lutes & Nick Bertozzi
Offers a portrait of the legendary escape artist in graphic novel format, and reveals the secret behind his most amazing trick.
Call Number: X741.5 LUTES 81 p.
Queen Bee by Chynna Clugston
Haley is smart, funny, nice, and determined to be super-popular in her new middle-school.
Call Number: X741.5 QUEEN 111 p.
Tellos: Reluctant Heroes by Todd Dezago & Mike Wieringo
A group of adventurers must battle against the evil Malesus, who wants what one of them has: an amulet that unleashes a genie.
Call Number: X741.5 Dezago [156 p.]
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family.
Call Number: YA 741.5 ARRIVAL [121 p.]
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
The enduring friendship between a dog and a robot is portrayed in this wordless graphic novel.
Call Number: X7451.5 VARON 205 p.
Encyclopedia Horrifica: The Terrifying Truth About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters and More by Joshua Gee
Joshua Gee has collected a wealth of true information about untrue entities: vampires, werewolves, merpeople, ghosts and much more.
Call Number: X001.9 GEE 129 p.
How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen
Author Gary Paulsen relates tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel.
Call Numbers: X92 PAULSEN and YA92 PAULSEN 111 p.
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman.
An in-depth look at the accident that forever changed Phineas Gage and gave the medical world new insight into how the brain works.
Call Number: X362.1 FLEISCHMAN, J. 86 p.
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose
Learn about the majestic ivorybilled woodpecker that reigned for thousands of years over the dark emerald forests that once carpeted the bottomlands of America's broad southern rivers.
Call Number: X598.72 HOOSE 196 p.
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy
In August, 1793, yellow fever came to Philadelphia and started a horrific epidemic. Learn about the possible causes and cures of this disease through firsthand accounts.
Call Number X614.541 MURPHY, J. 165 p.
Recycle This Book: 100 Top Children’s Book Authors Tell You How to Go Green edited by Dan Gutman
Essays from Caroline B. Cooney, Bruce Coville, and other children's book authors are compiled in this guide to understanding the environment, the benefits of recycling, and the importance of "going green."
Call Number: X640 RECYCLE 267 p.
last revised 2/6/12
