Books by grade
Summer reading for rising 7th graders
A summer list for kids going into seventh grade. The books are long enough to last a week at the lake and vary in genre, from sports to sci-fi to survival.
Chosen from award lists, school and library reading lists, and reviews, and each title and author checked against Open Library, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins · Ages 12-16
Katniss volunteers for a televised fight to the death between teenagers. A fast read that raises questions about power and entertainment.
Watch for: Children killing children, graphic violence, and war in the sequels. Best for 12 and up.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Outsiders
S.E. Hinton · Ages 12-16
Greasers and Socs in 1960s Oklahoma, told by 14-year-old Ponyboy. Written by a teenager and still the book that hooks reluctant readers.
Watch for: Gang violence, deaths, underage smoking and drinking.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Giver
Lois Lowry · Ages 11-14
Jonas lives in a calm community with no pain or choice and learns what that costs. Short, easy to read, and made for discussion.
Watch for: Themes of euthanasia of babies and the old, and a bleak ending that is left open.
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The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin · Ages 10-14
Sixteen heirs are paired up to solve who killed a millionaire. A Newbery winner with clues that reward a second read.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Refugee
Alan Gratz · Ages 10-14
Three children flee Nazi Germany, Castro's Cuba, and war-torn Syria in alternating chapters. Fast, and the stories meet at the end.
Watch for: Drowning deaths and war violence; a parent dies.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Ghost
Jason Reynolds · Ages 10-14
Castle runs fast, has a painful secret, and joins a track team. First of the Track series, with a voice that sounds like a real kid.
Watch for: A father who shot a gun at him and his mother; mentions of shoplifting.
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The Crossover
Kwame Alexander · Ages 10-14
Twin basketball stars, a father with heart trouble, and a verse style like a rap. Newbery Medal winner.
Watch for: A parent's death.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman · Ages 10-14
A boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard while a killer hunts him. A Newbery and Carnegie winner that opens with a murder and settles into warmth.
Watch for: A family is murdered in the first chapter; a few scary scenes.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli · Ages 10-14
A free-spirited new girl upends a school that wants everyone alike. About conformity and being kind in the open.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Wolf Hollow
Lauren Wolk · Ages 10-14
In 1943 Pennsylvania a new girl bullies Annabelle and then frames a quiet veteran. A tense, moral story about telling the truth.
Watch for: Bullying, a death, and violence against a child.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Lord of the Flies
William Golding · Ages 13-17
British schoolboys stranded on an island build their own society and lose it. Often read in 8th-9th grade.
Watch for: Killing of children, bullying, and savagery.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
A Long Walk to Water
Linda Sue Park · Ages 10-14
Two stories in alternating chapters: Salva, a Lost Boy of Sudan in 1985, and Nya, who walks for water in 2008. Under 125 pages.
Watch for: War, deaths of children, and animal attacks.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Lions of Little Rock
Kristin Levine · Ages 10-14
Twelve-year-old Marlee befriends a Black girl passing as white in Little Rock in 1958, the year of the school closings.
Watch for: Racism and threats.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Pax
Sara Pennypacker · Ages 9-13
A boy and the pet fox he raised are separated by war, and each journeys back. Illustrated by Jon Klassen.
Watch for: War, an animal's death.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Eragon
Christopher Paolini · Ages 10-14
A farm boy finds a dragon egg and runs from an evil king. Written when the author was a teen, and a long, absorbing read for fantasy fans.
Watch for: Battle violence.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
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