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The Outsidersby S.E. Hinton · 224 pagesNo one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends - true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the beating up on "greasers" like him and his friends - he knows that he can count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's world is turned upside down... ~from inside flap
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The Giverby Lois Lowry · The Giver Quartet series · 240 pagesAt the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.
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The Crossoverby Kwame Alexander · 240 pages"A bolt of lightning on my kicks, the court is sizzling, my sweat is drizzling. Stop all that quivering, cuz tonight I'm delivering," raps basketball phenom Josh Bell. Thanks to his dad, he and his twin brother, Jordan, are kings on the court, with crossovers that make even the toughest ballers cry. But Josh has more than hoops in his blood. He's got a river of rhymes flowing through him -- a sick flow that helps him find his rhythm when everything's on the line. As their winning season unfolds, things begin to change. When Jordan meets the new girl in school, the twins' tight-knit bond unrave
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Maus Iby Art Spiegelman · Maus series · 160 pagesA story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself.
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A Long Walk to Waterby Linda Sue ParkWhen the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamasby John BoyneIf you start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy named Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. Fences like this exist all over the world. We hop you never have to encounter one. --back cover
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Refugeeby Alan Gratz · 338 pagesAlthough separated by continents and decades, Josef, a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a Cuban girl trying to escape the riots and unrest plaguing her country in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 whose homeland is torn apart by violence and destruction, embark on harrowing journeys in search of refuge, discovering shocking connections that tie their stories together.
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Eragonby Christopher Paolini · Inheritance Cycle series · 503 pagesIn Aagaesia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters
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The Maze Runnerby James Dashner · Maze Runner series · 384 pagesWhen Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade--a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up--the
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Brown Girl Dreamingby Jacqueline Woodson · 368 pagesRaised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.
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Ghost Boysby Jewell Parker Rhodes"After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys including historical figure Emmett Till"--
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The Wednesday Warsby Gary D. Schmidt · 264 pagesDuring 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.
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Stargirlby Jerry Spinelli · Stargirl series · 186 pagesIn 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.
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Out of My Mindby Sharon M. Draper · 295 pagesA brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy, considered by many to be mentally retarded, discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.
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Chainsby Laurie Halse Anderson · Seeds of America series · 316 pagesIf an entire nation could seek its freedom, why not a girl? As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unth
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Number the Starsby Lois Lowry · 137 pagesIn 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
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Dramaby Raina Telgemeier · 240 pagesCallie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon over Mississippi, she can't really sing. Instead she's the set designer for the drama department's stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazi
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Esperanza Risingby Pam Munoz Ryan · 262 pagesEsperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
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Amal Unboundby Aisha Saeed · 226 pagesIn Pakistan, Amal holds onto her dream of being a teacher even after becoming an indentured servant to pay off her family's debt to the wealthy and corrupt Khan family.
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Okay for Nowby Gary D. SchmidtOkay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. A recommended summer reading selection for grade 7.
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The Cayby Theodore Taylor · 144 pagesBook Description: Read Theodore Taylor’s classic bestseller and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award winner The Cay. Phillip is excited when the Germans invade the small island of Curaçao. War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager to glimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are traveling to the United States on is torpedoed. When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea. Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy. Phillip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: “They are different, and they live differently.” But by the
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Wonderby R.J. Palacio · 315 pagesTen-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
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The War That Saved My Lifeby Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 320 pagesNine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him. So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or w
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Internmentby Samira Ahmed · 400 pages"A terrifying, futuristic United States where Muslim-Americans are forced into internment camps, and seventeen-year-old Layla Amin must lead a revolution against complicit silence"-- "Rebellions are built on hope. It's been one year since the census landed seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her family on the registry. Five months since the attorney general argued that Korematsu v. United States established precedent for relocation of citizens during times of war. And one month since the president declared that "Muslims are a threat to America." And now, Layla and her parents are suddenly taken
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The Lightning Thiefby Rick Riordan · Percy Jackson series · 416 pagesTwelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction—Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend. [**The Lightning Thief**](https://chesserresources.com/doc/the-lightning-thief-by-rick-riordan/)
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Project Mulberryby Linda Sue Park · 225 pagesWhile working on a project for an after-school club, Julia, a Korean American girl, and her friend Patrick learn not just about silkworms, but also about tolerance, prejudice, friendship, patience, and more. Between the chapters are short dialogues between the author and main character about the writing of the book.
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Restartby Gordon KormanChase Ambrose, an 8th grade bully has the chance to restart his life after a great, big fall that made him lose his memory.As he tries to rebuild his life he finds out about all the horrible things he has done and does not like that version of himself so he decides to make a change.But others cannot trust his new life.Will Chase be able to gain trust from others or will he never be forgiven?
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cryby Mildred D. Taylor · Logan Family seriesSet in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, it is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence. It is a story of physical survival, but more important, it is a story of the survival of the human spirit. And, too, it is Cassie's story -- Cassie Logan, an independent girl raised by a family for whom independence is primary, a family determined not to relinquish their humanity simply because they are Black. Cassie has grown up protected, grown up strong, and so far grown up unaware that any white person could force her to be untrue to herself, co
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The Hobbitby J.R.R. Tolkien · Middle-earth series · 300 pagesBilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum. (back cover)
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New Kidby Jerry Craft · New Kid series · 256 pagesSeventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true t
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Echoby Pam Munoz Ryan · 583 pagesOtto se pierde en un bosque prohibido cuando de repente se encuentra con tres misteriosas hermanas. En ese momento, su destino quedará ligado a una insólita búsqueda que entraña una profecía, una promesa y una armónica. Décadas más tarde, las vidas de Friedrich en Alemania, Mike en Pennsylvania, e Ivy en California, se conectan entre sí cuando la misma armónica llega a ellos. Estos niños se enfrentarán a grandes desafíos: rescatar a un padre, proteger a un hermano y mantener a una familia unida. -- Publisher description. Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters
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Counting by 7sby Holly Goldberg Sloan · 380 pagesFourteen-year-old homeschooled genius Willow Chance convinces her adoptive parents to let her attend high school to observe people her own age, and soon she has connected with a group of eccentrics who stand by her when tragedy strikes.
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The Thing About Jellyfishby Ali Benjamin · 343 pagesSome hearts beat only about 412 million times. Which might sound like a lot. But the truth is, it barely even gets you twelve years. Suzy Swanson has always known things that others don't. She can explain the sleep patterns of ants. She knows there are 150 million jellyfish stings on the planet every year. She knows that the average middle school kid contains about 20 billion of Shakespeare's atoms. But she can't understand how Franny Jackson's lifetime could be cut so short ... before Suzy could make up for the worst thing she'd ever done to her friend. As Suzy retreats into a silent world of
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When You Trap a Tigerby Tae KellerWould you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother. Some stories refuse to stay bottled up. When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her Halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal -- return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's
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Inside Out & Back Againby Thanhha Lai · 277 pagesFor all the ten years of her life, Hä has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by, and the beauty of her very own papaya tree. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hä and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next. --back cover
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Bud, Not Buddyby Christopher Paul Curtis · 272 pagesIt's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him: 1. He has his own suitcase filled with his own important, secret things. 2. He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. 3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers of Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!! Bud's got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963by Christopher Paul Curtis · 210 pagesThe ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
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Ghostby Jason Reynolds · Track series · 181 pages"Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential"--
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A Single Shardby Linda Sue Park · 152 pagesTree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters' village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself.
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Hatchetby Gary Paulsen · Brian's Saga series · 186 pagesBrian Robison, a teenage boy struggling through his parents divorce, is flying up north to stay with his dad for the summer. However, his plane crashes and he is forced to survive the Canadian wilderness. Now living in a world completely opposite of his own, he is now able to discover himself in this forsaken and misunderstood beautiful world. The story is continued in "The River" "Brian's Winter" "Brian's Return" and "The Hunt"
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Speakby Laurie Halse Anderson · 224 pages"Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible part
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All American Boysby Jason Reynolds · 320 pagesWhen sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend. Told through Rashad and Quinn's alternating viewpoints.
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The Giver Quartet: Gathering Blueby Lois Lowry · The Giver Quartet series · 241 pagesLame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she is expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians.
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Persepolisby Marjane Satrapi · Persepolis series · 160 pagesWise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. Persepol
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Monsterby Walter Dean Myers · 281 pagesWhile on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.
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Hootby Carl Hiaasen · 304 pagesEverything changes when sees a strange boy wearing no shoes run passed his bus. Come with Roy, Beatrice, and the strange boy to save the owls from the evil Paula's Pancakes.
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The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spellby Chris Colfer · Land of Stories seriesFrustrated by all the happy goofy representations of fairy tales? (Note: Chris began the concept for this book in his late high school years, which were much earlier than the copyright date of 2012.) Well, so was Chris. So, he decided to mix them up a little. This book has several of the standard fairy tale characters, such as Red Riding Hood, the witch who liked to eat children (Hansel & Gretel), Snow White, the Frog Prince, and more. The thing is, the Frog Prince is in hiding; Red Riding Hood is a snippy warrior-type (bounty hunter, if I remember correctly) on a mighty steed, Snow White is p
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Amulet: The Stonekeeperby Kazu Kibuishi · Amulet series · 192 pagesThe first book in Kazu Kibuishi's #1 New York Times bestselling series that features a beautiful but dangerous world of new friends, giant robots, and shadowy enemies! After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather. The strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a tentacled creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into a fantastical world inhabited by robots, mysterious plants, and talking animals. It's up to Em and Navin to figure out ho
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Bookedby Kwame Alexander · 320 pagesBooked by Kwame Alexander. A recommended summer reading selection for grade 7.