7th Grade Reading List -- Choice

This summer, 7th graders have been assigned to read two books. One is a book of their choice. That means they can read anything they want. Anything! Maybe it’s the new Sarah Dessen book, The Moon and More or the next installment in the Theodore Boone series written by John Grisham.

The other book must have the theme: CHOICE. Confused? Most of the parents and soon-to-be 7th graders we’ve helped in the last few days are very confused. Students are taught early about the different genres:  fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, and humor, but selecting a book based on its theme is a bit more challenging.  We don’t have a sticker to put on the spine that identifies the theme.
But, never fear! Your librarians at the public library can help.

The theme CHOICE is when the main character is forced to make a decision -- a choice -- that will change him in some way.

Let’s look at Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. Set in 1967 during the Vietnam War, seventeen-year-old Richie Perry is uncertain about his future, so he chooses to enlist in

the Army. Richie has some unrealistic ideas about war which are challenged when he witnesses firsthand the brutality and senseless loss of life during his year-long stay in Vietnam. Richie made a choice to enlist and throughout the book he must deal with his decision and we, the reader, sees how it will forever change him.

Other books would be:
Peeled by Joan Bauer. In an upstate New York farming community, high school reporter Hildy Biddle investigates a series of strange occurrences at a house rumored to be haunted. But when the school principal forces the newspaper to suspend operation, Hildy and the other student reports find a way to publish the truth.

Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard. “When his girlfriend decides to give their baby away, seventeen-year-old Sam is determined to keep him and raise him alone.”

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. “In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.”

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larsen. After inheriting her uncle's homesteading claim in Montana, sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa in 1917 to make a home for herself and encounters some unexpected problems related to the war being fought in Europe.The Library is very happy to recommend other books where the character, faced with a tough decision, must make a life-changing choice.