Reading list suggestions for students entering 7th grade Good Night, Maman by Norma Fox Mazer. After spending years fleeing from the Nazis in war-torn Europe, twelve-year-old Karin Levi and her older brother Marc find a new home in a refugee camp in Oswego, New York. Historical fiction. Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale. Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon, having learned he is a Traveler--someone who can ride "flumes" through time and space, is soon off to the alternative dimension of Denduron where he teams up with Loor, a girl his age from the warrior-territory of Zadaa, in an attempt to the gentle Milago people from slavery. Science fiction. Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson. Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of the yellow fever epidemic. in Philadelphia in 1793. Historical fiction. Beastly by Alexandra Flinn. A modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form. Fantasy. The Gadget by Paul Zindel. In 1945, having joined his father at Los Alamos, where he and other scientists are working on a secret project to end World War II, thirteen-year-old Stephen becomes caught in a web of secrecy and intrigue. Historical fiction. Babe and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman. With their ability to travel through time using vintage baseball cards, Joe and his father have the opportunity to find out whether Babe Ruth really did call his shot when he the home in the 1932 . Sports fiction. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. During the recession of 1937, fifteen-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty, larger-than-life grandmother in rural Illinois and comes to a better understanding of this fearsome woman. Historical fiction. Iron Thunder: The Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac by Avi. Thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll takes his place as head of the family after his father dies fighting for the Union; but his job at the local ironworks, where he helps build an iron ship for the Union army, and his loyalty come into question when he is approached by Confederate spies to sell secrets about the ship to the South. Historical fiction.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for "bad kids," find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself. Fantasy. First book of the Heroes of Olympus series. 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. Realistic fiction. If the Witness Lied by Caroline Cooney. After their family is torn apart by tragedies and the publicity that they brought, siblings Smithy, Jack, and Madison try to pull together and protect their brother from further media exploitation and a much more sinister threat. Realistic fiction. City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. In the city of Ember, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions. Fantasy. My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald. When the family's drugstore is failing, seventh-grader Lucy uses her problem solving talents to come up with a solution that might resuscitate the business, along with helping the environment. Realistic fiction. Matched by Ally Condie. The Society has made all her choices for her -- what to read, what to watch, what to believe -- so Cassia is not sure what to think when at her matching ceremony a second face appears for a split second on the screen. Confused and disoriented, Cassia can't decide whether to spend the rest of her life with Xander as Society dictates or acknowledge her love for Ky, which will lead to a path no one else has dared to go. Science fiction. First book in the Matched trilogy. Hoggee by Anna Myers. Always overshadowed by his competitive older brother, especially in their work as mule drivers on the Erie Canal, fourteen-year-old Howard finally finds the courage to pursue his dreams of becoming an educator after he learns about sign language and teaches it to his deaf friend in nineteenth-century New York State. Historical fiction. Eragon by Paolini. In 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. First book of the Inheritance series. Fantasy.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel, a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors. Historical fiction. Printz Honor book. Dragon’s Gate by Laurence Yep. When he accidentally kills a Manchu, a fifteen-year-old Chinese boy is sent to America to join his father, an uncle, and other Chinese working to build a tunnel for the transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1867. Historical fiction. Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata.- A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing German shepherd. Historical fiction. Petey by Ben Mickaelsen. In 1922 Petey, who has cerebral palsy, is misdiagnosed as an idiot and institutionalized; sixty years later, still in the institution, he befriends a boy and shares with him the joy of life. Realistic fiction. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. When one of their tightly-knit group mysteriously disappears, four high school girls find their friendship difficult to maintain when they begin receiving taunting messages from someone who seems to know everything about their past and present secrets. First book in the Pretty Little Liars series. Mystery. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Bartoletti. Novel based on the true story of a Hitler Youth. In October 1942, seventeen- year-old Helmuth Hubener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people. Historical fiction. Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series by John Feinstein. While covering baseball's World Series, teenage sports reporters Stevie and Susan Carol investigate a rookie whose evasive answers during an interview reveal more than a few contradictions in his life story. Sports fiction. The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape. Science fiction.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear when a meteor knocks the moon closer to earth causing natural disasters. How will she and her family survive? First book in The Last Survivors series. Science fiction. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry. Peter, an orphan boy, and his friend Molly fight off thieves and pirates in order to keep the secret safe away from the diabolical Black Stache and his evil associate Mister Grin. Fantasy. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. In an alternate 1914 Europe, 15 year old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically engineered beasts. Science fiction. 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. Historical fiction. Free Baseball by Sue Corbett. Eleven-year-old Felix becomes a bat boy for a minor league baseball team, hoping to someday be like his father, a famous Cuban outfielder. Realistic fiction. Give Me Liberty by Laura Elliott. Thirteen-year-old Nathaniel Dunn becomes a servant to a Williamsburg carriage maker and is introduced to a world of music and books; but when the colonists rise up against British oppression, Nathaniel must make a choice. Historical fiction. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson. Comprehensively examines the assassination of Abraham Lincoln using rare archival material, manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters. Discusses the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth and provides a day-by-day account of the chase to find Booth and his accomplices. Non-fiction. D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths by Ingri D’Aulaire. Mighty Zeus, with his fistful of thunderbolts, Athena, goddess of wisdom, Helios the sun, greedy King Midas--here are gods, goddesses, and legendary figures of ancient Greece brought to life in the myths that have inspired great literature and art throughout the ages. Non-fiction. The Great Fire by Jim Murphy. Photographs and text, along with personal accounts of actual survivors tell the story of the great fire of 1871 in Chicago. Non-fiction. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy. Describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took in , relating the epidemic to the major social and political events of the day and to 18th-century medical beliefs and practices. Non-fiction.

Reading Websites:  Summer Reading at New York Libraries, Teen Website at http://www.summerreadingnys.org/teens/teens-booklists/  ALA ALSC (American Library Association Association for Library Service to Children) at http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia includes links to:  Belpre Medal  Newbery Medal  Wilder Medal And more...  YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Book Awards and Book Media Lists at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/bookawards/booklists/members includes links to:  Best of the Best  Best Fiction for Young Adults  Great Graphic Novels for Teens  Nonfiction for Young Adults Award  Michael L. Printz Award  Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers  Teens’ Top Ten And more...  Teen Three Apples Book Winners (New York State) http://www.3applesbookaward.org/teens/index.cfm

Ever wonder what’s next in a series? Try the KDL What’s Next website at http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/whatsnext.asp