7th Grade Summer Reading
Coming of Age
Over the course of the summer, you are required to read two novels, The
Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and a novel of your choice from the list below. You may
not choose a book you have already read. Complete the attached written
assignment for each novel. ALL SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women
Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young women in
nineteenthcenturyNew England.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever 1793
In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns
about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow
fever epidemic.
Blackwood, Gary. Shakespeare’s Scribe
In plague-ridden 1602 England, a fifteen-year-old orphan boy, who has become an apprentice
actor, goes on the road with Shakespeare's troupe, and finds out more about his parents along
the way.
Blume, Judy. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Faced with the difficulties of growing up and choosing a religion, a twelve-year-old girl talks
over her problems with her own private God.
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street
A series of vignettes about Esperanza, a pre-teen girl growing up in a latino neighborhood in
Chicago.
Connor, Leslie. Waiting for Normal
Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated
from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small
trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War
A young high school student refuses to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and learns
about intimidation and peer pressure first hand.
Divakarum, Chitra Banerjee. The Conch Bearer
In India, a healer invites twelve-year-old Anand to join him on a quest to return a magical conch
to its safe and rightful home, high in the Himalayan mountains.
Farley, Walter. The Black Stallion
Pulled to a desert island by a wild black stallion he has freed during a shipwreck at sea, then
rescued by a southbound freighter, a seventeen-year-old boy befriends the horse, trains him by
night, and rides him to victory in a match race.
Fusco, Kimberly Newton. The Wonder of Charlie Anne
In a 1930s Massachusetts farm town torn by the Depression, racial tension, and other
hardships, Charlie Anne and her black next-door neighbor Phoebe form a friendship that begins
to transform their community.
Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust
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.
Hinton, S. E. Tex
The love between two teenage brothers helps to alleviate the harshness of their usually
parentless life as they struggle to grow up.
Kelly, Jacqueline. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is instructed to be a lady by her
mother, learns about love from the older three of her six brothers, and studies the natural
world with her grandfather.
Le Guin, Ursula. Voices
Young Memer takes on a pivotal role in freeing her war-torn homeland from its oppressive
captors.
Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables
When Marilla Cuthbert's brother returns home to Green Gables with a chatty redheaded
orphan girl, Marilla exclaims, "But we asked for a boy. We have no use for a girl." It's not long
before the Cuthberts can't imagine how they could ever do without Anne of Green Gables.
Park, Linda Sue. A Long Walk to Water
When 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.
Peck, Robert Newton. A Day No Pigs Would Die
To a thirteen-year-old Vermont farm boy whose father slaughters pigs for a living, maturity
comes early as he learns "doing what's got to be done," especially regarding his pet pig who
cannot produce a litter.
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Yearling
A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has
lovingly raised as a pet.
Smith, Betty. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Turn-of-the-century story about a girl struggling to grow amidst poverty.
Smith, Roland. Peak
A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.
7th Grade Summer Reading Assignment
Coming of Age
Who is coming of age in the novel? How? What is happening to them which is
helping/forcing them to mature, and how are they showing maturity? Give at
least three examples of how this character is maturing. Use quotes from the
novel to back up your ideas (MLA citation).
Please complete the following writing assignment for each of the novels you read
over the summer. Your response should be typed, double spaced (12 font, Times
New Roman).
ALL SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.