Novel for 7th Grader

[PatsGirl]

Hi Everyone. DD12 has to read an age-appropriate novel of her choice (160 min pages) and I told her I would come up with suggestions. She isn't interested in any of the ones I've come up with so I thought maybe you guys could help. She is a good reader and is currently reading New Moon (and was hoping to finish it before the movie but with this new assignment...). I'd like something less classic than of Mice and Men and that sort of thing, something she won't HAVE to read later. Any ideas?

 

[golfgal]

Why can't she just use New Moon?

Where the Red Fern Grows might be a good choice, classic but not stuffy.

 

[PatsGirl]

It can't be a book that she has already read, is currently reading or has seen the movie remake. Guess the teacher doesn't want 25 book reports on New Moon

 

[golfgal]

It can't be a book that she has already read, is currently reading or has seen the movie remake. Guess the teacher doesn't want 25 book reports on New Moon

OK, I guess that leaves out Where the Red Fern Grows too. So many books that appeal to kids at that age have been made into moves.

 

[lovemygoofy]

My friend's 7th grader really likes books by Shannon Hale. What about the Princess Diaries books? Are you wanting something in the classic series but not so classic? She is at a good age for Little Women also.

ETA: OOPS didn't see that last little bit about the movie stuff. That makes it a bit more difficult

 

[amid chaos]

Have her search on the Accelerated reader site..
http://www.arbookfind.com/

Have her plug in a favorite book on amazon and then check out the 'Customers also bought' section. She might find something there.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I don't know her tastes and reading level, but here are some random ideas...

The Phantom Tollbooth
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
To Kill A Mockingbird (if she hasn't seen the movie)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Bud, Not Buddy
One of the Narnia or Hobbit books that was not made into a movie
Witch of Blackbird Pond
Island of the Blue Dolphins
A Single Shard

 

[barkley]

dd is a voracious reader so i just checked her bookshelves-she realy like the books by meg cabot (she wrote 'princess diaries' but also has others like the 'airhead' series which dd has realy enjoyed).

i adored 'to kill a mockingbird' at that age.

'esperanza rising' by pam munoz ryan was very good (multiple award winner)-it's about a wealthy young girl in mexico whose life is shattered and she and her mother have to flee to the depression era labor camps of california.

'code talker' by joseph brughag is supposed to be great. it's about the navajo fluent marines who were used by the u.s. to send and receive coded messages during ww2.

dd LOVED 'of mice and men'-it got her to want to read other steinbeck books. she will still have it as a required book for english, but she figures having pre-read it will give her an advantage when the assignment comes up.

i enjoyed the 'anne of green gables' series at that age.

OMG- i just remembered, when i was in 7th grade the absolute MUST READ BOOK and it's still considered a must read (and reread and reread) by many kids that grade-'the outsiders' by s.e. hinton. it's a great read and the fact the author was 15 when she started it, 16 when it was published just makes it even more appealing to that age group.

 

[RitaE]

If she wants something more Contemporary I've read all these recently and thought they were pretty good.
-----
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Ma...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256128736&sr=8-1

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256128805&sr=1-1

Graceling - Kristin Cashore
http://www.amazon.com/Graceling-Kri...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256128863&sr=1-1

 

[golfgal]

dd is a voracious reader so i just checked her bookshelves-she realy like the books by meg cabot (she wrote 'princess diaries' but also has others like the 'airhead' series which dd has realy enjoyed).

i adored 'to kill a mockingbird' at that age.

'esperanza rising' by pam munoz ryan was very good (multiple award winner)-it's about a wealthy young girl in mexico whose life is shattered and she and her mother have to flee to the depression era labor camps of california.

'code talker' by joseph brughag is supposed to be great. it's about the navajo fluent marines who were used by the u.s. to send and receive coded messages during ww2.

dd LOVED 'of mice and men'-it got her to want to read other steinbeck books. she will still have it as a required book for english, but she figures having pre-read it will give her an advantage when the assignment comes up.

i enjoyed the 'anne of green gables' series at that age.

OMG- i just remembered, when i was in 7th grade the absolute MUST READ BOOK and it's still considered a must read (and reread and reread) by many kids that grade-'the outsiders' by s.e. hinton. it's a great read and the fact the author was 15 when she started it, 16 when it was published just makes it even more appealing to that age group.

Problem is that these have been made into movies.

 

[Bren's Mom]

I've got one! It was my absolute FAVORITE book at that age.

Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

 

[dawson5]

My neighbor's daughter was required to read Hatchet. She enjoyed it so much that she reread it a few times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatchet_(novel)

 

[HM]

Two of my favorites for boys or girls of that age:
Hatchet
My Side of the Mountain

Here's the book list of this year's Battle of the Books (6th-8th grade)
http://www.battleofthebooks.org/6-82010.html

 

[barkley]

Problem is that these have been made into movies.

as far as i know the meg cabots (airheads) have'nt nor has esperanza rising or code talker. the op said it can't be a movie her dd's seen and i don't know many 12 year olds that have seen 'island of the blue dolphin' (made in 1964 and i have'nt seen it aired on tv in at least 20 years), 'the outsiders' (hard to believe but it's almost 30 years old), 'to kill a mockingbird' (1962) or 'of mice and men' (the most recent was in '92).

i know they used to regularly re-run 'anne of green gables' on the pbs station but given that it was made almost 25 years ago i suspect she might not have seen it.

 

[mjkacmom]

My dd13 read Speak the summer before 7th grade, and it was probably her favorite book so far. I read it too, and coming from a book snob, it was a great read. It is about a teenaged girl who is raped, but it was very middle school age appropriate.

http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0374371520.asp

 

[paintnolish]

The Book Thief is just beautiful. It is about the friendship between a young German girl and a Jewish man and is written from the Death's POV. They are making it into a mvoie, but it won't be out for another year or so. To Kill a Mockingbird is good, but she will read that. What My Mother Doesn't Know is good. It is about a 15 year old girl falling in love with the "dork" and is written in verse, which makes it different. It is a very cute story.

 

[HM]

QUOTE: My dd13 read Speak the summer before 7th grade, and it was probably her favorite book so far. I read it too, and coming from a book snob, it was a great read. It is about a teenaged girl who is raped, but it was very middle school age appropriate.

"Speak" is a movie currently out on DVD starring Kristen Stewart (Bella from Twilight)....just so you know.

QUOTE: 'code talker' by joseph brughag is supposed to be great. it's about the navajo fluent marines who were used by the u.s. to send and receive coded messages during ww2.

And Codetalker was made into a movie starring Nicholas Cage. I'm not sure that it has the same title as the book, but I think so.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

My dd13 read Speak the summer before 7th grade, and it was probably her favorite book so far. I read it too, and coming from a book snob, it was a great read. It is about a teenaged girl who is raped, but it was very middle school age appropriate.

http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0374371520.asp

I was just coming here to recommend this one as well.

I read it and now DD12 is reading it. I really liked it!!! It was made into a movie, but not a well known or widely viewed movie.

I haven't read anything else by Halse Anderson, but I intend to and I am willing to bet those are good as well.

 

[worm761]

Does she like Disney as much as the rest of us? What about Kingdom Keepers? It is a good book and hasn't been made into a movie.

I would also suggest The Hobbit. It is a very good book. The movie is in production I think but won't be out until late 2011 or 2012. The others in the series, Lord of the Rings, have all been made into movies. The Hobbit is the prequel, sort of. But still an excellent book.

 

[Feralpeg]

Does she like fantasy? If so, she might like "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore. It is a new Young Adult book that is getting excellant reviews. I am about half way through it and I think it is very good.