20 Read Aloud Books for 7th and 8th Grade

Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus
HISTORICAL FICTION
Set in New York City, this is a marvelous historical fiction story about family, community, and survival. Dory’s pop leaves to fight in World War II, assuring Dory and her younger and older brother that the neighborhood will give them what they need. And that’s true–at first, even though they miss their pops. When their new landlord realizes they are living without an adult, he calls social services on them. Refusing to be separated from her siblings, Dory finds a perfect new home– a secret hotel accessible only by dumb waiter, right about their favorite restaurant. A masterpiece of storytelling.

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Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef
FANTASY
This brilliant book mesmerized me from the first page with layered storytelling, plot twists, and surprises. Marjan’s alone and the owner of her dad’s veterinary practice since he died, even though she’s only a sophomore in high school. When asked to help a sick gryffin, she’s shocked to discover her father’s secret job as a mythical creature vet. She tries to unravel the lies and secrets in her father’s life, including if he was murdered, but the world of magical creatures is confusing and filled with trickery. Marjan isn’t sure if she can trust her instincts about right and wrong…and she feels like she’s missing part of herself. Woven within the narrative story are her father’s Iranian folktales about mythical creatures. Worth every page!

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Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt
REALISTIC
Joseph is an abused boy with a violent father, a parent at age thirteen, and is now living as a foster kid with Jack’s family on their organic farm. As he learns to trust them, we slowly learn about Joseph’s deep love for a rich girl named Maddie, his daughter named Jupiter who he’s never seen, and his shattering heartbreak. This is an amazing story– painful yet filled with redemption and hope — beautifully written and one that will give middle school readers so much to ponder.

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Allies by Alan Gratz
HISTORICAL FICTION / WWII
Written from many different voices about one day in history, readers easily can see the massive amount of cooperation, planning, and troops from different countries involved in D-Day (when the Allies invaded France at Normandy.) We hear from an American teenage soldier who was born in Germany, a French Algerian girl whose mom is a recently captured spy,  a Canadian paratrooper who lands in the wrong spot, and an American black medic. It’s violent and disheartening yet despite terrible losses, racism, and injuries, the fighters persist despite everything to accomplish their goal — to take back the area for the Allies.

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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay
MAGICAL REALISM
Worth reading and rereading because there are layers of meaning, skillful writing, and a haunting truthtelling that resonates with us all. Ever since Conor’s mom got breast cancer, a wild, ancient tree monster visits Conor’s nightmares. The monster demands that Conor admit the truth about his mother, but Conor refuses. In the awake world, Conor moves in with his cold, unfriendly grandmother. The metaphorical nightmare echoes Conor’s real-world experiences as we journey with him into pain, loss, and eventually, healing. Astonishing and powerful, this is one of the best books I’ve EVER read.

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Rain Rising by Courtne Comrie 
REALISTIC
RAIN RISING is a multilayered story about mental health, racism, family, friendship, and self-love — with a main character that you’ll cheer on through her complicated growing-up journey. Rain’s older brother Xander gets brutally attacked and barely speaks anymore. Rain can barely cope. In an after-school group, she starts to make new friends, and she slowly finds her way back to health through therapy and group support. Intense and heartbreaking and heart-putting back together, This good book for 7th graders is important, beautiful, and hard to put down.

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The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett
REALISTIC
(For this book review, I’m not going to tell you too much about the story– because it would spoil your reading experience.) Kemi adores her close-knit family, her African American artist mom, her baby sister, a baby sibling on the way, and most of all, her beloved Nigerian dad. When an asteroid threatens everyone on Earth with imminent death, Kemi and her family leave for her cousins’ house, where she starts a time capsule. The exceptional storytelling is emotional (I cried SO MUCH) and important with themes of family, racism, and values. A must-read, must-experience-for-yourself-kind-of book.

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Lockwood & Co The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
GHOST ADVENTURE
Dangerous ghosts and spirits are appearing everywhere in London, but only certain kids can see them. Teens Lucy, Anthony, and George badly need money for their ghost-hunting agency, Lockwood & Co., so they take a perilous job that, if the ghosts have their way, may just be their last. It’s also a book made into a Netflix show! BOXED SET.

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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
REALISTIC / VERSE
Written in verse, this powerful story takes place in 60 seconds. 15-year-old Will is about to get revenge for his brother’s murder. But so much can be revealed and can happen in 60 seconds…Will he murder someone or listen to the secrets he doesn’t know about his brother?

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Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
SCI-FI
I love this unique world with its plot twists and turns. Epics are super-powerful, evil god-like creatures who control the world’s cities. Because David’s father was killed by Chicago’s Epic named Steelheart, David wants revenge. He joins the rebel group, the Reckoners, to learn how to assassinate Steelheart– a next to impossible feat for a regular human like him. This is a page-turning, mesmerizing YA book series. Boxed Set HERE.

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96 Miles by J.L. Esplin
SURVIVAL
“Dad always said if things get desperate, it’s okay to drink the water in the toilet bowl.” Isn’t this a great first sentence? An apocalyptic event has happened, there’s no electricity, the brothers are alone, and all their dad and their survival supplies are stolen at gunpoint. Now John and Stewart are on the road trying to get to a friend’s ranch for their supplies. It’s not going well–they’ve picked up a girl and her little brother, not to mention Stewart is nonstop fighting with John. If you like survival stories, sibling stories, and adventure, this is a great choice.

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Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
FANTASY
In this society, you are sorted as Wanted, Necessary, and Unwanted. Alex is an Unwanted and is sent to die. But instead of death, Alex is rescued by a magician who has created a secret, magical haven for the Unwanteds where they live and train to use their magic skills. I love the creative magical characters in this world, like Alex’s art teacher — an octagator! Here’s the problem — Alex is a twin whose brother is a Wanted. Alex risks the safety of his new home to see his twin in the old world. His actions reveal the secret world and war breaks out.

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The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks
MYSTERY / ADVENTURE
Written like an adult suspense novel, this is one of the best edge-of-your-seat mystery books for middle grade that I’ve ever read. The author jumps around, showing various incidents and people. You’ll have no idea what is going on or what will happen next. A boy with no memory is found at the National Gallery staring at a Degas sculpture. Strangely, this boy does know a great deal about art and artists. Soon we learn he’s being hunted by a team of professional bad guys. The boy, Art, and his foster sister escape from several kidnapping attempts and begin to unravel who he is and what’s going on.

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Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
REALISTIC / VERSE
Written in verse with precise text, this is an important book to bring awareness to CTE as well as show families in grief. ZJ’s professional football player dad is changing. He’s stopped playing, gets terrible headaches, surprising anger outbursts, and forgets ZJ’s name. ZJ contrasts this with memories of his dad before the ever after; the before dad who played with ZJ, made him breakfast, and treated his friends like family. Now, there are a lot of doctor’s appointments and not much hope. It’s real, raw, and profoundly sad to watch ZJ slowly lose the dad he once knew. 

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Violets Are Blue by Barbara Dee 
REALISTIC / DIVORCE / ADDICTION
Wren’s mom is skipping work, sleeping more, and not eating. Despite her mom’s strange behavior, Wren finds purpose in doing special FX makeup. At school, her new friends convince her to do the makeup for the school musical, Wicked. Then, her mom’s situation reaches a breaking point and Wren discovers the secret her mom’s been keeping — she has an opioid addiction. As usual, Dee writes about difficult topics, in this case, addiction and divorce, in a compelling, relatable story with complex, sympathetic characters, and an interesting plot.

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Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant
If you want a new favorite warm-hearted adventure with brave kids, dogs, and a happy ending, you don’t want to miss this captivating and beautiful story. The war has made Ben an orphan –again. All that he has left are his dog and his dad’s boat, the Sparrowhawk. When a policeman gets suspicious of Ben’s living situation and his new friend, Lotti’s abusive guardians try to kill her rescue dog, the two friends set off on the boat for France to find Ben’s missing older brother. The boat isn’t meant for a channel crossing but the two kids are determined to make it work…but it won’t be easy. Nor will it be easy to find Ben’s missing brother in a country decimated by war.

Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen
This is a compelling, disturbing, and hopeful childhood story of hardship and survival with moments of kindness and time in nature that sustain the neglected, determined young boy. I highly recommend this book for 7th grader book clubs and 12-year-olds who like survival stories.

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
After facing relentless bullying, middle schooler Jake’s mean Voice is the loudest thing he hears. Soon, Jake trusts the Voice and listens to it when it tells him he needs to be thinner, he shouldn’t eat, he shouldn’t trust anyone, and nobody loves him. His anorexia gets so bad that he’s hospitalized for weeks and months. And it isn’t an easy fix because the VOICE won’t stop pushing Jake to starve himself. Jake doesn’t find an easy answer or a quick fix, but he does find a glimmer of hope that things could be different. Written in verse, this powerful story will hook you and stay with you.

Taking Up Space by Alyson Gerber
REALISTIC / BODY DYSMORPHIA & DISORDERED EATING
Sarah’s mom’s dysfunctional relationship with food is affecting Sarah– who now thinks that her slowness in basketball is related to eating too much or too many “unhealthy” foods, instead of being from the normal growing pains of puberty. She’s confused, starving herself, and stressed out. Finally, a friend pushes Sarah to get help…and, help is just what Sarah needs to understand the truth about her body, what health truly is, and how her mom’s disordered eating has affected her.

Night Raven: The Moonwind Mysteries written by Johan Rundberg, translated by A.A. Prime
HISTORICAL MYSTERY
181 pages
An excellent, page-turning mystery set in 1880s Sweden about an orphan girl named Mika whose survival skills include an eye for detail, connections, and deductions! After an abandoned baby is dropped into her arms in the middle of the night, a police detective recruits her to assist him in identifying a dead body and then investigating a prison cell — all in pursuit of a copycat serial killer. But Mika realizes it’s not a copycat. In a dangerous game of cat and mouse, she and the detective need to avoid the corrupt prison officials and the serial killer. This observant heroine is my favorite kind — resourceful, aspirational, and interesting.