2025 Great Books for 7th & 8th GradeLike this list

26 items

• Keeping Pace

  Morrison, Laurie,

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  After losing her top-class ranking to Jonah, Grace decides to compete against him in a Labor Day half-marathon to regain her sense of accomplishment. But as they train together, she learns valuable lessons about what really matters.

• The House on Yeet Street

  Norton, Preston, 1985-

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  Aidan tosses his notebook—a fantasy about him and his secret crush—into the Witch's House to get rid of it. So, his friends plan to break in to search for it and ghosts. But when they find a bloodied spirit begging for help, they’re plunged into a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Not If You Break Up With Me First

  Miller, G. F., 1977-

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  Eve and Andrew find themselves in an accidental relationship. Neither wants to be the one to end it, so they each come up with a plan to get the other to break up with them

• Bye Forever, I Guess

  Meadows, Jodi

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  Thirteen-year-old Ingrid’s been living a double life. At school, she is her popular friend Rachel’s charity case. Online, she crushes it in her favorite MMORPG, geeks out in her favorite fantasy fandom, and runs a popular social media account. If…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Paper Dragons

  the Fight for the Hidden Realm

  McDermott, Siobhan

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  More than anything, Zhi wants to become a Silhouette, a coveted apprenticeship to the Immortals. Though she wasn’t chosen this round, a dragon’s attack leads a scout to pick her as an unprecedented second candidate.

• Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice

  Lapera, Anna

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  Mani comes into her own as a women's rights activist, all while navigating puberty, the perils of middle school, and the mysterious dangers of her immigrant family's past in Guatemala.

• Code Name Kingfisher

  Kessler, Liz

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  Liv struggles with friendships and bullies in the modern day, while her grandmother Mila and aunt Hannie face harrowing challenges in Nazi-controlled Amsterdam during World War II. Together, they all discover the true meaning of bravery.

• The First State of Being

  Kelly, Erin Entrada

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  Michael, an anxious kid convinced Y2K will end the world, meets a boy who’s accidentally time-traveled back two centuries to 1999. 

• The Circuit

  Graphic Novel

  Rostan, Andrew,

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  An account of a family's journey from Mexico to the fields of California as seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for education and the right to call one place home.

• The Liars Society

  Gerber, Alyson

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  When Weatherby earns a scholarship to the prestigious Boston School, she’s excited to follow in the footsteps of her father, whom she’s never met, and make real friends. But with secrets of her own, will those secrets destroy her new life?

• Not Nothing

  Forman, Gayle

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  When troubled Alex is assigned to spend his summer volunteering at a senior living facility, he forms a unique bond with a Holocaust survivor and learns lessons that change the trajectory of his life.

• The Flicker

  Edgmon, H. E.

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  After the world ends, step-sisters Millie and Rose are left with their baby brother, dwindling food, and The Hive, a dangerous group stealing remaining resources. They must choose between traveling across the state to find Millie’s grandmother or…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Upstaged

  Easter, Robin,

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  Before they part ways for high school, best friends Ashton and Ivy want to make their last summer theater camp a memorable one.

• Breaking Into Sunlight

  Cochran, John, 1968-

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  Seventh-grader Reese struggles to cope with his dad's opioid addiction but finds solace in two new friends who are also dealing with issues beyond their control.

• Make a Little Wave

  Cerra, Kerry O'Malley,

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  Savannah learns that her friend Tanner's family restaurant serves shark fin soup, made from inhumanely killed sharks. She must learn to use her voice and face her fears to stop them from serving this soup.

• This Again?

  Borba, Adam

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  Noah has it all, but is fixated with being perfect. He meets an unexpected version of himself from nine days in the future, who claims they can achieve perfection if he follows his bizarre advice. Is Future Noah telling the truth, or is fate…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Something Maybe Magnificent

  Toalson, R. L. (Rachel L.),

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  Aspiring writer Victoria is grappling with her estranged father, her evolving views on womanhood, and unexpected feelings for the cute boy next door—while her mom’s new boyfriend complicates things further.

• Free Period

  Terese, Ali

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  Middle School pranksters Helen and Gracie join the Community Action club and fight for period equity

• Deep Water

  Sumner, Jamie

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  On a peaceful day, Tully and her best friend Arch set off to break the record for the youngest person to swim the 12.1-mile 'Godfather' swim across Lake Tahoe. Things take a turn when the two best friends discover they haven’t correctly predicted…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• It Watches in the Dark

  Strand, Jeff

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  The twins must get their injured father medical help in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone reception. Things take a darker turn when they seek help in a village where strange people worship a scarecrow in the town square.