North Allegheny Middle Schools
Reading Suggestions
Summer before 7th Grade

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.
Historical Fiction

Armstrong, Alan W.  Whittington.  Whittington, a feline descendant of Dick
Whittington's famous cat of English folklore, appears at a rundown  barnyard plagued by rats and restores harmony  while telling his  ancestor's story. Fantasy

Balliett, Blue.  The Wright 3.   In the midst of a series of  unexplained accidents and mysterious coincidences,  sixth-graders Calder, Petra, and Tommy  lead their classmates  in an attempt to keep Frank Lloyd Wright's  famous Robie House from being demolished. Mystery
 

Chen, Da.  Wandering Warrior.  Eleven-year-old Luka, destined to  become the
future emperor of China, is trained in the ways of the kung  fu wandering warriors by the wise monk Atami. Fantasy Adventure

Collins, Suzanne.  Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods.    Eleven-year-old Gregor and his younger sister, Boots, return to the Underworld  beneath New York City to find the cure for a terrible plague that threatens the life of their mother, as well as the lives of the people, bats, and rats who populate the underworld. Book 3 in the series.  Fantasy
 

Corder, Zizou.  Lionboy : the Truth.   Catspeaker Charlie Ashanti finds himself on a boat  to the Caribbean where he will be sold to the Corporacy, but  his parents and lion friends are in pursuit, and he is determined to outwit his captors.
Adventure

Creech, Sharon.  Heartbeat.   Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant. Realistic Fiction

Choldenko, Gennifer.  Al Capone Does My Shirts.  A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister. Historical Fiction

Enzensberger, Hans Magnus.  The Number Devil : A Mathematical Adventure.   Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and won't let him use a calculator, twelve-year-old Robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams. Mathematical Fantasy

 Feinstein, John.  Last Shot : A Final Four Mystery.   After   winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four  tournament, where they discover that a talented player is  being blackmailed into throwing the final game. Mystery

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Pictures of Hollis Woods.    A troublesome twelve-year-old  orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her. Realistic Fiction
 

Haddix, Margaret Peterson.  Double Identity.   Thirteen-year-old Bethany's
parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew  existed,
Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her  question everything she thought she knew about herself and  her family.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson.  Among the Hidden.   In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve  years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong. Science Fiction

Hale, Shannon.  Princess Academy.  While attending a strict    academy for potential princesses with the other girls from  her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers  unexpected talents and connections to her homeland. Fantasy

Hearne, Betsy Gould.  The Canine Connection : Stories About Dogs and
People.  Twelve short stories that reflect the varied ways  that dogs and humans relate.  Fiction

Choldenko, Gennifer.  Al Capone Does My Shirts.  A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister. Historical Fiction

Enzensberger, Hans Magnus.  The Number Devil : A Mathematical Adventure.   Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and won't let him use a calculator, twelve-year-old Robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams. Mathematical Fantasy

 Feinstein, John.  Last Shot : A Final Four Mystery.   After   winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four  tournament, where they discover that a talented player is  being blackmailed into throwing the final game. Mystery

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Pictures of Hollis Woods.    A troublesome twelve-year-old  orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her. Realistic Fiction

 Haddix, Margaret Peterson.  Double Identity.   Thirteen-year-old Bethany's
parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew  existed,
Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her  question everything she thought she knew about herself and  her family.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson.  Among the Hidden.   In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve  years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong. Science Fiction

Hale, Shannon.  Princess Academy.  While attending a strict   academy for potential princesses with the other girls from  her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers  unexpected talents and connections to her homeland. Fantasy

Hearne, Betsy Gould.  The Canine Connection : Stories About Dogs and
People.  Twelve short stories that reflect the varied ways  that dogs and humans relate.  Fiction

Hobbs, Will.  Wild Man Island.    After fourteen-year-old Andy slips away
from his kayaking group to visit the wilderness site of his archaeologist father's death, a storm strands him on  Admiralty Island, Alaska, where he manages to survive,  encounters unexpected animal and human inhabitants, and  looks for traces of the earliest prehistoric immigrants to America. Adventure
 

Hoobler, Dorothy.  The Demon in the Teahouse.  In eighteenth-century
Japan, fourteen-year-old Seikei, a merchant's son in training to be a samurai, helps his patron investigate a  series of murders and arson in the capital city of Edo, each of which is associated in some way with a popular geisha.
Historical Mystery

Horowitz, Anthony.  Ark Angel.    After recovering from a  near fatal gunshot wound, teenage spy Alex Rider embarks on a new mission to stop a group of eco-terrorists from  sabotaging the launch of the first outer space hotel. Book 6 in the Alex Rider series. Adventure

Kerr, Philip.  The Akhenaten Adventure.  Twelve-year-old twins John and  Philippa Gaunt discover that they are descended from a long   line of Djinn and embark upon a great journey to Egypt with their Uncle Nimrod in order to locate the lost tomb of the  Pharaoh Akhenaten. Fantasy

Lawrence, Caroline.  The Pirates of Pompeii.  At a refugee camp following
the eruption of  Mt. Vesuvius which buried Pompeii, Flavia and her  friends  discover that children are disappearing and a very powerful citizen might be involved.  Roman Mystery                   

Lekuton, Joseph.  Facing the Lion : Growing Up Maasai on the  African
Savanna.   A member of the Masai people describes his life as he grew up in a northern Kenya village, traveled to America to attend college, and became an elementary school teacher in Virginia. Autobiography

Lupica, Mike.  Travel Team.  After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very  same team that his father once led to national  prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at
victory. Sports

Mankell, Henning.  Secrets in the Fire.   A  fact-based novel that explores the experiences of Sofia, a  young girl from southern Africa who must struggle to rebuild  her life after losing her legs in a land mine explosion. Multicultural

Mass, Wendy.  A Mango-Shaped Space : A Novel.   Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color  with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the death of her beloved cat, Mango. Realistic Fiction

Myers,Walter Dean.  The Greatest : Muhammad Ali.  An illustrated biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali that addresses his politics, his fight against Parkinson's disease, and boxing's dangers. Biography

Peffer, Jessica.  DragonArt : How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy
Creatures.   A guide to drawing dragons and other  fantasy creatures that offers step-by-step instructions and  illustrations for drawing simple and more complex creatures for comics.  Nonfiction

Schlosser, Eric.  Chew On This : Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food.  A  look at fast food, what's in it, how it's made, and what it  does to
our bodies. Nonfiction

Twain, Mark.  The Prince and the Pauper.   By having a prince and the pauper  exchange places, gross inequities of society are exposed. Classic

Van Draanen, Wendelin.  Swear to Howdy.   Two  thirteen-year-old boys share neighborhood adventures, complaints about their older sisters, family secrets, and
even guilt that bind them together in a special friendship. Realistic Fiction

Zimmerman, William.  100 Things Guys Need to Know.   Presents the results         of a survey of over five hundred boys ages nine to thirteen to find out what they are thinking about themselves, their  bodies, family, school, relationships, and the future. Nonfiction

North Allegheny School District Libraries 2009