Children's Books for Parents and Teachers - book reviews and suggestions for parents and teachers.
7th Grade (Age 12)

All books suitable for children in 7th grade.

51sz3Paq-jL
By: Jacqueline Davies
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Jessie and Evan Treski have waged a lemonade war, sought justice in a class trial, and even unmasked a bell thief. Now they are at opposite ends over the right to keep secrets. Evan believes some things (such as his poetry) are private. Jessie believes scandal makes good news. When anonymously sent candy hearts appear in Class 4-0, self-appointed ace reporter Jessie determines to get the scoop on class crushes.  

Order this book from AMAZON.com

try
By: Rob Buyea
Publisher: Yearling

It’s the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There’s . . . Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who’s having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school.

Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes …

Order this book from AMAZON.com

51DB38alL2L

Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested.
His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium–a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt’s first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster–except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt …

Order this book from AMAZON.com

51FHBb8ksoL
By: Martin W. Sandler
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)

In 1897, whaling in the Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast was as dangerous as it was lucrative. And in that particular year, winter blasted early, bringing storms and ice packs that caught eight American whale ships and three hundred sailors off guard. Their ships locked in ice, with no means of escape, the whalers had limited provisions on board, and little hope of surviving until warmer temperatures arrived many months later. Here is the incredible story of three men sent by President McKinley to rescue them. The mission? A perilous …

Order this book from AMAZON.com

One for the Murphys
By: Lynda Hunt
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

A moving debut novel about a foster child learning to open her heart to a family’s love. Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she’s blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong–until her mother wants her back …

Order this book from AMAZON.com

Liar & Spy
By: Rebecca Stead
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father’s efforts to start a new business, his mother’s extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his help spying on another …

Order this book from AMAZON.com

Almost Home
By: Joan Bauer
Publisher: Viking Childrens Books

When twelve-year-old Sugar’s grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off yet again, Sugar and her mother lose their home in Missouri. They head to Chicago for a fresh start, only to discover that fresh starts aren’t so easy to come by for the homeless. Nevertheless, Sugar’s mother has taught her to be grateful no matter what, so Sugar does her best. With the help of a rescue dog, Shush; a foster family; a supportive teacher; a love of poetry; and her own grace and good humor, Sugar comes to …

Order this book from AMAZON.com

Revolver
By: Marcus Sedgwick
Publisher: Roaring Brook

Marcus Sedgwick. He looked past the man, hoping to see Anna and Nadya there, putting the dogs away, having brought help. But his sister and stepmother were nowhere in sight. The man leaned forward, looking past Sig into the cabin.

Order this book from AMAZON.com

Malice
By: Chris Wooding
Publisher: Scholastic Incorporated

Fans Luke, Seth, and Kady have read all about the sinister world in which the villainous Tall Jake resides, but they learn more about it than they ever wanted when they are suddenly pulled into the pages of their comic book.

Order this book from AMAZON.com

102986792
By: Elizabeth George Speare
Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed a …

Order this book from AMAZON.com