Summer Reading

June 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians of Incoming Seventh Graders:

While your children are beginning what is sure to be a wonderful summer vacation, we also want to make sure that our students are able to maintain all of the reading and thinking skills that they have strengthened during this school year. The best way to maintain these gains is through consistent, engaged reading. We also know that you want to help prepare them for a successful start to the next academic year. Since reading is the foundation of all learning, we feel that it is essential for students to spend some time reading this summer. Therefore, to do our best to maintain reading stamina and foundational reading gains and strengths, we are requiring all incoming seventh graders to read at least one book from the attached list.

Although all of the books are worth considering, please make sure your child reads at least one. This MUST be a book that your child has not previously read. It is a good idea to take some notes while reading because students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the book upon returning to school in September.

Books may be found at area bookstores, the public library, e-books using Sora and Learning Ally, or at Amazon.com. This letter and the summer reading lists may also be viewed on the OPMS library web page.

We hope you enjoy a safe, peaceful, and relaxing summer.

The OPMS English Department

Orchard Park Middle School - Summer Reading List – 2025-2026
    Students Entering Grade 7

Please note the following abbreviations:
[RR] – recommended for reluctant readers
[M] - for mature readers; may contain mature themes, or may include occasional use of questionable language.
GRL: Guided Reading Level (Fountas & Pinnell) indicates text complexity A-Z

Adventure

Bailey, Linda.   Seven Dead Pirates - Lexile: n/a GRL: n/a
After his Great-Granddad dies, "terminally shy" Lewis Dearborn and his parents move into his dilapidated seaside mansion, where Lewis claims as his bedroom a cool tower overlooking the Atlantic. It isn't long before the ghosts of seven pirates, who had been living in that same room, make themselves known to Lewis. They want his help to retake their ancient ship, now restored in a museum. If he does, Lewis will get the room all to himself.

Bradford, Chris. Recruit (Bodyguard, Book 1) - Lexile: 830 Lexile GRL: n/a
As the son of a British bodyguard who sacrificed his life in the line of duty, teenage kickboxing champion Connor Reeves is proud to join the ranks of a top-secret young bodyguard squad, but his first assignment, to guard the First Daughter, may test his limits.

Bowling, Dusti. Across the Desert - Lexile: n/a Lexile GRL: n/a
Travel enthusiast Jolene uses the library computers to watch the livestream adventures of another twelve-year-old, Addie Earhart, who explores the Arizona deserts in an ultralight plane as "The Desert Aviator." While watching her livestream one day, Jolene sees Addie crash-land her plane and decides to use her knowledge of map making and desert topography to find her.

Gratz, Alan. Code of Honor - Lexile: 660 Lexile GRL: Z
Acclaimed author Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087) takes readers on a heart-pounding, nonstop adventure through underground intelligence bunkers and dangerous terrorist cells, weaving a gripping tale about the War on Terror—and the bond between brothers.

Wallace, Brandon.  Wilder Boys   - Lexile:750 GRL: n/a
After their father disappears, Jake and Taylor Wilder begin taking care of themselves, as their mother is too busy juggling them and her boyfriend, Bull. Jake and Taylor like spending time outdoors, especially with their dog, Cody. One night they discover a dangerous secret about Bull, one that hurts their mother. With nowhere else to go, Jake, Taylor, and Cody head out into the wilderness to search for their father.

Fantasy

Haydu, Corey Ann. The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple and Dorothy - Lexile: n/a GRL: n/a
The modern-day descendants of Greek gods, nymphs, and muses must visit Mount Olympus each winter solstice to take a bite of a golden apple and guarantee their immortality for another year. But the long-standing tradition is upended when Dorothy's mother decides to stay below, and she dies a human death shortly after. As a result, the gods decide that everyone must choose on the next winter solstice: either join them on Olympus or remain mortals on Earth.

Oh, Ellen. Spirit Hunters - Lexile: 680 GRL: n/a
A riveting ghost story and captivating adventure, this tale will have you guessing at every turn!
Harper doesn’t trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors are that the Raine family’s new house is haunted. Harper isn’t sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely.

Park, Linda Sue.  Forest of Wonders (Wing & Claw, Book 1) - Lexile: 700 GRL: W
When Raffa makes a cure from a rare crimson vine he finds deep in the forbidden forest, the bat he saves transforms into something much more.

Townsend, Jessica. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Lexile: 790 GRA: X
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests--or she'll have to leave Nevermoor for good.

Historical Fiction

Anderson, Laurie Halse.  Fever, 1793 - Lexile: 580 GRL: Z
It is August, 1793, and in Philadelphia, the capital of the new United States, fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook wants to turn the family coffeehouse into the finest business in the city. Meanwhile, fever is spreading quickly from the docks and into the city’s neighborhoods.  Suddenly, Mattie’s struggle to build a better life becomes a struggle to stay alive!

Choldenko, Gennifer.  Al Capone Does My Shirts - Lexile: 600 GRL: X
In 1935, twelve-year-old Moose and his family move to Alcatraz Island, where his father has taken a job as an electrician for the prison in hopes of sending Moose's autistic sister, Natalie, to a special school in San Fransisco. Moose befriends the warden's daughter, Piper, who persuades Moose to join her in a scheme to swindle their classmates: "Get your clothes laundered by Al Capone only 5 cents."

Gratz, Alan. The Brooklyn Nine - Lexile: 840 GRL: X
Follows the fortunes of a German immigrant family through nine generations, beginning in 1845, as they experience American life and play baseball.

Hayles, Marsha.  Breathing Room - Lexile: 800 GRL: W
In 1940, thirteen-year-old Evvy Hoffmeister and her newfound friends struggle to get well at Loon Lake Sanatorium, where they are being treated for tuberculosis.

Yang, Kelly.  New From Here.  - Lexile: 630 GRL: n/a

**Also appears in Realistic Fiction**
Eleven-year-old Knox Wei-Evans lives in Hong Kong with his parents, two siblings, and the family dog. When the coronavirus shuts down the city of Wuhan, China, the family decides that Knox, his siblings, and his mother should move to California to escape the coming onslaught of restrictions while his father stays behind. He arrives thinking life will be better, but soon Knox faces racism at school, school shutdowns, and financial tension when his mother loses her job.

Mystery

Delany, Rachelle.  Clara Voyant - Lexile: n/a GRL: n/a
Clara can't believe her no-nonsense grandmother has just up and moved to Florida, leaving Clara and her mother on their own for the first time. When a mystery unfolds at school, she finds herself in a strange situation: having an opportunity to prove herself as an investigative journalist . . . with the help of her mystical powers.

Frederick, Heather Vogel. Absolutely Truly - Lexile: 790 GRL: V
Unusually tall twelve-year-old Truly Lovejoy moves with her family to the tiny town of Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire, and uncovers a mysterious letter in an old book at her family’s bookstore that leads her and her friends on a dangerous treasure hunt around town.

Schusterman, Neal. The Shadow Club - [RR] Lexile: 760 GRL: S
When a middle school boy and his friends decide to form a club of “second-bests” and play anonymous tricks on each other’s archrivals, the harmless pranks escalate until they become life-threatening. 

Realistic Fiction

Arango, Andrea Beatriz.  Something Like Home - Lexile: n/a GRL: n/a
Laura Rodríguez Colón has a plan: no matter what the grown-ups say, she will live with her parents again. Can you blame her? It’s tough to make friends as the new kid at school. So when Laura finds a puppy, it seems like fate. If she can train the puppy to become a therapy dog, then maybe she’ll be allowed to visit her parents.

Carr, Cathy.  365 Days to Alaska - Lexile: n/a GRL: U
Eleven-year-old Rigel Harman's life changed forever when her parents got divorced. She's grown up in the Alaskan wilderness, and now she has to move to the suburbs of Connecticut with her mother. Her father promises her that if she can stick it out for a year, she can go back to Alaska. But surviving middle school proves to be harder than living off the grid.

Choldenko, Gennifer.  Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman - Lexile: n/a GRL: X
When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact.

Connor, Leslie.  Waiting for Normal - Lexile: 570 GRL: X
Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother’s erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.

Fipps, Lisa. Starfish - Lexile: n/a  GRL: W
Ellie, a plus-size teenager, has been bullied and fat-shamed for her weight since she was five years old. As a result, she's developed rules for public behavior to avoid embarrassment, such as, walking slowly to avoid jiggling and not eating in public. The one place Ellie truly feels at home is in her swimming pool where she feels weightless and can spread out as far as she wants. With the help of her supportive therapist and father, Ellie grows tired of feeling shame and endeavors to live unapologetically.

Gemeinhart, Dan.  The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise  - Lexile: 730 GRL: W
Five years. That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, crisscrossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after."

Johnson, Varian. Playing the Cards You’re Dealt - Lexile: n/a  GRL: n/a
Ten-year-old Anthony "Ant" Joplin is now old enough to participate in the Oak Grove annual spades tournament, a tradition in his South Carolina family. Ant is feeling the pressure to get better and some day win the tournament to make his father and brothers proud of him. It also wouldn't hurt to stick it to those who are constantly teasing him about his height--or lack thereof.

Korman, Gordon. The Fort - Lexile: n/a  GRL: W
In the aftermath of Hurricane Leo, five friends discover a strange trapdoor in the middle of the woods, one that leads to an old bomb shelter. Inside, they find a completely intact underground lair with electricity, food, and even a TV. The boys claim it as their own secret clubhouse, but when the shelter becomes a place for one of the boys to escape his abusive stepfather, the friends are faced with an impossible decision.

Korman, Gordon. Schooled - [RR] Lexile: 740 GRL: V
Capricorn Anderson lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie. When she falls from a tree and breaks her hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a public school.

Mass, Wendy. Every Soul a Star - Lexile: 740 GRL: U
Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, to watch a total eclipse of the sun. Soon they begin to learn a great deal about themselves, each other, and the universe.

McAnulty, Stacy. Millionaires for a Month - Lexile: 570 GRL: W
Seventh graders Benji and Felix learn life lessons about money after they "borrow" twenty dollars from a wallet they find while on a field trip, as the billionaire owner challenges them to spend over five million dollars in thirty days.

McAnulty, Stacy. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl - Lexile: 530 GRL: W
A lightning strike made twelve-year-old Lucy a math genius, but after years of homeschooling, her grandmother enrolls her in middle school, and she learns that life is more than numbers.

Saeed, Aisha Amal Unbound - Lexile: 600 GRL: n/a
Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when--as the eldest daughter--she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Then the unimaginable happens--after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt.

Sloan, Holly Goldberg. Counting by 7’s - Lexile: 770 GRL: X
Twelve-year-old genius and outsider Willow Chance must figure out how to connect with other people and find a surrogate family for herself after her parents are killed in a car accident.

Sloan, Holly Goldberg. The Elephant in the Room - Lexile: n/a GRL: V
Missing her mother who has returned to Turkey to resolve an immigration problem, sixth-grader Sila welcomes a very large distraction in her life when she helps a surprising new friend rescue a circus elephant.

Sloan, Holly Goldberg and Meg Wolitzer. To Night Owl From Dogfish - Lexile: 770 GRL: n/a
Unhappy about being sent to the same summer camp after their fathers start dating, Bett and Avery, eleven, eventually begin scheming to get the couple back together after a break-up. Told entirely through emails.

Stokes, Paula. This is How it Happened - Lexile: n/a GRL: n/a
After waking up from a coma, Genevieve Grace can't remember the car crash that killed her boyfriend Dallas, a YouTuber turned teen music idol. Genevieve knows she was driving, but because of what's been reported in the media, everyone assumes the other driver, Brad Freeman, is guilty. As she slowly pieces together the night of the accident, Genevieve is hit with a sickening sense of dread--what if she's the one at fault?

Weeks, Sarah.  So B It.  [RR] Lexile: 860 GRL: ~X
After spending her young life with her mentally disabled mother and agoraphobic neighbor, twelve-year-old Heidi sets out from Reno, Nevada, to New York City, on a journey of self-discovery.

Wolkenstein, M. Evan. Turtle Boy Lexile: 640 GRL: n/a
Seventh grade is not going well for Will Levine. Kids at school bully him because of his funny-looking chin. His science teacher finds out about the turtles he spent his summer collecting from the marsh behind school and orders him to release them back into the wild. And for his bar mitzvah community service project, he has to go to the hospital to visit RJ, an older boy struggling with an incurable disease. Unfortunately, Will hates hospitals.

Woodson, Jacqueline.  Before the Ever After.  - [RR] Lexile: 780 GRL: n/a
For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ's house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time.

Yang, Kelly.  New From Here.  - Lexile: 630 GRL: n/a

**Also appears in Historical Fiction**
Eleven-year-old Knox Wei-Evans lives in Hong Kong with his parents, two siblings, and the family dog. When the coronavirus shuts down the city of Wuhan, China, the family decides that Knox, his siblings, and his mother should move to California to escape the coming onslaught of restrictions while his father stays behind. He arrives thinking life will be better, but soon Knox faces racism at school, school shutdowns, and financial tension when his mother loses her job.

Science Fiction

Barry, Michelle A. Moongarden (Plotting the Stars, Book 1) Lexile: n/a GRL: n/a
Crumbling under the pressure at her elite school on the moon, misfit Myra Hodger discovers a lab full of toxic plants and uses her botanical magic to weed out its secrets, but quickly discovers some will do anything to take those secrets to the grave.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Found (The Missing, Book 1) [RR] Lexile: 750 GRL: X
Thirteen-year-old Johan and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered in a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board. They realize they are in the middle of a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces that are trying to repair the fabric of time.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. The Strangers (The Greystone Secrets, Book 1) [RR] Lexile: 730 GRL: n/a
What makes you you? The Greystone kids thought they knew. Chess has always been the protector over his younger siblings, Emma loves math, and Finn does what Finn does best—acting silly and being adored. But everything changes when reports of three kidnapped children—who share the same first and middle names, ages, and exact birth dates as the Greystone kids—reach the Greystone family. Before Chess, Emma, and Finn can question their mom about it, she takes off on a mysterious work trip.

Holm, Jennifer L.  The Lion of Mars   - Lexile: 530 GRL: T
Eleven-year-old Mars colonist Bell, lives with his American family in a self-sustaining, but isolated community. Warned numerous times by the adults not to interact with colonies from other countries, Bell has obeyed, content with caring for his cat and eating cake. When the adults suddenly get sickened with an unknown ailment, Bell and the other kids living in the community must decide how important breaking the rules are in order to survive.

Martin, Laura. Glitch - Lexile: n/a GRL: n/a
Regan Fitz and Elliot Mason are students and long-time rivals at Glitch Academy, each harboring the genetic ability to easily travel through time, which they use to preserve history. Regan and Elliot will have to set aside their differences and join forces when they receive a letter from Regan's future self, warning them of a coming disaster.

Sachar, Louis.  Fuzzy Mud   - Lexile: 700 GRL: W
It begins with a bully named Chad challenging seventh-grader Marshall Walsh to a fight. To avoid a fight, Marshall and Tamaya decide to take a detour home through the mysterious woods. Chad follows, the kids get lost, and the world will never be the same. The kids discover “fuzzy mud,” a strange, dangerous byproduct of unchecked scientific experimentation.

Sports

Kadohata, Cynthia. Checked - Lexile: 760 GRL: T/U
To help his dog through cancer treatment, Conor gives up hockey and finds himself considering who he is without the sport that has defined him, and connecting more with his family and best friend.

Lupica, Mike.  Heat [RR] - Lexile: 940 GRL: V
Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old, and he has no parents to offer them proof.

Lupica, Mike.  Million Dollar Throw - Lexile: 960 GRL: V
Nate Brodie's hero is Tom Brady, and he has a golden throwing arm just like is idol. When he gets the chance of a lifetime to throw a pass through a target at a Patriot's game to win a million dollars the pressure to make it and help his struggling family might be too much to bear.

Reynolds, Jason.   Ghost - [RR] Lexile: 730 GRL: Z
Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential.

Rhodes, Jewell Parker.   Black Brother, Black Brother -  Lexile: n/a GRL: V
Donte, twelve, considers himself an outsider at his mostly white school, where he's regularly bullied and alienated by the other kids. Framed for misbehaving at school, Donte is arrested and suspended. After he joins a local youth center, he meets a former Olympic fencer named Arden Jones and begins competing, hoping to take down the school's fencing captain, Alan, the boy who caused Donte to be suspended.

Rivera, Lilliam.   Barely Floating -  Lexile: n/a GRL: Y
Twelve-year-old Natalia loves to swim and regularly challenges peers to swimming races at her local public pool, knowing they underestimate her abilities because of her curves. When the pool showcases a performance by the synchronized swimming team, the L.A. Mermaids, Nat is smitten and wants to join. Her parents tell her no, but Nat disobeys them and joins the club in secret, making new friends and learning the moves and routines.