book review for grade 7

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100 Best Books for 7th Graders (12 Year Olds)

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There are so many upper middle grade books for 7th graders in middle school ages 12 and 13, so how do you find the best book reading choices for your 7th grade student or child?

Using my background as a teacher, parent, and book reviewer, I’ve written a curated list of my top book picks with reviews for 7th graders to help you find good middle-grade books for 7th graders with different interests, topics, and genres!

I update this book list on a monthly basis to include the newest releases. Last updated November 2023!

Top 7th Grade Fantasy Books

• Amari and the Night Brothers  by B.B. Alston
• The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger’s Apprentice by John A. Flanagan
• Willa of the Wood  by Robert Beatty
• Once There Was  by Kiyash Monsef
• An Ember in the Ashes  by Sabaa Tahir
• Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga  by David A. Robertson
• Legend of the Dream Giants  by Dustin Hansen 
• Unwanteds  by Lisa McMann

For a bit easier books, read the  Best Books for 6th Graders, 11 Year Olds . Also, look for the label SHORT by the genre tag to find books that are shorter reads.

For short nonfiction books, which I love giving to readers,  try this book list .

Best Coming of Age Books for 7th Grade Boys and Girls

• How to Stay Invisible  by Maggie C. Rudd
• The Probability of Everything  by Sarah Everett
• The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn  by Sally J. Pla
• Rain Rising  by Courtne Comrie 
• A Monster Calls  by Patrick Ness
• House Arrest  by K.A. Holt (verse)
• Starfish  by Lisa Fipps
• No Place Like Home  by James Bird
• Orbiting Jupiter  by Gary D. Schmidt
• Rare Birds  by Jeff Miller
• Across the Desert   by Dusti Bowling 
• Maybe He Just Likes You  by Barbara Dees
• Sara and the Search for Normal   by Wesley King
• Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel  by Jason Reynolds 

What if my 12 year old needs harder books?

For more challenging books, check out my  Best Book for Teens list   or  Challenging Books for Young Advanced Readers .

Get a PDF download of the top books from this 7th grade book list!

What are the best book series for 7th graders.

• Best Book Series for 7th Graders

Best Books for 7th Graders (12 year olds)

Amari and the Night Brothers  by B.B. Alston FANTASY   Fantastic fantasy world-building, excellent writing, a strong Black female heroine, and a surprise plot twist ending are just a few reasons you’ll love this book.  Amari’s beloved older brother has vanished but she gets a virtual message from him revealing that she’s a magician and will get to attend a secret magician school. At the school, she discovers she’s actually an outlawed dark magic magician. Amari knows she’s not evil and is determined to prove it and stay in the school so she can find her missing brother who used to attend there.

How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd REALISTIC A heartbreaking and hopeful survival story . Raymond’s neglectful parents abandon him completely so he takes his dog Rosie, and they set up camp in the woods behind his middle school. There, he survives on his own, foraging in dumpsters and fishing for food as he continues to attend school. When a playful coyote hurts Rosie, he meets an old man who helps them both — which is especially significant because it’s over the Christmas break when he can’t get dumpster food from school. Raymond doesn’t want to tell anyone, including the old man or his two friends at school, what he’s surviving, but the truth comes out when another boy discovers his campsite and a snake bite almost kills him. HOW TO STAY INVISIBLE is a powerful story of grit, survival, and longing for family.

Allies  by Alan Gratz HISTORICAL FICTION 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 who 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. What an incredible retelling of this day!

Ali Cross  by James Patterson MYSTERY ADVENTURE If you want an enthralling adventure & mystery book for 7th graders that you can’t put down, read this one next.  It’s Christmas Eve. Ali’s friend Gabe is missing, his FBI-agent dad is falsely accused of murdering an old man, and someone broke into their house while they were at church and stole his dad’s service weapon. Ali knows he has to try to fix things, starting by finding his friend Gabe. Don’t miss book two,  Like Father, Like Son .

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.

The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity written by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist NONFICTION You will love the incredible writing, the fun illustrations, the biographical information about the curious, brilliant, and distractable Leonardo Da Vinci, the other art heists from the poorly guarded Louvre (one involving Pablo Picasso), the burgeoning science of fingerprints to replace France’s ear-measuring methodology and the surprising, eventual discovery of the Mona Lisa. Interestingly, the Mona Lisa wasn’t a well-known painting until this art heist in 1911. And the Louvre wasn’t well-attended until after this dramatic theft. The theft was dramatic because the thief simply walked out with the stolen painting tucked under his shirt. Highly recommended!

Louder Than Hunger  by John Schu REALISTIC   VERSE 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 with the Voice sabotaging him every step of the way. But after months of struggle, Jake finds a glimmer of hope and it makes all the difference.  The writing is exquisite  — every word, every line break, every capitalization, every bit of dialogue brings us on this painful journey.

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.

Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II  written by Adam Gitwitz HISTORICAL FICTION Max is a super-smart  Jewish  boy living in Germany during World War II. He loves his family and tinkering with radios. Then,  his parents send Max to safety on the Kindertransport.  He’s joined by two personality-filled (grumpy) mythical creatures, a dybbuk and a kobold, living on his shoulders. Once in England, Max’s sole focus is returning to Germany to help his parents. His clever tactics impress the British spies, and the government agrees to recruit Max if he can pass their rigorous spy training. Brilliant, exciting, and funny!

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.

Gone to the Woods  by Gary Paulsen MEMOIR 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 .

What Happened to Rachel Riley?  by Claire Swinarski REALISTIC / SEXUAL HARASSMENT Stunning, thought-provoking, and anger-inducing,  this is a superbly written story about an ostracized middle school girl and the new student determined to figure out why…It’s about sexual harassment and negligent teachers,  girls touched without consent, and the path out of that shame toward justice and empowerment. I highly recommend this middle grade book for middle school  book clubs  and everyone!

The Last Cuentista   by Donna Barba Higuera  SCIENCE FICTION Petra is on a spaceship traveling to a new home after the Earth is destroyed.  When Petra awakens, she learns that her parents have been killed and her brother is missing, plus all the other humans’ memories have been erased. Except for her’s! Petra is determined to foil the sinister Collective’s plan to control everyone, but she plays the part of a mind-controlled teenager and secretly shares Mexican cuentos with the other Zetas. Her determination will save not only the Zetas but possibly an entire civilization of settlers. Petra is a brave, fierce girl who shows us that we are less than human without art, music, and stories.  Había una vez…

The Night War   by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley HISTORICAL FICTION When the French in Paris round up the Jews for Nazi prison camps, Miri and her neighbor’s baby escape with the help of a Catholic nun.  To help them survive, Miri is renamed and sent to a Catholic school for safety and her “baby sister” is adopted by a Catholic family. At the school, Miri begins to help other Jews flee Nazi-controlled France and is helped by the complicated ghost of Catherine de Medici, who thinks Miri is her gardener. But when Miri finds out that her little sister is about to be baptized, she plans their escape for the next day. Miri is a heroic main character with an emotionally compelling story.

A Duet for Home  by Karina Yan Glaser REALISTIC /  HOMELESSNESS A powerful story with complex, three-dimensional characters about grief, family, community, and homelessness. When their family becomes homeless after her dad dies, June helps her little sister and non-speaking mom get settled at Huey House.  Despite the shock of their new situation, June finds kindness from many of the people at the shelter. But when Mrs. G, their social worker gets fired for not agreeing to the city’s new homeless policies, June helps organize a protest and discovers that home isn’t a place and family isn’t always blood.

The Brave  by James Bird REALISTIC When Collin, a neurodiverse boy, gets kicked out of another school, his neglectful father sends Collin to live with his mom.  Collin has never met his mother but he’s curious to meet her and live on the Ojibwe reservation. Living with her is a totally different experience than his previous home — because with his mother, he’s welcomed and not judged. He befriends the neighbor girl who teaches Collin how to be brave. Which he needs. And so does she because she’s going to be a butterfly soon…

Maybe He Just Likes You  by Barbara Dees REALISTIC Middle schooler Mila is feeling trapped— a group of basketball-playing boys is getting too close, grabbing her, touching her, and then telling her that she’s imagining it.  Ignoring doesn’t stop the behaviors, neither does telling an adult, telling her friends, or wearing baggier clothing. Now her toxic friend Zara is acting mad and jealous that Mila’s getting the boys’ attention. Unexpectedly, Mila finds her strength when she starts karate classes. That helps her find what works to put a stop to the harassment.  This is one of the essential books for 7th graders; it should be shared widely with middle school boys and girls. 

House Arrest  by K.A. Holt REALISTIC You’ll feel so many emotions reading this tender, heartwarming story that shows a brave boy who feels anger, fear, worry, and love over his challenging situation.  Timothy is under house arrest for the next year, living with a brother who needs constant medical care, and feeling so much pain over his big life changes.  Part of his year-long punishment is to meet with a probation officer, meet with a therapist, and write in a journal which is the book we’re reading. When his little brother gets assigned an abusive new nurse, Timothy feels like even if he gets thrown in juvie, he must do something drastic to help his brother. Written in poetic verse , this great book speeds along and pulls your heart along with it.

Sona and the Golden Beasts  written by Rajani LaRocca FANTASY In a world divided by race, Sona rescues a forbidden but sacred wolf pup with golden ears chased by a hunter. He’ll stop at nothing to kill the pup and steal its gemstone. To save the wolf, Sona flees to her grandmother’s after learning that she’s an illegal child of both the ruling class and the persecuted class. To save her sick grandmother from the goldstorm, Sona and her mistrustful cousin travel across the country to find the sacred drops that are only given to the worthy and give them to her grandmother.  It’s an exciting adventure in a unique world reminiscent of India’s history in which our heroine faces moral quandaries, the complexities of humanity, and the power of forgiveness and kindness. 

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival   written by Estelle Nadel, Sammy Savos, and Bethany Strout, art by Sammy Strout HISTORICAL FICTION In this true story of the  Holocaust , Enia lived a carefree life of family and singing in Poland.  But everything changed when she was seven years old, and the Nazis came. The Nazis took her father, who was never seen again and the rest of her family fled into hiding. Kind neighbors hid Enia’s family in an attic, but soon, it was only Enia and her brother in hiding for several years. Despite deaths, betrayal, and years of hiding, Enia’s survival instincts carried her through. This is a beautifully crafted historical fiction graphic biography for ages 10+. It’s  an emotional journey of survival, love, and hope  in the most harrowing times. I highly recommend this  graphic novel , now more than ever.

Hands  by Torrey Maldonado CONTEMPORARY (SHORT) Trev thinks a lot about throwing hands.  He starts learning how to box so he can protect his mom and sisters when his stepdad gets out of jail. But when his Uncle Larry, Quick and Uncle Frankie all ask him why and encourage him to use his brain, Trev sees how fighting could make things even more of a mess. And that if he wants to have a future, he can use his hands differently than fighting, including for his drawings. Maldonado writes shorter books so keep that in mind if your 7th grader is looking for a short book.

The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger’s Apprentice  book 1 by John A. Flanagan FANTASY Will is apprenticed to become a Ranger, a job he’s unsure about. But as he develops a relationship with his master and learns what being a Ranger is all about (spying for the kingdom,) and comes to embrace his new life. When an old enemy of the kingdom sends out dangerous beasts to attack Will’s master, Will is instrumental in getting help and killing the creatures.  Action, fantasy, adventure, friendship, excellent writing — this book series has it all!   Ranger’s Apprentice  is a must-read, mesmerizing epic fantasy.

Starfish  by Lisa Fipps REALISTIC / BODY IMAGE & SIZE /  VERSE Heartbreaking and inspiring, this poignant book for 7th grade readers in verse shows a girl who learns, after years of fat-shaming and bullying, to define herself  not  based on what others say but on who she really is.  Ellie’s mom won’t buy her new clothes because she thinks it encourages Ellie’s weight gain and is pushing for a dangerous gastro-bypass surgery. Fortunately, Ellie gets support from an understanding therapist who helps her move from powerless to powerful — and accept herself as she is–beautiful and worthy. 

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston REALISTIC FICTION A deeply moving story of 12-year-old Sharkita, who has been in and out of  foster care  since she was three and is the primary parent for her two younger siblings , one of whom has special needs. Returning home from foster care, Sharkita hopes things will be different but is waiting for her mama to be herself again, leaving them alone for days and drinking too much. When her best friend convinces Sharkita to go out for twirling with the cool new Vice Principal coach, it’s the first time she’s done something for herself and not her siblings. Then, when the unthinkable happens, Sharkita’s life of constant crisis and debilitating anxiety is revealed…and  maybe the worst thing ever will lead to something better.

The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree  by Lucille Abendadon HISTORICAL FICTION Set in the Dutch East Indies during World War II, this is a stunning based-on-a-true story about friendship, survival, grief, prejudice, and equity.  Emmy’s best friend is Bakti, a Javenese boy whose mom cooks for Emmy and her dad. She’s shocked to learn Bakti’s angry because he can’t go to school and his support for the Japenese invasion. When the Japanese invade, they separate Emmy from her dad, and she’s sent to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp for several years. As she survives the camp’s death and starvation and befriends her former enemy, she learns what’s important. It’s a moving story with an interesting history that I couldn’t put down!

Willa of the Wood  by Robert Beatty HISTORICAL  FANTASY Set in the time of early American settlers, this is  a beautiful story of love about a night spirit who is still connected to the powerful wood magic of her ancestors . When Willa accidentally discovers that her clan is keeping human captives and forbidden technology, her Faeran clan leader wants her dead. Fleeing the danger of her home, Willa cautiously observes a human man, slowly learning to trust him. When she realizes that one of his children was one of the human captives she saw, Willa knows she must return to her clan and make things right.

No Place Like Home by James Bird REALISTIC / HOMELESSNESS / OJIBWE Beautiful character development, vivid details, and a strong narrative voice draw you into this story about homelessness, Ojibwe culture, growing up, family, and the love of a dog. Based on James’ childhood, Opin is a sweet, hopeful boy who lives with his mom and his older brother in their car, traveling from city to city. He adores his mother, but he’s scared of his angry, violent older brother, who comes and goes as he pleases. When Opin finds a hurt dog, the love of a dog fills a friend void for Opin–until his brother takes the dog away. Despite the challenges of Opin’s life, beauty and joy are threaded throughout this compelling story that is one of the best of 2023. *Sensitive readers, there are a few swear words.

Rare Birds by Jeff Miller REALISTIC / SAD 288 pages Graham’s mom moves them to Florida to wait for a heart transplant. When his mom gets approved, Graham stays with his mom’s friend and his angry son. Fortunately, at the hospital, he befriends a girl named Lou. When he finds his mom’s rare bird journal, Lou helps him search for the last bird on the list–the Snail Kite. But because there’s prize money for finding the bird, bully kids not only thwart them but endanger them–stranding Lou and Graham in a swamp with a giant alligator and no cell service. The friends’ search is filled with challenges, which they face with bravery and determination, including the truth about Lou. I loved the two-page chapter lengths and the emotionally resonate story of friendship and family that will make you cry.

Free Lunch  by Rex Ogle REALISTIC / MEMOIR Powerful, memorable, and beautifully written for mature readers,  Ogle writes about surviving his poverty and violence-filled childhood. It’s sixth grade, and every lunch, Rex must loudly announce to the hard-of-hearing lunch ladies that he gets free lunch. Not only is Rex shamed by free lunch but also his outfits and constant hunger and violent home life. It’s ultimately a story of survival that may be relatable to some readers and will build empathy in others.

Ghost Boys  by Jewell Parker Rhodes REALISTIC This book brilliantly  addresses the very real issue of police violence against black children , but it does not vilify or stereotype. The author shows us the complexity of issues and the humanity of a police officer from the perspective of his daughter. After Jerome is shot by her father, he becomes a ghost. Sarah, the policeman’s daughter, is the only one who can see and talk to him except for the other ghost boys who were also killed in racially motivated violence. It’s a well-written, fast-paced read but one that is going to stay with you as you ponder the important topics it addresses.

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.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus  by Dusti Bowling REALISTIC Aven Green is used to making up creative stories for why she doesn’t have any arms. Especially now in Arizona where her parents are the new managers of a rundown theme park. She befriends a boy at school who, like her, feels different and isolated from the other kids. His name is Connor and he has  Tourette Syndrome. Together, he, another new friend named Zion, and Aven investigate a mysterious storage shed that connects to Aven’s past.  This story is about restorative friendship,  facing your fears , and discovering your true (significant) potential.  

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!

Black Bird, Blue Road  by Sofiya Pasternack  HISTORICAL FANTASY Set in the historical Turkic Jewish empire of Khazaria, Ziva’s beloved twin brother with leprosy continues to deteriorate , and she learns he’ll be taken by her uncle, so she steals him away to search for a cure. Along their journey, they meet a half-demon boy who tells them about a mythical city where the Angel of Death can not enter. They journey toward the city and Ziva clings to the hope that the city will be the answer to everything. She’ll bargain and beg with Death, but ultimately, she’ll have to accept that in life, we all must die. This feels like an epic adventure and will sure to be a favorite new book.

An Ember in the Ashes  by Sabaa Tahir HISTORICAL / FANTASY Part historical (ancient Rome) and part fantasy, Elias and Laia live in a world that enslaves them both in different ways — Elias with fighting and Laia with serving and spying.  This is an epic page-turning series with lots of mystery, action, and a hint of romance.  It’s SO good that it’s one of the most popular YA books right now but one that could be read by younger readers in 7th grade.

The Fort  by Gordon Korman (his 100th book!) REALISTIC Tension-filled, disturbing, and powerful, this story alternates the points of view of a group of boys who are each dealing with their own struggles including poverty, OCD, bullying, and domestic abuse.  When the boys discover an abandoned bomb shelter in the forest, they make it their fort, which becomes a special and safe place. When one boy, the outsider who isn’t friends with everyone yet, figures out what’s happening with the abused boy who is secretly sleeping in the fort, all the friends try to help him, but it’s tricky and complicated.

Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga  by David A. Robertson FANTASY /  INDIGENOUS CULTURE Foster  kids with Indigenous heritage , Morgan and Eli, discover a portal in the attic leading to a magical world of Cree language and mythology.  It’s a world with talking animals who walk on two legs and need their help. Ochek, the Fischer, asks the kids to end the starving community’s forever winter by finding the human man who stole all the birds and, with them, summer. Their dangerous quest triggers Morgan’s memories of her mother and a new perspective on who she is. The children travel far with their new friends and experience danger and trials in order to save this beautiful world.

How To Find What You’re Not Looking For  by Veera Hiranandani HISTORICAL FICTION In a beautiful story of family, love, and forgiveness, a Jewish girl named Ariel’s older sister falls in love and runs away to marry a Hindu boy after the Loving vs. Virginia verdict.  Ariel misses her sister terribly, but her parents refuse to talk about her sister or let Ariel have her sister’s contact information. Meanwhile, Ariel’s  teacher thinks she has a learning disability called dysgraphia but Ariel’s mom  refuses to consider it. Her  teacher encourages her to write poetry  which helps her express her feelings.

Legend of the Dream Giants  by Dustin Hansen  FANTASY Gorgeous, sensory writing fills the pages of this beautifully-crafted story about a young, naive giant named Berg who is searching for his place in the world.  He doesn’t want to be like the monstrous but because he’s so innocent, he’s tricked and becomes a prisoner of a town. This one of my favorite books for 7th graders about trust, hope, belonging, friendship, and truth.

Steelheart  by Brandon Sanderson SCI-FI I love this unique world with its plot twists and turns. E pics 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 .

Children of the Fox  by Kevin Sands  FANTASY ADVENTURE Callan’s a gaffer who joins a group of kids who are hired by a Weaver to steal something magical called the Eye. It’s a tricky job with not enough time to plan and all the kids know it’s dangerous but the monetary reward is too tempting. The misfits use their individual skills including climbing, mapping, acrobatics, and knife throwing to plan a heist in less than a week.  It’s an exciting, complex, and unexpected plot involving magic and mythological gods from the stories with themes of problem-solving, friendship, and trust that ends with both an amazing resolution  and  a cliffhanger. 

Escape from Atlantis  by Kate O’Hearn ADVENTURE Don’t miss this wildly inventive, exciting, and thought-provoking adventure.  Riley, her dad, her cousin, and her aunt are sailing in the Bermuda Triangle when they’re attacked by a leviathan. Riley and her unpleasant cousin, Alfie, wake up on an island with overly friendly, rule-centered people including half-animal people. They soon learn the sinister truth of the rule-centric community and are determined to escape. What a great book for 7th graders!

Across the Desert   by Dusti Bowling  REALISTIC  / DRUG ADDICTION Across the Desert   is a stunning story about a brave girl who has been secretly dealing with her mother’s opioid addiction. Jolene is the only person who knows that her only friend Addie has crashed her ultralight plane alone in the middle of the desert. So Jolene steals her mom’s phone and credit card to takes the bus as close as she can to Addie’s location. On the bus, she meets a kind and helpful teenager named Marty who, despite Jolene’s reluctance and mistrust, helps Jolene.  The story is about trust, relationships, boundaries, addiction, survival, and family; it’s also an emotional journey of inner and outer strength that leads to hope and healing. 

Taking Up Space  by Alyson Gerber REALISTIC  / BODY DYSMORPHIA & EATING DISORDERS 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.  EXCELLENT!

The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla Maudie is an autistic girl staying with her father for the summer but a California fire forces them from their cabin. She and her dad head south to where her dad grew up. A friend sets them up in an old camper at a campground near the beach. While her dad looks for work, Maudie works up her courage to ask an older surfer woman for lessons. She spends the summer worrying about her big secret and learning to surf, hoping to win the beginning surfer competition at the end of the summer. Maudie makes a new friend who is friendly and neurodiverse like her. All of these things help her consider that she is more than what her mom and her abusive stepdad think of her. This is a moving coming of age story of a girl who learns to thrive instead of survive.

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.

Attack of the Black Rectangles  by A.S. King  REALISTIC Multi-layered and compelling with themes of censorship, family, crushes, and growing up…  6th grade Mac lives in a town that bans Halloween, pizza delivery, bright house colors, and staying out past curfew. At school, his book group notices that certain words and phrases are blacked out in  The Devil’s Arithmetic  by Jane Yolen. Mac and his friends Denis and Marci decide to find the original and fight back.

A First Time for Everything  by Dan Santat MEMOIR   In this memoir,  Dan describes a transformative trip during the summer before high school that helped him grow from awkward and insecure to confident and outgoing.  The trip gave the students lots of freedom. He tries beer and cigarettes. He meets a cute girl and finds the courage to get to know her, even sharing a kiss. He falls in love with the cultures and languages, too. Readers will probably want their own European experiences, too. Although, I hope that the kids would be better supervised than Dan was!

Omar Rising  by Aisha Saeed REALISTIC A superb book of determination, resiliency, and community set in  Pakistan .  Omar gets a scholarship to attend a prestigious Pakistani boarding school, a step in fulfilling his dream of becoming an astronomer and buying his mom a house. But, his hopes are dashed when he’s told that scholarship students must work, must get A+ grades, and can’t do sports or clubs. Omar is grateful for his new friends and teachers but he’s worried he’ll lose it all, so he studies all the time, even asking for tutoring help from the strict headmaster. Despite his efforts, his grades aren’t enough and he gets kicked out. Until, his classmates support him with a walk-out and the headmaster gets the board to change their mind, and the rules.

The Door by the Staircase  by Katherine Marsh, illustrations by Kelly Murphy  FANTASY / FAIRY TALE Middle schoolers will LOVE this  fantastic  Baba Yaga story about a brave and smart orphan girl, Mary,  who wants a home, even if it’s with Baba Yaga.  She just has to figure out how to be sure Baba Yaga won’t eat her, and she does so with help from her friend Jacob and MAGIC!

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 readers so much to ponder.

Front Desk  by Kelly Yang REALISTIC Mia and her parents have struggled ever since moving to America from China. When her parents take a new live-in job at a motel, they end up working around the clock for very little pay. Mia helps out by working at the front desk. She befriends the weekly tenants and uses her English skills to write letters advocating other people in tough spots— like her uncle whose sweatshop boss has taken his passport and weekly, Hank, who needs a letter of recommendation to get a job.  This book is more than a memorable coming-of-age immigrant story, it’s also about tolerance and diversity and a must-read story you won’t soon forget.

Winterhouse  by Ben Guterson, illustrated by Chloe Bristol MYSTERY Elizabeth, an orphan, is unexpectedly sent to a large, stately hotel with a kind, grandfatherly proprietor for Christmas vacation. There,  she discovers a magical book, a sinister couple, a family mystery , and a new friend who loves puzzles as much as she does. The writing is mesmerizing, the mystery is fascinating, and the characters are enchanting.

See You in the Cosmos  by Jack Cheng REALISTIC Luminous and heartfelt, 11-year-old Alex Petroski’s story will grab your heart and expand it.  His dream is to launch a rocket into space with his iPod of recordings about life on earth. The story is a transcription of what he records on the iPod — his solo journey to the rocket convention, the interesting people he befriends on the way and there, his trip Las Vegas to find information about his deceased father, and his unique, innocent perspective that tries to make sense of the world.

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.

Sara and the Search for Normal   by Wesley King REALISTIC /  MENTAL ILLNESS Sara wants to be cured of her mental illnesses and be “normal” like other kids so she makes rules for herself.  She hates her out-of-control brain but begins group therapy where she makes a friend; a friend who is covered in hidden bruises. Sara and Erin think of themselves as Star Children, kids wth alien DNA. It’s profoundly sad to witness Sara’s self-loathing. For readers, it’s a valuable opportunity to see inside Sara’s mind and how painful it is to have an invisible disease. 

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.

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel  by Jason Reynolds  REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL An illustrated version of Jason Reynolds’ free verse book about Will, a teenager who witnesses his own brother get shot.  He needs to follow The Rules and take revenge on the killer. But, as he travels seven floors in an elevator, each level provides an encounter with a deceased person, and their conversations halt Will’s plans and reveal to him the bigger story of what really happened with his brother. 

Bomb  by Steve Sheinkin, illustrated by Nick Bertozzi HISTORY / GRAPHIC NOVEL Three major storylines depict the significant historical events around the making of the atomic bomb : the Germans breaking the atom, the spy who was caught after giving the Russians the American plans for a nuclear bomb, and the American scientists working in New Mexico at a secret site to develop the atomic bomb. The stories are fascinating, more so because they’re based on actual events, but I did get bogged down with some of the science. Sheinkin and Bertozzi successfully capture the urgency scientists felt to compete with other countries and their singular focus.  *some bad language

Bloom  by Kenneth Oppel SCI-FI Get ready for a wild ride of suspense, action, adventure, science fiction, and coolness!!  Bloom tells the story of three kids who are not affected by the strange-looking plants that appear out of nowhere and take over land all over the world, covering houses and streets, swallowing animals and people but doing nothing to these kids. Scientists figure out that the plants are an alien invasion…and think these kids may be the only chance they have to stop them. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just tell you that it’s an AWESOME story…and ends on a crazy cliffhanger.

Sky Full of Song  by Susan Lynn Meyer HISTORICAL FICTION Shoshana, her mom, and her siblings flee Jewish persecution in Ukraine in 1905 for North Dakota to a mud house on the plains with her father and brother.  But being Jewish isn’t always accepted, even in this new country. And Shoshana wants to fit in so much that she agrees to participate in the Christmas activities. Ultimately, Shoshana learns (with a little help from her sister Libke) to be proud of being Jewish, even when others don’t accept her. Stunning writing with a loveable main character makes this a middle grade book that you won’t want to miss.

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman REALISTIC Set in India, Viji writes this story as letters to you, her little sister Rukku who has intellectual disabilities. Viji tells how the two of them ran away from an abusive father to the big city where they met two friendly brothers and lived with them under a bridge, scrabbling to survive by collecting trash. Their lives are hard but made easier by the two boys, their new “brothers.” When Rukku gets a terrible cough and fever, so does one of the brothers. And what happens next almost destroys Viji. Ultimately, it is the kindness of her new “family” that helps her to see more than misery in the world. It’s an honest, eye-opening story that reveals the plight of many homeless children in India and yet, finds a way to be hopeful, too.

Booked  by Kwame Alexander REALISTIC Alexander skillfully writes about the teenage human condition — he just gets it!  12-year old Nick struggles with his parents’ separation, a school bully, and the awkwardness of a first crush.  The only thing that feels right is soccer. That is until he gets injured and can’t play. Written in free verse, this is a lyrical, fast-paced story that feels honest and relatable.

Wink  by Rob Harrell REALISTIC / CANCER A funny cancer memoir for kids who like humorous but emotion-filled stories.  When Ross is diagnosed with a rare kind of tumor, he immediately starts radiation treatment. His eye is goopy, he has to wear a hat, and his hair starts falling out in clumps– made funny with his cartoon drawings. A goofy, kind-hearted radiation tech gets Ross interested in alternative punk music, and in order to impress a girl, Ross asks the tech for guitar lessons. Turns out, the guitar and his new music, help Ross both express his frustrations and find his joy, leading to some surprising results.

Not an E asy Win  by Chrystal B. Giles REALISTIC Lawrence has been beaten up by a group of bullies, blamed for the fighting, and kicked out of the mostly-white school. His Granny tells him he can’t stick around the house. A kind, older neighbor takes Lawrence to his work at the local rec center where Lawrence helps out while doing online school and learning to play chess. P Through the wisdom of his neighbor and learning to focus on chess, Lawrence finds purpose and inner fortitude that leads to his success in life and in chess.  

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. 

Invisible  by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, illustrated by Gabriela Epstein REALISTIC  /GRAPHIC NOVEL Spanish-speaking kids are thrown together to complete before-school community service hours. When the kids notice the  homeless mom and her child living  in a van, they try to help with leftover food. But they get into trouble with the mean cafeteria lady who thinks they’re stealing and watches them like they’re delinquents.  This is a story about kindness, racism, differences, and marginalized individuals — both non-English speakers and homeless individuals.  It’s excellent, and I love the Spanish dialogue written first with English-translated text second.

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.

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks  by Jason Reynolds REALISTIC (SHORT) Ten  short stories tell about the lives of different kids after their middle school  day ends. With complex backstories and incredible depth of character development, Reynold’s fiction feels truthful… so much so that I’m so very glad that I’m not in  middle school  anymore. What kinds of topics are these kids dealing with? Bullying , fear of dogs, parents who have cancer, stealing, comedian goals, OCD, skateboarding, and friendships. Some stories are funny, some are serious, and all ring true.

Snow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan GRAPHIC NOVEL / FAIRY TALE In this reimagined Snow White story, set in New York City in the 1920s, Snow White’s dad is a Wall Street king, her stepmother is a Zigfield Follies star, and her seven small protectors are street kids. It’s SO interesting how Phelan uses this historical setting to animate a familiar fairy tale. The black and white illustrations set the tone for this dark story with a happy ending

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Danger and Other Unknown Risks by Ryan North and Erica Henderson review by Jemma Taylor ADVENTURE / GRAPHIC NOVEL This book is genuinely one of my new favorite graphic novels EVER. The world collapsed on New Year’s Day of the year 2000, but not because of technology; because magic became real. Billions died, electricity became a thing of the past, and everyone had to rebuild their lives in the new post-apocalyptic society. Everything sucks, but Marguerite is the chosen one who will save the world. (Or is she?) With visually stunning art, a creative setting, and a fantastic story, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Night Raven: The Moonwind Mysteries written by Johan Rundberg, translated by A.A. Prime HISTORICAL MYSTERY 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. I can’t wait for more books in the series. (Sensitive readers: Includes the word cr*p.)

Sweep  by Jonathan Auxier HISTORICAL MAGICAL REALISM Set in Victorian London, this is a beautiful, bittersweet story about a plucky girl and her protector  golem .   When another sweep tries to burn Nan alive, a charcoal golem emerges to save her life. She and her protector golem find a new place to live but must stay vigilant so her old master doesn’t find them. On their own, they are helped by a street boy and a kind Jewish teacher. This is an irresistible story that will expand your heart.

Boy, Everywhere  by A.M. Dassu IMMIGRATION Sami’s family flees from modern Syrian life to detention in England and a new home in England with hateful relatives.  We feel Sami’s emotions every step of this journey — from thinking about playing  video games  and soccer to his worry about capsizing in an overcrowded boat in the ocean and to blaming himself for his mom and sister being at the mall when it was bombed. In sharing his experiences, readers will see how much they can relate to Sami who is just a regular kid trying to be safe.

Mockingbir d  by Kathryn Erskine REALISTIC Caitlin’s brother Devon is killed in a school shooting, leaving Caitlin, who has Aspergers, to make sense of the world on her own, without his compassionate and understanding guidance.  Her father isn’t helpful, he’s lost in his grief. So when Caitlin reads about grief and closure, she decides to go after closure in a literal, hands-on way. And it will help both her and her father build their relationship and let go of Devon. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read — so powerful and honest.

The School for Good and Evil   by Soman Chainani FANTASY Two girls are selected to attend the school for villains and school for heroes. Only all your stereotypes will be blown out of the water with which girl goes where.  This book series for 12 year olds will make you think deeply about what makes someone good, friendship, and love.    Boxed Set HERE .

Book Lists By Age

Easy Reader Books for 5- and 6- year olds  Beginning / Easy Chapter Books for 6- and 7- Year Olds Books for 3rd graders, 8-year olds Books for 4th graders, 9-year olds Books for 5th graders, 10-year olds Books for 6th graders, 11-year olds Books for 7th graders, 12-year olds YA Books

Book Lists By Genre

Adventure Books for Kids Fantasy Books for Kids Funny Books for Kids Historical Fiction Books for Kids Mystery Books for Kids Nonfiction Books for Kids Realistic Books for Kids Science Fiction Books for Kids ALL Picture Book Reviews

Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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27 Comments

Thanks for this great list! Have you read My Life As A Potato? It’s a fun one for this age too.

I have seen it but not read it. Sounds like I should! Thanks, Kim!

I love reading so much! I have not seen a majority of these books. I feel that it is has a great variety of books listed. I can’t wait to read these!

I hope you find lots of books that you love!

How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

Traditionally, book reviews are evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they briefly describe a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

●     Engage critically with a text

●     Critically evaluate a text

●     Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

●     Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

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This collection of  21 INDEPENDENT TASKS  and  GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS  takes students beyond the hype, special effects and trailers to look at visual literacy from several perspectives offering DEEP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES by watching a  SERIES, DOCUMENTARY, FILM, and even  VIDEO GAMES.

ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

●     Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

●     Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

●     Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

●     Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

●     Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

●     Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

●     Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

●     Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

●     Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

●     Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots? 

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc. 

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

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Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BOOK REVIEWS

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Writing an Excellent Book Review: A Step-by-Step Guide

‘ So many books, so little time ’, said Frank Zappa. We all love to read storybooks. They are filled with amazing characters, beautiful pictures and so many more things. These books welcome us into their fascinating world, spark our imagination and curiosity and, above all, they bring joy to our life. We then want to share our experience of reading a particular book with our family and friends. Some of us might find it tough to remember all the details at that time. One way of remembering all the wonderful details of the book is by writing them down. So, let’s learn how to write a book review today!

Tips on how to write a book review for children

There are many reasons for learning to write a book review. It helps us share our thoughts and feelings about the book, strengthens our writing skills and sharpens our thinking skills. Now, are you ready to write a book review? Here are a few things that you would want to cover in your book review. Pick up the latest book you have read and let’s get started!

Title, author and other details

Before you even begin to write your book review, you need to write down the title of the book and the name of the author. You may also want to write the name of the illustrator who created the beautiful images in the book. Another good practice would be to write the name of the publisher. You are most likely to find this information on the cover page of your book. 

Here’s the order: 

• Title of the book
• Name of the author
• Name of the illustrator
• Name of the publisher

Book ratings

A Book review is all about your opinion of the book. Hence, you should include something that lets the reader know instantly if you liked or disliked the book. One way of doing this is to give it a rating out of 10 or use the 5-star method. For example, you could give all 5 stars to a great book and 2 stars to a book that you didn’t really like. Remember that your book review must be in line with these ratings, so do this at the end, but leave some room for it on top of the page so that the reader notices it instantly. 

Here’s the rating guide:

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I loved this book, and I think everyone else will love it too. 
• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I liked this book, and I think most of my friends would like it. 
• ⭐⭐⭐ – It’s a good book, and many will enjoy reading it. 
• ⭐⭐ – I didn’t like this book, but a few of my friends would like it. 
• ⭐ – I didn’t like this book at all, and most of my friends will agree with me. 

Summarise the book

Summarise the book in less than 100 words. Be mindful and do not give away too much information about the story. While summarising the book, remember to not give away the surprises in the book. You could describe where the story takes place and the main event in the story.

Here are a few things you can include in your summary:

• Moral of the story or a lesson learned from reading the story.
• Place and main event of the story; just don’t reveal the surprise here.
• Main characters and what kind of people they are. 
• How easy is the book to understand?

Share things that you liked and disliked about the book

Start by writing about three things that you really liked about the book. You could talk about the words used, the characters and how the story began or ended. Then you could cover things that you disliked in the book; it could be the pictures or even the way the story ended. 

Here are a few things you could talk about:

• Did you like the way the story was written–beginning, middle and end?
• Did you like the ending? Why or why not? Could it be better?
• Were the characters and their thoughts explained well?
• Were the words easy to understand?
• Were there pictures? Did you like them? Why or why not?
• Was the story interesting or dull? Why or why not?

These pointers will help you write a book review that covers almost everything about the book. At the end of it, you could also mention if you would like your family and friends to read it as soon as possible or if they can pick another book to read. Remember that writing a book review is not always easy; initially you may find it very hard, but soon with practice you will get better. So keep writing! All the best! 

Did you find these tips helpful? Do leave a book review of your favourite book in the comments section. 

Also read, 

• A Step-By-Step Poetry Writing Guide For Children
• Seven-Day Challenge To Help Your Child Write Their Very First Story
• The Ultimate Checklist For Language Development

About the Author

Mekhala Joshi

“Me-kha-la!” That happens at least once when she introduces herself to new people. She wholeheartedly believes in the quote by Arthur Rubinstein that says – “if you love life, life will love you back”. She is an organizational psychologist and psychometrician. She was a class teacher of 36 adorable girls for two years, grades 2 & 3, as a part of the Teach For India Fellowship. These little girls have a special place in her heart, and when she writes for children, she writes for them!

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August 21, 2023

I am loving your articles. As a volunteer who have worked for Teach for India, i can appreciate that you wrote this article by putting yourself in the shoes of them. Because whenever there is a presentation, or a speech by a visitor to the college or school, I use to do the same. My focus was on giving high quality feedback at the end of the lecture so i use to jot down all the important ideas discussed.

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So What Do You Think? Writing a Review

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Teenagers are often outspoken and opinionated. Writing reviews of the literature they read gives them a chance to express their ideas while developing style and voice. This lesson uses discussion of student opinions about yesterday's lunch or a popular TV show serves as an introduction to the genre of reviews. Students then read and analyze conflicting reviews. After examining samples of movie, music, restaurant, and book reviews, students devise guidelines for writing interesting and informative reviews. They then produce their own reviews of the literature they're reading in class. Finally, students compare their ideas and their pieces with published reviews of the same piece of literature. Though this lesson is illustrated with examples from student and professional reviews of Raymond Carver's writing, the techniques can be used with whatever literature students are reading.

Featured Resources

Components of a Review : This handout gives an overview of what is normally included in a critical review.

Review Guidelines : Students can use these guidelines when writing their own critical reviews.

From Theory to Practice

While it's important for students to learn to read and evaluate critical commentary, "Each reader has a right-and even a responsibility-to form his or her own opinions, based on that reader's reading and understanding of a piece of literature, and to be able to support those opinions with solid reasons" (97).

When students express ideas on an author's work that are also noted by critics, "it presents a perfect opportunity to introduce critical commentary naturally into class discussion in order to promote a deeper understanding of the literature" (100).

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Sample reviews of various types (movie, music, restaurant, book, etc.), both print and online
• Specific reviews of the literature students are reading
• Components of a Review
• Creating Classroom Discussion about Reviews
• Student Example of a Book Review
• Review Guidelines
• Writing a Review Checklist
• Student Reflection Sheet

Preparation

• two conflicting reviews of a current movie, television show, or CD with which students are likely familiar.
• reviews specific to the writer(s) who students are reading. The Stauffer Library Reference and  Book Reviews in the Yahoo! Directory may be helpful in finding those reviews.
• Make appropriate number of copies of handouts.
• Test the ReadWriteThink Pinting Press on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tool and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

Student Objectives

Students will

• read a variety of different kinds of reviews.
• determine the qualities and characteristics of an effective review.
• use critical thinking skills to formulate their own opinions about a writer's work.
• apply their knowledge to write their own reviews.
• compare their ideas and their work to that of professional reviewers.

Session One

• In this first class session, work to generate interest in writing a review-and to convince students that they do have strong and valid opinions.
• If lunch was "gross," what made it so?
• If the show was "really funny," why did it make them laugh?
• Ask students why they go to certain movies, buy specific CDs, or choose to eat in particular restaurants. Encourage them to explore where they get their "recommendations" from.
• Invite students to share both positive and negative experiences they have had as a result of listening to someone else's opinion.
• Lead the discussion to a point where students begin to see that word-of-mouth recommendations and published reviews essentially serve the same purpose: to comment on and evaluate a work or an event.
• Share two conflicting reviews with students.
• the kind of information included in both reviews.
• the specific points the reviewers agree and disagree about.
• any differences in focus between the reviews.
• which review is more entertaining—and why.
• which review is more convincing—and why.
• Ask students to list various kinds of reviews and to suggest where they can find these reviews (newspapers, magazines, journals, and online).
• For homework, ask each student bring one to three reviews to class.

Session Two

• In this second session, focus on helping students determine the qualities and characteristics of a good review.
• the name of what is being reviewed
• a clear statement of the reviewer's opinion (i.e., a thesis)
• specific examples that support the reviewer's opinion
• a particular tone (use of humor, sarcasm, authority, etc.).
• book reviews may include quotations from the work.
• restaurant reviews may discuss atmosphere.
• both music and literary reviews may trace developments in the writer/musician's history.
• Each small group should choose one review to read to the class along with their own short oral analysis.
• As a conclusion to the activity, the class as a whole should compile a list on the board or on chart paper of qualities that contribute to a good review. If desired, share the Components of a Review handout, which reviews the parts of a review.
• The teacher should collect all reviews students brought in for homework for use in future sessions.

Session Three

• In this third session, work to get students to focus on the particular attributes of a book review in preparation for writing their own reviews of the literature they're reading.
• Ideally, the teacher should have a selection of book reviews from those collected from students the previous day. In case students have not brought in book reviews, the teacher should have such reviews available. These reviews should be carefully chosen so that their content is accessible to students. It's best if some reviews focus on works students may have read while others are of work unfamiliar to students.)
• In small groups of three or four, have students examine a book review and break it down into its components to determine how the introduction, the body, and the conclusion allow the writer to make his/her points.
• Next, students should examine the particular style of their group's review and determine how the writer achieves a unique voice. Each group should try to determine the tone of their review (i.e., pompous and authoritative, humorous, enthusiastic, analytical, etc.) by noting such things as word choice, sentence structure, and use of detail. If students have collected reviews written by the same reviewer, these "elusive" qualities may be easier to spot.
• Invite a class discussion about how a review combines the informative aspects of straight journalism with the "pizzazz" of personal narrative.
• Where did your review appear?
• What do you know about this publication?
• Who do you think the audience for this publication would be?
• What would a reader who had read the book take from the review?
• What would a reader unfamiliar with the book take from the review?
• By the end of the session, ask students to compile a class list of broad, basic guidelines for writing a review. Example guidelines are also available.
• Invite students to begin writing the first draft of a review based on the particular piece(s) of literature the class is studying.
• If students are reading one book, that one work would be the focus of the review.
• If students are reading more than one work (i.e., a number of short stories, poems, or essays) by an author, the review can cover any or all of this material.
• Ask students to design a rating system to include with the written review. The system can be as traditional as 1-5 stars or something more creative.

NOTE: Older students tend to get the style and tone of a review quite quickly, while younger students often produce something more like a book report in the early drafts. Writing instruction should be geared to the ability of each class.

• Use the Writing a Review Checklist as a guide to help students draft and edit their reviews.

Session Four

• In this fourth session, introduce critical commentary into class discussion.
• When the students have completed their reviews, invite them to publish their reviews using one of the options on the ReadWriteThink Printing Press . Print them when they are complete.
• With their final drafts complete, have students read professionally written reviews on the same text and compare their ideas as well as their writing to these reviews. Depending on the accessibility of these reviews, you can collect all published material or students can be assigned this task. (It's for this reason that this aspect of the assignment works best if the writers reviewed are contemporary.)
• When comparing their reviews with the published pieces, students should find points that are raised in both. This process demystifies critical commentary and allows students to feel comfortable discussing the work of reviewers. For example, one of my students writes of his appreciation of Carver's "deadpan humor."
• Teachers can use such excerpts to generate lively classroom discussion. If desired, use the this suggestion for creating a classroom discussion.
• After all students have reacted to each excerpt, invite the class to break into pairs or small groups, with each group responsible for sifting through the material on one of the papers.
• Finally, have students present conclusions based on their peers' responses to the critical commentary.
• a classroom bulletin board displaying reviews, accompanied by artwork and photographs of the authors.
• a class compilation of reviews. Students can use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press to compile their reviews in a reader-friendly format.
• a class publication with all reviews collected in a booklet, brochure, or binder and saved for future classes who will be studying the same author. This collection can be added to over the years to create an "historical perspective" on a particular works/authors.
• submissions to print and online publications that seek reviews. (Note: Teen Ink seeks student written reviews on all topics.)
• writing an individual response to a review to then share with the class.
• revising and rewriting their own original reviews to address points raised by the professional reviewer.
• working with a partner and each taking a side in response to a review, with one student proving the reviewer is "right" and the other proving him/her "wrong."
• When students are comparing different types of reviews, invite them to use the Venn Diagram interactive.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Grade the review as a complete writing assignment.
• As students write and revise their reviews, guide their work with the Review Checklist , a worksheet that outlines the vital features of a good review and asks students to verify that their final review includes these specific features. This checklist can be used by the teacher in evaluating the review.
• Students can assess their own work and learning by completing a Reflection Sheet that is handed in with the review. As with all reflection sheets, the form should include 4–5 questions that make writers really think about their pieces and the process that led to their creation.
• Publish student reviews using one of the options listed above to provide further feedback and assessment for students.
• Calendar Activities
• Professional Library
• Student Interactives
• Lesson Plans

The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, and flyers.

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Book Review Writing

Introduction.

If you love to read, at some point you will want to share a book you love with others. You may already do this by talking about books with friends. If you want to share your ideas with more people than your circle of friends, the way you do that is by writing a review. By publishing the reviews you write, you can share your ideas about books with other readers around the world.

It's natural for young readers to confuse book reviews with book reports, yet writing a book review is a very different process from writing a book report. Book reports focus on the plot of the book. Frequently, the purpose of book reports is to demonstrate that the books were read, and they are often done for an assignment.

A book review is a totally different task. A book review's purpose is to help people decide whether or not the book would interest them enough to read it. Reviews are a sneak peek at a book, not a summary. Like wonderful smells wafting from a kitchen, book reviews lure readers to want to taste the book themselves.

This guide is designed to help you become a strong book reviewer, a reader who can read a book and then cook up a review designed to whet the reading appetites of other book lovers.

Form: What should the review look like?

How long should it be.

The first question we usually ask when writing something is "How long should it be?" The best answer is "As long as it takes," but that's a frustrating answer. A general guideline is that the longer the book, the longer the review, and a review shouldn't be fewer than 100 words or so. For a long book, the review may be 500 words or even more.

If a review is too short, the review may not be able to fulfill its purpose. Too long, and the review may stray into too much plot summary or lose the reader's interest.

The best guide is to focus less on how long to write and more on fulfilling the purpose of the review.

How Do You Create A Title?

The title of the review should convey your overall impression and not be overly general. Strong titles include these examples:

• "Full of action and complex characters"
• "A nail-biter that will keep you up all night"
• "Beautiful illustrations with a story to match"
• "Perfect for animal lovers"

Weak titles may look like this:

• "Really good book"
• "Three stars"
• "Pretty good"
• "Quick read"

How Should It Begin?

Although many reviews begin with a short summary of the book (This book is about…), there are other options as well, so feel free to vary the way you begin your reviews.

In an introductory summary, be careful not to tell too much. If you retell the entire story, the reader won't feel the need to read it him/herself, and no one appreciates a spoiler (telling the end). Here are some examples of summaries reviewers from The New York Times have written:

"A new picture book tells a magically simple tale of a lonely boy, a stranded whale and a dad who rises to the occasion."

"In this middle-grade novel, a girl finds a way forward after the loss of her mother."

"Reared by ghosts, werewolves and other residents of the hillside cemetery he calls home, an orphan named Nobody Owens wonders how he will manage to survive among the living having learned all his lessons from the dead. And the man Jack — who killed the rest of Nobody's family — is itching to finish the job."

"In vivid poems that reflect the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, an award-winning author shares what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South." Other ways to begin a review include:

• Quote: A striking quote from the book ("It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.") can make for a powerful beginning. This quote begins George Orwell's novel 1984 .
• Background: What makes this book important or interesting? Is the author famous? Is it a series? This is This is how Amazon introduces Divergent : "This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy is the novel the inspired the major motion picture."
• Interesting Fact: For nonfiction books in particular, an interesting fact from the book may create a powerful opening for a review. In this review of The Middle East by Philip Steele, Zander H. of Mid-America Mensa asks, "Did you know that the Saudi Arabia's Rub' al-Khali desert reaches temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit in the day and plummets to the freezing point at night?"
• Explanation of a term: If a word or phrase in the book or title is confusing or vitally important to understand, you may wish to begin the review explaining that term.

Process: What should I write about?

Deciding what to say about the book can be challenging. Use the following ideas as a guide, but remember that you should not put all of this into a single review — that would make for a very long review! Choose the things that fit this particular book best.

General Information What the reader ought to know

• What kind of book is it? (Picture book? Historical fiction? Nonfiction? Fantasy? Adventure?)
• Does the book belong to a series?
• How long is the book? Is it an easy or a challenging read?
• Is there anything that would be helpful for the reader to know about the author? For instance, is the author an expert in the field, the author of other popular books, or a first-time author?
• How does the book compare to other books on the same topic or in the same genre?
• Is the book written in a formal or informal style? Is the language remarkable in any way?
• What ages is the book geared to?
• Is the book written in normal prose? If it is written in poetic form, does it rhyme?

Plot What happens?

Writing about the plot is the trickiest part of a review because you want to give the reader a feel for what the book is about without spoiling the book for future readers. The most important thing to remember is that you must never give away the ending. No one likes a spoiler.

One possibility for doing this is to set up the premise (A brother and a sister find themselves lost in the woods at the mercy of an evil witch. Will they be able to outsmart her and escape?). Another possibility is to set up the major conflict in the book and leave it unresolved (Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part or He didn't know what he stood to lose or Finding your purpose in life can be as easy as finding a true friend.)

Try to avoid using the tired phrase "This book is about…" Instead, just jump right in (The stuffed rabbit wanted more than anything to live in the big old house with the wild oak trees.)

Characters Who lives in the book?

Reviews should answer questions about the characters in fiction books or non-fiction books about people. Some possible questions to answer include:

• Who are the main characters? Include the protagonist and antagonist.
• What makes them interesting?
• Do they act like real people act or are they too good or too evil to be believable?
• Are they human?
• What conflicts do they face?
• Are they likeable or understandable?
• How do they connect with each other?
• Do they appear in other books?
• Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
• What problems did the main characters face?
• Who was your favorite character, and why?
• We learn about characters from things they do and say, as well as things other characters say about them. You may wish to include examples of these things.

Theme What is the book about at its heart?

What is the book really about? This isn't the plot, but rather the ideas behind the story. Is it about the triumph of good over evil or friendship or love or hope? Some common themes include: change, desire to escape, facing a challenge, heroism, the quest for power, and human weaknesses.

Sometimes a book will have a moral — a lesson to learn. If so, the theme is usually connected to that moral. As you write about the theme, try to identify what makes the book worth reading. What will the reader think about long after the book is finished? Ask yourself if there any particular lines in the book that strike you as meaningful.

Setting Where are we?

The setting is the time and place the story occurs. When you write about the setting in a review, include more than just the location. Some things to consider:

• Is the book set in the past, present or future?
• Is it set in the world we know or is it a fantastical world?
• Is it mostly realistic with elements of fantasy (animals that can talk, for example)?
• Is the setting unclear and fuzzy, or can you easily make the movie in your mind?
• How much does the author draw you into the setting and how does s/he accomplish that?

Opinion & Analysis What do you really think?

This is where the reviewer shares his/her reactions to the book that go beyond the essential points described above. You may spend half of the review on this section. Some possible questions to address include:

• Why do you think other readers would enjoy it? Why did you enjoy it (if you did) or why didn't you (if you didn't).
• What ages or types of readers do you think would like the book?
• How does it compare with other books that are in the same genre or by the same author?
• Does the book engage your emotions? If a book made you laugh or cry or think about it for days, be sure to include that.
• What do you like or dislike about the author's writing style? Is it funny? Is it hard to follow? Is it engaging and conversational in tone?
• How well do you think the author achieved what s/he was going for in the writing of the book? Do you think you felt what the author was hoping you would feel?
• Did the book feel complete, or did it feel as though key elements were left out?
• How does the book compare to other books like it you've read?

Are there parts that are simply not believable, even allowing for the reader's understanding that it is fiction or even fantasy?

• Are there mistakes?
• Would you describe the book as for entertainment, self-improvement, or information?
• What was your favorite part of the book?
• Would you have done anything differently had you been the author?
• Would any reader enjoy this book? If not, to what ages or type of reader would it appeal?

Special situations: Nonfiction and young reviewers

Some of the tips and ideas above work best for fiction, and some of it is a little too complicated for very young reviewers.

Nonfiction What to do if it's real

When reviewing a book of nonfiction, you will want to consider these questions:

• What was the author's purpose in writing the book? Did the author accomplish that purpose?
• Who is the target audience for the book?
• What do you think is the book's greatest value? What makes it special or worthwhile?
• Are the facts shared accurate?
• Is the book interesting and hold your attention?
• Would it be a useful addition to a school or public library?
• If the book is a biography or autobiography, how sympathetic is the subject?
• Is it easy to understand the ideas?
• Are there extra features that add to the enjoyment of the book, such as maps, indexes, glossaries, or other materials?
• Are the illustrations helpful?

Young Reviewers Keeping it simple

Reviewing a book can be fun, and it's not hard at all. Just ask yourself these questions:

• What is the book about? You don't need to tell the whole story over — just give an idea of what it's about.
• Do you think other people would like it?
• Did you think it was funny or sad?
• Did you learn something from the book?
• l Did you think it was interesting?
• Would you want to read it again?
• Would you want to read other books by the same author or about the same subject?
• What was your favorite part?
• Did you like the pictures?

Remember! Don't give away the ending. Let's keep that a surprise.

General Tips & Ideas

Use a few quotes or phrases (keep them short) from the book to illustrate the points you make about the book. If there are illustrations, be sure to comment on those. Are they well done? Has the illustrator done other well-known books?

Make sure you include a conclusion to the review — don't leave it hanging. The conclusion can be just one sentence (Overall, this book is a terrific choice for those who…).

You can use the transition word handout at the end of the Writer's Toolbox to find ideas for words to connect the ideas in your review. If you would like to read some well-written reviews, look for reviews of books for young people at The New York Times or National Public Radio .

Rating Books How to award stars?

Most places you post reviews ask you to rate the book using a star system, typically in a range of from one to five stars. In your rating, you should consider how the book compares to other books like it. Don't compare a long novel to a short poetry book — that's not a valid comparison.

It's important to remember that it's not asking you to only give five stars to the very best books ever written.

• 5 Stars: I'm glad I read it or I loved it (this doesn't mean it was your favorite book ever).
• 4 Stars: I like it. It's worth reading.
• 3 Stars: It wasn't very good.
• 2 Stars: I don't like it at all.
• 1 Star: I hate it.

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site BooksInTheClassroom.com

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Blue Light Yonder

The best read-alouds for grade 7, reviewed by grade 7s.

I asked the students to brainstorm the books that we read at during readaloud time. I read to the class for about 25 minutes per day, and it’s not often skipped. Below you will find their honest reviews about our Grade 7 Read Alouds. Since there is no point in asking for feedback unless I plan to take action, I will only be reading aloud those books that received good student reviews.

I love to read to my class. It doesn’t matter that they are in Grade 7, the science is with me on this one! I love it, and they love it. So it’s coming to the end of June for this crew of students. They graduate from Elementary School and move on to High School, something they are ready for, particularly from their own point of view!

“Review This Year’s Read Alouds”

At the end of the year, I often ask my classes to reflect back on their time in my class and to give me some sort of feedback. Sometimes I’ll do this as a direct question, others I’ll have them create a “User Guide to Grade 7” for the upcoming Grade 6s. Regardless of how I do it, I want to know how to make each year just that little bit better.

Which books were the best read alouds for Grade 7? That depends on the kids.

My primary goal for my reading curriculum, above all other skills and elements of stories and conducting research, is to build a love of reading into my students. I really feel that a student who enjoys reading is already ahead in their chances of success at school and life, and, at the very least, has an entertaining and never-ending source of entertainment.

So, without further ado, here are the best Grade 7 read alouds of this year, plus some others, as reviewed by the students.

Ok, full disclosure…I am reading through the reviews of my students and there is a fair variety on most of the list. The top-ranking books are pretty consistent and I will point those out, but I’m going to list these in no particular order.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

Aven Green is a girl who was born with no arms. She was adopted as a young toddler by a loving family and has grown up learning how to do everything herself. Her adoptive family has raised an independent, strong-willed girl. When her parents are hired to run a ranch theme park in Arizona, she has to change to a new school, facing a whole new group of people as a girl with no arms. Aven is such an appealing character and she is portrayed as cheeky and full of spark as she becomes close friends with two other students at her school, while trying to solve the mystery of the missing theme park owner.

The class really enjoyed listening to this. Because the story is so out of the ordinary and the character’s sense of humour is a little spicy, a little sarcastic and very relatable, this one was a hit. Students said:

” It was good and interesting to listen to.”

“I loved the accurate representation of Tourette’s Syndrome!”

“Not many books have a storyline like this, but I just really enjoyed it.”

“I liked the characters.”

“It was funny, interesting, and different.”

Note: this book was middle of the list for many of my students.

Variant by Robison Wells

The main character, Benson Fisher, earns a scholarship to an exclusive school and accepts, hoping that it will help get him out of an otherwise dead-end existence. Upon his arrival, he is greeted by two students running away and a student guide who won’t talk about it. The mysteries pile up from there.

This is a really good story that keeps the students guessing. My class was obsessed with this one. My students said, in their own words:

“It had a lot of twists and turns and it was interesting”.

“There were so many cliffhangers!”

“It was very exciting and engaging”.

“I think you should do it again because it was very good, had a lot of little details, and was full of events and plot twists.”

Alone by Megan Freeman

A girl lies to her mom that she is staying with her dad, and tells her dad that she is staying with her mom. In reality, she is planning a sleepover with some friends at her Grandma’s while her Grandma is away. Her friends have to cancel, and she is left alone at her Grandma’s. Not in itself a problem. She has a lovely cozy evening in peace and quiet. When she wakes up, no one is there. Anywhere. She doesn’t know why or what happened. This is the story of what happens after.

What’s really cool about this book is that it’s all written in poetry. Many in my class have labelled this as their favourite book all year. Their reviews included:

“I think you should read it again because it had a very good story line and had a good description of the plot.”

“I liked the way it was written and the plot in general.”

“I liked this one a lot.”

Note about this book…even the kids who swore they hated reading, liked this one. A weird plug for a book, but if you’re a teacher with reluctant readers? This one rocked it.

The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

One night a witch dies, and the ghost who was her familiar finds and binds itself to her granddaughter. As she grows, the witch’s granddaughter because close friends with the ghost but the friendship becomes…complicated. This book was funny, creepy, relatable, sad…it had everything. Full disclosure: I really liked the story, but it doesn’t seem to have been for everyone. Highly recommend trying it with your class though…the story is worth it.

My class generally thought I should read this one to a future class. They thought that:

“Girl and the Ghost was a really good book. I recommend it for next year’s people.”

“It was interesting.”

“It was funny, realistic, interesting, and relatable.”

Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates by Sean Cullin

This is a funny book (I thought) about three orphans who escape from a cheese factory that employs slave labour. There are pirates who steal cheese, and cheese masters. There are daring escapes. There are wild inventions, flying pirate ships, and a lot of porridge. Quite honestly, I think it’s really funny.

However, on this one my class seems to disagree with me. One or two students liked it but, on the whole, it was not enjoyed by this group. I think perhaps the humour was too silly, or too dry, or too ridiculous…I’m not sure, but they were not fans. One student wrote:

“To me, it wasn’t that interesting. I didn’t feel like it was so good that I wanted to hear more.”

That pretty much sums up the response. Perhaps try it with your class, but I think I will leave this one alone next year.

24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling

Our second Dusti Bowling novel this year, 24 Hours in Nowhere was a completely different sort of story. This one involved four students, thrown together in a misguided mission to find gold in an abandoned mine in the small town of Nowhere. It takes place over 24 hours, during which they have a number of dangerous adventures. The story involves dirt bikes, eccentric shopkeepers, desert prawns, and races, and those are only the elements outside of the mine!

This one received mixed reviews from my class, I think because of the structure, but those who loved it, loved it. It would appeal to a group that was really into the outdoors and typical adventure novels. In the words of some students:

“I liked the plot, there were surprises but it stayed with similar ideas with a theme that made sense.”

“It was good and cool.”

“Good book to listen to.”

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

This book was so relatable and uncomfortable, particularly for the Grade 7s in my class. That is precisely why I read it to them and why I had such mixed reviews of the book. It tells the story of a girl who is experiencing harassment from several boys in her grade, but harassment that is hard to pinpoint. She does not know what to do or even if there is a problem. She questions herself, and then when she realizes that she is right, then finds everyone else questioning her responses.

It’s an uncomfortable read and it was uncomfortable for the students to listen to. But! I think there are certain classes, and years of students, who really need to hear about these types of interactions to avoid accidentally going ahead and perpetrating them or being the victims of them, so read it we did. You can see from their responses that they got the big deal but definitely felt the discomfort.

“Awkward book but it was good to listen to.”

“Do read Maybe He Just Likes You again. It was not what I’d call enjoyable but Grade 7s need to hear it.”

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey

Wow, this book. I have read this book to 4 Grade 7s classes in a row over the last 4 years and every time it is a hit. This is a bit on the edge in terms of action but it’s a great introduction to the delight of how fun reading can be for those reluctant readers who might be in the class. This is the story of Alfred, a boy without parents whose uncle is raising him. He finds himself, through a series of unfortunate decisions, thoroughly mixed up in a modern tale of King Arthur, Excalibur, Knights of the Round Table and the battle between good and evil. It’s just great, and this year, as before, it was a favourite. I read it at the beginning of the year, and they were still talking about it at the end.

Students said:

“I really liked this book. It had tons of interesting events and was very adventurous.”

“Good book, funny.”

“Definitely read Alfred Kropp again. It was really fun and everyone liked it.”

“I think you should read Alfred Kropp next year because there was lots of action and the overall story was cool.”

So, there you have it, the read alouds we did this year, as reviewed by the teacher (that’s me!) and the students. Given that my intent with reading aloud to 12 and 13 year olds is to get them interested in reading, I really find this activity useful, since there is no point in trying to get kids excited about books if the only person who is excited is the teacher!

Hope you find this useful, friends! If you have any great suggestions for read alouds, please comment below. I am always looking for new ideas!

And, if you’re interested in some Grade 7 curriculum ideas, check out that page here .

Full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, I will get a small payment, at no cost to you.

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

• A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book. 
• A book review will offer an evaluation of the work. 
• A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience. 

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

How much of a book nerd are you, really?

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim.  To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you don’t have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery — where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer , go here .

And if you’d like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen — and start reviewing!

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How to Write a Book Review: Awesome Guide

A book review allows students to illustrate the author's intentions of writing the piece, as well as create a criticism of the book — as a whole. In other words, form an opinion of the author's presented ideas. Check out this guide from EssayPro - book review writing service to learn how to write a book review successfully.

What Is a Book Review?

You may prosper, “what is a book review?”. Book reviews are commonly assigned students to allow them to show a clear understanding of the novel. And to check if the students have actually read the book. The essay format is highly important for your consideration, take a look at the book review format below.

Book reviews are assigned to allow students to present their own opinion regarding the author’s ideas included in the book or passage. They are a form of literary criticism that analyzes the author’s ideas, writing techniques, and quality. A book analysis is entirely opinion-based, in relevance to the book. They are good practice for those who wish to become editors, due to the fact, editing requires a lot of criticism.

Book Review Template

The book review format includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.

• Introduction
• Describe the book cover and title.
• Include any subtitles at this stage.
• Include the Author’s Name.
• Write a brief description of the novel.
• Briefly introduce the main points of the body in your book review.
• Avoid mentioning any opinions at this time.
• Use about 3 quotations from the author’s novel.
• Summarize the quotations in your own words.
• Mention your own point-of-view of the quotation.
• Remember to keep every point included in its own paragraph.
• In brief, summarize the quotations.
• In brief, summarize the explanations.
• Finish with a concluding sentence.
• This can include your final opinion of the book.
• Star-Rating (Optional).

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How to Write a Book Review: Step-By-Step

Writing a book review is something that can be done with every novel. Book reviews can apply to all novels, no matter the genre. Some genres may be harder than others. On the other hand, the book review format remains the same. Take a look at these step-by-step instructions from our professional writers to learn how to write a book review in-depth.

Step 1: Planning

Create an essay outline which includes all of the main points you wish to summarise in your book analysis. Include information about the characters, details of the plot, and some other important parts of your chosen novel. Reserve a body paragraph for each point you wish to talk about.

Consider these points before writing:

• What is the plot of the book? Understanding the plot enables you to write an effective review.
• Is the plot gripping? Does the plot make you want to continue reading the novel? Did you enjoy the plot? Does it manage to grab a reader’s attention?
• Are the writing techniques used by the author effective? Does the writer imply factors in-between the lines? What are they?
• Are the characters believable? Are the characters logical? Does the book make the characters are real while reading?
• Would you recommend the book to anyone? The most important thing: would you tell others to read this book? Is it good enough? Is it bad?
• What could be better? Keep in mind the quotes that could have been presented better. Criticize the writer.

Step 2: Introduction

Presumably, you have chosen your book. To begin, mention the book title and author’s name. Talk about the cover of the book. Write a thesis statement regarding the fictitious story or non-fictional novel. Which briefly describes the quoted material in the book review.

Step 3: Body

Choose a specific chapter or scenario to summarise. Include about 3 quotes in the body. Create summaries of each quote in your own words. It is also encouraged to include your own point-of-view and the way you interpret the quote. It is highly important to have one quote per paragraph.

Step 4: Conclusion

Write a summary of the summarised quotations and explanations, included in the body paragraphs. After doing so, finish book analysis with a concluding sentence to show the bigger picture of the book. Think to yourself, “Is it worth reading?”, and answer the question in black and white. However, write in-between the lines. Avoid stating “I like/dislike this book.”

Step 5: Rate the Book (Optional)

After writing a book review, you may want to include a rating. Including a star-rating provides further insight into the quality of the book, to your readers. Book reviews with star-ratings can be more effective, compared to those which don’t. Though, this is entirely optional.

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Writing Tips

Here is the list of tips for the book review:

• A long introduction can certainly lower one’s grade: keep the beginning short. Readers don’t like to read the long introduction for any essay style.
• It is advisable to write book reviews about fiction: it is not a must. Though, reviewing fiction can be far more effective than writing about a piece of nonfiction
• Avoid Comparing: avoid comparing your chosen novel with other books you have previously read. Doing so can be confusing for the reader.
• Opinion Matters: including your own point-of-view is something that is often encouraged when writing book reviews.
• Refer to Templates: a book review template can help a student get a clearer understanding of the required writing style.
• Don’t be Afraid to Criticize: usually, your own opinion isn’t required for academic papers below Ph.D. level. On the other hand, for book reviews, there’s an exception.
• Use Positivity: include a fair amount of positive comments and criticism.
• Review The Chosen Novel: avoid making things up. Review only what is presented in the chosen book.
• Enjoyed the book? If you loved reading the book, state it. Doing so makes your book analysis more personalized.

Writing a book review is something worth thinking about. Professors commonly assign this form of an assignment to students to enable them to express a grasp of a novel. Following the book review format is highly useful for beginners, as well as reading step-by-step instructions. Writing tips is also useful for people who are new to this essay type. If you need a book review or essay, ask our book report writing services ' write paper for me ' and we'll give you a hand asap!

We also recommend that everyone read the article about essay topics . It will help broaden your horizons in writing a book review as well as other papers.

Book Review Examples

Referring to a book review example is highly useful to those who wish to get a clearer understanding of how to review a book. Take a look at our examples written by our professional writers. Click on the button to open the book review examples and feel free to use them as a reference.

Book review

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’ is a novel aimed at youngsters. The plot, itself, is not American humor, but that of Great Britain. In terms of sarcasm, and British-related jokes. The novel illustrates a fair mix of the relationships between the human-like animals, and wildlife. The narrative acts as an important milestone in post-Victorian children’s literature.

Book Review

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’ consists of 3 major parts. The first part is all about the polluted ocean. The second being about the pollution of the sky. The third part is an in-depth study of how humans can resolve these issues. The book is a piece of non-fiction that focuses on modern-day pollution ordeals faced by both animals and humans on Planet Earth. It also focuses on climate change, being the result of the global pollution ordeal.

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How To Write A Book Review?

What to include in a book review, what is a book review, related articles.

Book Review

Book Review Examples

Last updated on: Nov 20, 2023

Good Book Review Examples to Help you Write a Great Review

By: Nova A.

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: Mar 30, 2021

A book review is a common assignment that allows the students to demonstrate the author’s intentions in the book. It also provides them with the chance not only to criticize but also to give constructive criticism on how they can make improvements.

The purpose of writing a book review is to come up with your opinion about the author’s ideas presented in the book. On the other hand, a book analysis is completely based on opinions that are relevant to the book.

Writing a review is something that can be done with any book that you read. However, some genres are harder to write. But with a proper plan, you can easily write a great review on any book.

Read some short book review examples in this guide. They will help you understand the key elements of writing a great review in no time.

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Academic Book Review Examples

If you are assigned to write a book review, referring to some examples will be of great help. In addition, reading examples before starting the writing process will help you understand what elements are needed for a great book review. There are also many review sites online you can get help from.

Academic book reviews follow a fairly simple structure. It usually includes an introduction, middle paragraphs, and a conclusion that sums up all the ideas.

For a great book review, here are the things you need to focus on during the writing process.

• The main argument presented by the author
• Author’s methodologyAppropriateness for the audience
• Relationship to the real world

Have a look at the following book review examples for kids before beginning the writing process.

Book Review Examples for Middle School Students

Book Review Example For Kids

Book Review Examples for High School Students

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Book Review Examples for College Students

Book Review Examples for University Students

How to Write a Book Review - Examples

If you don’t know how to write a book review, look at the following steps.

The first step is to plan and create an outline that includes all the points that you will have to cover in the review. Don’t forget to include all the information about the characters, plot information, and some other parts of the chosen book.

The three parts of a book review are:

1. Provide a Summary

What is the book about? Write about the main characters and what is the conflict that is discussed in the book.

2. Provide Your Evaluation

Share your thoughts about the book and what elements work best.

3. Rate the Book

Rate and recommend the book to others who will enjoy reading this book.

If you need to submit a book review soon, we suggest you start reading some book reviews online. Here you can also find some good book review writing examples to understand how to craft each section of a book review.

Book Review Introduction Examples

Thesis Statement Book Review Examples

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Book Review Conclusion Examples

Critical Book Review Examples

A book review is a critical evaluation of the book, movie, or any other literary work. It has two goals: the first is to inform the readers about the content of the book, and the second is to evaluate your judgment about the book.

A book review is more than a book report. A review is basically a critical essay that evaluates the merits of a literary work. The purpose of writing a book review is not to prove that you have read a book but to show that you think critically about the chosen book.

When you are asked to write a critical book review, you need to identify, summarize and evaluate the ideas of the author. In simpler words, you will be examining and evaluating another person’s work from your point of view.

Science Book Review Examples

A scientific book review will contain the same elements as writing a review for a fiction book; some elements might vary. When you are reviewing a scientific text, you need to pay attention to the writing style and the validity of the content.

Most students turn to non-fictional sources of information. It is important to make sure the information you provide in your review is factual and scientific.

Book review writing can be difficult if you don’t know how to follow the standard protocols. That’s where our reliable book review writing service aims to provide the necessary help.

No matter what your academic level is, we can provide you with the best book review writing help. This type of writing assignment can be tricky and time-consuming. So, if you don’t know how to crack this task, better get professional help.

We at 5StarEssays.com provide exceptional book review writing help. Not only book reviews, but we also provide the best ‘ write an essay for me ’ help to students. Moreover, we also have an AI essay writer to help you with tight deadlines, give it a try now!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a book review example.

Here are some steps that will help you to write a book review example.

• Start writing with few sentences and describe what the book is all about
• Focus on your thoughts
• Mention things that you dont like about the book.
• Summarize your thoughts.
• Give rating to the book.

Thesis, Law

As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

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• Book Review - An Easy Guide To Write A Review

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Top 10 Math Books for Grade 7 Students: A Complete Review

Mathematics, the universal language of patterns and numbers, often triggers a dichotomy of feelings in students. For some, it's a fascinating enigma waiting to be unraveled, like the satisfaction of fitting the final piece into a complex puzzle. For others, it can feel like navigating a labyrinth with no end in sight.

This journey through the labyrinth of numbers and equations becomes particularly prominent in grade 7, a pivotal year in a student’s math learning journey. It is at this stage that the textbooks they use, serving as their mathematical compass, become of paramount importance.

The Absolute Best Book to Ace Grade 7 Math

Pre-Algebra for Beginners The Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Preparing for the Pre-Algebra Test

The importance of mathematics for grade 7 students.

Do you find yourself pondering, “Why is there so much emphasis on math?” To answer that, let’s step back and observe the world around us. From the symmetry of nature’s patterns to the algorithms driving our technology, mathematics is inextricably woven into the fabric of our lives. But, its significance extends far beyond its practical applications.

In the academic world, particularly at the grade 7 level, mathematics serves as a cognitive trainer, honing problem-solving skills, fostering logical reasoning, and cultivating analytical thinking. It’s during this crucial year that students delve deeper into the complex world of math, embarking on explorations of algebra, geometry, and data analysis among other topics. The concepts become more abstract and the equations more intricate, thereby requiring a strong foundation and a robust toolkit of problem-solving strategies.

It’s during these years that mathematics transcends the realm of numbers and equations, metamorphosing into a tool that equips students with essential life skills. It helps them build resilience as they grapple with challenging problems, encourages precision in their thought processes, and aids in developing an organized approach to tackling tasks. With such significant roles to play, the importance of mathematics for grade 7 students becomes indisputably clear.

The books they use to navigate this mathematical journey become their most vital allies. In the next section, we’ll explore why math books play such a significant role in this adventure, and unveil the top ten books that every grade 7 student should consider adding to their academic library.

The Role of Books in Learning Mathematics

Importance of textbooks.

The world of mathematics is a vast ocean of concepts, equations, theorems, and proofs. Without a guide, it can be daunting for seventh-graders to explore. That’s where math textbooks come into play. They act like lighthouses, guiding young learners through the wide expanse of mathematical knowledge.

Textbooks provide a structured learning pathway, meticulously designed to build upon previous knowledge. They begin with fundamental concepts, akin to the foundation of a skyscraper, and gradually introduce more complex ideas, like the successive stories added to the structure. The intricate scaffolding of information ensures a smooth transition from one concept to another, promoting better understanding and retention.

The art of a good math book lies in its ability to distill complex ideas into easily digestible chunks. It breaks down intimidating topics into smaller, manageable parts, thereby transforming a seemingly insurmountable challenge into an achievable goal. Visual aids like graphs, diagrams, and illustrations further enhance understanding, creating mental images that aid in comprehension and retention.

In essence, a good math book transforms the realm of mathematics from an alien landscape into a familiar playground, enabling students to engage with and even enjoy the subject.

Complementing School Learning

As vital as classroom teaching is, it’s often confined by time constraints and a one-size-fits-all approach. Here, math textbooks prove to be indispensable. They act as a supplement to school learning, offering additional insights, explanations, and perspectives that may not be covered in the classroom.

Math textbooks often provide a variety of examples for each concept, showcasing the application of the concept in different contexts. This not only aids comprehension but also equips students with a broader understanding, enabling them to tackle a variety of problems. Moreover, the numerous exercises in the books offer students an opportunity to practice and reinforce what they’ve learned. It’s like training for a marathon – the more you practice, the better you become.

Additionally, textbooks provide an avenue for independent study. They allow students to learn at their own pace, review topics they find challenging, and even delve deeper into areas of interest. This flexibility empowers students to take charge of their learning journey, cultivating habits of self-study and lifelong learning.

Aiding in Real-World Applications

One significant aspect of mathematics is its real-world application. Textbooks often illustrate mathematical principles with real-life scenarios, helping students understand the practical applications of abstract concepts. These instances can range from managing finances to understanding patterns in nature. They enable students to relate what they are learning to everyday situations, making math less abstract and more tangible.

Enhancing Cognitive Skills

Mathematics is more than just numbers; it’s a mental exercise. When students work through the problems presented in textbooks, they’re not just learning math—they’re also developing critical thinking skills. The challenges posed by these problems encourage logical reasoning, abstract thinking, and strategic planning, skills that are useful in many other areas of life.

Fostering a Deeper Understanding

Textbooks provide an in-depth exploration of mathematical concepts, offering explanations that go beyond the surface level. They delve into the ‘why’ behind each concept, providing insights into the rationale and theory underlying the math. This encourages a deeper understanding of the subject, which is crucial for mastering more advanced topics in later grades.

Providing Feedback and Assessment

Math textbooks typically include practice problems with solutions. These allow students to assess their understanding, identify areas of weakness, and track their progress. Through immediate feedback, students can correct misconceptions and reinforce accurate understandings, supporting their ongoing learning process.

Supporting Different Learning Styles

Everyone has a unique learning style, and textbooks cater to this diversity. Visual learners benefit from diagrams and illustrations, while verbal learners appreciate detailed explanations and written examples. For those who learn by doing, the multitude of practice problems is a boon. By accommodating various learning styles, textbooks can support a wider range of learners.

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Top 10 math books for grade 7 students.

Embark with us on an exploratory journey through the world of grade 7 math books. Each book on our list has been chosen for its exceptional ability to simplify complex concepts, engage young learners, and make mathematics a more enjoyable journey. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!

1: Pre-Algebra for Beginners: The Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Preparing for the Pre-Algebra Test

Pre-Algebra for Beginners stands out as the first book on our list of Top 10 Math Books for Grade 7, and for good reason! This book is a perfect introduction to the world of algebra, laying down the foundational concepts in a manner that is both engaging and accessible for seventh graders. It is designed to ease students into the transition from arithmetic to algebra, ensuring they are well-prepared for more advanced mathematical studies.

2: Mastering Grade 7 Math Word Problems: The Ultimate Guide to Tackling 7th Grade Math Word Problems

“ Mastering Grade 7 Math Word Problems ” is a specialized guide designed to help seventh graders navigate the complexities of solving word problems in math. This book aims to build students’ confidence and proficiency by providing a structured approach to dissecting and solving problems that are presented in a textual format.

3: “Spectrum Math Workbook, Grade 7” by Spectrum

This workbook is renowned for its systematic approach to seventh-grade math. It covers all key areas, provides step-by-step examples, and offers a wealth of practice problems for students to work through. It’s an excellent resource for reinforcing classroom learning and honing math skills.

4: “Math for All Seasons: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles” by Greg Tang

Tang offers a unique approach to math learning, using riddles to make the subject more engaging. This book is perfect for students who enjoy a challenge and want to develop their problem-solving skills. It’s proof that math can be both fun and mentally stimulating!

5: “Go Math! Middle School Grade 7” by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

This book is part of a renowned series that aligns with the common core standards. It provides in-depth explanations of mathematical concepts, a wealth of practice problems, and a user-friendly digital platform. It’s an ideal resource for comprehensive math learning.

6: “Kumon Pre-Algebra Workbook I (Kumon Math Workbooks)” by Kumon Publishing

Kumon is well-known for its effective learning methodology, and this workbook is no exception. It provides a solid foundation in pre-algebra, a critical area for seventh-grade math. With a focus on understanding and mastery, it helps students build confidence in their math abilities.

7: “7th Grade Common Core Math” by Argo Brothers

Through thorough practice and complete mastery of this workbook, your child will gain a deep familiarity and comfort level with the state math exam and common core standards.

8: “McGraw-Hill Education Math Grade 7, Second Edition” by McGraw Hill

This comprehensive guide covers all key grade 7 math topics, with detailed explanations, numerous examples, and plenty of practice problems. It’s a versatile resource that can be used for tutoring, homeschooling, or supplementing classroom learning.

9: “Barron’s Core Focus: Grade 7 Test Practice for Common Core” by Barron’s

Designed specifically for test preparation, this book provides targeted practice in the key areas of seventh-grade math. It includes detailed explanations, test-taking strategies, and full-length practice exams to help students prepare for common core assessments.

10: “Challenging Problems in Algebra (Dover Books on Mathematics)” by Alfred S. Posamentier and Charles T. Salkind

While this book may be a bit more advanced, it’s perfect for students ready to take on an extra challenge. The book provides intriguing algebra problems that stimulate deeper thinking and enhance problem-solving skills.

Each of these books shines in its unique way, offering a rich array of methods, exercises, and explanations tailored to make learning math an enjoyable and rewarding experience for seventh-graders. These aren’t just textbooks—they are partners in your mathematical journey, guiding you through the labyrinth of numbers and equations, and making mathematics an adventure to cherish.

Why These Books Are Recommended

The ten books mentioned above are not just randomly selected; they are meticulously chosen with consideration given to several key aspects.

Firstly, they align well with the seventh-grade curriculum and learning objectives. They cover crucial areas like fractions, decimals, pre-algebra, geometry, and more, ensuring a comprehensive grasp of all necessary topics.

Secondly, these books are well known for their clear, concise, and engaging explanations. They simplify complex ideas into easily understandable concepts, making mathematics less intimidating and more accessible. They offer a wide range of examples that apply these concepts to real-life situations, enhancing relevance and comprehension.

Thirdly, the books offer a plethora of exercises varying in difficulty levels. These exercises test understanding, promote the application of concepts, and provide ample practice, thereby reinforcing learning and improving proficiency.

Lastly, these books are like personal math tutors in book form. They guide students step-by-step, explaining concepts, demonstrating solutions, and providing feedback through solved problems. This allows for a tailored learning experience, facilitating independent learning and mastery of the subject.

In short, these books can be instrumental in transforming the daunting journey of learning math into a rewarding and enjoyable adventure.

Final Words

Mathematics is indeed a universal language. It is a realm of numbers, shapes, patterns, and equations that govern our world. The right math books can unlock this realm for seventh graders, making this language not just easier to understand but also more enjoyable to learn.

As you embark on this mathematical voyage with these books, remember that it’s not solely about reaching a destination. It’s about the journey itself – the discoveries you make, the skills you acquire, the challenges you overcome, and the joy of understanding. So, are you ready to dive in?

1. What should I look for in a good math book for grade 7 students?

A good math book should align with the curriculum, provide clear and engaging explanations, offer a variety of exercises for practice, and include solutions for feedback. It should also cater to different learning styles and promote self-study.

2. Are these books aligned with the school curriculum?

Yes, the recommended books cover all the key topics typically included in the seventh-grade math curriculum. They provide comprehensive coverage of necessary concepts, making them an excellent supplement to school learning.

3. How can math books help improve my child’s grades?

Math books can help reinforce what your child learns in school. They provide additional explanations, examples, and exercises that promote understanding and application of concepts. Regular practice can improve proficiency, problem-solving speed, and accuracy, which can lead to better grades.

4. Can these books be used for self-study?

Absolutely! These books are designed in a way that promotes self-study. They provide step-by-step explanations and solved problems that can guide independent learning.

5. What if my child is struggling even after using these books?

If your child continues to struggle, it may be beneficial to seek additional help. This could include working with a tutor, joining a study group, or using online resources. Additionally, you may want to explore other books that use different teaching approaches.

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Algebra I for Beginners The Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Acing Algebra I

Algebra ii for beginners the ultimate step by step guide to acing algebra ii, pre-algebra tutor everything you need to help achieve an excellent score.

by: Effortless Math Team about 10 months ago (category: Blog )

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Mastering Grade 7 Math Word Problems The Ultimate Guide to Tackling 7th Grade Math Word Problems

10 full length staar grade 7 math practice tests the practice you need to ace the staar grade 7 math test, 5 staar grade 7 math practice tests extra practice to help achieve an excellent score, staar grade 7 math prep 2020 a comprehensive review and step-by-step guide to preparing for the staar math test.

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Book Review Template for Kids (Tips & Activities)

• July 21, 2019
• Kids Printables

Aren’t your kids interested in reading more books? How can you enhance their understanding skills after reading a book? 

Here is a solution ! How about asking them to write a review? Don’t be funny you say ! No, I am just saying if you have colorful “ Book Review Templates” for kids , you can actually ask them to write what they understood.  

Ask your kids to share their point of view and discuss about it with their friends and family. While this is a small circle, writing a review about the book will help them introduce it a bigger circle or people, at the same time improve their thinking and writing skills.

You might want to check out book templates for kids , who are interested in compiling or writing a book. 

Your kids read books? Do they have the habit of sharing their view about the books? Do they share their review about every book they read? Or do you want your kid to write review about the books they read? Do you want to teach them on how to write a book review? Well, this topic is help and satisfy all the above needs.

Yes, In this article we are going to see in detail about what is book review and how to make your kids write a book review. We are here to help you with the wonderful set of templates that will help teach your kids and encourage them write review about books. All you have to do is just a click away, select the template you like from here, download it, print and teach your kids on how to write a book review with the help of it. All these templates are available for free and you can download and use it anytime, anywhere.

What are Book Review Templates?

First of all let us see what is book review template and what are the components in it to be filled. As the name says, it is nothing but the template to write review about books, which will help you teach your kids on how to write a book review and what all needs to be included/excluded while writing a book review. Below are some of the components that needs to be filled in order to complete a Book review.

• Title – Name of the book
• Author/Illustrator – Name of the Author and/or Illustrator of the book
• Word difficulty – They need to predict the difficulty level they had while reading the book. For Example, Too easy, Just right, Medium, Too hard,
• Did your like the book/Rating – This is to rate the book. As it is for kids, it can be represented with the STAR rating. If not, by numbers. For example, 4.2 out of 5. Or you can ask them to describe the book in one word by proving them a set of words to choose. For example, Exiting, boring, impressive, stupid, funny, sad, heart warming, interesting, excellent, entertaining, educational and so on.
• Summary in one sentence – Ask them to summarize the story of the book in a sentence, that needs to be short and crisp.
• Characters – Describe in brief about the character involved in the book.
• What was your favorite part of the book? / What I liked best – This will help them recollect the memories of reading the book and describe their favorite part in the book.
• What I didn’t like – Ask them to summarize the part of book which the kids did not like
• Draw your favorite character from the book – If it is a picture book or activity book that would contain more pictures and images, then you can guide them to draw their favorite character from the book.
• Draw your favorite scene from the book – every kids will have a favorite part from the book and you can encourage them to visualize their favorite scene, which in-turn will develop their drawing skills also.
• Recommendation – They can tick mark the box. For example, Highly Recommended, Reasonable, Not recommended.
• Reviewer Name – Your kids name who is writing the review.
• Date – date on which the review was written.

These are few of the points that must be covered as part of a book review. Apart from this the kids can add anything extra as part of the template while writing the review.

Are your kids exited to write a book review? Wondering how to guide them on it? Then we are here to help you, as we have provided wonderful set of book review templates for kids in this page that will attract your kids. Do you want to make one on your own? Well, that is allowed as well. All you have to do is to just chose your template from here and download it for free. As we have designed it for your ease, you can just edit the template as per your need by changing the font, background, borderline of the template etc and create/make your own Book review templates within seconds,without spending even a single penny from your pocket. Is it not amazing? Create one instantly and help your kids write a book review.

Uses of Book review template?

Let us see below the uses of writing a book review.

• Will help the kids to improve their creative writing skills and reading comprehension.
• Will encourage the kids to share their opinion
• Will help others to decide on whether to read/purchase the book or not.
• Will provide the in-depth analysis of the story and content of the book.
• Will capture the main theme of the book and help readers understand the author’s style.

These are few of the benefits of writing a book review. Apart from these it will improve their book reading skills and increase their interest to read more books and write review for those.

How to use – Book review template for teaching in classroom

In order to help teachers with book review templates and few sample activities that would help them teach in the classroom,we have listed few activities as below to make their work easy:

• Providing Sample Book review – You can take few sample reviews written by others for a book and share it in the classroom for the kids to basically understand what is a book review and what are the basic elements and points to be captured while writing a book review. Best source to teach them is from the famous/favorite magazine or even newspaper.
• Together read a book review – Pick up an appropriate and favorite book review and read it aloud along with the students in the classroom. Cover everything from title of the book, author, brief summary of the book, strengths and weakness and your own personal opinion about the book.
• Provide a book to review – Provide a book or a short story to read in the classroom and write their review about it. Encourage them to make note of the key points of the story Post which you can read the review they have written and correct those along with the students.
• Questions about the book – Provide a book review template template and guide them with few questions that will help them recollect the incidents in the story and come-up with a good review. Questions should cover on the genre of the book (whether it is Comic or fantasy or detective or humor),  about the favorite part of the book, likes and dis-likes, about the main characters of the book, briefly about the author of the book, did they enjoy reading the story, etc. Also ensure to have their reviews explained in details. 
• Classroom flip book review activity – Prepare a flip book with an interesting topic and introduce it to the students. Provide them with a book review template from him as per your wish and let them write review on the flip book. This will help them improve their thinking capacity as well.

  How to use – Book Review template for students

Making children write a book review is a great way to motivate them to read lot of books. Having said that let us see few activities  that will help them learn and write a good and perfect book review.

• Book review activity Packet – You can choose a sample book for the students to read, be it a short-story or fun book or a comic story. To start with you can provide them a book under their favorite genre which will help them read it with full involvement and write a good review. Then you can choose a template from here for there to express their thought and opinion about the book and write a review.
• Character book review Activity – Decide a book for the student to read, preferably a picture book or fun book. Later you can collect the pictures of the different characters in the book and make cards out of it. Once the student completes the book, you can provide these cards carrying different characters in the book and as them to write review about each character. This will help children to understand and judge themselves with how much involvement they have read the book.

All the activities listed above looks awesome right? Waiting to involve your kids/students in reading books and write a review for the book? Then you can involve them in any of the above activities. To start with, you can make them read a book of their favorite genre, which will help them practice writing a book review at initial times.

Can Book Review Template help kids to learn science?

In order to make students develop their interest towards science, you can introduce it to them through book review activity as well. Wondering how? Here is an example for you to help them develop their interest towards science. You can create a Flip book with different forms of energy (like heat, sound,chemical,thermal etc) or any other science related topics like state of matter or chemical changes, with the pictures related to it. You can ask students to make a research on each of the picture in the flip book, hence introducing science to them.

Help them in understand it which in-turn will make them write good reviews. Later, once they complete the flip book, provide them with few book review templates and as them to write their opinion about each science topic in the flip book, that will help them know their understanding about the science and develop interest towards science. Similarly you can make them read various science related fun books (like 11 Experiments That Failed or Ada Twist – Scientist) which will introduce science to them and ask them to write review for the same.

Tips to help your kids write a book review

Writing a book review is not an easy task for the children at initial times. Below are you tips which will help you guide your children to write a good book review.

• Motivate them to make note of the important points while reading the books. This will help them remember the favorite characters and scenes in the book.
• Make them ask questions about the book to come-up with an perfect book review.
• Guide them to have a structure for the book review they write. For example , starting from the Author to the strength and weakness of the book.
• You should be ready to proofread it at the end. Once the kids complete writing a review, you should have a check on it for any spelling mistakes, meaning of the phrases and help them correct their mistakes in the next review.

Do’s and Don’ts of a Book review

Having discussed in details on how to write a book review, we shall now see the do;s and dont’s while reviewing a book.

• Provide a short phrase/title that will explain your review’s content.
• Be very specific in describing what you liked or did not like in the book. Do not generally say “it was bad”,”not satisfactory”. Describe why was it bad and not satisfactory.
• Do not drag the review too long. Make it crisp and brief. Do not completely summarize the book.
• Do not criticize it badly just because it was not as how you expected.
• Describe your favorite character and be very careful and conscious in what you say about the story to avoid controversies.

Following these  points along with the tips, you can select any of the activities along with the book review template from our page and teach your kids on how to write a good book review.

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Download 100 Best Middle Grade Books. Send it!

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Books for Kids and Grown Ups

Historical Fiction Books for 7th Graders

Looking for historical fiction books for 7th graders? Whether you’re teaching a history lesson, have a student who can’t get enough of historical fiction, or need some suggestions to interest your 7th grader, I have some great recommendations for you!

It goes without saying that no two 7th graders are the same, so each of these books will appeal to different kinds of readers. You’ll find a graphic novel about women’s basketball in the 1970s, a grandmother-grandaughter jaunt inspired by Amelia Earhart, a story about the Ukrainian Holodomor, and a story set against the background of Loving vs. Virginia .

As a reader who isn’t a huge historical fiction fan, I’m very selective about which ones catch my interest. So you can rest assured that these are some engaging picks.

📚 Disclaimer in the books: Just so you know, Reading Middle Grade uses affiliate links. This means that when you shop via the links in our posts, we may earn a cent or two at no extra cost to you. Thanks for adding to our book buying fund.

Get a printable of this list  to take to your library. Just pop your email in the box below and it’ll come right to you!

20 Transporting Historical Fiction Books for 7th Graders

Here are 20 immersive historical fiction books for 7th graders:

Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla

Published: September 5, 2023

1960, Cuba. Cousins Victoria and Jackie love living in their island country with their large family. When when Fidel Castro’s communist government takes hold, things change swiftly, leading Victoria’s father to relocate his family to Miami, leaving Jackie and her family behind.

As Victoria adapts to life in the US, Jackie and her family struggle in Cuba—until the family decides to send Jackie over to the States with Operation Peter Pan. But will Jackie ever see her family again? Both girls band together to bring the rest of their family to America. This book transports readers to Fidel Castro’s Cuba with an accessible look at American schools and education in the 1960s.

Published: September 19, 2023

It’s 1998 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the middle of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Kavi is dealing with her own personal upheavals. Her mother has remarried her father’s best friend after his death and is expecting a new baby.

Meanwhile, Kavi is getting sent to the city on a scholarship to an elite private school. There, she starts telling lies of a life of wealth and grandeur– small at first, then bigger and bigger — to fit in with the rich kids until she begins to lose herself. I really enjoyed this debut verse novel, and readers looking for books set outside the US will love it.

The Lost Year

Published: January 17, 2023

It’s 2020, and Matthew is sick of being inside with the pandemic raging outside. While reluctantly helping his great-grandmother sort through her belongings, he finds a picture of two girls. As she shares her experience during the Ukrainian famine, the story alternates between three narrators: Matthew, Helena, and Mila. A powerful, unforgettable account of historical events.

Published: March 29, 2022

Ava likes to write poetry and sing (she’s getting to sing in the school choir soon), but her mom, who’s a doctor, wants Ava to consider that career path. She persuades her to volunteer at the hospital, but Ava would rather be surfing or engaging in her other hobbies. She gets even more upset when she breaks her leg while volunteering. Amidst all the drama, Phoenix’s lymphoma returns aggressively, and he doesn’t want to pursue treatment anymore. Can Ava convince him to keep trying?

This verse novel is sad at times with the death of a close friend, but also includes some lighter moments that kids who enjoy surfing and music will appreciate.

Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

Published: September 7, 2021

Yusuf Azeem is not a hero like his dad, who talked down a gunman in their small-town A-Z Dollar Store. But his dad’s heroism doesn’t prevent him from getting worsening hateful notes in his locker telling him to “Go Home.” Yusuf and his friend Danial had expected that this would be their year — their entry into middle school and a chance to compete in a robotics contest. However, when some of the townspeople, including a group called the Patriot Sons, try to stop the construction of their town’s mosque and begin to target Yusuf and other Muslims in the community, they are forced to take a stand.

Esperanza Rising

Published: October 1, 2000

This book is such a joy! Esperanza and her mama are forced to flee their large home (read mansion) in Mexico after a tragedy. They work as farm hands in California during the Great Depression. During this time, Esperanza has to adjust from being the daughter of a wealthy landowner to being a peasant.

Pam Muñoz Ryan covers many themes, from racial and class prejudice to the importance of family and empathy. I also enjoyed the use of Spanish and the historical context of the novel. I’m so excited to teach this book! From a middle grade standpoint, the vocabulary is excellent and the story will certainly generate a curiosity for history and empathy for others.

The Night Diary

Published: March 6, 2018

This is a heartbreaking middle grade book about a girl’s experience during the partition of India. Nisha is caught between her Hindu-Indian and Muslim-Indian sides. She’s also dealing with the loss of her mother. So when her country starts to split in two, her search for identity becomes even more meaningful. There’s a reason why this one is a Newbery Honor book.

If your kids loved this book, here’s a list of more  books like  The Night Diary .

How to Find What You’re Not Looking For

Published: September 14, 2021

How to Find What You’re Not Looking For  is a poignant, moving, and brilliantly written middle grade novel about family, identity, and love. This book follows 12-year-old Ariel whose life is upturned when her big sister (the best of them all), Leah, elopes with her Indian-American boyfriend after the  Loving vs. Virginia  ruling. Ariel’s parents are upset, Ariel is struggling with being able to write well at school, and she can’t stop thinking about her sister and everything happening in the world.

Red, White, and Whole

Published: February 2, 2021

Red, White, and Whole  is Rajani LaRocca’s newest middle-grade verse novel. The year is 1983 and 13-year-old Reha is caught between two cultures: her Indian family and community at home; and the all-American experience at school and with her white “school best friend.” But it’s not all rosy. Her mother doesn’t approve of Reha acting more American than Indian. She makes all of Reha’s clothes herself, and is upset when Reha says she would like to go to the school dance.

Reha is understandably frustrated at her mother’s lack of understanding, but she’s about to have more problems. Her mom is diagnosed with leukemia, and Reha’s life is turned upside down. Between school, family issues, and navigating her affection for a boy in her neighborhood, Reha has her plate full.

Not Your All-American Girl

Published: July 7, 2020

Lauren is Jewish and Chinese. It’s the 1980s, and Lauren and her best friend — who’s blonde with blue eyes — do everything together. So when they don’t have any sixth-grade classes together, they’re bummed! They decide that they will audition for their school’s musical so that they can at least have that time together. Lauren’s audition goes swimmingly, and she’s obviously the better singer than Tara (even better than any of the other kids), but when the cast list is released, Lauren is only part of the ensemble, and Tara is cast as the lead. Upon confronting the director, she explains that Lauren’s half-Jewish, half-Chinese looks don’t match the role of “all-American girl” in the “all-American town” depicted in their musical.

This encounter opens Lauren’s eyes to several microaggressions and brings to the fore her issues with being biracial and looking different from others at her predominantly white school. Looking for a relatable figure, she begins to nurture a love for the singer Patsy Cline whom she mistakenly assumes is also Jewish. There are also changes at home, with her mother looking to enter law school, which would make her even less available to Lauren. With the help of her family and two grandmothers, Lauren learns to find her place while keeping her friendship with Tara.

Broken Strings

Published: September 10, 2019

Shirli Berman has her eyes set on a role in her school’s play. It’s 2002, just after the Twin Towers and the death of Shirli’s grandmother (Bubie). Even though she doesn’t eventually score her desired role, she ends up playing another one of the key roles anyway. To add to it, her stage husband is Ben Morgan, the most popular boy in school.

At the same time, Shirli is also learning about her family’s history from her grandfather (Zayde) who has been silent on the matter his entire adult life. When she’s in the attic looking for costumes and props for the play, she stumbles on some of her grandfather’s personal items that raise many questions in her mind about his past and may explain some of his present behavior, like why he doesn’t let anyone sing in the house, for example.

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna’s mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papa is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left—her abuelita, little sister Amelia, and baby brother Luisito—until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.

Each night when Petra closes her eyes, she holds her dreams close, especially her long-held desire to learn to read. Abuelita calls these barefoot dreams: “They’re like us barefoot peasants and indios—they’re not meant to go far.” But Petra refuses to listen. Through battlefields and deserts, hunger and fear, Petra will stop at nothing to keep her family safe and lead them to a better life across the U.S. border—a life where her barefoot dreams could finally become reality.

The Length of a String

Published: May 1, 2018

Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she’s black and almost everyone she knows is white. Then her mom’s grandmother–Imani’s great-grandma Anna–passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It’s Anna’s diary from 1941, the year she was twelve and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone, sent by her parents to seek refuge in Brooklyn, New York. Anna’s diary records her journey to America and her new life with an adoptive family of her own. And as Imani reads the diary, she begins to see her family, and her place in it, in a whole new way

The Last Grand Adventure

Published: March 20, 2018

It’s 1967 and twelve-year-old Bea is in need of some adventure. Her mother is off in San Francisco, while her father has just gotten remarried in Los Angeles. Bea has gained a younger stepsister, and she’s not thrilled about her blended family. So when her ailing grandmother, Pidge, moves to an Orange County senior-living community and asks if Bea would spend the summer helping her get settled, Bea is happy for any excuse to get away.

The Long Ride

Published: September 24, 2019

The Long Ride  by Marina Budhos is the story of three mixed-race girls in the 1970’s. Francesca, Jamila, and Josie are chosen to be part of a trial desegregated school experience.

All three girls live in a mostly white Queens neighborhood and have parents who’ve worked hard to get them into great schools in mostly white neighborhoods. Naturally, the parents worry about switching their daughters’ schools to one in a “bad” (read, mostly Black) neighborhood. Francesca’s parents reject the opportunity and move her to a private school instead. This leaves Josie and Jamila alone at the new school.

The girls soon realize that they’re out of their comfort zones. Josie and Jamila grow distant when Josie doesn’t make it into the same gifted kids program. The former becomes closer to the Spanish girls in her class. Then Jamila forms a new friendship with a Black boy, John, but because she’s half Black and half white, their burgeoning relationship must remain at school.

Published: March 14, 2023

It’s the 1970s, and Judi loves to shoot hoops in the driveway with her brother and his friends. She hopes she can join a basketball team someday, but her school doesn’t have a female team. So when she gets to high school, she chooses the next best thing: cheerleading with her best friend Stacey. But one day, the school announces that they’re starting a team for the girls because of the Title IX ruling.

Unfortunately, as willing as the girls who sign up are (Judi inclusive), there’s little to no funding for their team. They have to DIY their jerseys and practice only when the boys’ team isn’t using the court. On top of that, Stacey is upset that Judi has left cheerleading to play ball, and some girls want to quit because they’re so frustrated. Can Judi and the team make it work?

The Star That Always Stays

Published: July 12, 2022

When bright and spirited Norvia moves from the country to the city, she has to live by one new rule: Never let anyone know you’re Ojibwe. Growing up on Beaver Island, Norvia was  proud  of her Ojibwe heritage.

Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia’s mother forces her to pretend she’s not Native at all—even to Mr. Ward, Ma’s new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia’s irritating new stepbrother. Despite the move, the upheaval, and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings—all five of them—are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future depends upon it… and upon her discretion. 

But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she truly is?

We Dream of Space

Published: March 22, 2022

Fitch and Bird are twins who are now in the same grade as their older brother, Cash — because Cash was held back in the seventh grade. Bird is a space aficionado and dreams of being an astronaut. Fitch has anger issues and hates that he’s getting crushed on by a girl he doesn’t like — and whom his best friends consider unattractive. Cash feels lost and cannot seem to find his place anywhere. It doesn’t help that the situation at home is tense, with parents who are constantly bickering and a family that cannot seem to make time to talk as a unit or nurture their children.

This character-driven slice-of-life novel shows how different families can be, addresses the struggles of navigating sibling relationships, and highlights what difference an enthusiastic teacher can make. More importantly, it is an ode to the Challenger Shuttle Disaster of 1986, and middle-grade historical fiction like this can teach not just history but also a lot of empathy.

The Magical Imperfect

Published: June 15, 2021

The Magical Imperfect  is a middle grade verse novel about a boy named Etan. Etan develops selective mutism after his mom has to go to a treatment facility for a mental disorder in 1980’s San Francisco. Around that time, mini-earthquakes are frequent and Etan tries to keep up his daily schedule, which is basically school and then time with his grandfather. Sometimes, he helps an older shopkeeper in the neighborhood walk her dog and run errands. It is while he is on one of those errands that he meets Malia, a Filipina-American girl with severe eczema.

Etan and Malia become fast friends and he gets a closer look at how debilitating her eczema is. He also realizes that Malia loves singing and has a beautiful singing voice. Etan wants to take Malia’s suffering away, and he thinks his grandfather’s Dead Sea clay can make a difference — perhaps even heal Malia’s eczema. He also suggests that she sing in the community’s talent show. But will the clay work? And will Malia and Etan’s friendship survive the challenges it faces?

Cuba in My Pocket

Published: September 21, 2021

When the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 solidifies Castro’s power in Cuba, twelve-year-old Cumba’s family makes the difficult decision to send him to Florida alone. Faced with the prospect of living in another country by himself, Cumba tries to remember the sound of his father’s clarinet, the smell of his mother’s lavender perfume.

Life in the United States presents a whole new set of challenges. Lost in a sea of English speakers, Cumba has to navigate a new city, a new school, and new freedom all on his own. With each day, Cumba feels more confident in his new surroundings, but he continues to wonder: Will his family ever be whole again? Or will they remain just out of reach, ninety miles across the sea?

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There they are: 20 of the best historical fiction books for 7th graders! Which of these books have you read and loved? Which ones did I miss?

More Historical Fiction

• Historical fiction for 5th graders
• Great historical fiction books for middle schoolers (divided by time period)
• Historical fiction for teens

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• About Afoma Umesi

Afoma Umesi is the founder and editor of Reading Middle Grade where she curates book lists and writes book reviews for kids of all ages. Her favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction and she'll never say no to a graphic novel.

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September 13, 2023 at 2:51 pm

I’ve loved Refugee by Alan Gratz for this age!

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