7th and 8th Graders: Realistic and Historical Fiction

This list includes titles from the Harrington Middle School 2026 suggested summer reading list, as well as recommendations from staff at the Mount Laurel Library. Remember, you do not need to choose a title from the list; you can fulfill your summer reading obligations by reading any middle grade book.

Updated May 13, 2026
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7th and 8th Graders: Realistic and Historical Fiction

This list includes titles from the Harrington Middle School 2026 suggested summer reading list, as well as recommendations from staff at the Mount Laurel Library. Remember, you do not need to choose a title from the list; you can fulfill your summer reading obligations by reading any middle grade book.

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Amal unbound
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
"Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude. Life is quiet and...
Attack of the Black Rectangles
King, A. S.
Paper Book
Award-winning author Amy Sarig King takes on censorship and intolerance in a novel she was born to write. When Mac first opens his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and finds some words blacked out, he thinks it must be a mistake. But then when he and his friends...
Fighting Words
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker
Ebook
Bestselling author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's confronting, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story for young adults. 'Parts of this story are scary, but trust me: no one needs to be afraid. Hope and love win out.' Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Della can't work out why her...
One for the Murphys
Hunt, Lynda Mullaly.
Paper Book
From the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Fish in a Tree!  Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This...
Please pay attention
Sumner, Jamie
Ebook
Three starred reviews! A girl with cerebral palsy navigates loss, grief, and the aftermath of trauma following a school shooting in a world that wasn't built for her in this "intimate, lyrical" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) novel in verse from Jamie Sumner, the...
The unteachables
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
A hilarious new middle grade novel from beloved and bestselling author Gordon Korman about what happens when the worst class of kids in school is paired with the worst teacher--perfect for fans of Ms. Bixby's Last Day. A good choice for summer reading or anytime! The Unteachables are a...
Wish
O'Connor, Barbara.
Paper Book
Dream, the standalone companion to Wish, out now! The #1 New York Times-bestselling middle-grade novel about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning...
Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II
Gratz, Alan
Paper Book
Award-winning, critically acclaimed author Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087) returns with another gripping World War II story, this time about a spy in the Hitler Youth. Infiltrate. Befriend. Sabotage. World War II is raging. Michael O'Shaunessey, originally from Ireland, now...
Words on fire
Nielsen, Jennifer A.
Paper Book
Al Capone does my shirts
Choldenko, Gennifer
Paper Book
The Newbery Honor Book and New York Times Bestseller that is historical fiction with a hint of mystery about living at Alcatraz not as a prisoner, but as a kid meeting some of the most famous criminals in our history. Al Capone Does My Shirts has become an instant classic for all...
The Bletchley Riddle
Sepetys, Ruta
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A thrilling mystery and collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin! This historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding...
The Wednesday wars
Schmidt, Gary D.
Paper Book
In this Newbery Honor-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt tells the witty and compelling story of a teenage boy who feels that fate has it in for him. Seventh grader Holling Hoodhood isn't happy. He is sure his new teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates his guts. Throughout the school year,...
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