Hawaii 7th grade reading list

Books with a Hawaii citation for 7th grade include Bud, Not Buddy; Holes and Maniac Magee. This list has 721 total books, 21 of them with a Hawaii-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1300L.

Top Hawaii 7th grade pick: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis — on 1 Hawaii list

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Total books721Lexile410L–1300LSourceHawaii Common Core✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned on state lists: across every US state’s official reading and award lists, the Middle (6–8) titles appearing in the most states are The Giver (20 states), The Hunger Games (14 states), and Ground Zero (8 states). From our 2026 study of 13,258 source-cited assignments (as of 2026-07-13).

Our pick to start — most-cited for Hawaii 7th grade

These are the 21 titles named in Hawaii’s own curriculum documents for this grade — everything below is the wider national list. Read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band; reading level is not thematic maturity, and several sit below the band because they are assigned for discussion.

  1. Bud, Not Buddy

    Christopher Paul Curtis

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers family, identity and perseverance. At 950L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  2. Holes

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers fate vs choice, friendship and justice. At 660L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  3. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers race, homelessness and family. At 820L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  4. New Kid

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  5. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers growing up, friendship and self-acceptance. At 410L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  6. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery and Howliday Inn EBOOK

    Deborah Howe

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  7. Eragon

    Christopher Paolini

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers dragons, destiny and courage.

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  8. Island of the Blue Dolphins

    Scott O'Dell

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers survival, solitude and indigenous identity. At 1000L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  9. Old Yeller

    Fred Gipson

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, courage and survival.

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  10. Ramona and Her Father

    Beverly Cleary

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers fathers, growing up and elementary school.

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  11. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, perseverance and growing up. At 440L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  12. Sounder

    William H. Armstrong

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  13. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    Brian Selznick

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  14. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers Greek mythology, neurodivergence (dyslexia, ADHD) and friendship. At 740L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  15. The Whipping Boy

    Sid Fleischman

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers friendship, adventure and courage.

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  16. Under the Blood-Red Sun

    Graham Salisbury

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8.

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  17. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers facial difference, kindness and bullying. At 790L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  18. Front Desk

    Kelly Yang

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers immigration, family and race. At 640L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

    J.K. Rowling

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, courage and good vs evil. At 880L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  20. Restart

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers identity, bullying and memory. At 730L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  21. The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)

    Lemony Snicket

    Cited in 1 Hawaii curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers family, resilience and mystery. At 1010L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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21 books cited for Hawaii 7th grade

Assignments tied directly to Hawaii’s Hawaii Common Core with a Hawaii-specific citation.

700 additional grade-appropriate books for 7th grade readers

The 721-book total above includes 21 titles with direct Hawaii citation; these 700 additional titles cover 7th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Hawaii-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 700 titles

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Other Hawaii grades

6th grade · 8th grade · 5th grade · 9th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

6th grade · 8th grade · 5th grade · 9th grade

Same 7th grade in other states

California · Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

Browse 7th grade reading by theme

About the Hawaii 7th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Hawaii Common Core with books from national sources that list titles for 7th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Newbery Medal and the Golden Kite Award. ReadingList currently tracks 721 titles for 7th grade in Hawaii, of which 21 carry a direct Hawaii citation and 700 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 7th grade. Across the list, Lexile measures span 410L–1300L.

7th grade sits in the 6-8 grade band, where students are middle-grade readers. At this stage the emphasis is on analyzing theme, character, and author's craft across full-length novels and their first classics. Assigned reading skews toward full-length novels, plays, memoir, and frequently-challenged contemporary titles, with text complexity that, per Common Core’s Appendix A reading bands, typically falls around roughly 700L to 1010L. Measured against that 925–1185L range, of the 65 titles here with a Lexile score 11 are grade-level, 53 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 1 is a stretch text that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 7th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

Hawaii’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Hawaii Common Core (hawaiipublicschools.org). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 7th grade list below blends Hawaii-specific assignments with widely taught national titles. Every title links to its primary source on the book’s detail page, so you can confirm exactly where and why it is assigned.

How to use this list:match a title to your child’s most recent Lexile or guided-reading level rather than to the grade alone. Teachers building a 7th grade unit can pair a Hawaii-cited core text with a grade-appropriate companion novel; parents previewing summer or supplemental reading can check each book’s content notes and challenge history before assigning it.

Common questions

What books do 7th grade students read in Hawaii?
Books with a Hawaii-specific citation for 7th grade include Bud, Not Buddy; Holes; Maniac Magee; New Kid and Smile. Individual schools and districts choose their own titles, so check with your child's teacher for the exact list.
How many books are assigned to 7th grade students in Hawaii?
This list has 721 books for 7th grade students in Hawaii. 21 of them have a Hawaii-specific citation; the other 700 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 7th grade reading in Hawaii?
Lexile measures across the 7th grade Hawaii reading list range from 410L to 1300L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Hawaii-specific entries reference Hawaii Common Core (published at www.hawaiipublicschools.org). The other books come from national sources that list books for 7th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Newbery Medal and the Golden Kite Award. Each book's page links the primary source for every listing.

Reading guides for parents

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