Kentucky 7th grade reading list

Books with a Kentucky citation for 7th grade include Smile, The Crossover and City of Ghosts. This list has 741 total books, 33 of them with a Kentucky-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1300L.

Top Kentucky 7th grade pick: Smile by Raina Telgemeier — on 1 Kentucky list

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Total books741Lexile410L–1300LSourceKentucky Academic Standards✓ 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 Kentucky 7th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Kentucky’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. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Kentucky 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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  2. The Crossover

    Kwame Alexander

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, brotherhood and basketball. At 750L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  3. City of Ghosts

    Victoria Schwab

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers ghosts, friendship and family.

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  4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers school, friendship and family. At 950L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  5. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers running, family violence and mentorship. At 730L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  6. The Graveyard Book

    Neil Gaiman

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers found family, the supernatural and the living, coming of age. At 820L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  7. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    Brian Selznick

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

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  8. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers refugees, family and hope.

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  9. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Kentucky 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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  10. A Corner of the Universe

    Ann M. Martin

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, mental illness and growing up.

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  11. A Tale Dark and Grimm

    Adam Gidwitz

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers fairy tales, courage and siblings.

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  12. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

    Lincoln Peirce

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers humor, school and friendship. At 500L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  13. Black Brother, Black Brother

    Jewell Parker Rhodes

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers racism, identity and justice.

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  14. Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak

    Jeffrey Moss

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  15. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky

    Susan Jeffers

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  16. Christopher Changes His Name

    Itah Sadu

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers african americans.

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  17. Game Changer

    Tommy Greenwald

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers football, injury and truth.

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  18. Knocked Out by Nunga-Nungas

    Louise Rennison

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers diaries, humor (fiction) and humorous stories.

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  19. Legend

    Marie Lu

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers dystopia, justice and loyalty.

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  20. Million-Dollar Throw

    Mike Lupica

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers football, pressure and friendship.

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  21. Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman

    Alan Schroeder

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  22. Rules

    Cynthia Lord

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers disability, friendship and acceptance.

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  23. So B. It

    Sarah Weeks

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, identity and journey.

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  24. Steelheart

    Brandon Sanderson

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 7 to 12. Covers power, revenge and heroism.

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  25. Stuck in Neutral

    Terry Trueman

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 7 to 10. Covers disability, perspective and family.

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  26. Surviving the Applewhites

    Stephanie S. Tolan

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, art and growth.

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  27. Swindle

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, justice and heist.

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  28. The Ghost of Graylock

    Dan Poblocki

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers ghosts, mystery and fear.

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  29. The Hero of Bremen

    Margaret Hodges

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  30. The Honest Truth

    Dan Gemeinhart

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers illness, adventure and hope.

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33 books cited for Kentucky 7th grade

Assignments tied directly to Kentucky’s Kentucky Academic Standards with a Kentucky-specific citation.

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708 additional grade-appropriate books for 7th grade readers

The 741-book total above includes 33 titles with direct Kentucky citation; these 708 additional titles cover 7th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Kentucky-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 708 titles

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Other Kentucky 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 Kentucky 7th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Kentucky Academic Standards 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 741 titles for 7th grade in Kentucky, of which 33 carry a direct Kentucky citation and 708 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 62 titles here with a Lexile score 10 are grade-level, 51 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.

Kentucky’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Kentucky Academic Standards (education.ky.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 7th grade list below blends Kentucky-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 Kentucky-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 Kentucky?
Books with a Kentucky-specific citation for 7th grade include Smile, The Crossover, City of Ghosts, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Ghost. 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 Kentucky?
This list has 741 books for 7th grade students in Kentucky. 33 of them have a Kentucky-specific citation; the other 708 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 7th grade reading in Kentucky?
Lexile measures across the 7th grade Kentucky 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?
Kentucky-specific entries reference Kentucky Academic Standards (published at www.education.ky.gov). 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.

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State-specific entries sourced from www.education.ky.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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