1980s books assigned in 7th grade
US schools assign 41 books written in the 1980s to 7th grade students, across 23 states, spanning 660L–1020L. Every title below is cited from a state ELA standard, district reading list, or AP/IB syllabus.
- Titles
- 41
- Written
- 1980–1989
- Lexile range
- 660L–1020L
- States assigning
- 23
The list — 1980s, 7th grade
Reading the whole 1980s 7th grade reading list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
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Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
Listen free on Audiblestarts instantlyNew members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.
A Little FearPatricia Wrightson
A Long Hard JourneyPat McKissack
A Visit to William Blake's InnNancy Willard
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick DouglassRussell Freedman
After the Dancing DaysMargaret Rostkowski
Anthony BurnsVirginia Hamilton
Auks, Rocks, and the Odd DinosaurPeggy Thomson
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous JobWillo Davis Roberts
Behind Barbed WireDaniel S. Davis
Charley SkedaddlePatricia Beatty
Chimney SweepsJames Cross Giblin
Conrad's WarAndrew Davies
Dear Mr. HenshawBeverly Cleary
Dicey's SongCynthia Voigt
Everett Anderson's GoodbyeLucille Clifton
Fallen AngelsWalter Dean Myers
Hail, Hail, Camp TimberwoodEllen Conford
HatchetGary Paulsen · 1020L
Jacob Have I LovedKatherine Paterson
Joyful NoisePaul Fleischman- Justin and the Best Biscuits in the WorldMildred WalterJustin and the Best Biscuits in the WorldMildred Walter
Let the Circle Be UnbrokenMildred D. Taylor
Motown and DidiWalter Dean Myers
Number the StarsLois Lowry · 670L
Show all 41 titles
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- Panama Canal · Judith St. George · Buy →
- Playing Beatie Bow · Ruth Park · Buy →
- Poverty in America · Milton Meltzer · Buy →
- Sarah, Plain and Tall · Patricia MacLachlan · Buy →
- Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You · Barthe DeClements · Buy →
- Streams to the River, River to the Sea · Scott O'Dell · Buy →
- Tancy · Belinda Hurmence · Buy →
- The Dollhouse Murders · Betty Ren Wright · Buy →
- The Hero and the Crown · Robin McKinley · Buy →
- The House on Mango Street · Sandra Cisneros · Buy →
- The Illustrated Dinosaur Dictionary · Helen Roney Sattler · Buy →
- The Moves Make the Man · Bruce Brooks · Buy →
- The People Could Fly · Virginia Hamilton · Buy →
- The Sign of the Beaver · Elizabeth George Speare · Buy →
- The Weaver's Gift · Kathryn Lasky · Buy →
- The Whipping Boy · Sid Fleischman · Buy →
- Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub · Jamie Gilson · Buy →
Most-assigned 1980s authors in 7th grade
Virginia Hamilton (2) · Walter Dean Myers (2) · Pat McKissack · Russell Freedman · Willo Davis Roberts · James Cross Giblin
Common questions
- How many 1980s books are assigned in 7th grade?
- 41 books written between 1980 and 1989 appear on 7th grade reading lists tracked by ReadingList. Each one is cited from a state department of education, district list, or AP/IB syllabus.
- What Lexile range do these 1980s books cover?
- Lexile measures for the 1980s titles assigned in 7th grade run from 660L to 1020L. Poetry, drama, and graphic novels without a published Lexile measure are not counted in that range.
- Are these assigned nationally or in a few states?
- 23 states assign at least one 1980s title at 7th grade in the lists tracked here, so this is a broad pattern rather than a single state's canon. Per-state lists are on each state page.