1980s books assigned in 7th grade
US schools assign 75 books written in the 1980s to 7th grade students, across 29 states, spanning 660L–1020L. Every title below is cited from a state ELA standard, district reading list, or AP/IB syllabus.
Most widely assigned from the 1980s
Superfudge
Judy Blume · on 16 reading lists
Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
- Titles
- 75
- Written
- 1980–1989
- Lexile range
- 660L–1020L
- States assigning
- 29
The list — 1980s, 7th grade
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 Deadly Game of MagicJoan Lowery Nixon
A Family ApartJoan Lowery Nixon
A Light in the AtticShel Silverstein
A Little FearPatricia Wrightson
A Long Hard JourneyPat McKissack
A Visit to William Blake's InnNancy Willard
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
Cracker JacksonBetsy Cromer Byars
Daphne's BookMary Downing Hahn
Dear Mr. HenshawBeverly Cleary
December StillnessMary Downing Hahn
Dicey's SongCynthia Voigt
Don't Look Behind YouLois Duncan
Everett Anderson's GoodbyeLucille Clifton
Fallen AngelsWalter Dean Myers
Freak the MightyW. R. Philbrick
Ghost in My SoupJudi Miller
Show all 75 books (tap a title to open its page)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
- Good Night, Mr. Tom
- Hail, Hail, Camp Timberwood
- Hatchet
- Jacob Have I Loved
- Jelly Belly
- Joyful Noise
- Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World
- Let the Circle Be Unbroken
- Lincoln: A Photobiography
- Motown and Didi
- Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade
- Number the Stars
- Panama Canal
- Peppermints in the Parlor
- Playing Beatie Bow
- Poverty in America
- Sarah, Plain and Tall
- Shades of Gray
- Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You
- Something Upstairs
- Stranger with My Face
- Streams to the River, River to the Sea
- Strider
- Superfudge
- Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush
- Taking Terri Mueller
- Tancy
- The Curse of the Blue Figurine
- The Dark and Deadly Pool
- The Dollhouse Murders
- The Fighting Ground
- The Friendship
- The Hero and the Crown
- The Honorable Prison
- The House on Mango Street
- The Illustrated Dinosaur Dictionary
- The Magic of the Glits
- The Moves Make the Man
- The Other Side of Dark
- The People Could Fly
- The Root Cellar
- The Sign of the Beaver
- The Stalker
- The Third Eye
- The Weaver's Gift
- The Whipping Boy
- Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub
- Wait Till Helen Comes
- When
- Whispers from the Dead
- You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye
Most-assigned 1980s authors in 7th grade
Joan Lowery Nixon (6) · Virginia Hamilton (3) · Mary Downing Hahn (3) · Lois Duncan (3) · Beverly Cleary (2) · Walter Dean Myers (2)
Common questions
- How many 1980s books are assigned in 7th grade?
- 75 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?
- 29 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.