What is a good topic for 7th grade essay that isn't too hard but still interesting?

[EricaBusk]

My little sister is in 7th grade and has to write her first "real" essay. She's so nervous and I want to help her pick a good topic. Something not too complicated but still interesting enough that she won't hate writing it.

I remember my 7th grade essays and they were so boring. "My summer vacation." "What I want to be when I grow up." "My hero." She deserves better than that.

What are some good topics for a 7th grader that are:

• Age-appropriate but not babyish
• Interesting enough to hold her attention
• Not too broad or too narrow
• Something she can actually research with school-appropriate sources

She loves animals, especially weird ones. She's into those "odd animal facts" videos. Could she write about weird animal adaptations? Or animals that people think are scary but are actually harmless?

Any suggestions from people who've helped younger siblings? I want her to actually enjoy this, not just suffer through it.

 

[Jeffrey]

Omg the "scary but harmless" idea is genius! Bats, spiders, snakes, sharks - all perfect. She could do "why we need bats" or "spiders are friends not enemies." There's tons of kid-friendly videos on YouTube about this too. National Geographic has stuff written for her age level. Plus she'd actually WANT to do the research cause the animal videos are fun to watch.