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2007 |
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LINWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL |
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8th Grade Summer Reading List – 2007
Academic Language Arts Book Choices Students in Academic Language Arts are to choose one book from the following list. Ambitious readers may choose a book from the Advanced Language Arts Book Choices.
Abrams, Dennis. Anthony Horowitz. This biography tells the story of English author Anthony Horowitz, creator of the Alex Rider book series. It describes his difficult childhood and the challenges he faced on the way to success as an author. (Non-Fiction)
Alder, Elizabeth. King’s Shadow. After he is orphaned and has his tongue cut out in a clash with the bullying sons of a Welsh noble, Evyn is sold as a slave and serves many masters, from the gracious Lady Swan Neck to the valiant Harold Godwinson, England’s last Saxon king. (Historical Fiction)
Avi. A Place Called Ugly. At the end of the summer, 14-year-old Owen refuses to leave the beach house which has been his family’s summer home for ten years and which is scheduled for demolition. (Coming-of-Age Fiction)
Barron, T.A. Lost Years of Merlin. A young boy who has no identity or memory of his past washes ashore on the coast of Wales and finds his true name after of series of fantastic adventures. (Fantasy Fiction)
Bauer, Joan. Hope Was Here. When 16-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner’s political campaign to oust the town’s corrupt mayor. (Realistic Fiction)
Christie, Agatha. Death in the Clouds. While detective Hercule Poirot is flying over Paris, one of the other passengers is murdered, and with only 12 people on the plane, he thinks it should be easy to find the killer, but each of the passengers seems to have the means and motive to kill the victim. (Mystery Fiction)
Creech, Sharon. Absolutely Normal Chaos. Thirteen-year-old Mary Lou keeps a summer journal, which chronicles her first experiences with romance, homesickness, and death. (Realistic Fiction)
DuPrau, Jeanne. People of Sparks. Sequel to the City of Ember. Lina and Doon are thrilled to see their people join them above ground in the vibrant village of Sparks, but suspicion and prejudice soon turn the villagers and newcomers against each other. (Fantasy Fiction)
Feinstein, John. Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery. After winning a basketball-reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game. (Sports Fiction)
Gantos, Jack. Jack’s Black Book. Jack believes he can turn his bad experiences into money by writing about them, and life is providing him with a wealth of material. He seeks out humiliation and horrible experiences, hoping that they will make him a better writer. (Humorous Fiction)
Korman, Gordon. Public Enemies: On the Run: Chase #5. Aiden and Meg set out to prove their parents are not criminals as they are chased from state to state by the FBI and a killer called Hairless Joe. (Mystery Fiction)
Korman, Gordon. Son of the Mob. Vince is a normal teenager, except for the fact that his father is a powerful Mafia boss. Vince has never liked his father’s business, but it becomes an even bigger problem when he discovers that he has started a relationship with the daughter of an FBI agent. (Humorous Fiction)
Kuhn, Betsy. Angels of Mercy: The Army Nurses of World War II. Relates the experiences of World War II Army nurses, who brought medical skills, courage, and cheer to hospitals throughout Europe, North America, and the Pacific. (Non-Fiction)
Laird, Elizabeth. Kiss the Dust. Thirteen-year-old Tara is forced to leave her home in Iraq and start a dangerous journey, fleeing her family across the border into Iran. (Realistic Fiction)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Kite Rider. In 13th century China, after trying to save a widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, 12-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mogul Ruler. (Historical Fiction)
Myers, Walter Dean. Hoops. Lenny, a basketball player from Harlem, meets a former professional player from Harlem who becomes his coach and friend. Problems, however, from the pro’s player’s past, get in their way. (Sports Fiction)
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Blizzard’s Wake. In March of 1941, a severe blizzard suddenly hits Bismark, North Dakota. A girl trying to save her stranded father and brother inadvertently helps the man who killed her mother four years before. (Coming-of-Age Fiction)
Nix, Garth. The Fall (Seventh Tower Series). Welcome to the Dark World. Tal lives high above, in a mountaintop castle where light is the ultimate commodity, the spirit world is the only escape and isolation from the outside world is complete. Tal tries to steal a sunstone and finds himself in a strange and unknown world. (Fantasy Fiction)
Nixon, Joan Lowery. Candidate for Murder. When her father decides to run for governor of Texas, Cary finds herself in great danger. She inadvertently overhears a mysterious conversation, someone goes to great lengths to ensure that she keeps quiet. (Mystery Fiction)
Pike, Christopher. Chain Letter. Someone, somewhere knew about that awful night when Alison and six other friends committed an unthinkable crime in the desolate California desert. Now that person is determined to make them pay for it. (Mystery Fiction)
Robinson, Sharon. Jackie’s Nine: Jackie Robinson’s Values to Live By. Baseball hero Jackie Robinson’s daughter discusses nine values that her father held dear, shares memories from her life and her father’s that illustrate these values, and profiles individuals whom she considers heroes, including Christopher Reeve and Oprah Winfrey. (Non-Fiction)
Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind. Eleven-year-old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in present-day Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family. She must either accept the decision, as is the custom, or risk the consequences of defying her father’s wishes. (Coming-of-Age Fiction)
Strasser, Todd. The Wave. Tells the story of a high school history class experiment that frighteningly demonstrates the power of racism. (Realistic Fiction)
Wallace, Rich. Emergency Quarterback. Seventh-grader Jason Fiorelli is a talented wingback on the Hudson City Hornet’s football team. When the star quarterback is injured, Jason is chosen to replace him as emergency quarterback. This is Jason’s opportunity to save the winning season, but will jealousy from other teammates get in the way? (Sports Fiction)
Required Reading for Students in Advanced Language Arts
Students who will be enrolled in Grade Eight Advanced Language Arts are required to read the following novel as well as one novel from the Advanced Language Arts Book Choices.
Required: Keyes, Daniel. Flowers For Algernon. Charlie, a man of low intelligence who wants more than anything to be smart, is chosen to be the “guinea pig” for a neurological experiment.
Advanced Language Arts Book Choices Choose One: Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays With Morrie. Sportswriter Albom tells of his meetings with a former professor suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease and of the lessons he learned about life and death.
Bosse, Malcolm. The Examination. Fifteen-year-old Hong and his older brother Chen face famine, floods, pirates, and jealous rivals on their journey through 15th century China. Chen pursues his calling as a scholar and Hong becomes involved with a secret society known as the White Lotus.
Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles. Earthmen conquer and colonize Mars and attempt to transform the planet into a mirror image of the Earth they left behind.
Brooks, Kevin. Kissing the Rain. Fifteen-year-old Moo Nelson, shy, overweight, and bullied by his classmates, finds his life spinning out of control after his witnesses a car chase and a fight that results in a murder.
Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard the Wanderer, a 45-foot sailboat, which, along with her uncles and another cousin, is en route to visit their grandfather in England.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. An obese boy and a disfigured girl suffer the emotional scars of years of mockery at the hands of their peers. Watch how Sarah and Eric struggle to maintain their friendship when one of them changes and begins to fit in. A story of courage, love, and friendship.
Dash, Joan. The Longitudinal Prize. Before sailors were able to determine their positions at sea, thousands of lives were lost due to poor navigation.
Fletcher, Susan. Shadow Spinner. Marjan’s hero is Shahrazad, the brave woman who married the Sultan despite the fact that he killed dozens of wives. To save her own life and the lives of other women, Shahrazad tells the Sultan stories every night. Marjan finds out that Shahrazad is running out of stories and only she can help.
Jiang, Ji-Li. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution. A memoir of a Chinese girl’s experiences during the Chinese cultural revolution. Follow her on this heart-pounding adventure as she tries to change her identity to survive.
Lawrence, Michael. A Crack in the Line. Sixteen-year-old Alaric discovers how to travel to an alternate reality, where his mother is alive and his place in the family is held by a girl named Naia.
Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: A Memoir. Author Walter Dean Myers describes his childhood in Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s, discussing his loving stepmother, his problems in school, his reasons for leaving home, and his beginnings as a writer.
Rinaldi, Ann. A Break With Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials. While waiting for a church meeting in 1706, Susanna, daughter of a wealthy Salem merchant, recalls the malice, fear, and accusations of witchcraft that tore her village apart in 1692.
Wells, H.G. War of the Worlds. When Martians and their terrifying machines invade earth, mankind struggles to survive.
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