During the summer students in Grade 8 should read a minimum
of three books.
| REQUIRED: |
Golding -- Lord of the Flies
Flies [Read strictly
for the plot – the adventure of a group of boys,
evacuated from London during WWII, stranded on an island
where they must survive until rescued. Pencil
note in your book the major events. We will discuss
the allegorical meaning and the deeper symbolism in the
first weeks of school. Do not be intimidated by Golding’s
language/vocabulary – it is intentional to show
that the boys are in the grip of forces beyond their knowledge
or control. As an incoming 8th grade reader, just go with
the story. I am only looking for your knowledge of plot
at the beginning. |
| |
| LITERATURE SELECTIONS: |
Alvarez -- Before We Were Free
Set in Dominican Republic in 1960’s, a young girl
grows up in a prosperous family until politics change
her views and her life (an Anne Frank style story). |
| Anderson, M.T -- The Astonishing
Life of Octavian Nothing
Set in early days of the American Revolution and written
in an 18th Century style, it is the story of a 16-year-old
slave who, as part of a science experiment, is being
raised like a European prince. Unfortunately, in the
end, this does not protect him from the fate of other
slaves. National Book Award. |
| Cormier -- Heroes
After joining them at fifteen and having his face hit
by a grenade in a battle in Paris France, Francis returns
home to Frenchtown to find and kill the hero he feels
betrayed him. |
Crew -- Children of the River
Having fled Cambodia four years earlier to escape the
Khmer Rouge army, seventeen-year-old Sundara is torn between
remaining faithful to her own people and enjoying life
in her Oregon high school as a "regular" American. |
Crutcher -- Whale Talk
Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial,
adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho
athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a
swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular
students. |
Funke -- The Thief Lord
Orphaned brothers are about to be split up and escape
Italy where they join a group of kids [a sort of Oliver
Twist type story.] It has a detective subplot and a magical
thread at the end. |
| Hobbs -- Wild Man Island
After fourteen-year-old Andy slips away from his kayaking
group to visit the wilderness site of his archaeologist
father's death, a storm strands him on Admiralty Island,
Alaska, where he manages to survive, encounters unexpected
animal and human inhabitants, and looks for traces of
the earliest prehistoric immigrants to America. |
Keyes -- Flowers for Algernon
Charlie Gordon, a retarded adult who cleans floors, becomes
a genius through an experimental operation. |
Lipsyte -- The Contender
Alfred, a fledgling boxer wants to be a champion but learns
he must first be a contender. |
Naidoo -- Chain of Fire
When the villagers of Bophelong are forced to leave their
houses and resettle in a barren “homeland,”
15-year-old Naiedi and her younger brother join in a school
demonstration and learn that the South African government
treats even the children who dissent with brutality. |
Peck -- River Between Us
In a voice uneducated and wise, unsophisticated and ironic,
the narrator spins a dramatic, poignant tale of family
and racial identity, graced with unforgettable characters
who struggle against a Civil War backdrop. During the
early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in
two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans
to come north to Illinois. |
Potok -- My Name is Asher Lev
The novelist records the anguish and triumphs of a young
painter as he emerges into the great world of art and
rejects all else. |
Swarthout -- Bless the Beast
and the Children
Five misfits in an Arizona boys’ camp sneak out on
a daring escapade to save a herd of buffalo from bloodthirsty,
gun-toting tourists. It’s a book of acceptance by
peers. |
Taylor -- The Land
After the Civil War, Paul, the son of a white father and
a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds
of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream
of owning land of his own. |
Tolan -- Welcome to the Ark
In a world of terrorist attacks, random bombings and multiplying
militias, four brilliant young misfits are thrown together
in a group home for troubled youth. |
Twain -- A Connecticut Yankee
in King Arthur’s Court
Hank Morgan, cracked on the head by a crowbar in the 19th
century, wakes up to find himself in the England of King
Arthur. |
Zusak -- The Book Thief
Takes place in Nazi Germany and is a statement about loss
and power of words. A young girl living outside Munich
experiences the best of people and the worst. |
