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Grade 8 Summer Reading |
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Suggested Summer Reading List – Grade 8
Classics Doyle, A. C. -- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes and his companion, Watson, solve unsolvable mysteries in nineteenth century England.
Twain, M. -- The Prince and the Pauper A prince and a poor boy switch identities. Their similarity of age and appearance creates confusion and frustration for all involved.
Shelley, M. -- Frankenstein A scientist learns the secret of breathing life into a creature he has created and then suffers the terrible consequences of betraying it.
Smith, B. -- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn In this heart warming story of the childhood and youth of Francie Nolan, of her family and friends, we see the pain and beauty of her way of life as it appears through her especially observant eyes.
Historical Fiction Kerr, M. -- Gentle Hands Buddy Boyle finds his world turned upside down when his rich German grandfather's secret becomes a topic of concern in their Long Island community.
MacLean, A. -- The Guns of Navarone An entire navy failed to silence the massive guns on Navarone, a small island off the coast of Turkey; now five men must try in this World War II story.
Mazzio, J. -- Leaving Eldorado During the gold rush, fourteen-year-old Maude grows tired of moving from town to town with her father and decides to strike out on her own in hopes of eventually becoming an established artist.
Potok, C. -- The Chosen After World War II, two friends are linked by their love of baseball and their Jewish religion.
Nonfiction Curie, E. -- Marie Curie A turn of the century biography of the pioneering scientist who, along with her husband, researched and discovered radium (which led to x-ray technology).
Griffin, J. -- Black Like Me The personal experiences of a man who darkened his skin and traveled through the South as a black man.
Hersey, J. -- Hiroshima The vivid experiences of six people who witnessed and survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II are described in this compelling work.
Meltzer, M. -- Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust These inspiring true stories tell of individuals and groups who risked their lives to help Jewish friends and/or strangers escape the Holocaust.
Imaginative & Science Fiction Bradbury, R. -- Fahrenheit 451 In this science fiction thriller, a future society is described in which books are illegal, and a fireman's job is not to prevent fires but to burn books.
Kinsella, W. P. -- Shoeless Joe A fan builds a baseball stadium in order to bring back the legendary game played by Shoeless Joe Jackson and other baseball immortals.
Lewis, C. S. -- Out of the Silent Planet A Cambridge University professor is kidnapped and taken to Mars where he runs away from his captors.
Realistic Bunting, E. -- Such Nice Kids Jason is pressured into loaning his mother's car to his friend Pedge when his mother is out of town. Pedge gets into an accident and Jason then finds himself in the biggest mess of his life.
Cormier, R. -- The Chocolate War Freshman Jerry Renault refuses to be bullied into selling chocolates at his New England private school and angers the administration as well as a secret society of students known as the Vigils. This book provides a tough lesson in standing up for what you believe.
Paton, A. -- Cry, The Beloved Country A Zulu minister enters into the Johannesburg, South African underworld to search for his son, who is accused of a crime against a white man.
Taylor, M. -- Let The Circle Be Unbroken This sequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry describes Stacey and Cassie leaving childhood and becoming young adults. |
