8th GRADE READING LIST
**Have you read a GREAT book and think it should be on this
list? Please e-mail me with the book's TITLE, AUTHOR, and a 1-SENTENCE
SUMMARY OF THE PLOT.
If you think the book is great, other people may enjoy it too!
We appreciate your recommendations!**
Anderson, Laurie Halse. FEVER, 1793
In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick
mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to
cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. PROM
Everyone is looking forward to the prom except for graduating senior Ashley,
when suddenly the prom commitee finds out that her math teacher stole the
money to pay for the prom and Ashley gets sucked in to making the prom
happen. *STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Anderson, Laurie Halse. SPEAK
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on
Melinda’s freshman year in high school.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. TWISTED
This is the story of a boy who gets in trouble, and how the consequences of
his actions change him. *STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Angelou, Maya. I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
Autobiography covering the childhood of a woman who has been a professional
dancer, actress, poet, journalist, and television producer
Bauer, Joan. RULES OF THE ROAD
Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of
successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is
trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a
saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.
Baum, L. Frank. THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF Oz
After a cyclone transports her to the Land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the
great Wizard in order to return to Kansas.
Blackman, Malorie. NAUGHTS AND CROSSES
Stephy and Callum are opposites, black and white, naughts and crosses. What
happens when they fall in love; will society tear them apart or will love
conquer all? (newer copies of the book are called _BLACK AND WHITE_)
*STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Brashares, Ann. THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS
Carmen decides to discard an old pair of jeans, but Tibby, Lena, and Bridget
think they are great and decide that whomever the pants fit best will get
them. When the jeans fit everyone perfectly, a sisterhood and a memorable
summer begin.
Carter, Ally. I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU
Cammie is a student at Gallagher Academy, a private all-girl spy school, who
wishes she was just a regular girl. When she meets an ordinary boy, she has
no idea what to do! *STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Christie, Agatha. MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Belgian detective Hercule Poirot solves a murder that occurred on the Orient
Express.
Clancy, Tom. NET FORCE SERIES (any book)
Crichton, Michael. CONGO
Three adventurers trek into the Congo in search of the diamonds of the Lost
City of Zinj.
Crutcher, Chris. 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.
Friend, Natasha. LUSH
Lush is about a girl whose dad always gets drunk and the story tells how she
copes with her unfortunate situation. *STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Goldman, William. THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Westley, a farm boy, goes off to seek his fortune shortly after declaring his
love for Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in the world, but their
relationship is put to the test when his ship is captured by pirates, and she
is summoned to become the bride of the prince.
Green, John. LOOKING FOR ALASKA
Before- “Pudge” is looking for “the great beyond” at a boarding school where
he meets a group of amazing minds, who spend as much time trying to
figure out life as they do pulling pranks, drinking, and smoking. Among them
is Alaska, easily the most mysterious, interesting, and messed-up.
After- nothing is ever the same again *STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
*CAUTION - this book contains drug usage, underage drinking, sexual content,
and improper language
Hinton, S. E. RUMBLEFISH
A junior high school boy idolizes his older brother, the coolest, toughest
guy in the neighborhood, and wants to be just like him.
Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki. FAREWELL TO MANZANAR
Biography of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston relating her experiences of living at
the Manzanar internment camp during World War II and how it has influenced
her life.
Jacques, Brian. CASTAWAYS OF THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
In 1620, a boy and his dog are rescued from the doomed ship, Flying Dutchman,
by an angel who guides them in traveling the world, eternally helping those
in great need.
Konigsburg, E. L. SILENT TO THE BONE
When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half sister, thirteen-
year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is
able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened.
Lipsyte, Robert. THE CONTENDER
Seventeen-year-old Alfred Brooks tries to fight his way to the top of the
boxing world.
Meyer, Stephenie. TWILIGHT Series (TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, BREAKING DAWN)
Bella Swan endangers her life by intertwining it with a family of vampires
and a pack of werewolves in this entertaining/thrilling romance series.
*STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Montgomery, L. M. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely,
middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to
make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. SECRET, SILENT SCREAMS
A high school senior is convinced her friend Barry did not commit suicide,
but was a murder victim, and she endangers her own life to prove it.
Paolini, Christopher THE INHERITANCE CYCLE (ERAGON, ELDEST, BRISINGR)
Set in the fictional world of Alagaësia, the novels focus on a teenaged boy
named Eragon and his dragon Saphira as he becomes one of the few remaining
Dragon Riders, a legendary group who governed the land in times past but were
almost completely destroyed by King Galbatorix, who betrayed his fellow
Riders and claimed the crown.
Paulsen, Gary. THE TRANSALL SAGA
In the desert, thirteen-year-old Mark falls into a tube of blue light and is
transported into a more primitive world, where he must use his knowledge and
skills to survive.
Peters, Julie Anne. DEFINE "NORMAL": A NOVEL
When she agrees to meet with Jasmine as a peer counselor at their middle
school, Antonia never dreams that this girl with the black lipstick and
pierced eyebrow will end up helping her deal with the serious problems she
faces at home and become a good friend.
Pullman, Philip. THE GOLDEN COMPASS
Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend
and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome
experiments in the Far North.
Riordan, Rick PERCY JACKSON and THE OLYMPIANS series (THE LIGHTNING THIEF,
THE SEA OF MONSTERS, THE TITAN'S CURSE. THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH)
After discovering that he is the son of Poseidon, a middle-schooler named
Percy Jackson learns that the Olympians still exist, along with many other
figures and monsters from Greek mythology like Titans, cyclopes, and other
creatures that he and his other half-blood friends have to deal with in order
to preserve the Olympians.
Soto, Gary. BASEBALL IN APRIL AND OTHER STORIES
A collection of eleven short stories focusing on the everyday adventures of
Hispanic young people growing up in Fresno, California.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. KIDNAPPED
The story of young David Balfour, an orphan, whose miserly old uncle cheats
him out of his inheritance, and schemes to have him kidnapped and sold into
slavery.
Stolarz, Laurie Faria. BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES Series (BLUE IS FOR
NIGHTMARES, WHITE IS FOR MAGIC, SILVER IS FOR SECRETS, RED IS FOR REMEMBRANCE)
Stacy, a high school girl, is having nightmares; her dreams usually predict
a death to come. When she dreams of the deaths of her loved ones and friends
she fights for her life in hopes of saving those others she holds dear. A
mysterious edge of your seat thriller! *STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Tolkien, J. R. R. THE HOBBIT, or, THERE AND BACK AGAIN
The adventure of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, in a land inhabited by dwarfs,
elves, goblins, dragons, and humans. He sets off to recover a stolen
treasure from a dragon hidden in the Lonely Mountain.
Verne, Jules. 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
An American frigate tracks down a ship-sinking submarine commanded by the
mysterious Captain Nemo.
Westerfield, Scott. UGLIES trilogy (UGLIES, PRETTIES, SPECIALS)
We follow Tally Youngblood as she fights through a series of transformations
in a society of “perfection”, where everyone is supermodel beautiful and
controlled far beyond the people's knowledge. These are stories of loss, gain
and self-knowledge the whole way through and told in the best possible way!
*STUDENT RECOMMENDATION
Zindel, Paul. THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS; A DRAMA
IN TWO ACTS
A two-act play depicting an embittered mother who vents her frustrations upon
her two daughters