8th Grade Summer Reading List
2011
Students entering the 8th Grade at Midland Elementary/Middle School in the
fall will be required to read two novels during the summer. Students may
read both books independently or parents may read to students. Assessments
related to both novels will be graded.
Novel #1
All students must read the novel, My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln
Collier and Christopher Collier. It is expected that students will read
this book and be prepared for novel assessment at the beginning of the 2011—
12 school year. Students may either purchase this novel or check out a copy
of the novel from the Carnegie Library in Midland where 20 copies will be on
reserve for Midland students only. It is recommended that students read this
book at the end of summer so that it is fresh in their minds.
Novel #2
Students will also be required to choose one book from the following book
list to read and then complete a book report (format included with this
letter). Summary information is available for each book; in addition, all
books are available at Carnegie Library unless otherwise noted. Students
are responsible for choosing a book they have never read before. All novels
on the list are Accelerated Reader books. This listing will also be posted
on my lesson plan web page which can be found at
www.teacherweb.com/pa/midland/jtanner.
Why Summer Reading?
Reading on a regular basis this summer will prepare students for the upcoming
school year..
Reading will help to prevent loss of reading ability over the summer months.
Reading can be enjoyable if you find something that interests you.
Successful completion of books will count toward your end-of-the-year trip!
CHOICE BOOKS:
I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson (not available at
Carnegie Library)
Despite differences in race and economics, Lena and Marie become friends when
they discover that neither of them has a mother at home. Lena’s mother is
dead and Marie’s has left for the lure of greater individual freedom. As
their friendship grows, Lena trusts Marie with a secret that both shames and
enrages her.
Themes: friendship, race relations, family life, abuse
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic freeway,
Arthur Dent is saved
by Ford Prefect. Together, they journey through the galaxy.
Themes: science fiction, adventure, humor
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Ten people are invited to lonely mansion on Indian Island by a host who,
surprisingly, fails to appear—ten people who have something to hide and
something to fear.
Themes: murder mystery, suspense
Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters
from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the nobleman who pursues her,
and delves into the psychological motivations of each of the characters.
Themes: fairy tales, psychological identity, relationships
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit who only wanted to be left alone, is drawn by a
wizard and a band of homeless dwarves into a quest where he confronts evil
orcs, savage wolves, and the great dragon, Smaug the Magnificent.
Themes: fantasy, adventure
On the Devil’s Court by Carl Deuker
Struggling with his feelings of inadquacy and his failure to make the
basketball team in his new school, seventeen-year-old Joe Faust finds himself
willing to trade his soul for one perfect season of basketball.
Themes: basketball, self-acceptance
First Test by Tamora Pierce
Keladry (known as Kel) is the first girl to take advantage of a decree that
permits girls to train for knighthood. The only thing than can stop her is
Lord Wyldon, the training master of pages and squires. He does not think
girls should be knights and puts her on probation for one year. But Kel is
not someone to be underestimated.
Themes: fantasy, knights
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank, Otto Frank (Ed.), Miriam Pressler (Ed.)
Autobiography of Anne Frank who, with her family, fled the horrors of Nazi
occupation and hid in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse for two years. She
was thirteen when she went into the Secret Annex with her family.
Themes: autobiography, World War II, Jewish Holocaust, family relationships
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
A young boy depsperately tries to unlock his past yet knows he must hide
those memories if he is to remain alive.
Themes: identity, suspense
My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
A book for every dog lover and every Paulsen fan. A perfect combination that
shows vividly the joy and wisdom that come from growing up with man’s best
friend.
Themes: dogs, coming of age, autobiography, recreational reading
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
An unusual, fresh view of the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of a child
who struggles to understand the world around him. In Warsaw in 1939, a boy
wanders the streets and survives by stealing what food he can. He knows
nothing of his background: Is he a Jew? A Gypsy? Was he ever called
something other than Stopthief? Befriended by a band of orphaned Jewish
boys, he understands very little of what is happening when the
Nazi “jackboots” march into town.
Themes: historical fiction, World War II, the Holocaust, survival
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
The author relates his experience of climbing Mount Everest during its
deadliest season and examines what it is about the mountain that makes people
willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense.
Themes: Mount Everest, mountain climbing, personal accounts, danger
The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
The long-awaited sequel to His Dark Materials trilogy started in The Golden
Compass and The Subtle Knife. Here, Lyra and Will find themselves at the
center of a battle between the forces of the Authority and those gathered by
Lyra’s father, Lord Asriel. Fans of the first two books will not be
disappointed.
(You may read any book in the trilogy mentioned above)
Themes: fantasy, science fiction, adventure
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Two boys, best friends in a small town, finally come to understand that of
all the terrors threatening them from Coogera and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow
Show, the greatest menace exists within themselves.
Themes: fantasy, suspense, horror
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, Anne Greenberg
Follows the courageous story of Melba Pattilo, one of the nine brave African-
American teens who was chosen to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School
after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education.
Themes: non-fiction, recreational reading
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines
Fictional biography set in rural southern Louisiana. This is the story of
Jane Pittman, who was born a slave and witnessed 100 years of American
history, including the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Themes: slavery, human dignity, African American culture
Taking Sides by Gary Soto (not available at the Carnegie Library)
Eighth-grader Lincoln Mendoza and his mother have just moved from a San
Francisco barrio to a wealthy, predominantly white suburb. He misses his old
friends and neighborhood. Having made first string on the basketball team,
he finds that the coach dislikes him for no good reason. Lincoln must decide
where his loyalty lies as an upcoming game between his new school and the old
one approaches.
Themes: cultural differences, basketball, moving, Hispanic culture
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Carmen decides to discard an old pair of jeans, but Tibby, Lena, and Bridget
think they are great and decide that whoever the pants fit best will get
them. When the jeans fit everyone perfectly, a sisterhood and a memorable
summer begin.
(You may read any book in the Sisterhood series)
Themes: realistic fiction, friendship, life lessons
BOOK REPORT FORMAT
This book report format is to be used for your choice book that you
selected from the reading list. It will be due the first week of school, and
I suggest completing it over the summer immediately after you have read the
novel.
Follow the directions carefully below, as this report will be
graded. This report may be typed (size 12 font, double spaced) or neatly
handwritten.
Students will write a five paragraph report, and the contents of each
paragraph are listed below:
Introduction
The introduction should include the book title (underlined or italicized),
the author, genre (fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, etc.), setting,
main character, and other characters.
Paragraph 2
Summarize/Explain in your own words what happens in the beginning of the
novel in 5—8 sentences.
Paragraph 3
Summarize/Explain in your own words what happens in the middle of the novel
in 5—8 sentences.
Paragraph 4
Summarize/Explain in your own words what happens at the end of the novel in 5—
8 sentences.
Conclusion
The conclusion should include answers to the following questions. Make sure
that your responses “flow” from one answer to another—use transition
words; it should not read as if you are simply listing answers to the
questions: What did you like/admire about the main character? What made
you want to read the book? Did you like the book? Explain why/why not.