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Churchville-Chili JHS 8th Grade Suggested Summer Reading List While spending the month of August on the Billingsley, Franny. -- The Folk Keeper Orphan Corinna disguises herself as a boy to pose as a Folk Keeper, one who keeps the Evil Folk at bay, and discovers her heritage as a seal maiden when she is taken to live with a wealthy family in their manor by the sea. Bloor, Edward. -- Tangerine Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight. Blume, Judy. -- Tiger Eyes : A Novel Resettled in the " Cashore, Kristin.-- Graceling In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace of killing and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king. Clare, Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster. Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments series. Coerr, Eleanor. -- Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Hospitalized with the dreaded atom bomb disease, leukemia, a child in Hiroshima races against time to fold one thousand paper cranes to verify the legend that by doing so a sick person will become healthy. Coles, William E., Jr. -- Another Kind of Monday When Mark discovers money and a note concealed in the pages of a copy of Dickens' "Great Expectations," he undertakes a quest with his classmate Zeena that leads to more money, more clues to follow, and ultimately more knowledge of himself. Collins, Suzanne. -- Hunger Games Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death. Conly, Jane Leslie. -- Crazy Lady! As he tries to come to terms with his mother's death, Cooney, Caroline B. -- Flash Fire As fire sweeps through a canyon near Los Angeles, teenagers Danna and Hall Press and other children whose parents are not around must work together to save themselves. Crichton, Michael. -- The Lost World : A Novel Crichton, Michael. -- Sphere : A Novel A group of American scientists descend to the ocean floor to investigate a spaceship of phenomenal dimensions, apparently undamaged by its fall, and three hundred years old. Crutcher, Chris. -- Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories A collection of short stories featuring characters from earlier books by Chris Crutcher. 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. Dickinson, Peter. -- The Ropemaker When the magic that protects their Valley starts to fail, Tilja and her companions journey into the evil Empire to find the ancient magician Faheel, who originally cast those spells. Duane, Diane. -- So You Want to be a Wizard Thirteen-year-old Nita, tormented by a gang of bullies because she won't fight back, finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry which guides her into another dimension. Duncan, Lois. -- Killing Mr. Griffin A teenager casually suggests playing a cruel trick on the English teacher, but did he intend it to end with murder? Duncan, Lois. -- Stranger with My Face A seventeen-year-old senses she is being spied on and probably impersonated, but when she discovers what actually is occurring, it is more unbelievable than she ever imagined. Dygard, Thomas J. -- Game Plan When the hospitalization of Barton High's head football coach forces skinny student manager Beano Hatton to step in, he must deal with a rebellious quarterback and his own lack of confidence. Farmer, Nancy. -- A Girl Named Disaster While journeying to Ferris, Jean. – Once Upon a Marigold A young man with a mysterious past and a penchant for inventing things leaves the troll who raised him, meets an unhappy princess he has loved from afar, and discovers a plot against her and her father. Fletcher, Susan. -- Shadow Spinner When Marjan, a thirteen-year-old crippled girl, joins the Sultan's harem in ancient Fox, Paula. -- The Eagle Kite : A Novel Liam's father has AIDS, and his family cannot talk about it until Liam reveals a secret that he has tried to deny ever since he saw his father embracing another man at the beach. Funke, Cornelia. – Inkheart Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father Mo, a bookbinder, can "read" fictional characters to life when an evil ruler named Capricorn, freed from the novel "Inkheart" years earlier, tries to force Mo to release an immortal monster from the story. Gantos, Jack. -- Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired. Greene, Bette. -- Summer of My German Soldier Sheltering an escaped German prisoner of war is the beginning of some shattering experiences for a twelve-year-old Jewish girl in Haddix, Margaret Peterson. -- Among the Hidden In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. -- Just Ella In this continuation of the Cinderella story, fifteen-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette, so she plots to escape. Hautzig, Esther. -- The Endless Steppe : Growing Up in During World War II, when she was eleven years old, the author and her family were arrested in Hayes, Daniel. -- The Trouble with Lemons Tyler and Lymie, eighth grade misfits, discover a dead body in a quarry and work to uncover the mystery behind it. Hesse, Karen. -- Letters from Rifka In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Hobbs, Will. -- Beardance While accompanying an elderly rancher on a trip into the Hobbs, Will. -- The Big Wander As he searches for his uncle through the rugged Southwest canyon country, fourteen-year-old Clay becomes involved with a group of Navajo Indians who are trying to save some of the last wild mustangs. Hoh, Diane. -- Titanic : The Long Night When Elizabeth and Katie, two girls from very different backgrounds, board the Titanic, they think they are on their way to new lives in Isaacs, Anne. -- Torn Thread In an attempt to save his daughter's life, Eva's father sends her from Jones, Diana Wynne. -- Howl's Moving Castle Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl. Jones, Diana Wynne. -- The Lives of Christopher Chant Young Christopher Chant, in training to become the next Chrestomanci or head controller of magic in the world, becomes a key figure in a battle with renegade sorcerers because he has nine lives. Juster, Norton. -- The Phantom Tollbooth A journey through a land where Lawrence, Iain. -- The Wreckers Shipwrecked after a vicious storm, fourteen-year-old John Spencer attempts to save his father and himself while also dealing with an evil secret about the Cornish coastal town where they are stranded. Lupica, Mike. – Heat Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little League baseball. Rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old, but he has no parents to offer them proof. Lynch, Chris. -- Iceman Fourteen-year-old Eric, a ruthless hockey player prone to violence on the ice, tries to reconcile his own needs with those of his parents. Matas, Carol. -- After the War After being released from Buchenwald at the end of World War II, fifteen-year-old Ruth risks her life to lead a group of children across Europe to Matas, Carol. -- In My Enemy's House When German soldiers arrive in Zloczow during World War II, a young Jewish girl must decide whether or not to conceal her identity and work for a Nazi in Mazar, Harry. – A Boy at War: A Novel of On December 7, 1941, Adam is fishing with his friends off the coast of McCaffrey, Anne. -- Dragonsong Forbidden by her father to indulge in music in any way, a girl on the planet Pern runs away, taking shelter with the planet's fire lizards who, along with her music, open a new life for her. McKinley, Robin. -- The Hero and the Crown Aerin, with the guidance of the wizard Luthe and the help of the blue sword, wins the birthright due her as the daughter of the Damarian king and a witchwoman of the mysterious, demon-haunted North. McKinley, Robin. -- Spindle's End The infant princess Briar Rose is cursed on her name day by Pernicia, an evil fairy, and then whisked away by a young fairy to be raised in a remote part of a magical country, unaware of her real identity and hidden from Pernicia's vengeful powers. Mikaelsen, Ben. -- Petey In 1922 Petey, who has cerebral palsy, is misdiagnosed as an idiot and institutionalized; sixty years later, still in the institution, he befriends a boy and shares with him the joy of life. Myers, Walter Dean. -- The After learning sorcery to become a healer, a good-hearted woman is turned into a witch by evil spirits and she fights their power until her encounter with Hansel and Gretel years later. Na, An. -- A Step From Heaven Tells the tale of Young Ju as she grows from a toddler in Korea to a high-school graduate in California desperately trying to be a 'true' American while her immigrant parents try to make her stay close to her Korean heritage. Naylor, Phyllis. – Jade Green Although warned not to bring anything green into her new home, recently orphaned Judith Sparrow wonders if her most treasured possession is the cause of mysterious happenings. Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. -- Outrageously After being taken by German soldiers from a local movie theater, Roberto is forced to work in Nix, Garth. -- Shade's Children In a savage future world, four young fugitives attempt to overthrow the bloodthirsty rule of the Overlords with the help of Shade, their mysterious mentor. O'Dell, Scott. -- Black Star, Bright Dawn Bright Dawn must face the challenge of the Iditarod dog sled race alone when her father is injured. Paolini, Christopher. -- Eragon In Alagaësia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters. Book 1 of the Inheritance series. Parker, Robert B. -- Edenville Owls Fourteen-year-old Bobby, living in a small Patterson, James. -- The Angel Experiment After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the “birdkids” take off in pursuit and find themselves battling their seemingly evil creators. Book 1 of the Maximum Ride Series. Paulsen, Gary. -- The Foxman A town boy sent to live on a remote wilderness farm forms a friendship with an elderly, disfigured man who teaches him many things. Paulsen, Gary. -- The Schernoff Discoveries Harold and his best friend, both hopeless geeks and societal misfits, try to survive unusual science experiments, the attacks of the football team, and other dangers of junior high school. Pearson, Mary.-- The Adoration of Jenna Fox In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence. Perl, Lila. -- Four Perfect Pebbles : A Holocaust Story The author tells the story of her family's experiences as Jews in Hitler's Philbrick, Rodman. -- Freak the Mighty Max, a large eighth-grader with a learning disability, becomes friends with Freak, an intelligent boy who is physically impaired. Philbrick, Rodman.-- Young Man and the Sea After his mother's death, twelve-year-old Skiff Beeman decides that it is up to him to earn money to take care of himself and his father, so he undertakes a dangerous trip alone out on the ocean off the coast of Reiss, Johanna. -- The Journey Back After spending three years hiding from the Nazis, a Jewish family is reunited and begins the job of rebuilding their country and family. Reiss, Johanna. -- The Upstairs Room A Dutch Jewish girl describes the two-and-one-half years she spent in hiding in the upstairs bedroom of a farmer's house during World War II. Ritter, John. -- Choosing up Sides In 1921 thirteen-year-old Luke finds himself torn between accepting his left-handedness or conforming to the belief of his preacher-father that such a condition is evil and must be overcome. Rowling, J. K. -- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban During his third year at Sleator, William. -- The Duplicate Sixteen-year-old David, finding a strange machine that creates replicas of living organisms, duplicates himself and suffers the horrible consequences when the duplicate turns against him. Sleator, William. -- Interstellar Pig Barney's boring seaside vacation suddenly becomes more interesting when the cottage next door is occupied by three exotic neighbors who are addicted to a game they call "Interstellar Pig." Smith, Roland. -- Peak To avoid legal prosecution after being plucked by police from the top of a Sparks, Nicholas. -- The Notebook In a testimony to the lasting power of love, a man tells an elderly woman a story from a faded old notebooks, his voice relating the heartbreaking tale of two lovers and their fifty-year journey to happiness. Sparks, Nicholas.-- A Walk to Remember High school senior Landon Carter embarks on the road to manhood when a twist of fate makes the Bible-carrying Jamie Sullivan his date for the homecoming dance, and he falls in love with the minister's daughter, not knowing her tragic secret. Spinner, Stephanie. -- Quiver Sixteen-year-old Atalanta, abandoned as an infant, has grown to become a renowned archer and swiftest mortal alive due to the intervention of Artemis, goddess of the hunt, so when the father who forsook her so many years before issues an ultimatum that Atalanta marry and produce an heir, she counters with the condition that the man she weds must be able to best her in a footrace or die. Staples, Suzanne Fisher. -- Dangerous Skies Hypocrisy and prejudice twist events in such a way as to implicate two children, one from a prominent white family and the other an African-American, in a murder. Stevermer, Caroline. -- River Rats Nearly twenty years after the holocaust called the Flash has destroyed modern civilization, Tomcat and a group of other orphans face danger as they steer an old steamboat over the toxic waters of the Tolkien, J.R.R. – Lord of the Rings Trilogy Middle Earth is in grave danger. The Dark Lord, Sauron, wishes to intensify his already great power, by reclaiming the One Ring that had been stolen by Bilbo Baggins. With this ring, he can enslave Middle Earth and unleash incredible evil. Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, is at the center of this epic drama involving the ring that he knows very little about. Turner, Megan Whalen. -- The Thief Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone. Voigt, Cynthia. -- A Solitary Blue Jeff's mother, who deserted the family years before, reenters his life and widens the gap between Jeff and his father, a gap that only truth, love, and friendship can heal. White, Ruth. -- Belle Prater's Boy When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small In small town, post-World War Yep, Laurence. -- Dragon's Gate When he accidentally kills a Manchu, a fifteen-year-old Chinese boy is sent to Yep, Laurence. -- Dragonwings In the early twentieth century a young Chinese boy joins his father in Zindel, Paul. -- The Gadget In 1945, having joined his father at Los Alamos, where he and other scientists are working on a secret project to end World War II, thirteen-year-old Stephen becomes caught in a web of secrecy and intrigue. 2009 Suggested Summer Reading List 8th Grade District Home Page: http://www.cccsd.org 6/09
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