LibGuides: Summer Reading: Rising Eighth Grade

Requirements

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
ISBN: 9780140177398
Publication Date: 1993-09-01
9780140177398
Required book for all rising eighth grade students.

Requirements: (total of 4 books)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Two books from this list.
One book of choice.

If students have a book they would prefer to read that is not on the list, they need to have permission from their English teacher.

Accountability

Students should complete a Middle School Summer Reading Form for Of Mice and Men, two books from this list, and one book of choice.

During the first weeks of school, there will be graded assignments on Of Mice and Men. One the first day of school, students should bring their four completed Middle School Summer Reading Forms and their copy of Of Mice and Men.

Middle School Summer Reading Form

Science Fiction/Fantasy

The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov
ISBN: 9780553299496
Publication Date: 1994-03-01
9780553299496
Written in 1983, this science fiction novel sends New York detective Elijah Bailey to investigate a puzzling case of roboticide.
Brotherband Chronicles (series) by John Flanagan
ISBN: 9780142421949
Publication Date: 2012-09-04
9780142421949
There is a new cast of characters for the world of Skandians and Araluens from the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Adventure, friendship, loyalty, and courage are all part of this series as well.
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
ISBN: 9781681193168
Publication Date: 2017-07-25
9781681193168
This is a magical retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale about a girl born with the ability to speak to animals. She is a princess, but she must become a goose girl before she can become queen.
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
ISBN: 9781646144129
Publication Date: 2024-03-26
9781646144129
After Earth is destroyed by a comet, Petra Peña awakens on the ship taking a few hundred scientists and their children to a new planet. As Petra begins to remember her abuelita’s stories, she realizes there is a sinister reason why she is the only one who remembers Earth. This book is a Newbery and Pura Belpré Award winner.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune
ISBN: 9781250217318
Publication Date: 2020-12-29
9781250217318
Linus Baker is a caseworker for a government organization in charge of managing orphaned children who are magical beings. He is given an undercover assignment to investigate six dangerous children at the Marsyas Island Orphanage.
His Dark Materials: the Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
ISBN: 9780440238133
Publication Date: 2003-09-09
9780440238133
Pullman creates a world parallel to our own in which Lyra Belacqua embarks on an adventure pitting good against evil.
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
ISBN: 9780141441030
Publication Date: 2005-05-04
9780141441030
First published in 1898, this science fiction novel details twelve days in which invaders from Mars attack the planet Earth.

Realistic Fiction

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
ISBN: 9780679734772
Publication Date: 1991-04-03
9780679734772
Esperanzo Cordero is a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago. Her story is told through a series of vignettes with distinctive rhythm and imagery.
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
ISBN: 9780525552970
Publication Date: 2019-08-20
9780525552970
Darius Kellner is a boy with a Persian mother and an American father who is taking his first trip to Iran. This award winner delves into the ways that Darius does not feel like he will ever be enough in either place.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
ISBN: 9780547577319
Publication Date: 2011-10-04
9780547577319
This book describes the difficult journeys of Salva, in 1985, and Nya, in 2008. Based on a true story, the amazing intersection of these two people’s lives reminds us of all we take for granted.
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
ISBN: 9781681191072
Publication Date: 2018-06-05
9781681191072
Jade is a high school student from a rough neighborhood. She is also a talented collage artist, attends a private school on scholarship, and grows tired of being treated as someone who needs to be fixed. This powerful story is a 2018 Newbery Honor Book amd Coretta Scott King Author Award winner.

Books in Verse/Poetry

Booked by Kwame Alexander
ISBN: 9781328596307
Publication Date: 2019-03-05
9781328596307
Kwame Alexander continues to show his love of words in this soccer-themed novel written in verse. Nick and his best friend, Coby, have big plans for winning the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup.
Rebound by Kwame Alexander
ISBN: 9780544868137
Publication Date: 2018-04-02
9780544868137
Rebound is a prequel to Crossover, Alexander's first novel in verse. Readers get a glimpse of Chuck Bell's childhood and how he came to be the basketball star his sons Josh and Jordan look up to.
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
ISBN: 9780805080704
Publication Date: 2006-05-02
9780805080704
This novel in verse tells the story of LaVaughn, who at fifteen already knows that life is hard and that getting ahead takes a strong mind— and an even stronger will.

Classics

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
ISBN: 9780141330136
Publication Date: 2011-06-09
9780141330136
In what may be Dickens’ best novel, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman.
Animal Farm by George. Orwell
ISBN: 9780451526342
Publication Date: 2004-04-06
9780451526342
This classic political fable is based on the events of Russia’s Bolshevik revolution.

Historical Fiction

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
ISBN: 9781416905868
Publication Date: 2010-01-05
9781416905868
This well-researched book describes the lives of a young slave named Isabel and her sister, Ruth, who are sold to wealthy loyalists in New York City in the spring of 1776. Chains is a winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for historical fiction and a National Book Award finalist
March Toward the Thunder by Joseph Bruchac
ISBN: 9780142414460
Publication Date: 2009-09-17
9780142414460
In 1864, Louis Nolette is a fifteen-year-old Abenaki Indian who decides to enlist after a recruiter convinces him that it’s worth the bounty to join an Irish brigade marching from New York to Virginia.
Beneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye Huey
ISBN: 9781338789942
Publication Date: 2022-10-18
9781338789942
Emily Inouye Huey drew inspiration from her own family history to create this story about the lead-up to Japanese incarceration, racism on the homefront during World War II, and the main character’s dream of becoming a photographer.
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
ISBN: 9781432849290
Publication Date: 2018-02-21
9781432849290
This incredible story is based on the experiences of Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, who risked her life to keep a handful of books safe for their small school at the camp. Dita was only fourteen years old, and possession of a book was an offense punishable by death.

Mystery/Detective Fiction

The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
ISBN: 9780141332499
Publication Date: 2011-06-09
9780141332499
This is a collection of the famous detective’s adventures which includes many of his most memorable cases
Trash by Andy Mulligan
ISBN: 9780385752169
Publication Date: 2011-10-11
9780385752169
Three young teenagers, trash-pickers living in the city dump of an unnamed third-world country, discover a mysterious bag one morning, triggering a chain of events that will change their lives forever.

Biography/Memoir

Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam
ISBN: 9780385333214
Publication Date: 2000-01-11
9780385333214
This book beautifully captures a time when a band of teenage dreamers in a dying coal mining town placed their sights on the stars. Hickam grew up to be a NASA engineer.
Mexikid by Pedro Martín
ISBN: 9780593462294
Publication Date: 2023-08-01
9780593462294
In this Newbery Honor Award winning graphic memoir, a Mexican American boy and his family head out on an adventure-filled road trip to bring back their abuelito from Mexico. This book is also a Pura Belpré Author and Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner.
Irena's Children by Mary Cronk Farrell (Adapted by); Tilar J. Mazzeo
ISBN: 9781481449922
Publication Date: 2017-09-26
9781481449922
Irena Sendler took incredible risks to save 2,500 Jewish children in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II. Her story only became widely known after several high school students in Kansas began to research her in 1999.
The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef
ISBN: 9780544455900
Publication Date: 2015-07-07
9780544455900
This young adult biography explores the lives of these literary sisters and includes more than sixty archival images.
Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator by Catherine Reef
ISBN: 9781328740052
Publication Date: 2018-09-18
9781328740052
Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was eighteen years old. This biography details her extraordinary life both before and after the publication of her iconic masterpiece.
Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
ISBN: 9781646140008
Publication Date: 2020-08-25
9781646140008
In this autobiographical novel, Khosrou (whom everyone calls Daniel) begins with a story about his family’s history and how they became refugees as he stands in front of his fifth grade class in Oklahoma. The author weaves Persian folklore into this book about his family’s history in Iran that stretches back years and decades and centuries, stories of memories and memories of stories.This is a Printz Award winner.

Graphic Novels

Mexikid by Pedro Martín
ISBN: 9780593462294
Publication Date: 2023-08-01
9780593462294
In this Newbery Honor Award winning graphic memoir, a Mexican American boy and his family head out on an adventure-filled road trip to bring back their abuelito from Mexico. This book is also a Pura Belpré Author and Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner.

Modern Classics

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
ISBN: 9781451673319
Publication Date: 2012-01-10
9781451673319
This internationally acclaimed novel is set in a dystopian future where firemen start fires rather than put them out. Guy Montag is a fireman whose job is to burn books until he begins to question everything he has known and finds himself running for his life.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
ISBN: 9780142001745
Publication Date: 2003-01-28
9780142001745
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this book tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped by the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn [75th Anniversary Ed] by Betty Smith
ISBN: 9780060736262
Publication Date: 2018-11-06
9780060736262
In this profoundly moving novel, young Francie Nolan, an avid reader and penny-candy connoisseur, struggles against all odds to survive and thrive.

Drama

As You Like It by William Shakespeare; Barbara A. Mowat (Editor); Paul Werstine (Editor)
ISBN: 9780743484862
Publication Date: 2004-07-01
9780743484862
All ends well in Shakespeare’s comedy about the banished princess who falls in love at first sight with a poor but brave young man
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
ISBN: 9780060512637
Publication Date: 2003-09-23
9780060512637
This Pulitzer Prize winning three-act play portrays the drama of life - and death - in the small village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire.

Sports

Booked by Kwame Alexander
ISBN: 9781328596307
Publication Date: 2019-03-05
9781328596307
Kwame Alexander continues to show his love of words in this soccer-themed novel written in verse. Nick and his best friend, Coby, have big plans for winning the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup.
Rebound by Kwame Alexander
ISBN: 9780544868137
Publication Date: 2018-04-02
9780544868137
Rebound is a prequel to Crossover, Alexander's first novel in verse. Readers get a glimpse of Chuck Bell's childhood and how he came to be the basketball star his sons Josh and Jordan look up to.
Summerland by Michael Chabon
ISBN: 9780062418081
Publication Date: 2016-04-12
9780062418081
Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon blends several mythologies to create a vivid fantasy where baseball is king
Games of Deception by Andrew Maraniss
ISBN: 9780525514657
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
9780525514657
This gripping account of the first U.S. Olympic basketball team includes information about the invention of basketball in 1891 up to the sport’s Olympic debut in Hitler’s Germany in 1936. Extensive efforts were made in Germany to prevent visitors from seeing any signs of trouble in Berlin as events leading up to World War II unfolded
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
ISBN: 9781250294470
Publication Date: 2019-01-15
9781250294470
Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner met in 1901 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where they forged one of the winningest teams in football history; one that came to be known as “the team that invented football.” This is also the story of a school designed to erase Native American culture.

Nonfiction/Narrative Nonfiction

The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb
ISBN: 9780545431002
Publication Date: 2018-04-24
9780545431002
Based on the adult bestseller Hunting Eichmann, this is the amazing story of the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann by an elite team of Israeli spies.
Seven Voyages: How China's Treasure Fleet Conquered the Sea by Laurence Bergreen; Sara Fray
ISBN: 9781626721227
Publication Date: 2021-01-19
9781626721227
This fascinating book tells the story of Zheng He, the Chinese explorer who commanded over 1500 ships over the course of 30 years. The seven epic voyages he led during the 1400's helped to establish China as a global power.
The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day; Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780593643846
Publication Date: 2023-09-05
9780593643846
This Sibert Medal winner covers a lot of ground as it describes the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world, and why the painting by Leonardo da Vinci never should have existed at all. Illustrations by Brett Helquist appear throughout.
Games of Deception by Andrew Maraniss
ISBN: 9780525514657
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
9780525514657
This gripping account of the first U.S. Olympic basketball team includes information about the invention of basketball in 1891 up to the sport’s Olympic debut in Hitler’s Germany in 1936. Extensive efforts were made in Germany to prevent visitors from seeing any signs of trouble in Berlin as events leading up to World War II unfolded
Hidden Systems by Dan Nott
ISBN: 9781984896049
Publication Date: 2023-03-14
9781984896049
This fascinating book explores the history of our Internet, electric grid, and water systems in a graphic format. Hidden Systems is a National Book Award Finalist.
Google It by Anna Crowley Redding
ISBN: 9781250148223
Publication Date: 2018-08-14
9781250148223
Award-winning investigative reporter Anna Crowley Redding shares the story of a thesis project with a deceptively simple goal of "organizing the world's information." This book includes many graphics, photos, and interesting facts about the creation of Google.
The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin
ISBN: 9781596437968
Publication Date: 2014-01-21
9781596437968
In 1944, a massive munitions explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors. What many people don't know is that most of the men assigned to these dangerous tasks were African American, and when they refused to continue loading the dangerous explosives until safety measures were implemented, they were charged with mutiny.
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
ISBN: 9781250294470
Publication Date: 2019-01-15
9781250294470
Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner met in 1901 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where they forged one of the winningest teams in football history; one that came to be known as “the team that invented football.” This is also the story of a school designed to erase Native American culture.