Hello 8th Graders,

Welcome to SRMS 8th Grade English. We hope that you are excited about the upcoming summer break – and we know you’ll be reading non-stop! Here is a summer reading list that contains several books. Hold on- before you start grumbling or rolling your eyes, check out some of the titles and descriptions. We’ve included some new titles that we are pretty sure you will like –you may even be surprised.

·  You may pick freely from the list, but each incoming 8th grader is required to read TWO of THESE books over the summer. While we encourage you to read other books as well, you must read at least two from this list for it to count as having completed the assignment.

·  For each book that you read, you must type a one-page letter to the author that answers the following question: If you could spend one day with one character from the book, who would it be, what would you do, and why?

·  Be sure to show what you know about letter writing – it has to be in letter form with a salutation and a closing.

·  The choices are arranged by level of difficulty, with the most challenging books at the bottom of the list. We expect that you will choose a book that you will enjoy but which will also challenge and enrich you as a reader. If you are thinking of pursuing Honors English for 9th grade, you should choose books toward the bottom of the list.

Come to school in the fall ready to share your summer reading experiences and the letters to the author with your classmates and teachers.

See you in September!

Mrs. Burke

Mrs. Connelly

Ms. DiPasquale

Mrs. Parkin

8th Grade 2009 Required Summer Reading List

Savage by David Almond

After his father dies, Blue Baker begins writing a story about a savage. In the story, the savage goes on wild, bloody adventures, but the story soon takes on a life of its own. In an eerie plot twist, the Savage ultimately takes on the school bully Hopper, and his powers affect Blue. Suspenseful and “savage”, this book will find fans with adolescents, especially boys, who appreciate the graphic novel form. Graphic Novel

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Though promised freedom upon the death of their owner, thirteen-year-old Isabel and her sister soon find themselves the property of a cruel duo, the Locktons, who oppose the American Revolution. The girls begin to spy on their owners, who have secret knowledge of the British invasion plans, when they meet Curzon. Historical Fiction

London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim boards the London Eye, a tourist attraction, and never comes off. Frustrated by the police investigation, they embark on their quest to find Salim. In a spine-tingling race across time, the pair must overcome their differences in order to save their cousin. Thriller/Adventure

Hurricane Powers by Sigmund Brouwer

This title in the Orca Sports series will appeal to boys, especially reluctant readers. Trouble begins on David’s first day at his new school, when he buys a water pistol that looks like a real gun. While chasing a boy, Carlos, who thought he was being robbed, David impresses the Track Coach’s daughter, who recruits him for the team. He becomes entangled in Carlos’s problems with a gang, realizing that they are so dangerous, that he must go to the police. Sports/Adventure

Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz (Stormbreaker, Eagle Strike, Skeleton Key)

They told fourteen-year-old Alex Rider that his uncle died in a car accident. Entering the world as a secret agent after his guardian uncle’s suspicious death of his guardian uncle, Alex must finish his uncle’s mission and find his uncle’s killers. But nothing prepares him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for MI6—Britain's top secret intelligence agency. Recruited to find his uncle's killers and complete his final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. (If you love this book, it’s one of a series – check out the others!). Fiction, Mystery. A GREAT read!!

Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson

Maximum Ride, better known as Max, is a fourteen-year-old who knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and her friends are similar to most kids – with the exception that they can fly! It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time--like when Angel, the youngest member of the "Flock," is kidnapped and taken back to the "School" where she and the others were genetically engineered by sinister scientists. The #1 NYTimes bestseller list for weeks, Maximum Ride is a thrilling, unpredictable, amazing book, with adventure, some romance, and lots of awesome and exiting battles. Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Suspense. ***The Final Warning is the newest edition in the Maximum Ride series.

Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

Forced to move to her father’s home in Washington, Bella expects life to be boring and mundane. She quickly finds that things are not quite what they seem when she meets new classmates, the Cullen family. Falling in love with Edward Cullen, Bella learns that sometimes legends and nightmares are true. Now a major motion picture blockbuster, Twilight is the first in the series.

Suspense/Love Story/Supernatural

Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel

For fantasy-lovers, both boys and girls, won’t be able to put it down. Suspenseful and exciting from the moment you start reading, it’s about being different. Fantasy

Down the Rabbit Hole (An Echo Falls mystery) by Peter Abrahams

Mystery-lovers, this is a Sherlock-Holmes for the 21st century. Girls especially will find that this novel that features Ingrid Levin-Hill as an 8th grade super sleuth, keeps you wanting to read more– can’t stop at the end of the chapter. Mystery

Unwind by Neil Shusterman

A dark and suspenseful novel, Unwind invites readers to consider the question: What if, when you turn 13, your parents could choose to have you “unwound”? Teenagers Connor, Risa, and Lev, this question cannot be avoided as all three have been selected to be unwound. Together, the three flee their community and try to stay alive until their 18th birthday, when they will be free. Thriller/Fantasy

Marley and Me by John Grogan

John and Jenny were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy—and their life would never be the same. Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound steamroller of a Labrador retriever who crashed through screen doors, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, devoured couches and fine jewelry, and was expelled from obedience school. Yet Marley's heart was pure, and he remained a steadfast model of love and devotion for a growing family through pregnancy, birth, heartbreak, and joy, right to the inevitable goodbye. Nonfiction

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The fifth in the Percy Jackson series – readers will hunger for more!

Peak by Roland Smith

14-year-old Peak Marcello is about to sent to juvie after he is arrested for scaling the Woolworth Building in Manhattan in order to graffiti on it. Peak’s absentee father, who runs a commercial climbing establishment, offers a compromise: he’ll keep Peak (nicknamed Spider Boy) out of trouble by having him be the first ever kid to scale Mount Everest. A gripping page-turner! Sports/Adventure

Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat

A small child during the six day war of 1971 between Israel and Palestine, narrator Ibtisam describes her experiences. Through images and echoing narrative, Ibtisam shows the reader that people can find homes within each other’s hearts. Memoir/Historical

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

A gripping and compelling memoir, Ishamel Beah tells the story of how he was forced by the government to become a child soldier during the war in Sierra Leone. A gentle and kind child by nature, he soon found himself committing unspeakable acts in order to survive. Memoir/Historical

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