SUMMER READING for Grade 8
SUMMER READING for Grade 8 For summer reading, students entering each grade are required to read one book and encouraged to read a minimum of three books in preparation for their English classes. Summer reading books should be read deeply and students should be able to speak intelligently about the plot, characters, and themes found within the literature. The summer reading book will be discussed thoroughly in class when students return to school and will be the first novel students are formally held accountable for. Students should expect to be tested, write thoughtfully, or complete projects or other activities relevant to their book. The required reading book is pictured below. Additional books may be chosen from the Recommended Reading List. Good reading skills are critical for success in the Middle School. There is no better way to keep sharp or improve your reading ability than to practice. If none of the recommended books suit you, you may find better options at bookstores, the library, or even on bookshelves at home. You may feel free to download your books and read them on electronic reading devices. Such devices offer a wide range of advantages over traditional books such as built-in dictionaries and note-taking and underlining capabilities to facilitate a student’s understanding of a given novel. Electronic readers are welcome in Middle School classrooms as long as the student’s name is on the device. Required Summer Reading Book for Grade 8 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba ISBN-10: 0803740808 ISBN-13: 978-0803740808 When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land. Retold for a younger audience, this exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world. Complete with photographs, illustrations, and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story, this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family.
Recommended Reading list on Page 2
SUMMER READING for Grade 8 Page 2 of 2
Recommended Summer Reading for Grade 8 The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman When Anthony "Antsy" Bonano and his friends meet Calvin Schwa, they are impressed and puzzled by his ability to appear and disappear before their very eyes. The humor is just right for boys, but the complexity of plot, the depth and richness of the characters, and the underlying seriousness of the issues belies the easy-to-read comedy. Schwa is an average kid who hangs on the periphery of the crowd and longs to be noticed and included, not simply ignored. His character is extreme, but far too many adolescents—and the adults who work with them—will sadly and guiltily recognize him. Raft by Stephanie A. Bodeen Fifteen-year-old Robie is flying home to a small atoll in Hawaii after visiting her aunt in Honolulu. The plane crashes into the Pacific, and now she must survive in a raft with an unconscious copilot, circling sharks, and a bag of Skittles.
The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb In 1945, at the end of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, the head of operations for the Nazis' Final Solution, walked into the mountains of Germany and vanished from view. Sixteen years later, an elite team of spies captured him at a bus stop in Argentina and smuggled him to Israel, resulting in one of the century's most important trials -one that cemented the Holocaust in the public imagination. The Nazi Hunters is the thrilling and fascinating story of what happened between these two events. Survivor Simon Wiesenthal opened Eichmann's case; a blind Argentinean and his teenage daughter provided crucial information. Finally, the Israeli spies -- many of whom lost family in the Holocaust -- embarked on their daring mission, recounted here in full. Based on the adult bestseller Hunting Eichmann, which is now in development as a major film, and illustrated with powerful photos throughout. *Some descriptions were taken from authors’ websites and Amazon.com
Happy Reading & Happy Summer!
Recommended Reading list on Page 2
SUMMER READING for Grade 8 Page 2 of 2
Recommended Summer Reading for Grade 8 The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman When Anthony "Antsy" Bonano and his friends meet Calvin Schwa, they are impressed and puzzled by his ability to appear and disappear before their very eyes. The humor is just right for boys, but the complexity of plot, the depth and richness of the characters, and the underlying seriousness of the issues belies the easy-to-read comedy. Schwa is an average kid who hangs on the periphery of the crowd and longs to be noticed and included, not simply ignored. His character is extreme, but far too many adolescents—and the adults who work with them—will sadly and guiltily recognize him. Raft by Stephanie A. Bodeen Fifteen-year-old Robie is flying home to a small atoll in Hawaii after visiting her aunt in Honolulu. The plane crashes into the Pacific, and now she must survive in a raft with an unconscious copilot, circling sharks, and a bag of Skittles.
The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb In 1945, at the end of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, the head of operations for the Nazis' Final Solution, walked into the mountains of Germany and vanished from view. Sixteen years later, an elite team of spies captured him at a bus stop in Argentina and smuggled him to Israel, resulting in one of the century's most important trials -one that cemented the Holocaust in the public imagination. The Nazi Hunters is the thrilling and fascinating story of what happened between these two events. Survivor Simon Wiesenthal opened Eichmann's case; a blind Argentinean and his teenage daughter provided crucial information. Finally, the Israeli spies -- many of whom lost family in the Holocaust -- embarked on their daring mission, recounted here in full. Based on the adult bestseller Hunting Eichmann, which is now in development as a major film, and illustrated with powerful photos throughout. *Some descriptions were taken from authors’ websites and Amazon.com
Happy Reading & Happy Summer!
