Roslyn Middle School
English Department
2008
For students entering Grade 8
Dear Student,
Reading is both enjoyable and important, and the
summer months often provide a more relaxed opportunity to pursue some
worthwhile titles.
As a student about to enter the English 8 class in
September, you are required to read one selection
from the following list. Of
course, given the many wonderful selections in this booklet, we encourage you
to read as many additional titles as you wish.
During the month of September, you will be asked to respond to an in-class
assignment based on your book. You will
receive a grade which will be part of your first-quarter average.
Sincerely,
Eighth Grade English Teachers
* Please note:
Some books on this list may not be available in paperback.
KEY:
G = General Fiction A
= Adventure *C*
= Classic
H = Historical Fiction M/S
= Mystery/Suspense *M*
= Mature Themes
F = Fantasy S
= Sports
SF
= Science Fiction NF
= Non-Fiction
Please
log onto Barnes and NobleŐs website to get synopses and reviews: www.barnesandnoble.com/
Agatha,
Christie And
Then There Were None (M/S)
Albom, Mitch For
One More Day (G, M)
Armstrong, Lance It's
Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life (NF)
Bauer,
Joan Rules
of the Road (G)
Boukreev, Anatoli Climb:
Tragic
Ambitions on Everest (NF)
Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit
451 (SF)
Bradbury,
Ray Something
Wicked This Way Comes (M/S,
F)
Dessen, Sarah The
Truth About Forever (G)
*M*
Donnelly,
Jennifer Northern
Light (H,
M/S)
Fusco,
Kimberley Tending
to Grace (G)
Goodman, Allegra Kaaterskill
Falls (G)
Greene,
Betty Summer
of My German Soldier (H)
Hamilton, Bethany Soul Surfer: A True Story of
Faith, Family, (NF)
and Fighting to Get Back on the
Board
Hurwin,
Davida Wills A
Time for Dancing (G)
*M*
Jacques,
Brian Redwall (F)
Kipling, Rudyard Captains
Courageous (A)
*C*
Knowles, John A
Separate Peace (G)
*C*
Lasky, Kathryn Beyond
the Burning Time (H)
LeGuin,
Ursula The
Lathe of Heaven (SF)
Lowry,
Lois Gathering
Blue (SF)
Lupica,
Mike Travel
Team (S)
McKernan, Victoria ShackletonŐs
Stowaway (H)
Philbrick, Nathaniel In
the Heart of the Sea:
The
Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (NF)
Potok, Chaim Chosen (G)
Stevenson, Robert Louis Treasure
Island (A)
*C*
Twain,
Mark The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer (G)
*C*
When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving
power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a
sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did
when I was young.
~ Maya Angelou ~