Grade 8 Summer Reading List
Purpose: The summer reading program supports our conviction that a student’s vocabulary and power of expression improve with reading. The English department is providing this book list, which is continually reviewed and updated to provide appropriate reading and to stimulate interest in reading for all students.
Reading and Writing Requirement: Choose ONE book to read from the Summer Reading List and complete the Summer Reading Graphic Organizer (link here). In September you will participate in a group discussion and assessment related to this book. These assessments and your graphic organizer will be part of your first quarter grade. Please bring the graphic organizer (and a copy of the book, if possible) to class on the day that you will complete the summer reading assessment.
Extra Credit – For extra credit, read a second book from this list and complete a second Summer Reading Graphic Organizer. You may be asked to participate in two group discussions.
The Crossover (graphic novel version)
by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile Year Published:
"This graphic-novel adaptation of Alexander's 2015 Newbery Medal winner offers powerful visuals to an already-cherished narrative....Veteran comics illustrator Anyabwile brings an expansive range of black-boy emotional expressiveness to the page, accompanied by a striking attention to detail and pop-cultural reference....Flashy and engaging with emotional depth—a slam-dunk thrill."—Kirkus
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Year Published:
Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
Legend by Marie Lu Year Published: 2012
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
Piecing Me Together
by Renee Watson Year Published: realistic fiction
2018 Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
A powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And Jade has: every day she rides the bus away from her friends and to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities. She's tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people want to fix. Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. Maybe there are some things she could show other women about understanding the world and finding ways to be real, to make a difference.
The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds Year Published: realistic fiction
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book.
Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this “vivid, satisfying, and ultimately upbeat tale of grief, redemption, and grace” (Kirkus Reviews)
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Year Published: realistic fiction/mystery
Clever, alluring, and wildly addictive. Each summer the wealthy, seemingly perfect, members of the Sinclair family gather on their private island. We Were Liars is the story of those annual reunions; in particular what happened during a summer that protagonist Cadence is unable to remember. Lazy days of sticky lemonades on the roof and marathon Scrabble games give way to twisty suspense, true love, and good intentions gone horribly wrong. We Were Liars is a story that begs to be read in one sitting.