Your job this summer is to read TWO books you have not read before.

Use this list to get ideas!

This list is made up of recommendations from current eighth graders and from the

middle school librarian.

Your Summer Reading Assignment is at the bottom of the list.

Fantasy & Science Fiction The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence.

The Alchemyst (series) by Michael Scott Fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, find themselves caught up in the deadly struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient book that holds the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin Anya Balanchine, daughter of New York City's most notorious crime boss in 2083, tries to keep a low profile, but she cannot avoid the spotlight when her loser ex-boyfriend is accidently poisoned by illegal chocolate manufactured by her family.

Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd In 2015, when England becomes the first nation to introduce carbon dioxide rationing in a drastic bid to combat climate change, sixteen-year-old Laura documents the first year of rationing as her family spirals out of control.

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier Liv Silver has lived in six countries in eight years and she yearns for a real home and normalcy, but soon after moving in with her mother's boyfriend in London, Liv's dreams turn bizarre, filled with talking stone statues, mysterious corridors, and strange rituals conducted by four boys who happen to be her new classmates.

Edda by Conor Kostick In the virtual world of Edda, ruler Scanthax decides he wants to invade another virtual world, embroiling the universes of Edda, Saga, and Epic in war, with only three teenagers to try to restore peace. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton When billionaire John Hammond exploits genetic engineering to create an island theme park populated by real dinosaurs, an attempted theft by a rival bio-genetics company compromises the park's electric fences, leaving a safety evaluation team--and Hammond's two grandchildren--in grave danger. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow Interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus is released into what is now a police state, and decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right. Pivot Point by Kasie West A girl with the power to search alternate futures lives out six weeks of two different lives in alternating chapters. Both futures hold the potential for love and loss, and ultimately she is forced to choose which fate she is willing to live through. Raven Boys (series) by Maggie Stiefvater Though she is from a family of clairvoyants, Blue Sargent's only gift seems to be that she makes other people's talents stronger, and when she meets Gansey, one of the Raven Boys from the expensive Aglionby Academy, she discovers that he has talents of his own--and that together their talents are a dangerous mix.

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Unwind by Neal Shusterman Three teens embark upon a cross-country journey in order to escape from a society that salvages body parts from children ages thirteen to eighteen.

Realistic Fiction All American Boys by Jason Reynolds When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber Perry's parents insist that he take Gobi, their quiet, Lithuanian exchange student, to senior prom but after an incident at the dance he learns that Gobi is actually a trained assassin who needs him as a henchman on a mission in Manhattan.  

Realistic Fiction (cont.)

Your Summer Read ing Ass ignment

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara A fictional account of four days in July, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg discussing tactics, plans, and preparations for battle from both the Northern and Southern points of view. Monster: a graphic novel by Guy Sims While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken. Orchards by Holly Thompson Sent to Japan for the summer after an eighth-grade classmate's suicide, half-Japanese, half-Jewish Kana Goldberg tries to fit in with relatives she barely knows and reflects on the guilt she feels over the tragedy back home. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Abertalli Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else his sexual identity will be revealed in this hilarious tale. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Spending the summers on her family's private island off the coast of Massachusetts with her cousins and a special boy named Gat, teenaged Cadence struggles to remember what happened during her fifteenth summer. Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn't be friends with her. In the hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a friendship neither of them sees coming.

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds Soon after his mother's death, Matt takes a job at a funeral home in his tough Brooklyn neighborhood and, while attending and assisting with funerals, begins to accept her death and his responsibilities as a man. Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill Sloane Emily Jacobs and Sloane Devon Jacobs, from very different worlds but both with problem families, meet in Montreal where they will stay in the same hotel while attending camp, one for figure skating, the other for ice hockey. A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt Sixteen-year-old atheist Simone Turner-Bloom's life changes in unexpected ways when her parents convince her to make contact with her biological mother, an agnostic from a Jewish family who is losing her battle with cancer. The Call of the Wild by Jack London The Call of the Wild recounts the adventures of a courageous dog who, thrust into the brutal life of the Alaskan gold rush, abandons the safety of the familiar and answers the call of the wild. Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson Through assignments for English class, seventeen-year-old James Hoff rants against consumerism and his classmates' apathy, puzzles over his feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and expresses disdain for his emotionally-distant parents. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family. The Fixer by Jennifer Barnes When her grandfather develops dementia, sixteen-year-old Tess, who has been keeping his Montana ranch going, is whisked away to Washington, D.C., by a sister she barely knows and thrown into a world of politics, power, wealth, love triangles, and family secrets.

Non-Fiction Beyond Magenta: transgender teens speak out by Susan Kuklin Six teens tell what it is like for them to be members of the transgender community Bubonic Panic by Gail Jarrow In March 1900, San Francisco's health department investigated a strange and horrible death in Chinatown. A man had died of bubonic plague, one of the world's deadliest diseases. 'Bubonic Panic' tells the true story of America's first plague epidemic. Chew On This by Eric Schlosser A look at fast food, what's in it, how it's made, and what it does to our bodies. Discovering Wes Moore by Wes Moore The author, a Rhodes scholar and combat veteran, analyzes factors that influenced him and another man from his neighborhood named Wes Moore who was drawn into a life of drugs and crime and ended up serving life in prison, focusing on the influence of relatives, mentors, and social expectations that could have led either of them on different paths. A Girl Called Vincent: the life of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay by Goddu, Krystyna Poray Follow Edna St. Vincent Millay’s incredible journey from a unique and talented girl to an international celebrity and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Raised in poverty in rural Maine, the rebellious, creative, red-haired Vincent always found time for writing, acting, singing, and playing piano. She became a sensation in young adulthood, bewitching audiences with her words, voice, and luminous appearance and audiences nationwide went wild when she recited her works onstage. This Land is Our Land by Linda Barrett Osborne This book explores the way government policy and popular responses to immigrant groups evolved throughout U.S. history, particularly between 1800 and 196 The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin An introduction to the life of Benedict Arnold that highlights not only the traitorous actions that made him legendary, but also his heroic involvement in the American Revolution.

Historical Fiction The Amanda Project by Melissa Kantor Three very different girls from the same high school are selected to be guides for a new student, but when the girl disappears, leaving behind a trail of clues, the girls must work together to solve the mystery of Amanda Valentino. The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk When Will Halpin transfers from his all-deaf school into a mainstream Pennsylvania high school, he faces discrimination and bullying, but still manages to solve a mystery surrounding the death of a popular football player in his class. Famous Last Words by Katie Alender High-schooler Willa has just moved to California with her mother and film director stepfather, and she will be attending a private school--but her real problem is that she keeps seeing things that are not really there, like a dead body in the swimming pool, and her visions may be connected to a serial killer that is stalking young girls in Hollywood. The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks When a teenage girl with a bad reputation is murdered in New York City's Central Park after a party, her childhood friend is determined to solve the mystery of who caused her death. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigg Sixteen-year-old Jacob, having traveled to a remote island after a family tragedy, discovers an abandoned orphanage, and, after some investigating, he learns the children who lived there may have been dangerous and quarantined and may also still be alive. Skink: No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen When your cousin goes missing under suspicious circumstances, who do you call? There's only one man for the job: a half-crazed, half-feral, one-eyed ex-governor named Skink. Skink joins 14-year-old Richard on a breakneck chase across Florida, undaunted by lightning storms, poisonous snakes, flying bullets, and giant gators. One thing is certain: in the Florida swamp, justice is best served wild.

Mystery The Book Thief by Markus Zusack Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith Ida Mae’s daddy was a pilot, and years after his death she feels closest to him when she's in the air. But as a young black woman in 1940s Louisiana, she knows the sky is off limits to her, until America enters World War II, and the Army forms the WASP-Women Air Force Service Pilots. Ida has a chance to fulfill her dream if she's willing to use her light skin to pass as a white girl. The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry In mid-thirteenth century Provence, Dolssa de Stigata is a fervently religious girl who feels the call to preach, condemned by the Inquisition as an "unnatural woman.” Botille is a matchmaker trying to protect her sisters from being branded as gypsies or witches--but when she finds the hunted Dolssa dying on a hillside, she feels compelled to protect her, a decision that may cost her everything. Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci In the 1980s, two teenaged ballet dancers--one American, one Russian--spend an unforgettable night in New York City, forming a lasting friendship despite their cultural and political differences. Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan Sam, having moved with her mother to Jackson, Mississippi, after the death of her father, finds the conservative 1960s values of the town clashing with her family's liberal views and struggles to navigate difficult relationships and understand segregation.

Your Summer Read ing Ass ignment

Please print out and complete the last page of the summer reading list. The document can also be found as a file called “8th Grade Summer Reading Assignment” below this list. You will have to rate the best book you read this summer and talk about the characters, theme, language, and plot of the book. This assignment is due on the first day of school! Then, snap a selfie of you with your book and bring it in!

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