th 8 Grade Summer Reading Assignment 20162017 th To all incoming 8 Grade Students: Do you know why you are required to read over the summer? Joseph Addison once explained, “ Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” In fact, research has proven that summer reading can help build your vocabulary, strengthen your reading skills, and advance your academic achievement! Additionally, we hope you will develop a love of reading! In order to accomplish these goals, please read at least one book from the list that interests YOU. These books have been nominated by teens like you for the YALSA Teens’ Top Ten list. Choose one assignment and complete it while you still have the book. You are encouraged to consult the list below for assignment ideas, but we hope that you will use summer reading as an opportunity to have fun and be creative! We would love to have students come up with their own unique ways to represent the books they enjoyed while on vacation! Some ideas for summer reading assignments include: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Write a poem about the book Create a book trailer video Create a poster about the book Write a onepage, typed book review Design a Glog online Build a model that represents your favorite part of the book Write your own song that represents the book Create a playlist of songs that you think represent the book and explain your song choices Design your own original book cover, including front, back, spine and inner flaps Keep a reader’s response journal with reflective entries for each chapter or section Create a board game to go along with the book Research topics that are mentioned in your book and create a fact sheet or Google Slides Please be prepared to discuss your summer reading upon return to school. We look forward to seeing you in September! Have a safe and enjoyable break! Sincerely, Mrs. Maxwell Mrs. Sanford [email protected] [email protected] Ms. Simms Mrs. Stone [email protected] [email protected] 2015 & 2016 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees Armentrout, Jennifer L. Don’t Look Back . Disney/Hyperion. Samantha's mind is a blank slate after she disappeared with her best frienemy, Cassie. However, when Cassie's dead body turns up, Samantha's memories are the only clue to what happened that night. Unfortunately, Sam not having any memories may be the only thing keeping her alive. Baker, Chandler. Alive. Disney/Hyperion. Stella Cross has received a heart transplant, but it has not stopped her emotional suffering. Then a mysterious boy named Levi Zin comes into her life. Stella’s pain goes away whenever she’s around Levi. However, Stella finds out a terrible secret about Levi. Can it be true? Black, Holly. The Darkest Part of the Forest. Little, Brown & Co. In Fairfold, a place where both humans and Faeries live, siblings Hazel and Ben have grown up telling each other stories about the boy in the glass coffin in the woods. The boy has horns and ears pointy as knives, perhaps he’s a prince or a knight. Of course, they’ll never know because the boy will never wake. Then, unexpectedly, he does . . . Blake, Kendare. Mortal Gods. Tor Teen. For the first time ever, Cassandra and Athena have a mutual goal: to kill the remaining gods and goddesses that have taken refuge on Mount Olympus. If they could just figure out how to work together, they might be able to accomplish it. Brockenbrough, Martha. The Game of Love and Death. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books. Set in Seattle in the 1920s, a romance develops between Flora, who is African American, and Henry, who is white. Despite some differences, the pair has much in common, including a shared love of jazz music. However, it turns out that Flora and Henry actually are pawns in a game played by two other characters – Love and Death. This book is full of intrigue and is, at times, heartbreaking, and will have the reader racing to the final pages. Cornwell, Betsy. Mechanica. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt /Clarion Books. A new take on the classic story of Cinderella. Mechanica uses her wit and her mother’s old engineering textbooks to try to escape her stepmother and stepsisters. Mechanica is a strong, smart, and capable character in a book that has an inspirational message for teenage girls Cremer, Andrea. The Inventor’s Secret . Penguin Group/Philomel. In a steampunk world, after the British Empire won the Revolutionary War, a young Patriot named Charlotte finds a boy in the woods, running from British war machines. When he claims he cannot remember anything, she and the other rebels with her decide to find his true origin by going to the heart of the Empire: New York. Doktorski, Jennifer Salvato. The Summer After You & Me. Sourcebooks Fire. Lucy Giordano lives on the Jersey Shore and has a crush on a boy named Connor Malloy, whose family spends many summer weekends at the home next door. The pair eventually shares an unexpected romance. Then, Super Storm Sandy hits and alters Lucy’s life dramatically. Lucy and Connor go their separate ways. But several months later, Connor is scheduled to return to The Shore, which should definitely make for an interesting summer. Han, Jenny. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Simon & Schuster. Lara Jean has a teal hatbox under her bed filled with all her precious things, old feelings, and memories that should be buried forever. In that box, there are letters Lara has written to all the boys she has ever loved with no intention of ever sending them. One day, the hat box goes missing, marking the beginning of a series of confrontations she never thought she’d have to face. Matson, Morgan. Since You’ve Been Gone. Simon & Schuster. Emily and Sloane are the bestest friends having an amazing summer, until one day Sloane disappears. Sloane leaves behind a todo list of 13 tasks Emily would normally never try without Sloane by her side. With the help of Frank Porter, and a few other friends, will Emily finish the list? Nielsen, Jennifer. A. Mark of the Thief. Scholastic/Scholastic Press. Set in Ancient Rome, a young slave named Nic finds an amulet that gives him magic powers usually reserved for the Gods. After discovering a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and start a war, Nic is forced to use the magic within to defeat the empire’s most ruthless leaders and save Rome. Shine, Joe. I Become Shadow. Soho Teen. Ren Sharpe was abducted at fourteen, chosen by the mysterious F.A.T.E. Center to become a Shadow: an unstoppable guardian of a future leader/world changer. After four years of training, she is assigned to protect Gareth Young, one of these future beings, an easy assignment, until a team of trained and armed professionals attempt to abduct him in broad daylight. With nowhere else to turn, Ren breaks F.A.T.E. rules and tracks down the only person she can trust; a fellow Shadow named Junie Miller, and decides that her kidnappers may be able to see the future, but they are unprepared for the killing machines they've created. Stone, Tamara Ireland. Every Last Word. Disney/Hyperion. Samantha McAllister seems to have it all: she is beautiful, bright and part of the popular crowd in high school. But looks can be deceiving, and she is hiding the fact she has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Samantha’s life changes after she visits a place at school called Poet’s Corner and she begins hanging out with new friends like Caroline and AJ. Sundquist, Josh. We Should Hang Out Sometime. Little Brown & Company. Josh is a boy who's good with math, but not with girls. He has the best pickup line We should hang out sometime but he never really gets a relationship out of it. Now, after many girlfriendless years, he tries to figure out why. Yoon, Nicola. Everything, Everything. Random House/Delacorte Press. Maddy is a teenager with a serious autoimmune disease that prevents her from leaving the house. Yet, she seems content to stay home and read books. That is until a boy named Olly moves in next door. The two meet, and their quirky relationship is chronicled through emails, journal entries, IMs and old notes. 2015 & 2016 Nonfiction Award Nominations Brown, Daniel James. The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation): The True Story of an American Team’s Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics . Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2015. 9780451475923. This deft adaptation of Brown’s adult bestseller focuses on Joe Rantz, one of the eight ragtag young men who formed the University of Washington’s Depressionera rowing team, which went on to represent the U.S. at the Berlin Olympics. The elegant, Art Decoinfluenced book design features a visual who’s who, generous blackandwhite photos, and even a primer on rowing. Farrell, Mary Cronk. Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp In The Pacific. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014. 9781419710285. The contributions of women serving in the armed forces during WWII are often overlooked, but not in this intense study of the nurses stationed in the Philippines. Many of them not only survived combat situations, they also survived POW camps. Farrell tells their story, using firsthand accounts and secondary sources to bring their hardships, courage and commitment to light. Grove, Tim. First Flight Around the World: The Adventures of the American Fliers Who Won the Race. Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS, 2015. In 1924, a team of American aviators embarked on a race to circumnavigate the globe. During their 150day journey, the crew faced hostile weather, pesky reporters, mechanical failures, and agonizing disappointments. Drawing on archival materials, Grove enlivens this story of historical achievement with humor and fascinating travel anecdotes, while portraying the perseverance and dedication of the crew. This suspenseful tale is a visual feast with heart. Hoose, Phillip. The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club. F arrar, Straus Giroux for Young Readers, an imprint of Farrar, Straus Giroux, 2015. 9780374300227. Ashamed of the Danish government’s response to the German occupation during World War II, Knud Pedersen and his brother organize a secret group named the Churchill Club to resist the Nazis in dangerous acts of sabotage. Eventually the teens are imprisoned, but their bravery sparks further resistance efforts in Denmark. Hoose interviewed Pedersen and his voice resonates throughout this compelling narrative. Jarrow, Gail. Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary. Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, 2015. 9781620915974. This wellresearched and gripping history of typhoid fever is told through the story of Mary Mallon, an asymptomatic carrier notorious for infecting many New Yorkers at the turn of the twentieth century, and George Soper, the “germ detective” intent on stopping Mary from spreading the deadly disease. Archival photos supplement graphic descriptions of disease and poor sanitation, and connections are drawn to modern epidemics. Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip through the Motown Sound. R oaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Group, 2015. 9781596439733. Using the storyteller voice of “The Groove,” Pinkney relates the history of Motown and its founder, Berry Gordy. Gordy produced hit after hit from his Detroit studio, creating music legends such as Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, and the Jackson Five. This was background music for the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War. Excellent back matter includes a time line and discography. Rubin, Susan Goldman. Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi. Holiday House, 2014. 9780823429202. This account of Freedom Summer 1964 presents a broad picture of the attempts to register African American voters in Mississippi, the idealistic college students who participated, the families who put their livelihood and life in danger by housing them, and the murder of three of the Civil Rights workers. Good back matter and photos as well as interviews with participants add depth to the story. Rubin, Susan Goldman. Hot Pink: The Life and Fashions of Elsa Schiaparelli. Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams, 2015. 9781419716423. Shocking pink was the creation and signature color of Elsa Schiaparelli, a forwardthinking fashion innovator. This elegantly crafted book showcases Schiaparelli's ingenuity while highlighting how she lived by her motto that "what mattered most was feeling good about oneself and having confidence.” Silvey, Anita. Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall. National Geographic Children’s Books, an imprint of National Geographic, 2015. 9781426315183. This wellwritten, handsomely designed introduction to Jane Goodall includes an account of her childhood and the beginning of her lifelong work with chimpanzees, along with wonderful photos of the naturalist and her subjects. Silvey concludes with a glimpse of Goodall at 80, still a generous, inspiring, and passionate advocate for animals and the environment. Walker, Sally M. Boundaries: How The MasonDixon Line Settled A Family Feud And Divided A Nation. Candlewick Press, 2014. 9780763656126. A family feud and property dispute between the Calverts of Maryland and the Penns of Pennsylvania led to the hiring of two English scientists named Mason and Dixon to establish once and for all the boundary between the two territories. Walker brings the Colonial past to life as she uses Mason’s journals and other primary sources to show what a monumental task the surveying of the MasonDixon Line was. Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming. Nancy Paulsen Books, an Imprint of Penguin Group (USA,) 2014. 9780399252518. The National Book Award winning verse memoir describes Woodson’s 1960s childhood and her struggles to learn to read. Her vivid language brings to life her family, childhood antics, the Civil Rights Movement, and the pain of being different.
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