Books to Challenge and Inspire Graduating 8th Graders (read on your own or start your own book club!) - here is a brief list; be sure to check to see if your high school has a list of required books, too:
Drama:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
As You Like It by William Shakespeare - 2 comedies about romance and relationships
The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Based on historical people and real events, Arthur Miller's play uses the destructive power of socially sanctioned violence unleashed by the rumors of witchcraft as a powerful parable about McCarthyism.
The Burial at Thebes by Antigone
Seamus Heaney's translation of Sophocles' Antigone, in The Burial at Thebes brings modern touches to the age-old tale of a young girl and the conflicts she faces--to fulfill all the demands of her family, her heart, and the law. Even when faced with certain death, she honors her brothers (paying them last rites). Ultimately, her final (and very tragic) end is similar to the culmination of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
West Side Story: Screenplay Paperback by Ernest Lehman (Author): the story about Tony and Maria kept apart because of race and rivalry made into a popular musical.
Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith is about the race riots in Crown Heights, Brooklyn in 1991.
“Classic” Novels:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Scout and Jem’s experiences in the segregated South and the trial of a black man named Tom Robinson.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: classic sci-fi about a society that burns books
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, adulteress Hester Prynne must wear a scarlet A to mark her shame. Her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, remains unidentified and is wracked with guilt, while her husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Although the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester is not usually considered star-crossed, the couple must overcome incredible obstacles in their desire to be together. Ultimately, their shared happiness seems almost fated. Of course, their love (which seems to be a union of equals) is not without consequences.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - legendary story about Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: The novel follows the lives of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood, and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery about a spunky girl’s adventures.
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a coming of age story of a boy with a drunken father who goes on an adventure down the Mississippi River with Jim, a runaway slave.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Nick Carraway narrates the story about the mysterious, great Jay Gatsby; takes place during the Jazz Age
Other great writers who I love!!:
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath…)
Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye, Sula)
Chimamnda Ngozi Adichie (Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah, Purple Hibiscus...)
Ta-Nahesi Coates (Between the World and Me)
Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian, Flight)
Recent Fiction:
Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez - National Book Award winner; 14-year old Manny Hernandez needs to decide whether or not to join a gang to gain respect in his neighborhood.
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez: about three sisters in the Dominican Republic and how they are influenced by dictator Rafael Trujillo.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell about an unlikely teen couple.
Boy 21 by Matthew Quick: the main characters are 3 high school boys who love basketball
Every Day by David Levithan about someone who wakes up in a different body every day
None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio about a 17-year-old private school student
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson about teenage fraternal twins and the different lives they lead.
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is about Sunny, a girl who lives in Nigeria but was born in the United States. She is bullied because she is albino, but she is able to find her way in life with the help of some magic.
Online sources to give you more ideas about what to read:
Nonfiction:
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai is the autobiography of the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Night by Elie Wiesel is a memoir of the Holocaust.
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah about the author’s experience as a child soldier in Sierra Leone
Decoded by Jay-Z is his memoir about music and the city and people who influenced his music.
The lovers : Afghanistan's Romeo & Juliet : the true story of how they defied their families and escaped an honor killing /: "An astonishingly powerful and profoundly moving story of a young couple willing to risk everything for love that puts a human face on the ongoing debate about women's rights in the Muslim world.
Poetry:
by Miguel Algarin and Bob Holman
Read any collection of poetry by:
Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Audre Lorde
Naomi Shihab Nye, Gary Soto, Willie Perdomo, Billy Collins, Mary Oliver
Read more:
General Links and Resources for More Book Recommendations:
The NYC Reads365 lists for 9th & 10th and 11th & 12th have some good titles on them:
From Library:
This summer, MS 51 is reading without walls! We challenge all our rising 8th graders to complete our summer reading scorecard and expand your reading horizons. Bring your finished scorecard to your ELA teacher in Sept.
MS 51 8th Grade Summer Reading Challenge
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Read a graphic novel
Title & Author:
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Read a biography or memoir
Title & Author:
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Read a short book (under 150 pages)
Title & Author:
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Read a long book (over 350 pages)
Title & Author:
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Read a book set in NYC
Title & Author:
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Re-read a favorite book
Title & Author:
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Read some historical fiction
Title & Author:
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Read a novel in verse
Title & Author:
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Read a nonfiction book
Title & Author:
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Read a book set 3000 miles away from NYC
Title & Author:
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Read a mystery novel
Title & Author:
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Read a book about sports
Title & Author:
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Read some science fiction
Title & Author:
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Read a book about social issues
Title & Author:
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Read a book about science
Title & Author:
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MS 51 8th Grade Summer Reading Challenge RECOMMENDATIONS
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Read a graphic novel
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brogsol
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
March I, II, & III by John Lewis
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
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Read a biography or memoir
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
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Read a short book (under 150 pages)
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
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Read a long book (over 350 pages)
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Identical by Ellen Hopkins
The Diviners by Libba Bray
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
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Read a book set in NYC
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
Tyrell by Coe Booth
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Re-read a favorite book
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Winger by Andrew Smith
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Read some historical fiction
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
Between Shades of Grey by Ruth Sepetys
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
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Read a novel in verse
Crossover or Booked by Kwame Alexander
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle
House Arrest by K.A. Holt
Audacity by Melanie Crowder
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Read a nonfiction book
Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy
The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop by Steve Osborne
You’re Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
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Read a book set 2000 miles away from NYC
Sweet Dates in Basra by Jessica JiJi
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
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Read a mystery novel
Blackbird or Deadfall by Anna Carey
Paper Towns by John Green
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Heist Society by Ally Carter
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
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Read a book about sports
The Final Four by Paul Volponi
Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
Leverage by Joshua Cohen
Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Pena
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Crackback by John Coy
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Read some science fiction
Legend by Marie Lu
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
I Am Number Four by PIttacus Lore
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
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Read a book about social issues
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
I Am J by Cris Beam
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Read a book about science
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
The Martian by Andy Weir
Primates by Jim Ottaviani
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
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