Summer Reading for Grade 8
Dear Parents,
To prepare for 8th grade, we suggest that your student read any of the following titles. We encourage “ear reading” using podcasts and audiobooks in addition to traditional reading and graphic novels. We have included high-interest book titles, graphic novels and a list of podcasts to listen to that you may enjoy as well.
Remember to visit the Wadleigh Memorial Library website to sign up for their summer reading challenge for a chance to win prizes for reading this summer!
Please be aware that not all of the books are appropriate for every reader. Please help your student to choose a book that is appropriate for them. Go to www.amazon.com for a summary and reader reviews or visit www.commonsensemedia.org. Please see the list on the back for more options.
Thank you, stay safe and have a great summer!
Milford Middle School Grade 8 Teachers
Recommended Titles
Flygirl – Sherri L. Smith
All Ida Mae Jones wants to do is fly. But as a young black woman in 1940s Louisiana, she knows the sky is off limits to her, until the Army forms the WASP - Women Airforce 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. She wants to fly, but Ida soon learns that denying one's self & family is a heavy burden, & ultimately it's not what you do but who you are that's most important. Ages 12+
Hey Kiddo - Jarret J. Kosoczka
In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy & a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in & out of rehab, & in & out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery -- Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents -- two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along. Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Ages 12+
Homeboyz – Allen Lawrence Sitomer
Computer wiz Teddy sets out for revenge after gangbangers gun down his sister, Tina, in a drive-by shooting. After a failed first try, he's sentenced to a mentoring program for at-risk youth that hooks him up with hard-nosed parole officer Mariana & wild preteen Micah. Ages: Young Adult Note: This book is listed because it is an engaging story that is written for struggling readers & its theme is related to the theme in Touching Spirit Bear, a book students read in 7th grade. However, it has some violence & inappropriate language. Ages 13+
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy – Gary D. Schmidt
Turner Buckminster hates Phippsburg, Maine. Then he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart, sassy girl from a poor nearby island community. Lizzie introduces Turner to the wonders of Maine's coast. But the two soon discover that the town elders, along with Turner's father, want to force the people to leave Lizzie's island to start a tourist trade there. Based on the true story of a community's destruction, this sensitively written novel highlights a unique friendship during a time of change. Ages 12+
Love, Hate, and Other Filters - Samihra Ahmed
Seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems “suitable.” And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City— & pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school. But in the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors & classmates are consumed with fear, bigotry, & hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs. Ages 13+
Travel Team – Mike Lupica
Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court -- but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured. Ages 8+
You Go First - Erin Entrada Kelly
Charlotte & Ben are friends on an online Scrabble game. Both kids are going through some tough times, not only because they are socially awkward at school, but because of issues that are beyond their control. Charlotte’s dad has a heart attack & she is terrified he will die. Ben, who thought his parents were very happy, finds out that they are getting divorced. This book takes place in one week, each chapter beginning with the day of the week. There are many issues that address bullying, friendship, & family. Ages 8+
If you have questions about these books, please feel free to contact Milford Middle School at 673-5221, extension 1533. Books can be borrowed from Wadleigh Memorial Library or purchased.
Thank you and have a great summer!
More options...
Airmen - Eoin Colfer, Ages 10+
Catalyst - Laurie Halse Anderson Ages 12+
Crackback - Jon Coy, Ages 13+
Darius the Great is Not Okay - Adib Khorram, Ages 12+
Eight Keys - Suzanne M. LaFleur, Ages 9+
Elle of the Ball - Elena Dell Donna, Ages 8+
Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan, Ages 8+
Every Day - David Levithan, Ages 12+
Every Shiny Thing- Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison, Ages 10+
Faith, Hope and Ivy June - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Ages 8+
Front Desk - Kelly Yang, Ages 8+
George - Alex Gino, Ages 8+
Gym Candy – Carl Deuker, Ages 12+ *graphic language
Heart of a Champion - Carl Deuker Ages 13+
Homeboyz - Allen Lawrence Sitomer, *graphic language / violence Ages 13+
Letters from Wolfie - Patti Sherlock, Ages 10+
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott -Classic Literature, All ages
Listen to Your Heart - Kasie West , Ages 12+
Miracle’s Boys - Jacqueline Wilson, Ages 13+
Misfits - James Howe Ages, Ages 12+
Rash – Pete Hautman, Ages 13+
Runner - Carl Deuker, Ages 12+ *violence
Slam - Walter Dean Myers, Ages 12+
Soldier Boys - Dean Hughes, Ages 12+
Soldier X - Dan L. Wulffson, Ages 12+
Someone Else’s Shoes - Ellen Wittlinger, Ages 10+
Summer of My German Soldier Bette Green, Ages 10+
Sunrise Over Fallujah – Walter Dean Myers, Ages 12+
The Contender - Robert Lypsite, Ages 13+
The Not-So-Boring Letters of Private Nobody - Matthew Landis, Ages 10+
The Summer of Jodi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) - Amy Spalding, Ages 12+
Travel Team - Mike Lupica, Ages 8+
Truesight (Truesight trilogy) - David Stahler Jr., Ages 12+
What Happened to Cass McBride - Gail Giles, Ages 13+
Summaries from www.amazon.com and Terri Grief, What’s NEW in Young Adult Literature and How to Use It in Your Program - 2019 - (Grades 6-12)