8th Grade Summer Reading
Students Must Complete BOTH Assignments 1 and 2
Assignment 1: Read March: Book One
*If you have already read Book One, you should read March: book Two or Three
Summary: Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper's farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.
March is a vivid first-hand account in graphic novel format of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
Book One spans John Lewis' youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall. By John Lewis.
Book Availability
SORA (more copies will become available this summer). Use your student ID# to access.
Assignment 2: Read ONE Fiction or Nonfiction Book Choice and Complete 5 Prompt Responses
Complete any 5 of the Book Response Prompts from the corresponding category. The five responses can be handwritten or digital. Be sure to integrate the prompt wording into your response in complete sentences. Each response should be a minimum of one full paragraph (5-7 sentences).
Books can be found in SORA, the Cuyahoga County Public Library System, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Audible (for e-audio access) or purchased/borrowed anywhere online.
Accessing SORA ebooks and e-audio books
Fiction Selections
After the Shot Drops
Children of Blood and Bone
Children of Blood and Bone conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in an African-inspired young adult fantasy debut. Think of it like Harry Potter meets Black Panther. *mature selection*. By Tomi Adeyemi
Illegal
White Rose
A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group. By Kip Wilson.
New Kid, or Class Act (Companion Book)
New Kid: A timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Class Act: Eighth grader Drew Ellis recognizes that he is't afforded the same opportunities, no matter how hard he works, that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted, and to make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids and is finding it hard not to withdraw, even as their mutual friend Jordan tries to keep their group of friends together. By Jerry Craft.
When the Sky Fell on Splendor
Chains (series)
When her former owner breaks his promise to set her free and ends up sending her to live with a cruel loyalist family at the start of the Revolutionary War, Isabel is heartbroken and so becomes determined to do whatever is necessary to win her freedom, including spying on her family to help the rebels win the war. By Laurie Halse Anderson. *(If you've read Chains you can read another book in this series).*
Solo
A novel in verse tells the story of 17-year-old Blade Morrison, who endeavors to resolve painful issues from his past to navigate the challenges of his former rock-star father's addictions, scathing tabloid rumors and a protected secret that threatens his own identity. *Mature selection.* By Kwame Alexander.
Ghost (Series)
*If you've already read Ghost, you may read another in this series (Patina, Lu or Sunny).
It Came From the Sky
This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more.
Only...there were no aliens. Told in a report format and comprised of interviews, blog posts, text conversations, found documents, and so much more, It Came from the Sky is a hysterical and resonant novel about what it means to be human in the face of the unknown. By Chelsea Sedoti.
*Always available for free on SORA (Sweet Reads Collection) until August 20th.
We Are Not Free
Fourteen teens form a bond growing up together in California. They go to school, work hard to be good kids in their community, and try their best to find happiness in various hobbies. American-born, they are of Japanese descent, and surrounded by people who do not trust their right to be in the U.S. World War II turns their already strained lives upside down. Taken and forced into desolate internment camps, these young kids must rally together as racism threatens to tear them apart. By Traci Chee.
*Always available for free on SORA (Sweet Reads Collection) until August 20th.
Scythe
Forced to become trained killers in a disease-free world where people can only die if eliminated by professional assassins, teens Citra and Rowan reluctantly train under a master reaper who informs them that the one who successfully kills the other will become his apprentice. *mature selection * By Neal Shusterman.
Orphan Island
Living on an idyllic but sinister island where one child is delivered each year while the eldest is taken away, nine children share bountiful food and security under the leadership of new elder Jinny, who trains the latest newcomer and wonders what will happen when her own departure occurs. By Laurel Snyder.
All American Boys
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. Told through Rashad and Quinn's alternating viewpoints. *Mature selection* By Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Black Brother, Black Brother
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
FICTION Response Prompts (Choose 5)
Use complete sentences to integrate the prompt into your response. Each response should be a minimum of one full paragraph (5-7 sentences).
Write three questions for the author or write three questions you had as you read the book.
Explain why you chose this book and explain why or why you were satisfied with your choice.
List and define five new words you learned.
Write a different ending for the book.
Describe two things that a character did or said that revealed his or her personality.
Explain how you would have handled the main character’s problem.
Tell why you would like to spend a day with a character. What would you do together and why?
Quote the funniest line in the book. Why did you find it humorous?
Explain how this book reminds you of another book that you read.
Discuss the biggest surprise in the story.
Describe the smartest thing a character said or did. Why was it smart and how did it impact the story?
Describe something a character did that you would like (or not like) to do.
Draw and label or describe the most important event.
Choose a character and explain how the character changes throughout the story. What causes the change? What lessons does the character learn?
How is a character in your book similar or different to a character in another book, movie, or someone you know? Explain how the two characters are similar and/or how they are different.
If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be? Why would you change it? How would you change it?
Discuss the creative techniques the author used to make the story more effective (ex. flashbacks, point of view, foreshadowing, descriptive words). Explain how these techniques helped or interfered with your understanding of the story.
What is one theme (central message) of the novel? Support your answer with pieces of textual evidence, one from the beginning, middle, and end.
What is one conflict in the story? How was the conflict resolved? What might have happened if the conflict was not resolved?
NONFICTION SELECTIONS
The Faithful Spy
In his signature style of interwoven handwritten text and art, John Hendrix tells the true story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to free the German people from oppression during World War II. By John Hendrix.
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court
An autobiography about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his life growing up in New York, becoming the basketball star he's known to be, and getting involved in the world around him as an activist for social change. By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees
The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become an icon to millions. Her tireless fight for equality and women's rights has inspired not only great strides in the workforce but has impacted the law of the land. This entertaining and insightful young readers' edition mixes pop culture, humor, and expert analysis for a remarkable account of the indomitable Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Heroine. Trailblazer. Pioneer.
The Boys in the Boat: The true story of an American team's epic journey to win gold at the 1936 Olympics
Brown Girl Dreaming
In vivid poems that reflect the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, an award-winning author shares what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South. By Jacqueline Woodson.
HOMES: A Refugee Story
*Always available for free on SORA (Sweet Reads Collection) until August 20th
The Lemon Tree
NONFICTION RESPONSE PROMPTS (CHOOSE 5)
Use complete sentences to integrate the prompt into your response. Each response should be a minimum of one full paragraph (5-7 sentences).
Make a connection between a real world issue/event and an issue/event discussed in your text. Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Explain some of the things that you have learned so far that you are not likely to forget.
Describe anything or anyone you would like to know more about after reading the book. What about this person/event intrigued you? What more would you like to know?
The passage on page(s)_________ is an example of good writing because….
Write a letter to the author of the book with your questions and responses to his/her writing.
Describe how the author captured your interest or pulled you into the book.
Describe new insights or understandings you have after reading the book.
The ideas or events in this book remind me of ideas or events in (another book, movies, news) because. . .
Describe how you can use what you learned from this book in your own life.
Describe the most interesting thing you learned from the book.
If you could question a person from the book, what would you ask he or she and why?
Choose a character from the text, get inside their head and create a To-Do List. Use actual information from the text to create it, as well as inferring skills. If it’s a very large goal, break it down into smaller, chronological tasks in order for the character to complete it. Cite page numbers that helped you determined tasks on the list.
What was the main idea of what you read? Use supporting details (with page numbers).
What changed, challenged, or confirmed what you already about this topic?
When did any portion of the text remind you of something else you have read, seen, or heard? Describe the connection.
Questions?
Mrs. Vitek kvitek@beachwoodschools.org
Mr. Smith nds@beachwoodschools.org
School Librarian
Mrs. Ungier jungier@beachwoodschools.org