RMS Reading
~ EIGHTH GRADE ~

Everyone At Richmond Reads!

All English teachers at the Richmond School ask their students to read a minimum of two books over the summer and read continuously throughout the year. This site contains the reading lists sent out to students coming into grades six through twelve.

The Sixth Grade List contains new books from this year's Vermont's Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award and the New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award selections.
The Seventh Grade List contains brief reviews written over the years by students leaving the seventh grade.
Howe Library and The Norwich Public Library. both have terrific librarians to recommend more favorites. Enjoy!!!

Summer Reading Assignment
All Richmond and Hanover High students are expected to read at least two books over the summer, and we hope you will read many more. Find books that appeal to you, are not too difficult to read, and enjoy them! Try to get in the habit of reading daily, even for a short stretch. The eighth grade list contains a wide selection of books listed by genre as well as a page of American Library Association 2007 top picks for young adults: ALA Top 10, Printz Award & Honor Books, and Alex Awards for the best adult books for teens. None of these lists are meant to be exclusive or definitive. They are simply an expression of Richmond's deep commitment to pleasure reading. Many of the authors on this list have written a number of excellent books: only one or two are listed here in the interest of space. PG NOTE: Some of the books on this list contain teenage or adult issues and situations. Please respect your family's wishes about appropriate books as you would about film choices and internet sites. We try to develop lists with all our readers in mind, as does the American Library Association.
Please save the following to be read and discussed as class books during the year:
William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet
Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird
Elie Wiesel. Night
John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men

EIGHTH GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS

Fantasy & Science Fiction

2008-2009

Historical Fiction

Modern Realistic Fiction

2008 ALA Award Winners
Great New Books!
ALA Top 10 * Alex &Printz Awards

Non-Fiction

Fantasy & Science Fiction

FANTASY
Addams. Watership Down
Barron. Lost Years of Merlin
Bray. A Great and Terrible Beauty
Eddings. Pawn of Prophecy
Anthony. Centaur Aisle
Clement-Davies. Fire Bringer
Connolly. The Book of Lost Things ('07 ALEX)
Constable. Singer of All Songs
Cooper. The Dark is Rising
Feist. Magician's Apprentice
Funke. The Thief Lord / Inkheart
Gaiman. Anansi Boys
Hearn. Across the Nightingale Floor
Hunter. Warriors (series)
Jenkins. Repossessed ('08 ALA)
Landy. Skulduggery Pleasant ('08 ALA)
LeGuin. Wizard of Earthsea
Lewis. Chronicles of Narnia
Martin. Storm of Swords
McCaffrey. Dragonsong
McKinley. Deerskin		 Meyer. Twilight
Nix. Sabriel
Paolini. Eragon & Eldest
Pattou. East
Pierce. Trickster's Choice
Pratchett. The Wee Free Men
Pullman. The Golden Compass
Riordan. Lightning Thief
Rowling. Harry Potter
Jacques. Mossflower
Sage. Magyk
Snicket. Series of Impossible Events
Stewart. The Crystal Cave
Stroud. Bartimaeus Trilogy
Tolan. Welcome to the Ark
Tolkien. The Hobbit
Turner. The King of Attolia ('07 ALA)
Vanderveld. Knight's Apprentice
Vonnegut. Cat's Cradle
Yolen. Dragon's Blood
Zevin. Elsewhere

SCIENCE FICTION
Adams. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Anderson. Feed
Asimov. Foundation
Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451
Brunner. Shockwave Rider
Card. Ender's Game / 7th Sun
Chabon. Summerland
Colfer. Artemis Fowl
Crichton. Jurrasic Park
DePrau. City of Ember
Farmer. The House of the Scorpion
Knox. Dreamquake ('08 Printz)		 Larbalestier. Magic or Madness
LeGuin. Wizard of Earthsea
L'Engle. A Wrinkle in Time
Murphy. Night Flying
Oppel. Airborn / Skybreaker
Ruff. Bad Monkeys ('08 ALEX)
Slade. Dust
Sleator. Beasties
Verne. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Vizinni. Be More Chill
Wells. The War of the Worlds
Westerfield. Uglies / Peeps

Historical Fiction

EARLY HISTORY
Anderson. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation ('07 Printz & ALA)
Avi. Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Achebe. Things Fall Apart
Blackwood. Shakespeare Stealer
Bradley. The Mists of Avalon
Brooks. Year of Wonders
Crichton. Timeline
Collier. My Brother Sam Is Dead
Cross. Pope Joan
Gregory. The Other Boleyn Girl
Iggulden.Genghis: Birth of an Empire ('08 Alex)
Levitin. The Cure
Morressy. The Juggler
Napoli. Breath
Rinaldi. A Break With Charity, Salem Witch Trials
Renault. The King Must Die
Smith. I Capture the Castle
Yolen. Sword of the Rightful King: Arthur
19TH CENTURY
Alcott. Little Women
Austen. Pride and Prejudice
Avi. The Barn
Brontë, C. Jane Eyre
Brontë, E. Wuthering Heights
Chevalier. Girl With a Pearl Earring
Crane. The Red Badge of Courage
Dumas. Three Musketeers
Frazier. Cold Mountain
Gratz. Samurai Shortstop ('O7 ALA)
Haley. Roots
Hesse. Stowaway
Lester. Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue (slavery)
Meyer. Bloody Jack
Crichton. The Great Train Robbery
Dickens. Oliver Twist
Doyle. The Hound of the Baskervilles
du Maurier. Rebecca
Farmer. A Girl Named Disaster
Giblin. Good Brother - Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth
Gold. Carter Beats the Devil
Montgomery. Anne of Green Gables
Napoli. Bound (China)
Napoli. The King of Mulberry Street
Park. A Single Shard (Korea)
Pearsall. Crooked River
Rawlings. The Yearling
Sayers. Gaudy Night
Shaara. The Killer Angels
Stevenson. Treasure Island
Stowe. Uncle Tomís Cabin
Jones. Mister Pip ('08 ALA)
Lutz.The Spellman Files ('08 ALA)
Rothfuss.The Name of the Wind ('08 ALA)
Tan.The Arrival ('08 ALA)		 19TH CENTURY (continued)
Twain. Tom Sawyer
Wharton. Ethan Frome

WORLD WAR II
Chambers. Postcards from No Man's Land
Courtney. The Power of One
Elliott. Under the War Torn Sky
Heller. Catch-22
Helperin. Soldier of the Great War
Knowles. A Separate Peace
Magorian. Goodnight, Mr. Tom
Mazer, H.. The Last Mission
Mazer, N.. Good Night, Maman
Mishima. The Sound of Waves
Napoli. Stones in the Water
Park. When My Name Was Keoko: A Novel of Korea
Nelson. And One For All
Nolan. If I Should Die Before I Wake
Spinelli. Milkweed
Spiegelman. Maus I / Maus II
Weiss. The Upstairs Room
Pullman. The Ruby and the Smoke
Yolen. The Devil's Arithmetic
Zusak. The Book Thief ('O7 Printz & ALA)
20TH CENTURY LIFE & CONFLICT
Adichie. Purple Hibiscus
Alvarez. In the Time of the Butterflies
Cheech. Walk Two Moons
Crowe. Mississippi Trial, 1955
Duncan, D. The Brothers K
Gibbons. Ellen Foster
Gorman. The Stumptown Kid
Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea
Hosseini. The Kite Runner
Kidd. Secret Life of Bees
King. The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Kingsolver. Poisonwood Bible
McCullers. Member of the Wedding
Mosher. Looking for Teddy Williams
Myers. Fallen Angels (Vietnam)
Paterson. Preacher's Boy
Peck. A Day No Pigs Would Die
Picoult. A Second Glance
Potok. The Chosen
Salinger. Catcher in the Rye
Smith. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Steinbeck. Grapes of Wrath / Red Pony
Taylor. The Land
Thornton. Our Town
Watkins. Far from the Bamboo Grove
Whelan. Listening for Lions
Wright. Native Son

Modern Realistic Fiction

Alexie. The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian. ('08 ALA)
Alvarez. Before We Were Free
Anderson, L. Speak / Catalyst
Atkins. When Jeff Comes Home
Blackwell. Noughts and Crosses
Braff. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green
Brashares. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Brooks, K. Lucas: A Story of Love and Hate
Brown. Angels & Demons / Da Vinci Code
Buckhanon. Upstate
Chbosky. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Choldenko. Al Capone Does My Shirts
Christie. And Then There Were None
Cisneros. House on Mango Street
Clancy. Hunt for Red October
Clarke. One Whole and Perfect Day ('08 Printz)
Clements. Things Not Seen
Cook. Outbreak
Cooney. Driver's Ed
Cormier. The Rag and Bone Shop
Crutcher. Whale Talk		 Lawrence. The Lightkeeper's Daughter
Lemire. Tales from the Farm ('08 ALA)
Levenkron. The Luckiest Girl in the World
Levithan. Boy Meets Boy
Ludlum. The Bourne Identity
Lupica. Travel Team
Lynch. The Highest Tide
Marchetta. Saving Francesca
Martell. Life of Pi
McCaughrean.The White Darkness ('08 Printz Winner)
McCormick. Sold ('07 ALA)
McDonald. Swallowing Stones
McNeal. Crooked
Maltman. The Night Birds ('08 ALA)
Meyer. Twilight: A Novel
Mikaelsen. Touching Spirit Bear
Mori. Shizuko's Daughter
Moriarty. Feeling Sorry for Celia
Morpurgo. Private Peaceful
Mosher. Zazoo
Murrow. Twelve Days in August
Myers. Monster / Scorpions
Curtis. Bucking the Sarge
Cussler. Park Watch
Dessen. The Lullaby
Doig The Whistling Season ('07 Alex)
Draper. Forged By Fire
Deenham. Before I Die ('08 ALA)
Duncan, D. The Brothers K
Duncan, L. Stranger With My Face
Flake. Beggin' for Change
Fleischman. Breakout
Flinn . Breathing Under Water
Frost. Keesha's House
Giles. Shattering Glass
Going. Fat Kid Rules the World
Golding. Lord of the Flies		 Na. A Step from Heaven
Naidoo. The Other Side of Truth
Nolan. If I Should Die Before I Wake
Oates. Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
Paterson. Same Stuff As Stars
Paulsen. Hatchet / Tracker
Peet.Tamar ('08 ALA)
Picoult. My Sisterís Keeper / 19 Minutes
Plum-Ucci. Whatever Happened to Lani Garver
Rapp. Under the Wolf, Under the Dog
Rash The World Made Straight ('07 Alex)
Rennison. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
Robinson. U.S.S. Seawolf
Rosoff. how i live now
Roth. Avalanche
Green. An Abundance of Katherines ('07 Printz)
Green. Looking for Alaska
Greene. The Drowning of Stephan Jones
Grisham. Street Lawyer / Bleachers
Gruen. Water for Elephants ('07 Alex)
Haddix. Among the Hidden
Haddon. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Hahn . The Old Willis Place
Hamamura. Color of the Sea ('07 Alex)
Hartinger. Geography Club
Hartnett. Surrender ('07 Printz & ALA)
Hautman. Godless
Hiaasen, Carl. Hoot / Flush
Hidier. Born Confused
Hinton. The Outsiders
Horowitz. Stormbreaker / Raven's Gate
Hosseini. Kite Runner
Hurwin. A Time for Dancing
Kyle. The God of Animals ('08 Alex)
Iverson. Only the Strong Survive
Jenkins. Out of Order
Joern. Floor of the Sky ('07 Alex)
Johnson. The First Last Part
Klass . You Don't Know Me
Konigsburg. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
Korman. Son of the Mob
Lanagan. Black Juice
Lawrence. B for Buster		 Sachar. Holes
Saenz. Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
Sayres. Anahitaís Woven Riddle ('07 ALA)
Sebold. The Lovely Bones
Selznick. The Invention of Hugo Cabret ('08 ALA)
Setterfield The Thirteenth Tale ('07 Alex)
Shea. Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story
Smelcer The Trap ('07 ALA)
Schmidt.  Lizzie Bright and the Buckminister Boy
Scoppetone. Trying Hard to Hear You
Spinelli. Stargirl
Stratton. Chandaís Secrets
Thompson. Blankets: An Illustrated Novel
Tolan. Me and Hank
Townsend. Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
Trueman. Stuck in Neutral
Vaughan. Runaways: Volume 1
Weeks. So B It: A Novel
Whelan. Homeless Bird
White. Deathwatch
Wilhelm. The Revealers
Williams. When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune
Williams-Garcia. Every Time a Rainbow Dies
Wolff. Make Lemonade / True Believer
Wooding. Poison
Woodson. Locomotion
Yang. American Born Chinese ('07 Printz Winner & ALA Top 10)
Zusak. I am the Messenger

Non-Fiction

HISTORY AND SOCIAL STRUGGLES
Atkin. Voices from the Streets
Bartoletti. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow
Beah. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier ('08 ALA & Alex)
Cheng. Bound Feet and Western Dress
Crowe. Getting Away with Murder: The Emmett Till Case
DuBois. The Souls of Black Folk
Frank. Diary of a Young Girl
Griffith. Black Like Me
Jiang. Red Scarf Girl
Jones . Our America
Kozol. Amazing Grace
Lester. To Be A Slave
Mah. Chinese Cinderella
Mathabane. Kaffir Boy
Malcolm X. Autobiography of Malcolm X
McCourt. Angela's Ashes
McPherson. Fields of Fury: The American Civil War
Mellon. Bullwhip Days: Slave Narratives
Moody. Coming of Age in Mississippi
Murphy. American Plague: Yellow Fever Epidemic
Opdyke. In My Hands: Memories
Satrapi. Persepolis
Williams. Eyes on the Prize		 NATURE & SURVIVAL
Bookreev. The Climb
Bryson. A Walk in the Woods
Carson. Silent Spring
Hoose. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird 
Junger. The Perfect Storm
Krakauer. Into Thin Air
Lansing. Endurance
Philbrick. In The Heart of the Sea
Raskowitz. The Long Walk
Simpson. Touching the Void
SPORTS
Armstrong. It's Not About the Bike
Bissinger. Friday Night Lights
Blais. In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle
Colton. Counting Coup
Lewis. The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game ('07 Alex)
Paulsen. How Angel Peterson Got His Name (Stories of Extreme Sports)

UNIQUE PEOPLE & CULTURES
Akbar & Burton, Susan. Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story
Bolden. Wake Up Our Souls: Black American Artists
Charrier. Papillon
Copland. What to Listen For in Music
Curie. Madam Curie: a Biography
Fleischman. Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science		 Grandin. Emergence from Autism / Animals in Translation
Hemphill. Your Own Sylvia. ('08 ALA & Alex)
Partridge. John Lennon: All I Want Is The Truth, A Photographic Biography
Petroski. Invention by Design
Polly. American Shaolin ('08 ALA & Alex)
Runyon, Brent.The Burn Journals