LibGuides: Summer Reading 2022: Rising 8th Graders

Required Summer Reading for English

Please read at least one of the following novels over the summer. Write a one page review about why you liked it or why you did not. You could discuss your favorite character, the strength/weakness of the plot, or any other aspect of the novel that interests you. This should be a fun project, and your review will not receive a grade. Also, there will be no quiz on the novel when you return to school in September. Just enjoy!

Animal Farm by George Orwell
The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
This story is about a twelve-year old criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl, and his battles against very tech savvy fairies who live underground.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
This novel is about the exciting adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who hunts for treasure and faces many dangerous obstacles on his thrilling quest.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
This is the story of Esperanza Cordero, a 12-year-old Latinx girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago. The novella is told through a series of vignettes.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Joy Luck Club contains sixteen interwoven stories about conflicts between Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-raised daughters.
Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor
This novel is a sequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. It tells the tale of the Logan family and their many ordeals during the period of the Great Depression.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Four English children are evacuated to a mysterious country house during World War Two, and they find a secret world by crawling through the back of a wardrobe. This fantasy novel has talking animals, magic and mythical creatures, and an evil witch.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A coming-of-age novel about four sisters living in Massachusetts during the time of the American Civil War.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A British airplane crashes on an isolated island in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean, and the only survivors are a group of adolescent boys who have to learn to govern themselves.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
This is a story about Gerald Durell as a child when he lived with his siblings and widowed mother on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This is a story about a young orphan, Mary Lennox, who goes to live with her widowed uncle in a mysterious house on the Yorkshire Moors in England. There are strange goings-on in Misselthwaite Manor, and things are not what they seem.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
The story is set during World War Two, when Gene and Finny, two very different boys, become close friends at a boarding school. Their relationship faces many trails, and the bonds of friendship are sorely tested.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
A novel about travel into the future and all the shocks and surprises that lie ahead.

Required Summer Reading for CPEJ

Middle School students are asked to read the books listed below over the summer in preparation for their goLEAD class next school year. These grade-specific books will connect to the environmental and social justice themes to be explored in the coming school year in goLEAD. Students should read their assigned grade-specific book before returning to school in September.

The Center for Peace, Equity and Justice can loan students a book over the summer, as we have class sets. Carts are set up in the hall just outside the CPEJ room on the fourth floor. Students can drop by and check out a copy for the summer.

Running for Hope by The John Hope Franklin Young Scholars
This title is not available through Sora. The link provided is to Cafe Con Libros' bookshop.org page.

Reading for Summer Joy!

The books in this section are new books published in 2021-2022 that your Librarian thought you might enjoy this summer. These are suggestions to read for joy. If you don't see anything here that suits you, please read what makes you happy! Developing the habit of reading for joy and relaxation is a life skill and good for the spirit. The link provided will bring you to title on the Friends Seminary Sora page. Many titles are available in ebook or audiobook on Sora. If you would rather read a physical book, please go to your local library or your local independent bookshop.

Happy Summer Reading!

Anne of West Philly: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Anne of Green Gables by Ivy Noelle Weir, Myisha Haynes
"Anne of Green Gables with a twist: in this follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and The Secret Garden on 81st Street, this full-color graphic novel moves Anne Shirley to modern-day West Philadelphia, where where she finds new friends, new rivals, and a new family.
When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert decide to foster a teenage girl for the first time, their lives are changed forever. Their redheaded foster daughter, Anne Shirley, is in search of an exciting life and has decided that West Philly is where she's going to find it. Armed with a big personality and unstoppable creativity, Anne takes her new home by storm as she joins the robotics club, makes new friends in Diana and Gilbert, experiences first love, and turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. But as Anne starts to get comfortable, she discovers one thing she wasn't looking for: a family."
Best Friends, Bikinis, and Other Summer Catastrophes by Kristi Wientge
"Alex has always known her best friend and next-door neighbor, Will, will be there for her. That's just how it's always been. Until a girl from the pool named Rebekah comes over to them and says hi. Suddenly, Will is changing his clothes, restyling his hair, and breaking all of their summer plans and Alex is not happy about it.
Every summer, she and Will come up with a new challenge. This year, it's a treehouse. Now Alex is wrangling up summer jobs and keeping tabs on the new girl, hoping that in completing their treehouse, she can keep from losing her best friend and her summer from falling apart."
Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today by Alice Wong
"The seventeen eye-opening essays in Disability Visibility, all written by disabled people, offer keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, examining life's ableism and inequality, its challenges and losses, and celebrating its wisdom, passion, and joy.
The accounts in this collection ask readers to think about disabled people not as individuals who need to be “fixed,” but as members of a community with its own history, culture, and movements. They offer diverse perspectives that speak to past, present, and future generations. It is essential reading for all."
Ellen Outside the Lines by A. J. Sass
"Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out and people fit neatly into her predefined categories. She attends temple with Abba and Mom every Friday and Saturday. Ellen only gets crushes on girls, never boys, and she knows she can always rely on her best-and-only friend, Laurel, to help navigate social situations at their private Georgia middle school. Laurel has always made Ellen feel like being autistic is no big deal. But lately, Laurel has started making more friends, and cancelling more weekend plans with Ellen than she keeps. A school trip to Barcelona seems like the perfect place for Ellen to get their friendship back on track.
Except it doesn't. Toss in a new nonbinary classmate whose identity has Ellen questioning her very binary way of seeing the world, homesickness, a scavenger hunt-style team project that takes the students through Barcelona to learn about Spanish culture and this trip is anything but what Ellen planned.
Making new friends and letting go of old ones is never easy, but Ellen might just find a comfortable new place for herself if she can learn to embrace the fact that life doesn't always stick to a planned itinerary."
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero
"Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopez—a biracial Jewish girl—finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parents’ desire for her to pursue a more stable career.
When she discovers a forgotten Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s cottage, she meets the ghost of a kindhearted boy named Benjamin, who died over a century ago. As Ilana restores Benjamin’s grave, he introduces her to the enchanted side of Prague, where ghosts walk the streets and their kisses have warmth.
But Benjamin isn't the only one interested in Ilana. Rudolph Wassermann, a man with no shadow, has become fascinated with her and the music she plays. He offers to share his magic, so Ilana can be with Benjamin and pursue her passion for violin. But after Ilana discovers the truth about Wassermann and how Benjamin became bound to the city, she resolves to save the boy she loves, even if it means losing him—forever."
Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
"The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets."
Karthik Delivers by Sheela Chari
"Karthik Raghavan is good at remembering things. Like his bike routes. Or all the reasons he likes Juhi even if she doesn't even know he exists. It doesn't help that she seems to have a crush on his arch nemesis, Jacob Donnell, whose only job is to humiliate Karthik (and get his name wrong). Then Karthik's luck changes when he secretly agrees to be in a play about the famous musician, Leonard Bernstein. But he can't tell his parents. The family store is in jeopardy, and they need him delivering groceries on his bike to help save it. His mom is also worried about the financial crisis, and she's convinced that studying hard and staying focused is the only way to succeed. But Karthik is having fun being Lenny. Besides, what if acting is Karthik's special talent? And what if acting is the one way to catch Juhi attention? With all the pressure from his family to succeed, will Karthik be able to really imagine and hope when he's not sure what will happen next?"
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
"Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to forswear—no matter what the cost."
Unfadeable by Maurice Broaddus
"A Washington Post KidsPost Summer Book Club Pick!
Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Kelly Yang, readers will love this heartfelt and genuine story about building community, finding family, and the power of Black girl magic.
Bella "Unfadeable" Fades is determined to stay out of trouble. A wiser-than-her-years graffiti artist known for tagging walls and bridges in her Indianapolis neighborhood, the Land, Bella plans to spend her summer break laying low and steering clear of anyone who might tip off to social services that she's living on her own.
But keeping a low profile is all but impossible when Bella discovers people in high places are trying to defund the Land. She has to find a way to fight back.
Getting involved will mean putting herself out there—making connections with unlikely friends and attracting potential enemies. But if Bella doesn't put her trust in her neighbors and learn how to bring her community together, her home—and her future—will never be the same."
Yonder by Ali Standish
"Danny Timmons has looked up to Jack Bailey ever since Jack saved two small children from drowning during the Great Flood of 1940. Now, with his father away fighting in World War II and his mother about to have a new baby, Danny relies on Jack's friendship and guidance more than ever.
So when Jack goes missing without a trace from their small Appalachian town, Danny is determined to find him. He wonders if Jack's abusive father could be behind his disappearance, or if it has anything to do with Yonder—a hidden magical town Jack once spoke of, where flocks of rainbow birds fly through the sky and they've never heard of war. As answers elude him, Danny begins to fear that he didn't know Jack as well as he thought.
Ultimately, Danny's investigation forces him to reckon with even larger questions: What is America fighting for in this war? What role do each of us play in stopping injustices, big and small? And is there such thing as a true hero?"