LibGuides: 2023 FWCD Summer Reading: Grade 8

Required book

Unbroken (the Young Adult Adaptation) by Laura Hillenbrand
ISBN: 0385742517
Publication Date: 2014-11-11
A biography of Olympic runner and World War II bombardier, Louis Zamperini, who had been rambunctious in childhood before succeeding in track and eventually serving in the military, which led to a trial in which he was forced to find a way to survive in the open ocean after being shot down.

Need suggestions?

96 Miles by J. L. Esplin
ISBN: 9781250192301
Publication Date: 2020-02-11
During a massive blackout in rural Nevada, two brothers struggle to survive without their self-reliance-obsessed dad and without enough water cross the desert for help.
Blood and Germs by Gail Jarrow
ISBN: 9781684371761
Publication Date: 2020-10-13
Explores the the science and history of medicine during the Civil War. Discusses the damage inflicted by bullets and artillery shells, the microbes and parasites that were prevalent in the military camps and prisons, and the doctors and nurses who treated the soldiers. Also examines the innovations in medical care that emerged from the four-year conflict, including surgical techniques, medicines, and improved patient care.
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
ISBN: 9781524740955
Publication Date: 2019-08-13
1890, Atlanta. By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel Caroline Payne, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for 'the genteel Southern lady.
The Elephant Whisperer (Young Readers Adaptation) by Lawrence Anthony; Graham Spence; Thea Feldman (Adapted by)
ISBN: 9781627793094
Publication Date: 2017-10-24
The author provides an account of his experiences after he agreed to take a herd of "rogue" wild animals into his game reserve in South Africa that were otherwise going to be exterminated.
Endurance, Young Readers Edition by Scott Kelly
ISBN: 9781524764258
Publication Date: 2018-10-16
Adapted from the memoir of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a record-breaking year in space, and shares details about his life, discussing his childhood in New Jersey, training, space missions, and more.
The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry
ISBN: 9781627793322
Publication Date: 2016-05-03
Fourteen years ago, everyone believed Olivia's mother had been killed by her father, but recently his remains were found in the same woodsy area where her mother died. Who killed them? Olivia means to find out.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
ISBN: 9781984836038
Publication Date: 2022-02-01
n a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country.
Kalahari by Jessica Khoury
ISBN: 9781595147653
Publication Date: 2015-02-24
Deep in the Kalahari Desert, a Corpus lab protects a dangerous secret. But what happens when that secret takes on a life of its own? When an educational safari goes wrong, five teens find themselves stranded in the Kalahari Desert without a guide
The Keeper: the Unguarded Story of Tim Howard Young Readers' Edition by Tim Howard
ISBN: 9780062387554
Publication Date: 2014-12-09
im Howard describes how despite having Tourette's and OCD, he became the U.S. goalkeeper for the 2014 World Cup, saving an astonishing sixteen shots against Belgium - the most ever in a World Cup game.
Losers Take All by David Klass
ISBN: 9780374301361
Publication Date: 2015-10-20
At a sports-crazy NJ high school where all kids must play on a team, a group of rebels start a soccer team designed to undermine the jock-culture of the school.
Lovely War by Julie Berry
ISBN: 9780451469939
Publication Date: 2019-03-05
The Greek goddess Aphrodite recounts two tales of tragic love during WWI to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: 'Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another?' but her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music revealing that War is no match for the power of Love
Peak by Roland Smith
ISBN: 9780152024178
Publication Date: 2007-05-01
A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.
Proud (Young Readers Edition) by Ibtihaj Muhammad
ISBN: 9780316477000
Publication Date: 2018-07-24
An autobiography of the Olympic fencer, Ibthihaj Muhammad,and how she became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab.
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
ISBN: 9780375966675
Publication Date: 2011-01-11
When a school bus accident leaves sixteen-year-old Jessica an amputee, she returns to school with a prosthetic limb and her track team finds a wonderful way to help rekindle her dream of running again.
Secret Soldiers by Keely Hutton
ISBN: 9780374309039
Publication Date: 2019-06-11
n 1917, Thomas, a thirteen-year-old coal miner seeking his missing brother, James, joins the Claykickers, who tunnel beneath the battlefields of the Western Front as they learn to be men
Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
ISBN: 9780062422316
Publication Date: 2019-03-19
Robin of Locksley is dead. Maid Marian doesn't know how she will go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, need a protector. And the dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff's right hand, wishes to step into Robin's shoes as Lord of Locksley and Marian's fiancé. Who is there to stop them? Marian never meant to tread in Robin's footsteps--never intended to stand as a beacon of hope to those awaiting his triumphant return. But with a sweep of this green cloak and the flash of her sword, Marian makes the choice to become her own hero--Robin Hood.
Spy Runner by Eugene Yelchin (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781250120816
Publication Date: 2019-02-12
Twelve-year-old Jake McCauley, who lives very close to the air force base, becomes suspicious when a Russian man becomes a boarder in his home and who claims to have known Jake's father who disappeared during World War II.
The Uglies by Scott Westerfield
ISBN: 0329409859
Tally is faced with a difficult choice when her new friend Shay decides to risk life on the outside rather than submit to the forced operation that turns sixteen year old girls into gorgeous beauties, and realizes that there is a whole new side to the pretty world that she doesn't like.
A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody
ISBN: 9780374382704
Publication Date: 2016-08-02
Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks keeps reliving the terrible Monday on which her boyfriend, Tristan, breaks up with her and no matter how hard she tries, she cannot seem to set things right.

2023 FWCD Summer Reading: Grade 8

8th Grade 2023 Summer Reading

Required book

Need suggestions?