Grade 8 Novel Studies

• There Will Be Wolves by Karleen Bradford - Ursula is the motherless daughter of an apothecary. When she begins to treat people with the herbal knowledge she has acquired from her father, she is accused of being a witch and agrees to join a crusade to the Holy Land in order to escape punishment. The characters in this novel illustrate many of the motives that led people in the Holy Roman Empire to embark on their journey, their difficulties en route, and the tragic results of their crusades to the Holy Land. The crusaders represent the altruism, greed, poverty, misguided religious fervor, and superstition of European crusaders. Ursula and her faithful friend Bruno are well-rounded characters in a credible plot.
• Across the Steel River by Ted Stenhouse - In a 1952 prairie town, two teenage boys discover an Indian war hero badly beaten and left for dead. When the local police turn a blind eye, they take it upon themselves to break the case
• Z for Zachariah by Robert O'Brien - After living alone for a year, believing herself to be the only survivor of a nuclear holocaust, sixteen-year-old Ann makes a startling discovery--a scientist named John Loomis has also survived--but this pleasant surprise very quickly turns sinister.
• Writing Alternative Plots for Robert C. O’Brien's Z for Zachariah - The science fiction novel, Z for Zachariah, by Robert C. O’Brien is full of moral dilemmas. As a culminating activity for this novel, students write alternative endings for the novel based around the important decisions made by Ann Burden, the main character.
• Ramona Quimby Age 8 by Beverly Cleary - The further adventures of the Quimby family as Ramona enters the third grade.
• When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr - Recounts the adventures of a nine-year-old Jewish girl and her family in the early 1930s as they travel from Germany to England.
• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis - Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
• War of the Eagles by Eric Walters - 14-year-old Jed is a proud Canadian, the son of a British fighter pilot and a Tsimshian Indian, he has every reason to be proud of his heritage. But when World War 2 comes about, and his best friend Tadashi, a Japanese Canadian, is interned, Jed begins to question his heritage and his country.
• The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Eric Walters - The Dream Keeper is a collection of poems just for kids.
• California Blue by David Klass - When seventeen-year-old John Rodgers discovers a new sub-species of butterfly which may necessitate closing the mill where his dying father works, they find themselves on opposite sides of the environmental conflict.
• The Dream Carvers by Joan Clark - Thrand, a Norse boy in the 11th century, is captured by the Beothuk, the red ochre people of the new-found land (Newfoundland).
• Touch the Earth by James Barry - This collection of articles and poems illustrates the varied ways in which concerned world citizens are working to help the environment. Included are a table of contents and and eight-page photograph insert.
• Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.
• No Signature by William Bell - Ten years after last seeing his father, Wick receives a postcard stamped with only the word DAD. Although Wick feels that the impersonal stamp symbolizes his father’s indifference, its appearance precipitates a search for a father whom Wick barely remembers. Wick is shocked to discover that his father’s continued attempts to maintain contact have been thwarted by his mother. Wick also learns that, although his father has obviously cultured musical tastes, his inability to read has cost him his marriage and access to his son, and has required his father to find ingenious strategies for surviving in a literate world. And when Wick’s homosexual friend commits suicide, it is Wick’s father who provides the wisdom and support to comfort the adolescent.
• The Wild Children by Felice Holman - Left behind when his whole family is arrested by soldiers during the dark days following the Bolshevik Revolution, twelve-year-old Alex falls in with a gang of other desperate homeless children, but never loses his hope for a better life.
• Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen - The story begins where Hatchet might have ended--Brian is not rescued, but must rely on his survival skills to face his deadliest enemy--a northern winter.
• Catherine Called Birdie by Karen Cushman - The daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.
• Lyddie by Katherine Paterson - Impoverished Vermont farm girl Lyddie Worthen is determined to gain her independence by becoming a factory worker in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s.
• Absolutely Invincible! by William Bell - Originally entitled The Cripples' Club, this is the story of four friends who form a club to support each other and to find ways to cope with their disabilities. A challenging trip to a wilderness area of Algonquin Park cements their friendship. Note: This novel contains derogatory terms and realistic conversation that may be considered offensive.
• Ramona Quimby Age 8 by Beverly Cleary - The further adventures of the Quimby family as Ramona enters the third grade.
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin - A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard.
• Winners by Mary-Ellen L. Collura - A collection of resource-based units designed for study by kindergarten to grade 12 students, this manual provides excellent models of collaboration between teachers and teacher-librarians. It also presents over 30 units in several subject areas that illustrate the link between literature and learning. Included are a table of contents, samples of organizers, and suggestions for assessment.
• That Was Then, This Is Now by S. E. Hinton - Sixteen-year-old Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.
• So Young to Die by Candice F. Ransom - The true story of Hannah Senesh, who at the age of 18 left her home in Budapest and went to Palestine. There she joined in the struggle for a Jewish homeland. Then, in 1943, she parachuted back into enemy territory to rescue Allied pilots and Jews, including her mother.
• The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton - Three brothers struggle to stay together after their parents' death, as they search for an identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society in which they find themselves "outsiders."
• Mama's Going to Buy You a Mockingbird by Jean Little - A young boy struggles to cope with his father's death.
• Listen for the Singing by Jean Little - Anna Solden is 14 year old German girl living in Canada in the 1940s. She begins her first year at a normal high school after years of special classes at a special school due to her very poor eyesight. She experiences predjudice from one of her teachers because of her German background, but makes several new friends regardless. Her brother Rudi, oldest of the 5 Solden children, goes off to fight in the war, but returns blind. Anna helps him cope with his dramatically altered lifestyle, and the two of them become close friends despite Rudi's cruelty towards Anna in earlier years.
• Let It Go by Marilyn Halvorson - Red's best friend Lance is a "cool" guy, the kind who hides his feelings and never seems to let anything bother him. But one day Lance's life is shattered by someone he has been trying to forget - someone who threatens to ruin his life. Should Red stand by and let his best friend destroy himself?
• Last Chance Summer by Diana J. Wieler - A troubled twelve-year-old with a history of running away from foster homes is given a last chance when he is sent to a farm where other "tough kids," who can make or break each other, are looked after by a caring Englishman.
• The Keeper of the Isis Light by Monica Hughes - Olwen Pendennis is the Keeper of the Isis Light. She and her companion, Guardian, have lived alone on the remote planet Isis since the death of her parents. Now colonists from overcrowded, polluted Earth have landed and are settling in the valleys. Olwen fears these new inhabitants may ruin her world forever, and it seems she may be right.
• Jean Val Jean by Solomon Cleaver - This re-issue of Solomon Cleaver’s popular adaptation of Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo includes the original black and white movie stills. This novel is useful, not only for its view of the poverty and injustice facing ordinary citizens during the French Revolution, but also for its affirmation of the values of forgiveness and love. The teacher’s guide, written by James A. MacNeill, contains suggestions for introductory discussion, and response or extension activities. Included are historical notes regarding the people, events, and technology of the era.
• Hero of Lesser Causes by Julie Johnston - Twelve-year-old Keely and her older brother Patrick enjoy a very close friendship. When Patrick falls victim to polio and loses the will to live, Keely decides that her role as a hero will now need to be focused, not on heroism on a grand scale, but on the lesser causes such as improving Patrick’s life. While carrying out her heroic mission, Keely and her girlfriend develop a first tentative friendship with a neighboring boy. This novel is a Governor-General’s Literary Award winner
• The Contender by Robert Lipsyte - After a successful start in a boxing career, a Harlem high school dropout decides that competing in the ring isn't enough of life and resolves to aim for different goals.
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - An orphan grows up on the Mississippi River.

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