The 2011/2012 Entering Eighth Grade Core Summer Reading Book is:

Chew on This
by Eric Schlosser
An adaptation of Schlossers best-seller, Fast Food Nation, this book might just change the way you think about food! It covers everything from the invention of the hamburger to Americas obsession with fast food to secrets of school cafeterias. The fast food industry counts on kids as its prime consumers, find out the fascinating and sometimes frightening truth about what lurks between those sesame seed buns, what a chicken nugget really is, and how the fast food industry has been feeding off children for generations. All students are required to read the 8th Grade Core Summer Reading Book as well as one other book on the list.
1

Emma by Jane Austen Emma, a self-assured young lady in Regency England, attempts to arrange her life and the lives of those around her into a pattern dictated by her romantic fancy. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen Will Scarlet shadows Robin Hood, with an unerring eye for finding treasures to steal and throwing daggers with deadly accuracy, but when Gisbourne, a ruthless bounty hunter, is hired by the sheriff to capture Robin and his band of thieves, Robin must become Will's protector risking his own life in the process. Girl in the Park by Miriah Fredericks When a teenaged girl with a bad reputation is murdered in New York City's Central Park after a party, her childhood friend is determined to solve the mystery of who caused her death. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Way to Go by Tom Ryan Danny thinks he must be the only seventeen-year-old guy who doesn't have his life figured out. His buddy Kierce has a rule for every occasion, and his best friend Jay has bad grades, no plans and no worries. Danny's dad nags him about his post-high-school plans, his friends bug him about girls and a run-in with the cops means he has to get a summer job. Worst of all, he's keeping a secret that could ruin everything. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin Seventeen-year-old Mara cannot remember the accident that took the lives of three of her friends but, after moving from Rhode Island to Florida, finding love with Noah, and more deaths, she realizes uncovering something buried in her memory might save her family and her future. Weve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson The 1963 Birmingham Children's March was a turning point in American history. In the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, the fight for civil rights lay in the hands of children like Audrey Hendricks, Wash Booker, James Stewart, and Arnetta Streeter. Through the eyes of these four protesters and others who participated, little-known story is told of the 4,000 black elementary, middle, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail between May 2 and May 11, 1963. Black & White by Larry Brimner Provides an account of the confrontation between civil rights activist Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, and Birmingham, Alabama, police chief Eugene "Bull" Connor, who was determined to keep the city's schools, parks, workplaces, and public facilities segregated. Letters to a Bullied Girl by Olivia Gardner Presents a selection from the thousands of letters written to offer comfort and support to Olivia Gardner, a girl who became the victim of bullying after suffering an epileptic seizure in school, and after her story was heard by sisters Emily and Sarah Buder who took it upon themselves to start the letter writing campaign. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer On May 9th, 1996, some 40 climbers started their summit assault on the highest mountain in the world Mount Everest. Twenty-four hours later one climber had died and twenty three other men and women were caught in a desperate struggle for their lives. This is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest. Twelve Rounds to Glory by Charles R. Smith Rap-inspired verse and illustrations describe the life of Muhammed Ali, discussing his bouts, struggles with societal prejudice, Islamic faith, Olympic glory, and more. The Giver by Lois Lowry Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Francie Nolan grows up amid the poverty of a Brooklyn tenement, in a poignant novel set in the early twentieth century. By turns overwhelming, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the story of the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolan family is honest and tender.

Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old African-American from Chicago. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Born in 1929, Anne Frank received a blank diary on her 13th birthday, just weeks before she and her family went into hiding to avoid being rounded up in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Her journal chronicles the 25 trying months of Anne Franks time hidden in the secret annex with her family and others as they deal with the constant fear of discovery.

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins Two Burmese boys, one a Karenni refugee and the other the son of an imprisoned Burmese doctor, meet in the jungle and discover that they must learn to trust each other in order to survive. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer When sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor. Monster by Walter Dean Myers While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school, enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam. Annexed by Sharon Dogar A fictional account of life with Anne Frank hidden in the secret annex from Peter's point-of-view, following as he becomes closer with Anne, begins to question his own religion, and is forced to suppress his own desires to join the fight. Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine Twelve-year-old Marlee develops a strong friendship with Liz, the new girl in school, but when Liz suddenly stops attending school and Marlee hears a rumor that her friend is actually an African American girl passing herself off as white, the two young girls must decide whether their friendship is worth taking on integration and the dangers it could bring to their families. Strings Attached by Judy Blundell When she drops out of school and struggles to start a career on Broadway in the fall of 1950, seventeen-year-old Kit Corrigan accepts help from an old family friend, a lawyer said to have ties with the mob, who then asks her to do some favors for him. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesela young German girl whose bookstealing and storytelling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

All These Things Ive Done by Gabrielle Zevin Anya Balanchine, daughter of New York City's most notorious crime boss in 2083, tries to keep a low profile, but she cannot avoid the spotlight when her loser ex-boyfriend is accidentally poisoned by illegal chocolate manufactured by her family. Feed by M.T. Anderson This brilliantly ironic satire is set in a future world where television and computers are connected directly into people's brains when they are babies. The result is a consumer society where empty-headed kids are driven by fashion and shopping and the avid pursuit of silly entertainment and by constant customized murmurs in their brains of encouragement to buy. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare Suddenly able to see demons and the Shadowhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster and discovers her true heritage. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeenyear-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence. Nation by Terry Pratchett A tsunami destroys everything leaving Mau, an island boy, Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, and a small group of refugees responsible for rebuilding their village and their lives.

Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe Sara, a high school junior, leaves her life and loved ones behind to move to a new city and stay with a host family after winning a coveted scholarship to study ballet, and though she finds comfort in the arms of Rem, a choreographer in his early twenties, she begins to think he might be using her, and a budding interest in writing makes her question whether ballet is the future she really wants. Real Time by Pnina Kass Sixteen-year-old Tomas Wanninger persuades his mother to let him leave Germany to volunteer at a kibbutz in Israel, where he experiences a violent political attack and finds answers about his own past.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson Rory, of Boueuxlieu, Louisiana, is spending a year at a London boarding school when she witnesses a murder by a Jack the Ripper copycat and becomes involved with the very unusual investigation. Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent. Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle Steven is a typical kid from Minnesota. So what if he happens to like keeping his stuff neat? And so who cares if he happens to prefer square dancing over everyone else in towns favorite pastime, hockey? He is just like everyone else and he is absolutely, positively, NOT gay. Or is he? Read this hilarious account of Steven trying to figure his life out Suck it Up by Brian Meehl After graduating from the International Vampire League, a scrawny, teenaged vampire named Morning is given the chance to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a superhero. He embarks on a League mission to become the first vampire to reveal his identity to humans and to demonstrate how peacefully-evolved, blood-substitute-drinking vampires can use their powers to help humanity. Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson Through assignments for English class, seventeen-year-old James Hoff rants against consumerism and his classmates' apathy, puzzles over his feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and expresses disdain for his emotionally-distant parents. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging series by Louise Rennison Presents the humorous journal of a year in the life of a fourteen-yearold British girl who tries to reduce the size of her nose, stop her mad cat from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and win the love of handsome hunk Robbie. The Boxer and the Spy by Robert B. Parker Fifteen-year-old Terry, an aspiring boxer, tries to uncover the mystery behind the unexpected death of a classmate, shy high school student whose body is found washed up on the shore of a quiet beach town. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld Hunter Braque, a New York City teenager who is paid by corporations to spot what is "cool," combines his analytical skills with girlfriend Jen's creative talents to find a missing person and thwart a conspiracy directed at the heart of consumer culture.

Yummy: the last days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri/Randy DuBurke A brief biography, in graphic novel format, of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven-year old African American gang member from Chicago who went on the run after shooting a young girl and was later found dead, shot by members of his own gang. The Good Neighbors by Holly Black Sixteen-year-old Rue Silver, whose mother disappeared weeks ago, believes she is going crazy until she learns that the strange things she has been seeing are real, and that she is one of the faerie creatures, or Good Neighbors, that mortals cannot see. Foiled by Jane Yolen Aliera Carstairs, having always felt like an outcast at school but special in her fencing class, falls for Avery Castle, until a fencing foil with a large ruby on the hilt that her mother found at a sale reveals to her that both Avery and the world around her are not what they seem. Savage by David Almond After his father dies and the town bully Hooper begins to target him, Blue starts to write and illustrate a graphic novel full of blood, guts, and adventures; but after one of Blue's characters pays Hooper a nighttime visit, Blue wonders if the lines of reality have blurred. Pedro and Me by Judd Winick In graphic art format, describes the friendship between two roommates on the MTV show "Real World," one of whom died of AIDS.

Clarity by Kim Harrington Sixteen-year-old Clare Fern, a member of a family of psychics, helps the mayor and a skeptical detective solve a murder in a Cape Cod town during the height of tourist season--with her brother a prime suspect. Au Revoir Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber Perry's parents insist that he take Gobi, their quiet, Lithuanian exchange student, to senior prom but after an incident at the dance he learns that Gobi is actually a trained assassin who needs him as a henchman, behind the wheel of his father's precious Jaguar, on a mission in Manhattan.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students. Final Four by Paul Volponi Four players at the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament struggle with the pressures of tournament play and the expectations of society at large. Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her. Baseball Crazy: ten short stories that cover all the bases by Multiple Authors A collection of ten short stories from popular, contemporary authors that celebrate the joys of America's favorite pasttime and the wonder, frustration, and delight of its fans. Keeper by Mal Peet When Paul Faustino of La Nacion flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gatothe phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cupthe seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly, but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.