2013 Summer Reading List: Grade 8

Gifted Hands: The Story of Ben Carson
By Ben Carson

This autobiography captures the physician's fight to beat the odds, the secret behind his outstanding accomplishments, and what drives him to take risks.

Eragon
By Christopher Paolini

In Alagaesia, a 15-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic and power, peopled with dragons, elves and monsters.

The Maze Runner
By James Dashner

Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

Matched
By Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her, so when Xander appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate--until Ky Markham's face appears for an instant before the screen fades to black.

Games
By Carol Gorman

When fourteen-year-old rivals Boot Quinn and Mick Sullivan fight once too often, the new principal devises the punishment of having to play games together at his office, where they learn which battles are worth fighting.

Code Orange
By Caroline Cooney

While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds an envelope containing 100-year-old smallpox scabs and fears that he has infected himself and all of New York.

A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials
By Ann Rinaldi

In 1706, the town of Salem is in an uproar due to the Salem witch trials. The story is told from the perspective of Susanna English, who is caught between her desire to join the malicious group of girls who are spreading the mischief and her fear of what they are doing.

Million Dollar Throw
By Mike Lupica

Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie's family is feeling the stress of the troubled economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend Abby is going blind, so when he gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can complete a pass during the halftime of a New England Patriot's game, he is nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed.