EIGHTH GRADE RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Acceleration by Graham McNamee
Stuck working in the Lost and Found of the Toronto Transit Authority for the summer, seventeen-year-old Duncan finds the diary of a serial killer and sets out to stop him.
Birdland by Tracy Mack
Thirteen-year-old Jed spends Christmas break working on a school project filming a documentary about his East Village, New York City, neighborhood, where he is continually reminded of his older brother, Zeke, a promising poet who died the summer before.
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
Torey Adams, a high school junior with a seemingly perfect life, struggles with doubts and questions surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the class outcast.
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Eighteen-year-old Kate, who sometimes chafes at being a preacher’s daughter, finds herself losing control in her senior year as she faces difficult neighbors and the possibility that she may not be accepted at the college of her choice.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school gang.
Counterfeit Son by Elaine Marie Alphin
When serial killer Hank Miller is killed in a shoot-out with police, his abused son Cameron adopts the identity of one of his father’s victims in order to find a better life.
Danger Zone by David Klass
Chosen to be part of the American "Teen Dream Team" basketball players who are to compete in Europe, Jimmy Doyle and his teammates find their ambitions of becoming world champions shattered when they encounter neo-Nazi threats.
Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing 300 pounds, gets a new perspective on life when a homeless teenager who is a genius on guitar wants Troy to be the drummer in his rock band.
Fault Line by Janet Tashjian
Seventeen-year-old Becky Martin, an aspiring comic, must find the courage to get the help she needs when her boyfriend Kip, a rising star in the San Francisco comedy club scene, becomes emotionally and physically abusive.
Feed by M.T. Anderson
In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble.
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Bobby’s carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
After starting to publish a ‘zine in which he writes his secret feelings about his lonely life and his parents’ divorce, sixteen-year-old John meets an unusual girl and begins to develop a healthier personality.
Harley, Like a Person by Cat Bauer
Fourteen-year-old Harley, an artistic teenager living with her alcoholic father and angry mother, suspects that she is adopted and begins a search for her biological parents.
Heat by Michael Cadnum
Recovering from the physical and emotional aftereffects of a diving accident, Bonnie must also face the truth about her father's arrest on charges of bilking his law clients.
Hero by S.L. Rottman
When young and angry Sean performs community service for violating curfew, he works at the ranch of World War II veteran and strict disciplinarian Dave Hassler. Both challenged and befriended by Hassler, Sean begins his transformation to a confident, hopeful young adult.
Jumping the Nail by Eve Bunting
When teenagers in a California coastal community challenge each other to "jump the nail"--leap from dangerous cliffs into the ocean--group pressure and manipulative relationships quickly drive the game out of control.
Keesha’s House by Helen Frost
Seven teens facing such problems as pregnancy, homosexuality, and abuse each describe in poetic forms what caused them to leave home and where they found home again.
Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser
Fourteen-year-old Tara Sullivan has always been a worrier. On the surface, she has been able to behave like a normal girl. But when she is 11 -years- old, she hears a phrase that changes her life: Step on a crack, break your mother's back. Now, everywhere she goes, Tara must count every crack in the sidewalk.
Leaving Fishers by Margaret Patterson Haddix
A new girl in town joins a cult-like religious group until an outrageous act forces her to reexamine her values and find a way to break free.
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
After her sister Laura is murdered in South Africa, Berry and her estranged father travel there to participate in the dedication of a memorial in her name.
Martyn Pig by Kevin Brooks
Faced with the possibility of living with a dreadful aunt, fifteen-year-old Martyn Pig decides not to tell authorities when his alchholic father dies accidentally
Mind’s Eye by Paul Fleischman
A novel in play form in which sixteen-year-old Courtney, paralyzed in an accident, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman who takes Courtney on an imaginary journey to Italy using a 1910 guidebook.
The Mozart Season by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Allegra spends her twelfth summer practicing a Mozart concerto for a violin competition and finding many significant connections in her world. Readers who are musically inclined and those who enjoy a story with strong and intriguing characters as well as a touch of romance will savor each word in this distinctive novel.
Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee
The star soccer player in his L.A. school, Chan Jung Kim moves to a small Minnesota town, where football is the favorite sport and no one has ever seen an Asian-American family. Ultimately, he realizes what it really means to be Korean and what the important things in life are.
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
In 1906, sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and fiance, takes a job at a summer inn where she discovers the truth about the death of a guest. Based on a true story.
The Other Shepards by Adele Griffin
Their three older siblings were killed in an accident years before they were born, yet Holland and Geneva Shepard are still coping with the effects of this family tragedy.
Out of Control by Norma Fox Mazer
In this story of harassment, three boys, thinking that they are just having fun, follow Valerie Michon out of the school auditorium and corner her on the third floor.
Peeling the Onion by Wendy Orr
When the beautiful, athletic Anna breaks her neck in an automobile accident, she must slowly and torturously find a new identity to go with her less capable body and continuous pain.
Players by Joyce Sweeney
Eighteen-year-old Corey sees a threat to his dream of winning the basketball championship when he discovers that the new player on his team is a girl-stealing, friend-framing, team-destroying force of evil.
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.
Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori
While excelling as a student and athlete, twelve-year-old Yuki Okuda struggles to come to terms with her mother's suicide, her father's coldness, and her stepmother's outright hostility.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
With a bitterly ironic voice, freshman Melinda delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many an estranged teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
The daily class discussions about the nature of man, the existence of God, abortion, organized religion, suicide and other contemporary issues serve as a backdrop for a high-school senior's attempt to answer a friend's dramatic cry for help.
A Step From Heaven by An Na
Young Ju Park is unhappy with her journey to America as her family suffers hard times upon their arrival, yet when her father suddenly becomes violent, Young Ju is thankful when he leaves so that her family can start over.
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald
Michael fires his new rifle into the air on July Fourth, never imagining that his bullet will end up killing a man named Charlie Ward. Upon learning of the accident, Michael desperately tries to hide his involvement. His increasing panic and guilt are related in a parallel story line with Jenna's grief and recovery.
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
Raised by a mother who’s had five husbands, eighteen-year-old Remy believes in short-term, no-commitment relationships until she meets Dexter, a rock band musician.
True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Living in the inner city amidst guns and poverty, fifteen-year-old LaVaughn learns from old and new friends, and inspiring mentors, that life is what you make it--an occasion to rise to.
The Watcher by Jones Howe
A mysterious girl sits on top of the steps overlooking the beach, occasionally recording her observations in a notebook, as she watches a boy and a lifeguard and makes up heroic stories about their lives.
Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
Sixteen-year-old Brent Bishop is sent on an unusual journey of repentance--building wind toys across the land--after he inadvertently causes the death of a young woman.
Who the Man by Chris Lynch
Thirteen-year-old Earl Pryor is much too big for his age, and much too powerful for the anger that rages within him when classmates tease him, the girl he likes disappoints him, or his parents’ problems get too real.
You Don’t Know Me by David Klass
Fourteen-year-old John creates alternative realities in his mind as he tries to deal with his mother’s abusive boyfriend, his crush on a beautiful, but shallow classmate, and other problems at school.
Zipped by Laura and Tom McNeal
At the end of their sophomore year in high school, the lives of four teenagers are woven together as they start a tough new job, face family problems, deal with changing friendships, and find love.
courtesy of Scarsdale Middle School Library
