Beowolf

Beowolf, an ancient warrior, battles the monster Grendal to save a Danish village from nightly savage attacks.  This epic tale is brought to life through modern English translations and vividly illustrated picture books.
These picture books are a great read for grade 8s.  Hint ... you can make a great report by comparing the book to the movie!

the perks of being a wallflower

Author Stephen Chbosky introduces readers to Charlie, the 1990's version of Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caulfield. Charlie is starting his first day of high school and embarks on a cathartic writing journey sending letters to a "friend".  Why a "friend"?

"I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn't try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have.  Please don't try to figure out who she is because then you might figure out who I am, and I really don't want you to do that."

Charlies shares the triumphs and tragedies of his freshman as he pushes himself to 'participate' in school and life.
While 'perks of being an wallflower' has been challenged and banned in a variety of schools, it is cannon in modern American literature and has been starred reviewed by School Library Journal, Booklist, and LA Times.
It is a quick read and recommended for grades 10-12.

Hugo Cabret

Read the book and then do a comparison between the book and the movie. HINT ... the book is almost always better.

Children of war by Deborah Ellis

Deborah Ellis once again brings to light the voice of children. In Children of War, Ellis compiles the stories of Iraqi children displaced by war.

These children share their fears and hopes for themselves and their families. The stories run the gamut from children of wealthy families once allied with Saddam Hussein to impoverished children left physically and mentally scared. Some children see how they can make a new life in the west. Other stories do not hold such hope; these children have lost most members of their family and one is left to wonder who will take of these 'children of war'.

The stories are all heartbreaking. Ellis has a very easy style to her writing which makes her work suitable for a variety of reading levels. A brief introduction offers an easily accessible overview of the modern history of Iraq and helps set the context for the interviews Ellis conducted with the children.

Reading level is suitable for grade 8. However, I would recommend this book to all students grades 8-12.

The Book Thief, by Mark Zusak (2005)

Death recounts the story of a little girl, Liesel. He first met Liesel when he took her brother in 1939 on a train to Molching, a suburb of Munich. He sees her steal a book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, from her brother's graveside. Why an illiterate girl would steal a book? Death follows Liesel on her journey to stay with the Hubermann's, her foster home. Liesel's illustrious career as a book thief grows in Nazi Germany amid book burnings and Nazi Youth meetings. As World War II unfolds she sees Death through the eyes of Max, a Jew the Hubermann's hide in their basement. He is there to carry the Jewish souls from Dachau, the concentration camp just up the hill from Molching.
As Death watches on Liesel learns to read, makes friends in her new school and forms an unusual tie with the mayor's wife. Throughout, Liesel hones her skills as a book thief.
Her connection to words is what eventually saves her, literally and metaphorically.
Suggested for grades 9-11

Chanda’s Secrets, by Allan Stratton (2004)

Growing up in sub-Saharan Africa, Chanda Kabelo has aspirations of winning a scholarship and studying abroad. However, with two young siblings, no father and a mother who is dying of AIDS, Chanda must become the care-taker in her family and put her dreams on hold.

Chanda’s Secret is a portrayal of the effect of AIDS in Africa and the stigma and shame that surround it. The novel also focuses on the strength and courage that young people have, even in the most desperate of circumstances.

review submitted by Library Peer Tutor, grade 11

Throwaway Daughter, by Ting-Xing Ye (2003)

Growing up in Ontario in the 1990s, Grace Parker struggles with her Chinese heritage. Adopted as a baby by a Canadian family, she is resentful towards her biological mother, whom she never knew, for abandoning her at an orphanage. As she becomes a young adult, Grace feels the need to learn about her past, so she decides to travel to China in an attempt to find her birth parents.
Throwaway Daughter deal both with the personal challenges of identity as well as gender discrimination and the practice of abandoning, or in come cases, murdering baby girls that can occur in societies where women are considered inferior to men.

review submitted by a Library Peer Tutor, grade 11