Independent Reading Eighth Grade 2009-2010 Ms. Hannaford In addition to your assigned readings, you are required to read four books on your own during the course of this year. You will select your independent readings from the list below. Some of these books are thematically related to the units we are exploring. I expect that as your understanding of the unit theme is broadened by your independent reading, you will bring your insights to class and share them in our discussions, and you will demonstrate your understanding in a in-class written response to the novel. The following dates are your reading deadlines. It is essential that you bring your independent reading selection to class with you on these dates. October 13, 2009 December 8, 2009 February 16, 2010 April 20, 2010 No class time will be given for this required part of the course. October 12, 2009: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer- Mark Twain The Pearl- John Steinbeck After Dancing Days- Margaret Rostowski Let the Circle Be Unbroken- Mildred Taylor Out of the Dust- Karen Hesse When the Legend Dies- Hal Borland 1984- George Orwell One Step from Heaven- An Na Touching Spirit Bear- Ben Mikaelsen Bless Me, Ultima- Rudolfo Anaya Journey to Topaz- Yoshiko Uchida When the Emperor was Divine- Julie Otsuka December 7, 2009: Slaughterhouse Five- Kurt Vonnegut July’s People- Nadine Gordimer Stones from the River- Ursula Hegi Lord of the Flies- William Golding Belle Teal- Ann Martin Alan and Naomi- Myron Levoy Nothing to Fear Jackie- French Koller Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story- Pegi Deitz Shea The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing- M. T. Anderson February 15, 2010: Pigs in Heaven- Barbara Kingsolver Amy and Isabelle- Elizabeth Strout The Bumblebee Flies Anyway- Robert Cormier Big Mouth, Ugly Girl- Joyce Carol Oates The Misfits- James Howe Slam Walter- Dean Myers Taking Sides- Gary Soto The Wish Gail- Carson Levine Ophelia- Lisa Klein Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie- Jordan Sonnenblick April 20, 2010 The Road to Coorain- Jill Kerr Conway (memoir) The Chosen- Chiam Potok My Name is Asher Lev- Chaim Potak The Chocolate War- Robert Cormier The Catcher in the Rye- J. D. Salinger Scorpions- Walter Dean Myers A Separate Peace- John Knowles Speak- Laurie Halse Anderson Slam- Walter Dean Myers Sounder- Will Armstrong The Star Fisher- Laurence Yep