Avid Readers Club Grades 7 and 8 Round 1 – Discussion after Thanksgiving Break
Classic Choice
The Red Badge of Courage. Stephen Crane. In the midst of a Civil War battle, Henry Fleming is scared. Who wouldn’t be? He is very aware of the price of courage, and he fears the price of cowardice too. This is a book about decision. This is a book about the battle within the mind and human spirit. Stephen Crane’s book began with interviews of Civil War soldiers. It has endured as a classic until today.
Other Genre Choice
The Miracle Worker. William Gibson. Try reading a book in play format. This is the story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Don’t forget the “anytime books”. See the last page for summer reading classics and biographies. Whenever you finish one, we can discuss it – “anytime”!
Cut here I plan to read the following book(s) by the end of Thanksgiving break: (circle ⇒choice) • The Red Badge of Courage • The Miracle Worker
Student name______
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Avid Readers Club Grades 7 and 8 Round #2 – Discussion in the first two weeks of February
Classic Fiction Choices The Wizard of Earthsea. Ursula Le Guin. Fantasy lovers sometimes rate this one at the top of their list because it can be read again and again on many levels. Read it now; read it when you are an adult! This book will grip you with its mystery and imagination. This is the first in a series which traces Ged’s journey through Earthsea. You can read the next ones too: The Tombs of Auan, The Farthest Shore. Awards include a Newbery Silver Medal and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. The author has won the Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, the Hugo Award (awards the year’s best science fiction in the world), and the Nebula Award (the best science fiction in the United States).
The Good Earth. Pearl Buck. Buck won the Nobel Prize for Literature and this book won the Pulitzer Prize. The author grew up in China. She presents a graphic picture of life during the reign of the last emperor and the sweeping changes of the 20th century. It is a moving story of an ordinary family. “ …Pearl S. Buck traces the whole cycle of life: its terrors, its passions, its ambitions and rewards. Her brilliant novel – beloved by millions of readers –is a universal tale of the destiny of man.” (from the Contemporary Classics Edition)
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is the famous novel written before the Civil War to show the evils of slavery. Its popularity spread like wildfire throughout the country and the world. When President Lincoln met Mrs. Stowe, he is believed to have said, “So, you’re the little lady who started the war.” Those who accomplish the reading of this major (and fat) book will discuss its dramatic propaganda style and what made it have such a big impact.
Don’t forget the “anytime books”. See the last page for summer reading classics and Cut here biographies. Whenever you finish one, we can discuss it – “anytime”!
Use your ⇒winter break! I plan to read the following book(s) by the first week of February: (circle choice) • The Wizard of Earthsea • The Good Earth • Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Student name______
Parent signature______Avid Readers Club Grades 7 and 8 Round #3 – Discussions will be after Spring Break
Classic Fiction Choices
Girl of the Limberlost. Gene Stratton Porter. Some say Elnora Comstock is one of the best literary heroines. She is independent, intelligent, strong, feminine, concerned with physical appearance and yet aware that it’s what’s inside that counts. When the author died in 1924 she was one of the most popular writers in America. My mother was an avid fan of hers. When she (my mother) gave this book to my daughter as a gift, it instantly became one of my daughter’s favorites. This classic will not die.
Shane. Jack Shaefer. This enduring story published in 1949 (and later made into a motion picture) is set in America’s Old West. A gunman, trying to escape his past, captures the admiration of a young boy. “He rode into our valley in the summer of ’89, a slim man, dressed in black. ‘Call me Shane,’ he said. He never told us more. There was a deadly calm in the valley that summer, a slow, climbing tension that seemed to focus on Shane.”
Current Best Seller Choice
1776. David McCullough. This is a page-turning historical account of the several major players in this pivotal year in American history. You will marvel at General Washington and wonder at how a bunch of farmers could come together and face the world’s best army. This bestselling author knows how to get the facts and tell the story. Don’t forget the “anytime books”. See the last page for summer reading classics and biographies. Whenever you finish one, we can discuss it – “anytime”!
Cut here I plan to read the following book(s) by the end of Spring Break: (circle choice) • The⇒ Girl of the Limberlost • Shane • 1776
Student name______
Parent signature______Avid Readers Club Grades 7 and 8 Round #4: Discussions will be in mid-May
Classic Science Fiction Choices The Time Machine. H.G. Wells. Quite an amazing journey it was to leap thousands of years into the future and confront the burdens and challenges of the societies there. H.G. Wells wrote this in 1895 and it captivated the imaginations of readers entering a new century. It launched his reputation as “the father of science fiction. ” Note: Those of you who are entering the scenario writing competition would do well to read this one. In this case, read it in the first half of the year. Let Mrs. D. know and we’ll discuss early.
Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury. One of the most frequently appearing titles on high school reading lists, this book is listed on many other noteworthy lists. For example, The New York Public Library’s Books of the Century included it for its significant influence in shaping the last 100 years. Bradbury’s classic book about a fireman whose job it is to burn books, certainly stirs our moral imagination!
Historical Fiction Choice The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757. James Fenimore Cooper. This book was first published in 1826. Cooper was one of the first American writers to portray North American geography and history in a novel. It is an exciting tale describing the conflict between French and English forces and involving various Indian nations. The white frontiersman, Hawk-eye, bands together with his Mohican friend, Chingachgook, to guide two white woman through hostile Indian territory. Treachery, betrayal, loyalty, violence, suspense, and romance – quite a story! Today there is still a thriving James Fenimore Cooper fan club. If you like this one, there are more “leatherstocking tales” – The Deerslayer, The Pathfinder, The Pioneers, and The Prairie. Don’t forget the “anytime books”. See the last page for summer reading classics and biographies. Whenever you finish one, we can discuss it – “anytime”!
Cut here I plan to read the following book(s) by the first week of May: (circle choice) • The⇒ Time Machine • Fahrenheit 451 • The Last of the Mohicans
Student name______
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Avid Readers Club Grades 7 and 8
Avid Reader “Anytime” Books
Anytime Classics from the Summer Reading List If you read one of these or still want to read them, let Mrs. D. know. These are “anytime” books. Discussions will happen anytime!
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Anytime Biographies Set a goal to read one great biography. Tell Mrs. D. your goal. These are “anytime” books. Discussions will happen anytime!
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris The Story of My Life by Helen Keller