Books for 7th - 8th Grade

Summer Bibliographies 2008

J/F/BECKER
Becker, Tom - Darkside. Book 1.
After his father is taken away to an asylum, Jonathan Starling finds that he is being hunted by thugs with supernatural powers. With nowhere left to hide, Jonathan enters Darkside—a hidden part of London populated by werewolves, vampires and corpses—to find a friend of his father's who might be able to help. 294p.

J/F/BIRDSALL
Birdsall, Olivia - Notes on a Near-Life Experience
Mia's family life is falling apart. Her dad's moved out, her older brother drinks, her mom is working long hours, and Mia feels like she's starring in a really bad soap opera. 257p.

J/F/CARTER
Carter, Ally - I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You
Cammie Morgan attends the Gallagher Academy, seemingly a private school for snooty rich kids, but secretly a training ground for future spies. Cammie knows all about running covert operations, but she doesn't know anything about going on a first date. 284p.

J/F/COONEY
Cooney, Caroline B. - Diamonds in the Shadow
Jared's family takes in a church-sponsored refuge family from Africa's war-torn Sierra Leon. The family is hiding more than just their scarred past, and a killer is tracking them right to Jared's door. 228p.

J/F/COMPESTINE
Compestine, Ying Chang - Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
Ling's life is turned upside down when Chairman Mao and his oppressive regime come to power in China. Her family is stripped of privileges and status, and her father is arrested by the Red Guard. 248p.

J/F/CORNWELL
Cornwell, Autumn - Carpe Diem
Vassar has her life perfectly planned, and it does not include being dragged on a trip through the jungles of Southeast Asia with her grandmother. Can Vassar cope with snakes, food poisoning, bamboo huts and all the other unexpected aspects of their "jungle adventure?" 360p.

J/F/DOYLE
Doyle, Roddy - Wilderness
Tom, John and their mother decide to take a dogsledding vacation, leav-ing their half-sister at home to reunite with her biological mother. When the boys' mother disappears somewhere in Lapland, they set off on a desperate search through the frozen countryside to rescue her. 211p.

J/F/EPHRON
Ephron, Delia - Frannie in Pieces
Frannie's father dies of a sudden heart attack. In his possessions Frannie finds a puzzle with her name on it. As she puts the pieces of the puzzle together, she tries to put her life back into place. 374p.

J/F/FEINSTEIN
Feinstein, John - Cover-Up
When he is sent to cover the Super Bowl as a teen reporter for the Washington Herald, Steve uncovers a scheme to conceal the fact that one team's star has flunked his drug test. Steve and co-reporter Susan Carol need enough proof to break the story before the big game. 298p.

J/F/FRIESNER
Friesner, Esther M. - Nobody's Princess
Helen, a Spartan princess, longs for the adventurous life her brothers have, riding, hunting and going on quests, years before she becomes the infamous beauty, Helen of Troy. 305p.

J/F/GAIMAN
Gaiman, Neil - InterWorld
Joey Harker is a Walker—able to walk through portals that link parallel Earths. He joins InterWorld, an organization of Walkers dedicated to maintaining the balance of power between science and magic throughout the dimensions. 239p.

J/F/HALE
Hale, Shannon - The Book of a Thousand Days
Lady Saren refuses to marry the violent warlord her father has chosen for her because she loves Prince Tegus from afar. She sends her maid to talk to him, pretending to be Lady Saren. The maid falls for the prince, but can the prince love a mere maid who's not a princess? 305p.

J/F/HARPER
Harper, Suzanne - The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney
Sparrow is happy to have a fresh start at a new school because the dead have always spoken to her and this is her chance to be normal. Unfortunately, the cute boy in her class has a dead older brother who won't leave her alone until she passes on a message. 362p.

J/F/HENEGHAN
Heneghan, James - Payback
" Life is about choices and sometimes you make the wrong choice," says Charley's da. When he moves from Ireland and attends a new school in Canada, Charley does his best to fit in, but when the bullying gets out of hand he wonders if his choices have been the right ones. 184p.

J/F/JINKS
Jinks, Catherine - Evil Genius
Cadel's classes at the Axis Institute for World Domination include Assassination, Basic Lying, Embezzlement, and Pure Evil. When his dad's evil business schemes threaten one of his friends, Cadel must turn his genius against his family. 362p.

J/F/KOSTICK
Kostick, Conor - Epic
On Erik's world, the video game Epic controls everything and winning players can earn real money. His dad is about to be exiled, and Erik has to come up with a lot of cash to save him. Erik's friends help him battle a dragon within the game—something no one has done in years. 364p.

J/F/LUPICA
Lupica, Mike - The Big Field
Hutch had always been the shortstop until Darryl joined the same team and took his position. Darryl also takes every opportunity he can to put Hutch down. Now their team has reached the state championships, and Hutch and Darryl have a score of their own to settle. 243p.

J/F/MASS
Mass, Wendy - Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall: A Novel
After Tessa is hit in the head by a Dodgeball during gym class, she has an out-of-body experience, watching her life play out from the mall—or is it from Heaven? 251p.

J/F/MILLER
Miller, Sarah Elizabeth - Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller
Spirited Annie Sullivan takes on her biggest teaching job ever—trying to reach the deaf and blind 6-year-old Helen Keller. 208p.

J/F/MYERS
Myers, Walter Dean - Game
Drew loves basketball and he's got skills—his ticket to college scholar-ships and maybe even the NBA. With a new star player joining his team, Drew needs to keep his eye on the ball and his head in the game. 218p.

J/F/THOMPSON
Thompson, Kate - The New Policeman
There's a time leak in the land of faerie—their world is gaining time from our world and it's getting worse. J.J. travels through the portal between the two worlds to repair this cosmic time leak, and uncovers dark family secrets of his own. 442p.

J/F/TOWNLEY
Townley, Rod - The Red Thread: A Novel in Three Incarnations
Dana's dreams about being sealed in a small place cause her to suffer from claustrophobia and nightmares. She sees a psychiatrist who helps her explore her past lives, trying to find the cause of her terror. 294p.

J/F/VANDE VELDE
Vande Velde, Vivian - Remembering Raquel
Raquel is struck by a car and killed while on her way home one night. Now her entire town remembers what they knew about the girl. 137p.

J/F/WEAVER
Weaver, Will - Defect
David was born different (with bat-like deformities and abilities), but when he gets a chance to be normal, should he take it? Is his difference a blessing or a curse? 199p.

Prepared by A. Blau, C. Morrison, K. Pocci, May 2008