Incoming eighth graders are required to read one of the books listed below. Please come to school on the first day prepared to discuss the book you've chosen to read. While you are reading, please annotate and "Talk to the Text," just as you learned in seventh grade.

SELECT AT LEAST ONE OF THE TITLES BELOW:

The Wadjet Eye by Jill Rubalcaba (ancient Spain)

Pharaoh’s Daughter by Julius Lester (ancient Egypt)

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (ancient Egypt)

Mara: Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (ancient Egypt)

God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekia by Joanne Williamson and Daria Sockey (ancient Egypt)

Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green (ancient Egypt)

The Iliad by Nick McCarty (ancient Greece)

The Ancient Ocean Blues by Jack Mitchell (ancient Rome and Greece)

Mythology by Edith Hamilton (ancient Rome and Greece)

Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Schecter (ancient Rome)

Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfield  (ancient Rome)

Mystery of the Roman Ransom by Henry Winterfield  (ancient Rome)

The Ides of April by Mary Ray Age 11 and up (ancient Rome)

Beyond the Desert Gate by Mary Ray Age 11 and up (ancient Rome)

The Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Dale Snedeker  (ancient Rome)

The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff (ancient Rome)

The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff (ancient Rome)

The Mark of the Horse Lord by Rosemary Sutcliff (ancient Rome)

Each of these novels combines elements of history while enhancing the story with fictional elements. Throughout the school year, we will focus on the essential question, How and Why Has Reading and Writing Changed Over Time? The text that you choose will help you begin to think about ancient civilizations.  We hope that through this summer reading experience, you will discover new interests and passions.