Ann@thebeach Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 It seems like all the book lists I find for 7th and 8th grade are either crazy long, lots of contemporary or new books, or all different! I realize that many here will have different ideas for this but what are your top 10 (or 10ish) "must reads" for 7th and top 10 for 8th grade? (20 total) I want to be sure he's reading the classic lit needed and I feel like I don't have a good handle on what that is. He's read things like The Three Musketeers, Call of the Wild, Robinson Crusoe, White Fang, various war books, etc. I just wish I had a list that I could pull from instead of just picking things randomly. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Do you have any particular history study in mind? I follow the 4 year history cycle and use that to guide my literature choices. My recommendations would follow from that. Generally, I use the logic stage reading lists from TWTM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I think it depends on where you want to go with high school literature and your dc's reading ability. If you plan to follow a traditional American, British, and World lit program in high school my list would be different. Do you plan to study WTM style with lit aligned with history, or perhaps you want to follow a traditional Great Books style which spend two years on Ancient history? We've pulled books from traditional classics and GB lists. Some of what we've read in the last two years are retellings to ensure ds is prepared for Ancient Greek list next year. These are some that we have done: Lord of the Rings (done with LL Lotr) Retellings of The Iliad and The Odyssey Beowulf Tom Sawyer Sherlock Holmes a Retelling of Dante's Divine Comedy Alice in Wonderland Greek Myths Macbeth Japanese Myths Chinese Myths Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 29, 2012 Author Share Posted April 29, 2012 We haven't followed the WTM history cycle but I do need to look at her book lists again and use that as a reference. Where would I find the Great Books lists? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethG Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Perhaps consider doing the OMNIBUS via www.veritaspress.com. Here's the link to check it out. Don't know your religious preferences, but it's Christian-based. Works the greatest works of literature in along with histroy and theology. http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=000905 You can scroll down to the bottom and click on the suggested literature books that they recommend to accompany the Omnibus Text. http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=000901 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 We haven't followed the WTM history cycle but I do need to look at her book lists again and use that as a reference. Where would I find the Great Books lists? Here's a list complied by M. Adler in How to Read a Book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books The book Invitations to the Classicsis good as well. It gives a synopsis of the author and the work. This book does approach the topic via christianity, but the list is similar to Adler's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 29, 2012 Author Share Posted April 29, 2012 Perhaps consider doing the OMNIBUS via www.veritaspress.com.Here's the link to check it out. Don't know your religious preferences, but it's Christian-based. Works the greatest works of literature in along with histroy and theology. http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=000905 You can scroll down to the bottom and click on the suggested literature books that they recommend to accompany the Omnibus Text. http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=000901 Interestingly, I was just looking at the Veritas Press catalog today! We use secular materials mostly, but I still consider Christian materials if they fill the need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 (edited) I agree with Paula's recommendations (Elegant Lion) as well as the rest of the recommendations you've received so far... I like to think of these years (and would include 6th and 9th as well if you're not focused on the chronological list exclusively) as foundational years. I used/am still using these years as a time to really build my dd's knowledge before attempting the big books. I think the classics you've listed are exactly what I would suggest (Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women/Little Men, Tom Sawyer, Call of the Wild, etc.). Reading mythology is very important before works such as The Iliad, The Odyssey, Beowulf and The Aeneid. I also think reading The LOTR is wonderful during these years. My dd has had the same reaction that many of this age have when reading these books in that her fascination with mythology really grew from this (especially Norse Myths). Reading poetry in this stage will add to this foundation. The later works are poems (long and epic but still poetry). I had my dd read through The Courtship of Miles Standish by Longfellow to begin to build up her poetry reading skills. There are other long, narrative style poems that would make good alternatives. Hopefully, I didn't ramble on too much....:lol: Here is a list I have for 7th and 8th: Year 7: Poetry: Evangeline by Henry W. Longfellow The Iliad (Homer) Beowulf by Seamus Heaney w/Study Guide Mythology and Tales: Age of Fable from Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch Age of Fable Study Guide (PDF) The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff or The Odyssey for Boys and Girls by Alfred Church Tales From Ancient Egypt by Roger L. Green Legends of the North by Oliva Coolidge Canterbury Tales Retold Geraldine McCaughrean Stories of Wagner's Operas by H. A. Guerber Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream Essays/Primary Sources: selections from The Portable Medieval Reader edited by Ross and McLaughlin History of Literature: English Literature for Boys and Girls by H. E. Marshall (Used in Years 7-9) Literature: The Hobbit by J. R. R . Tolkien Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery Call of the Wild by Jack London Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger L. Green Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter Scottish Chiefs Year 8: Poetry: The Odyssey (Homer) Hiawatha by Henry W. Longfellow Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves: Book 1 of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene edited by Roy Maynard Renaissance poets such as Milton, Donne, Raleigh and Shakespeare's sonnets Select Minor Poems by Milton edited by James E. Thomas Mythology: Bulfinch's Mythology Read Age of Chivalry and Legends of Charlemagne Aeneid for Boys and Girls by Alfred Church or In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid by Penelope Lively Stories From Dante by Mary Macgregor Heroes of the Kalevala: Finland's Saga by Babette Deutsch Shakespeare/Drama: Henry V Everyman: A Morality Play Short Stories: A Book of Short Stories Selected and Edited by Stuart P. Sherman. Add the following three selections from this book: The Best American Tales Chosen by Trent and Henneman The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving The Great Stone Face by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Man without a Country by Edward Everett Hale Essays/Primary Sources: Selections from The Portable Renaissance Reader edited by Ross and McLaughlin The Essays of Francis Bacon History of Literature: English Literature for Boys and Girls by H. E. Marshall (Used in Years 7-9) Literature: Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien The Utopia by Sir Thomas More Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson LOTR Extensions: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien The Road to Middle-Earth: How J.R.R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology by Tom Shippey These are just ideas of my own, so feel free to ignore this list or take from it what you like...LOL:001_smile:! Edited April 30, 2012 by Kfamily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Here is the the 6th grade list...in case this helps... Year 6: Poetry: Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost edited by Gary D. Schmidt In Flanders Field: The Story of the Poem by John McCraeby Linda Granfield Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson edited by Frances Schoonmaker Bolin The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry W. Longfellow Additional poems by Longfellow: The Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Tales: The Sampo by James Baldwin The Story of Siegfried by James Baldwin The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle or Robin Hood by Roger L. Green Mythology: Dragons, Gods & Spirits from Chinese Mythology (World Mythology Series) by Tao Tao Liu Sanders The Trojan War by Oliva Coolidge or Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff Helenic Tales or Stories From the Classics Myths of the World by Padraic Colum Shakespeare: Tales From Shakespeare by C. & M. Lamb or Complete Tales From Shakespeare *The Complete Tales From Shakespeare is a great book and the one I recommend if you can find it. It is difficult to find. The complete tales includes all of Tales From Shakespeare as well as prose retellings for all of the missing Shakespeare plays such as the histories. Literature: The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Treasure Island by Robert L. Stevenson The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry Oliver Twist with 2 options: The Story of Oliver Twist (Adapted School Version) with study questions at the beginning of the book. Even if you decide to read the unabridged version, these questions will still be useful. or The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Optional: The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum (both Iliad and Odyssey retelling) The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred Church The Prince and the Pauper: A Tale for Young People of All Ages by Mark Twain Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott Little Men by Louisa May Alcott A Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens Commodore Perry in the Land of Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 Kfamily-THANK YOU so much-very helpful information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 My 8th grade list. It is mostly centered on our year of US history. A Midsummer Night's Dream Island of the Blue Dolphin The Witch of Blackbird Pond The Sign of the Beaver Toliver's Secret Selections from William Wordsworth Favorite Poems The Scarlet Pimpernel Pride and Prejudice Selections from The Raven and other Favorite Poems The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle The Adventurers of Sherlock Holmes Selections from The Road Not Taken and Other Poems Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Selections from Walt Whitman's Civil War Poetry and Prose World War One Short Stories by Bob Blaisdell A Tale of Two Cities The Red Badge of Courage Selections from My Last Duchess and Other Poems (Browning) Journey to the Center of the Earth Pygmalion (Shaw) The Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde) The Time Machine The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tzar Murder on the Orient Express Fahrenheit 451: A Novel I, Robot A Princess of Mars I also have the following as possibilities if I need to fill in some space. A Wrinkle in Time Kidnapped The Swiss Family Robinson The Princess and the Goblin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Are you using a Literature program or lit. guides at this point? You may find that very helpful as your "spine" and for starting some beginning literary analysis with Classic Literature, and then have a variety of great young adult books as solo or "book basket" material. Any of these programs might fit the bill for middle school: - Lightning Lit & Comp 7 (for advanced 6th; average 7th; first exposure to lit. 8th) - Lightning Lit & Comp 8 (for advanced 7th; average 8th; first exposure to lit. 9th) - Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (for grades 7-10) - Excellence in Literature: Intro to Literature (for grades 8-10) - Windows to the World (for advanced 8th; or grades 9-12) For ideas for titles for solo reading, I like booklists, like these: - 1000 Good Books - Sonlight Curriculum (Core G, Core H, and Core 100 titles) - Ambleside Online (booklists by grade level, especially the "free reading" section at the bottom of each booklist -- though, I think their book lists are often 2-4 grades more advanced than what *I* would list them as -- so I'd suggest starting with titles from Grade 5 and Grade 6, and some Grade 7 titles; almost all of Grade 8 seems very advanced to me) Not knowing what all you may have already covered, I'll hold off on listing specific titles, unless you really would like that. Happy reading! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000-junior.html This is one of my favorite reading lists. They also have one for earlier grades and high school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 Thanks again! Lots of great resources! The hard part is narrowing it down now ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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