Leftyplayer Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 (edited) What literature / classics/ literary works will your middle schooler be reading this year? I've got so many lists from various sources that now I'm overwhelmed. I have a voracious recreational reader, so not concerned about her reading skills, but I'd like to hand her a short list of "required reading" for 7th and 8th so that she can be well-versed as she enters High School. What's on your reading list for middle grade? And, more importantly, how did you narrow it down from so many vast options? Edited August 7, 2016 by Leftyplayer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 DS loves literature, so our list is rather heavy and we have some selections that correspond with our history as well. We'll see how much we get through. Here goes. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkien My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne Watership Down - Richard Adams Short stories: "A Crazy Tale" - G.K. Chesterton, "A Day of Pleasure" - Isaac Bashevis Singer, "Wakefield" - Nathaniel Hawthorne Poets: Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Keats, Maya Angelou Historical Lit: Tales of Ancient Egypt - Roger Lancelyn Green The Golden Goblet - Eloise Jarvis McGraw The Children's Homer - Padraic Colum Greek Myths - Olivia Coolidge Theras and His Town - Caroline Dale Snedeker Caesar's Gallic War - Olivia Coolidge Julius Caesar - Shakespeare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Seventh grade here. This year I'm requiring more reading for BalletBoy, but not for Mushroom. Because... reasons. Mushroom has to do the short stories and the books with an asterisk. They additionally have to read books of their own and we still read aloud. And we do poetry tea at least once a month and read and discuss lots of poetry together. Mushroom is a slower reader, is working on some other things, has a longish nonfiction list, and tends to choose much higher quality books to read on his own than BalletBoy. Books: * A Long Walk to Water * Sounder The Time Machine Tuck Everlasting Crash The Wednesday Wars Call of the Wild Short Stories (I may add some - we usually do one per month): "To Build a Fire" by Jack London "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury "The Circuit" by Francisco Jimenez "Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftyplayer Posted August 7, 2016 Author Share Posted August 7, 2016 Love the idea of incorporating more short stories into our reading. I must admit, I'm very familiar with the classics, but not sure where to start researching short stories. Did you use an anthology? Or? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Sixth-grade voracious reader here. We're doing... IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain Where the Red Fern Grows 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Heidi by Johanna Spyri, Helen Dole, trans. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot POETRY (We alternate between poetry and short story units each year) Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot Renaissance poets: Shakespeare, Donne, Edmund Spenser, Walter Raleigh, etc. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by J.R.R. Tolkien The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge HISTORICAL LITERATURE One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb Beowulf, A New Telling by Robert Nye King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green The Canterbury Tales by Geraldine McCaughrean* 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 My middle schooler had read a lot, too, but in 7th last year and in 8th this year I chise some books for us to read and discuss together. The main book we had a detailed discussion about in 7th was To Kill a Mockingbird. Also include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (and Huck Finn) if your student hasn't read those yet. Also Watership Down was a great story. For 8th, I picked out the books below. I am not very knowledgable about literature, and I decided on them after reading various posters' middle school lit lists. The Yearling Pollyanna The Princess and the Goblin Sea Wolf Master and Commander The Golden Key Hamlet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Love the idea of incorporating more short stories into our reading. I must admit, I'm very familiar with the classics, but not sure where to start researching short stories. Did you use an anthology? Or? There are a few good anthologies. Little Worlds has a lot of classics - good for upper middle school: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Worlds-Collection-Stories-Middle/dp/1877653527/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51ZXT5PE9JL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR212%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=Q6R6XT0KXHZJZJ8SDR0H Best Shorts has a mix, but more children's authors, good for the lower end of middle school: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Shorts-Favorite-Stories-Sharing/dp/0618476032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470607931&sr=8-1&keywords=best+shorts+avi The Guys Read series has a lot of great short stories and isn't just for guys, IMO: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=guys+read This list is great: http://www.mrswatersenglish.com/2014/05/40-excellent-short-stories-for-middle-school/ So is this one: http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/book-club/2014/08/05/24-short-stories-for-middle-schoolers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 My 6th grader... I've only got Fall planned. We're doing a British Lit year. He's doing The Hobbit (read it before but we're going beyond) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Much Ado About Nothing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy A Christmas Carol Some selected Celtic Fairy tales A weekly poem That's just for lit, now to Christmas. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J&JMom Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Love book lists :). These are in addition to their literature program (short stories, poems, drama, articles, etc.) and self-selected, independent reading choices. The Read Aloud List (both 6th and 8th graders) - Novels only (nonfiction titles are chosen based on current events and content studies) Quarter 1 Ungifted (Korman) Class Dismissed (Woodrow) The Golden Goblet Hoot Little Women A Year Down Yonder Hammer of Thor (Riordan) Quarter 2 Alice in Wonderland The Thief of Always (Barker) [halloween] The Kid Who Ran for President [Election Week] Roll of Thunder Sing Down the Moon Honus and Me Diary of Anne Frank Mysterious Benedict Society (#2) [Christmas Break] Woods Runner Fever 1793 Novel Studies: 6th Grade: 39 Clues View From Saturday Bridge to Terabertha Robin Hood Summer of the Swans 8th Grade: Call of the Wild The Pearl The Outsiders Lord of the Flies To Kill a Mockingbird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I love literature lists. And I love that the kiddo is getting old enough to read books I read and remember really well! She's doing early Modern this year and is doing chemistry, so I have books set aside for that period and field of study. But the books I am looking forward to discussing with her that are "required" enjoyable reads are: Watership Down A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Lord of the Flies because I read them as a middle schooler. :) but I agree that these are the years when intensive studies of short stories and poetry work seem to really bear fruit, so I will try to incorporate a lot of that into this year's work too. I remember reading To Build a Fire and The Most Dangerous Game at about this time of my life... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 My 8th grader will be using Build Your Library's grade 8 schedule, and for once I won't have to add a stack of extra readers on the side. You can see the books BYL schedules here. My 7th grader's list probably won't be very helpful. She is all about the Shakespeare lately. We picked 9 major plays and hope to keep the pace of about one a month. We have No Fear versions with modern English juxtaposed with the original, biographies by Landmark, Bryson, and Horrible Books, and her independent readers will mostly be lighter modern spin-offs of the Shakespeare stories to help balance the depth/meat. She is super excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Ds12 and Dd13 both enjoy reading. They will be reading the lit books (primary and many secondary) from Tapestry of Grace Year 2. Ds12: Aladdin and other Tales from the Arabian NightsCanterbury Tales (short retelling)Medieval Myths, Legends, and SongsMen of IronBeowulfHamletThe Second Mrs. GiacondaAlmost HomeDangerous Journey (already read this, so this might become the real Pilgrim's Progress)Robinson CrusoeWitch of Blackbird PondEarly ThunderGulliver's TravelsJohnny TremainJustin Morgan had a HorseDd13: (although some of these are selections and not full works) Canterbury Tales The Divine ComedySong of RolandFierce Wars and Faithful LovesHenry VKing LearThe TempestParadise LostPhaedraPilgrim's ProgressTartuffeGulliver's TravelsSense and SensibilityBoth will read various other books for history, secondary readings, primary books that weren't right in front of me :tongue_smilie:, etc. They will also be doing a Tolkien study this year which will require a lot of reading. Although school starts in a week, I don't have a final reading list yet. Some that will definitely be included are: The Hobbit The LotR Trilogy The Silmarillion The Black DouglasThe Invisible ManThe Children of Hurinone of the Arthur booksTales from the Perilous RealmThe Hobbit PartyThe Philosophy of Tolkien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 (edited) Sixth and fourth grader are schooled together. We are doing a year of "cleaning out Mama's homeschooling stash". She also does very well with the Book Basket approach, so there will be a lot of non-fiction books on each topic. Here is the sixth graders list: Anatomy Unit: Tuck Everlasting & A Hat Full of Sky Medieval Europe Unit: Redwall & The Sword in the Stone Naturalist Unit: My Side of the Mountain & Heidi Winter Holidays Unit: Still working on; will incorporate The Gift of the Magi and something else Early Americas Unit: ?? Harry Potter IV: hoping Build Your Library's unit study will be out this year; we've done books 1-3 using those. Women's History - biography project month, so lots of biographies Hobbit Unit: The Hobbit & poetry unit Sixth grader will also sit in on older sibling's Shakespeare unit and read A Midsummer Night's Dream this year. Edited August 9, 2016 by beckyjo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Someone mentioned Johnny Tremain. It is one of our favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmama37 Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Right now we've got four on the list- Amos Fortune, Free Man; Crispin Cross of Lead; Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and we will use Progeny Press with all three of these. Then I have The Giver with Total Language Plus guide. I'm hoping to add in maybe one or two more with the TLP guides if we like it. If not, we will use Progreny Press. I'd like to add in The Bronze Bow as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Here is our list for 8th grade: David Copperfield North and South Pride and Prejudice Robinson Crusoe Saga of the Volsungs Bulfinch's Mythology English Literature for Young People Ivanhoe Scottish Chiefs King Arthur Men of Iron Canterbury Tales Retold Tales of the Crusades Stories from Dante Poetry with Longfellow, Frost, Tennyson and maybe Dickinson Shakespeare-Merchant of Venice and Macbeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Brooks Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 8th grade literature with a selection of old and new classics, plus some nonfiction. My reader is not a fan of historical fiction . The Handmaiden's Tale & The House of the Scorpion Animal Farm & Lord of the Flies To Kill a Mockingbird Tom Sawyer Of Mice and Men Poetry Our Town & Romeo and Juliette Into Thin Air & Night Fallen Angels & Sunrise Over Fallujah I also bought Literature: and Introduction to Reading and Writing. DD is a strong reader and she should be OK with this if I modify it to meet her needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Some of ours (the ones we have planned so far): The Sword and the Circle (Sutcliffe) The Black Arrow The Brendan Voyage Daughter of Time Joan of Arc (the Mark Twain version) Watership Down Idylls of the King Taste of Chaucer In Freedom's Cause Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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