Children's Books for Parents and Teachers » 8th Grade (Age 13)

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:25:16 +0000

A huge sea monster has attacked and wrecked several ships from beneath the sea. Professor Arronax bravely joins a mission to hunt down the beast. He goes aboard the Nautilus, a secret submarine helmed by the mysterious Captain Nemo. At first, the mission is exciting, as Nemo takes Arronax on a voyage around the underwater world. But when things start to go wrong, Arronax finds there’s no escape from the Nautilus. He is now Captain Nemo’s captive 20,000 leagues under the sea!

A Book of Coupons

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:36:19 +0000

Monsieur Hubert Noël isn’t quite what his fifth-grade class expected. First, he gives all his students a book of coupons as a gift: one coupon for sleeping late, one for lost work, one for cheating, and more of the same. At first the students use them, but it’s not until they realize that Monsieur Noël is giving them more important gifts for free — books read aloud, a whole year of lessons, and out-of-the-ordinary field trips — that they stop clipping coupons. This book about a quirky teacher in an unconventional school will teach readers a lesson about one of life’s most precious gifts — the love of learning.

A Christmas Carol

admin — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:16:54 +0000

One of the best-loved and most quoted stories of “the man who invented Christmas”-English writer Charles Dickens-A Christmas Carol debuted in 1843 and has touched millions of hearts since. Cruel miser Ebeneezer Scrooge has never met a shilling he doesn’t like… and hardly a man he does. And he hates Christmas most of all. When Scrooge is visited by his old partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, he learns eternal lessons of charity, kindness, and goodwill. Experience a true Victorian Christmas with Barbour’s tenth anniversary Value Book edition-now on quality stock!

A Little Princess

admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:03:11 +0000

Ostracized by the envious and less-privileged girls at Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies, seven-year-old Sara Crewe is devastated when her adored, indulgent father dies, leaving her penniless and alone in the world. The story of how Sara’s fortunes change again, and how she discovers the true meaning of family, is a tale that … Continue reading →

A Smart Girl’s Guide to Friendship Troubles

cindy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:41:24 +0000

How do you speak up when you’re afraid of hurting your friend’s feelings? What do you do after a really big fight? What if your friend leaves you for the popular crowd? Inside you’ll find tips, quizzes, and real-life stories that can help solve a girl’s most common friendship troubles. When your friendship’s in trouble, you need help — fast. Here’s the advice you need to get through the tough times and help you decide how to deal with friendship dilemmas

A Wind in the Door

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:22:26 +0000

Meg Murry can’t help but be worried when her six-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, announces there are dragons in the vegetable garden. He’s so bright and so different from other kids, he’s getting bullied at school, and he is also strangely, seriously ill. But Charles Wallace is right about the dragons—actually a friendly entity who has come to help Charles Wallace fight his sickness. Meg and her friend Calvin O’Keefe join the dragon on a terrifying, wonderful journey into galactic space—where they must battle the forces of evil to save Charles Wallace and themselves.

A Wrinkle in Time

admin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:20:06 +0000

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg’s father, who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Abarat

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:36:43 +0000

It begins in the most boring place in the world: Chickentown, U.S.A. Candy Quackenbush lives in Chickentown, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future might hold. When the answer comes, it’s not one she expects. Out of nowhere comes a wave, and Candy, led by a man called John Mischief (whose brothers live on the horns on his head), leaps into the surging waters and is carried away. Where? To the ABARAT: a vast archipelago where every island is a different hour of the day, from the Great Head that sits in the mysterious twilight waters of Eight in the Evening, to the sunlit wonders of Three in the Afternoon, where dragons roam, to the dark terrors of Gorgossium, the island of Midnight, ruled over by the Prince of Midnight himself, Christopher Carrion. As Candy journeys from one amazing place to another, making fast friends and encountering treacherous foes — mechanical bugs and giant moths, miraculous cats and men made of mud, a murderous wizard and his terrified slave-she begins to realize something. She has been here before. Candy has a place in this extraordinary world: she is here to help save the Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart. Forces older than Time itself, and more evil than anything Candy has ever encountered. She’s a strange heroine, she knows. But this is a strange world. And in the Abarat, all things are possible.

Across Five Aprils

admin — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:13:31 +0000

The unforgettable story of young Jethro Creighton, who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War, by the Newbery Award-winning author of Up a Road Slowly. An impressive book both as a historically authentic Civil War novel and as a beautifully written family story.

Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:38:43 +0000

Amber and Essie are sisters. Amber was brave. She wasn’t afraid of climbing up into high places. Essie was smart. She could read very hard library books. Together they make a good team. Their father is in prison, their mother works long hours, and there is little money to pay the bills. Through a series of interconnected poems, Williams presents Amber and Essie’s sad, funny, and moving tale. Full-color portraits of the girls precede the story, and an album of dramatic moments closes the book. Black-and-white pencil drawings are interspersed among the poems.

An Indian Winter

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:15:12 +0000

In 1833 German prince Maximilian and Swiss artist Karl Bodmer traveled through the Missouri River Valley to study Native Americans. Their detailed journals and artwork are the basis for this account of their travels. Freedman describes the customs, social structure, and artifacts the two men encountered as well as their friendship with the Mandan and … Continue reading →

Artemis Fowl

api — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:47 +0000

Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl, heir to the Fowl family empire and centuries-old legacy of scams and underworld machinations, decides to uncover the secret treasure of the Fairy People by stealing one of their magical …

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum

api — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:58:27 +0000

As the Plague takes hold of seventeenth-century London and people flee the city, Hannah and her sister Sarah try to maintain Sarah's candy shop even with the possibility of their own demise growing ever closer.

Between Shades of Gray

api — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:57:21 +0000

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her …

Breaking Stalin’s Nose

api — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:59:04 +0000

In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, 10-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values and beliefs.

Brian’s Return

admin — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:04:53 +0000

For more than a decade, readers and reviewers everywhere have praised Gary Paulsen’s exciting stories about brave Brian Robeson. In the Newbery Honor book Hatchet, 13-year-old Brian was stranded in the Canadian wilderness with only the clothes on his back and a hatchet to help him survive. The River brought 15-year-old Brian back to the wilderness for a government project — where he was left with a wounded partner and a rapid river to navigate. An alternative sequel, Brian’s Winter, posed the question: What if Brian had not been rescued? Now comes Brian’s Return — the final, gripping conclusion to Paulsen’s extraordinary saga.

Bud, Not Buddy

api — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:01:25 +0000

Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father–the renowned bandleader, H. E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.

Building Big

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:32:17 +0000

Future designers, engineers, and architects will find hours of discovery in Macauley’s newest book about what can be accomplished with common sense, imagination, and technology. It focuses on the design challenges and solutions that go into the building of everyday structures — bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes, and dams. It also contains detailed drawings and a … Continue reading →

Castle

admin — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 05:26:01 +0000

The word itself conjures up mystery, romance, intrigue, and grandeur. What could be more perfect for an author/illustrator who has continually stripped away the mystique of architectural structures that have long fascinated modern man? With typical zest and wry sense of humor punctuating his drawings, David Macaulay traces the step-by-step planning and construction of both … Continue reading →

Catching Fire (Hunger Games Series #2)

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:23:19 +0000

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Cathy’s Key: If Found Call (650) 266-8202

cindy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:14:22 +0000

Cathy has finally settled her curiosity about Victor—her off and on boyfriend—and his mysterious past. Suffice it to say that dating an immortal is far from easy! But now Cathy is stumbling across a trail of evidence pertaining to her own family—secrets about her father and the circumstances surrounding his death. Having an immortal boyfriend is sure to come in handy as her investigation continues, considering Cathy’s father is still alive. . . . Complete with evidence photos and a sixteen-page teaser for the third book, Cathy’s Key is sure to please!

Charlie Pippin

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:47:13 +0000

Also about a family, this story introduces a spunky girl determined to learn why her father is so angry and demanding. Chartreuse “Charlie” Pippin seeks her uncle’s help to learn about the Vietnam War. Boyd touches on sensitive issues that many young readers who would like to have a closer relationship to a parent will … Continue reading →

Climb Or Die, A Test of Survival

api — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:01:42 +0000

After a car accident in a snowy Colorado pass seriously injures their parents, athletic fourteen-year-old Danielle and her brainy younger brother, Jake, must scale a mountain to find help.

Crash

api — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:01:53 +0000

Now available in paperback, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli's hilarious, poignant story of cocky seventh-grade superjock Crash Coogan.

Dead End in Norvelt

api — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:58:30 +0000

By the author of the Newbery Honor book, Joey Pigza Loses Control.

Deep Dish

admin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:04:12 +0000

Chef extraordinaire Gina Foxton doesn’t expect anything to be handed to her on a platter. After years of hard work, the former runner-up Miss Teen Vidalia Onion is now the host of her own local Georgia public television show called Fresh Start, and she’s dating the show’s producer.

But when her show gets canceled, and she catches her boyfriend in flagrante delicto with the boss’s wife, Gina realizes that she’s meant for bigger and better things. The Cooking Channel is looking for its next star, and Gina is certain that she fits the bill. Trouble is, the execs also have their eye on Mr. “Kill It and Grill It” Tate Moody, the star of a hunting, fishing, and cooking show called Vittles. Tate is the ultimate man’s man, with a dog named Moonpie and a penchant for flannel shirts. Little does Gina know, though, that she and Tate are soon to embark on the cook-off of their lives.

Dragonwings (Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903)

admin — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:10:49 +0000

Will Windrider take to the skies? Moon shadow is eight years old when he sails from China to join his father, Windrider, in America. Windrider lives in San Francisco and makes his living doing laundry. Father and son have never met. But Moon Shadow grows to love and respect his father and to believe in his wonderful dream. And Windrider, with Moon Shadow’s help is willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese, the poverty, the separation from his wife and country’even the great earthquake’to make his dream come true.

Ella Enchanted

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:16:46 +0000

At her birth, a fairy blesses baby Eleanor with the gift of obedience. But for Ella this is a curse. She must spend her life doing literally everything that is asked of her, from sweeping the floor to handing over valued jewelry. When her mother dies, her father sends her away to boarding school with two cruel sisters. Ella’s spunk keeps her afloat until she meets her charming prince, breaks the wicked spell, and begins her “happily ever after” life.

Eulalia! (Redwall #19)

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:42:50 +0000

Lord Asheye of Salamandastron has a prophecy: A new Badger Lord must take his place and reign over the legendary badger fortress. But who is this young warrior who shuns both armor and sword? And how is he to be found? Mad Maudie, a feisty haremaid of the Long Patrol, is just the one to track him down. Meanwhile, the unsuspecting future Badger Lord has been captured by a scurrilous group of Sea Raiders led by the infamous fox, Vizka Longtooth, who intends on conquering Redwall Abbey. It is up to our young hero to defend Redwall so that he may fulfill his destiny as leader of Salamandastron.

Flying Solo

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:13:17 +0000

What happens to a class when the substitute teacher fails to show up? Mr. Fabian’s sixth-grade class goes solo for the day. They run the class themselves according to the routine established by their well-liked teacher. They do relatively well until a fight breaks out between two students over the death of a classmate, Tommy, who died six months earlier. Because of this fight, students start to deal with their guilt and sorrow over their classmate’s death. Fletcher balances a wide variety of emotions so the story is at times sad, funny, and profound.