Eighth Grade Supplemental Reading List
Bible:
- The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims Version (available at www.tanbooks.com)
- Butler’s Lives of the Saints, (available at www.setonbooks.com)
Dictionary & Thesaurus:
- Merriam-Webster’s School Dictionary (available at www.setonbooks.com)
- Merriam-Webster’s School Thesaurus (available at www.setonbooks.com)
Recommended Anthologies:
- American Cardinal Readers, Book Eight (available at www.neumannpress.com). Book Eight contains sixty-one stories and poems, including the following titles: A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens; Nature, Henry W. Longfellow; The Blessed Virgin, William Wordsworth; The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare; Letter to Mrs. Bixby, Abraham Lincoln; The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln; The Chambered Nautilus, Oliver Wendell Holmes; Memorial Day Address, Woodrow Wilson; The Gentle Art of Christmas Giving, Joyce Kilmer; The Soul of Jeanne D’Arc; Howe’s Masquerade, Nathaniel Hawthorne; 148th Psalm; The Last Leaf, Oliver W. Holmes; The Solitary Reaper, William Wordsworth; and Marzio’s Crucifix.
- Realms of Gold, Volume 3: (parental guidance advised – www.coreknowledge.org)
- Our Country’s Founders: A Book of Advice for Young People, edited by William J. Bennett
- Our Pioneers and Patriots, by Bishop Furlong (www.tanbooks.com)
Foreign Languages and Cultures:
International Children’s Digital Library (available at www.icdlbooks.org)
Book Report Books: Saints
Mary Fabian Windeat Books (available at www.setonbooks.com)
- Pauline Jaricot
- Saint Francis Solano
- Saint Margaret Mary
- Saint Paul the Apostle
Vision Books (available at www.setonbooks.com)
- Francis and Clare: Saints of Assisi
- Kateri Tekakwitha
- Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity
- Saint Katharine Drexel
- Vincent De Paul: Saint of Charity
Non-Fiction: American History
- A History of US, (10 Volumes) Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/us/)
- Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges – parental guidance suggested – story of the Civil Rights Bill told from the perspective of Ruby Bridges, both as a six-year-old child dealing with integration and as an adult. [ISBN: 0-590-18923-9]
- More non-fiction recommendations are available on the following web site: http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/rbo.htm
Selected Suggestions for Home Reading from American Cardinal Readers, Book Eight:
- Tanglewood Tales, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Grandfather’s Chair, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Otto of the Silver Hand, by Howard Pyle
- Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings, by Joel Chandler Harris
- Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana
- Jesus of Nazareth; Home for Good, by Mother M. Loyola
- The Red Book of Saints and Heroes, by Andrew Lang
- Life of Washington, by Washington Irving
Fiction:
*asterisk indicates a book published by Bethlehem Books
- Alcott, Louisa May; Little Women
- Alcott, Louisa May; Little Men
- Alcott, Louisa May; Eight Cousins
- Benary-Ishbert, M.; Under a Changing Moon* – Catholic teenage girl in 19th century Germany
- Defoe, Daniel; Robinson Crusoe
- Dickens, C.; David Copperfield – David’s adventures and unusual friends
- Forbes, Esther; Johnny Tremain
- Forbes, K.; Mama’s Bank Account – humorous story of Norwegian-American family
- Hilton, J.; Good-bye Mr. Chips – English school boys having fun and learning
- Hunt, I.; Across Five Aprils – family farm life during the Civil War
- Irving, Washington; Rip Van Winkle – Dutchman in America sleeps, wakes up 20 years later
- Irving, Washington; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – American legend
- Keith, H.; Rifles for Watie – boy growing up during the Civil War
- Lane, R. W.; Let the Hurricane Roar or Young Pioneers – frontier life in the Dakotas
- Latnam, J. L.; This Dear-Bought Land – boy in Jamestown colony struggling to survive
- Levitin, S.; Roanoke – young boy struggles for survival in the lost colony
- O’Hara, M.; Green Grass of Wyoming – adventure with horses on a ranch
- O’Hara, M.; Thunderhead
- O’Hara, M.; My Friend Flicka
- Poe, Edgar Allan; The Tell-Tale Heart
- Richter, C.; Light in the Forest – boy raised by Indians is reunited with his family
- Steinbeck, J.; The Pearl – the consequences of finding a pearl for a man and his wife
- Stowe, H. Beecher; Uncle Tom’s Cabin
- Trevor, Meriol; The Crystal Snowstorm* – young girl becomes a political pawn
- Trevor, Meriol; The Rose Round* – a cripple teaches other the meaning of true love
- Twain, M.; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Huck and runaway slave adventures
- Twain, M.; The Prince and the Pauper – boy-king exchanges life with a poor boy
- Wallace, Imelda; Outlaws of Ravenhurst (available at www.neumannpress.com)
- White, T. H.; The Sword in the Stone – boy must be made worthy to become king
- Wibberley, L.; John Treegate’s Musket – boy involved in the American Revolution
Short Story Collections:
- Fenner, P.; Brother against Brother – Stories of the War Between the States
- Hawthorne, N.; Great Stone Face and other Tales
- Fenner, P.; No Time for Glory. Stories of W. W. II
- Poe, E. A.; Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Biographies:
(Name of person about whom book is written is listed first, then author and title.)
- Adams, Samuel; Chidsey, D.; The World of Samuel Adams
- Allan, Ethan; Holbrook, S.; America’s Ethan Allen
- Barton, Clara; Nolan, J.; The Story of Clara Barton of the Red Cross
- Boone, Daniel; Brown, J.; Daniel Boone, the Opening of the Wilderness
- Douglass, Frederick; The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass
- Geronimo; Wilson, C.; Geronimo
- Houston, Samuel; Latham, J.; Retreat to Glory
- Joseph (Chief of Nez Percé); Davis, R.; Chief Joseph, War Chief
- Lincoln, A.; Sandburg, C.; Abraham Lincoln Grows Up
- Revere, Paul; Forbes, E.; America’s Paul Revere
- Sacagawea; Burt, O.; Sacagawea
- Seton, Elizabeth Ann (available at http://emmitsburg.net/setonshrine)
- Sitting Bull (check your library for various titles)
- Tecumseh; Schraff, A.; Tecumseh
- Washington, Booker T.; Washington, B. T.; Up From Slavery
Poetry:
- Emerson, Ralph Waldo; Concord Hymn
- Frost, Robert; North of Boston
- Holmes, Oliver Wendell; A Ballad of the Boston Tea Party
- Holmes, Oliver Wendell; Grandmother’s Story of Bunker Hill
- Lanier, Sidney; Song of the Chattahoochee
- Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth; Paul Revere’s Ride
- Millay, Edna St. Vincent; Edna St. Vincent Millay Poems Selected for Young People
- Poe, Edgar Allan; The Bells
- Whitman, Walt; O Captain, My Captain
- Wordsworth, William; The Daffodils; Lucy Gray
Play:
- Barrie, James; Peter Pan
- Burnett, Frances Hodgson; Little Lord Fauntleroy
- Lamb, Charles; Tales from Shakespeare
Recommended Publishers:
- Look for electronic editions of children’s classics on web sites of libraries and bookstores. For example: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/course/literatureclassicsms/lm_mm000.pdf
- Barnes and Noble (reasonably priced classic reprints and eBooks www.barnesandnoble.com)
- Puffin Classics paperback books, available at bookstores, (www.puffin.co.uk)
- Books of Wonder (finest quality classic editions) 16 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011
Saints’ books may be obtained from the following Catholic publishers:
Seton Educational Media
1350 Progress Drive
Front Royal, Virginia 22630
540-636-9996
SEM@setonbooks.com
www.setonbooks.com
Ignatius Press
P.O. Box 1339
Fort Collins, CO 80522
800-651-1531
Fax 800-278-3566
www.ignatius.com
The Neumann Press
Rt. 2 Box 30
Long Prairie, MN 56347
800-746-2521
Fax 320-732-3858
www.neumannpress.com
Pauline Books and Media
Daughters of St. Paul
50 Saint Paul’s Avenue
Boston, MA 02130
800-876-4463
Fax 617-524-8035
www.pauline.org
TAN Books
P.O. Box 424
Rockford, IL 61105
800-437-5876
Fax 815-226-7770
www.tanbooks.com
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