Book Discussion Club Grades 7 and 8
Our Book Discussion Club recommends that you read these titles. Our avid Club readers will be sharing their reading with you over the coming months.
Upper School Library TYS Blog
Musings and writings for Upper School students
York Blog Network
October 4th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I recommend the book Camel Rider by Prue Mason. It follows the life of Adam, a boy growing up in Abudai, a wealthy, fictional city in the Arabian Gulf. The book also follows the life of Emir, a boy who is an abused camel rider, abandoned by an evil slavemaster in the middle of a vast desert near Abudai.
Through a series of life-changing events, the two boys meet each other in the desert, both speaking very different languages and coming from different cultures. Adam and Emir must find ways to communicate with each other in order to survive.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventures. you would also like this book if you’re interested in struggles in faraway countries, relationships or different cultures. Prue Mason articulates the thoughts and feelings of the main characters very well. This is an excellent novel.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I recommend the book, The Prophet of Yonwood. The book is prequel to two books, the City of Ember and the People of Sparks. The Prohphet of Yonwood is all about a young girl named Nickie(really Nicole). She and her aunt travel to a small town called Yonwood in North Carolina where Nickie’s great grandfather, Arthur Green, had lived and recently passed away in. The house he leaves behind is the reason Nickie and Aunt Crystal are going to Yonwood, Aunt Crystal is hoping to sell it while Nickie has other ideas. There is of course more to Yonwood than Nickie and Crystal had thought. War is very likely between the U.S. and a terrorist group called the Phalanx Nations and it just so happens that in Yonwood a citizen, Althea Tower, has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction, Nickie is intrigued by this and explores Yonwood and it’s oddities while looking for ways to help the world. Is this woman Althea Tower really a ‘Prophet’ ? Is what she saying really going to help the people of Yonwood avoid this fiery fate? Are these warnings too little too late? Find out for yourself. I was at first convinced this book was not my type of read (I typically read books about fantasy or life in different times, such as Mortal Engines, the Fire of Ares). Though I’m currently reading it and I find it very well written. If one is into adventure and mystery, it is a great pick. Jeanne DuPrau is a great author and has recently published her fourth and final book of ‘The Books of Ember series’ called \The Diamond of Darkhold. The Prophet of Yonwood is the third book of the series so I’d advise you to read ‘The City of Ember’ and ‘People of Sparks’, which are both very good books as well, before you read the Prophet of Yonwood.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I recommend the books Holes and Small Steps which are both by Louis Sachar. In Holes, there is a boy named Stanley who lives in a poor family. His family believes that this is because his great grandfather broke a promise and was cursed. Stanley was walking home from school one day when an expensive pair of famous shoes fell on him. Stanley was arrested and he was sent to Camp Green Lake because his family could not afford a lawyer. At Camp Green Lake the boys have to dig large holes in an attempt for the women that runs the camp to find treasure. Holes is an interesting book, seeing what will happen next and what Stanley will do next. In Small Steps one of the people that was at the camp, nicknamed Armpit, tries to be a good person for the rest of his life. Armpit helps a little girl and works hard for what he gets. He then reunites with X-Ray, another person who was at the camp. X-Ray is still into scamming people to get money and he comes up with a plan that he tries to involve Armpit in. Armpit is reluctant but joins. Small Steps is interesting like Holes. You see what Armpit will do and how he will react to the situation. I recommend Small Steps and Holes to people that want excitement and an interesting story seeing what is going to happen next.
October 19th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I recommend the Legend of Drizzt series.
I recommend this series for readers who love fantasy. It is written for adults but is good for everyone 13+. Warning-there is violence and mature scenes in this series. I rate this series 5/5.
It is a series of books featuring the dark elf Drizzt by R.A.Salvatore. It is a very interesting story about how this dark elf grows up and escapes his culture. In the book, dark elf (or Drow) culture is a dystopia. Society is made up of different houses (or families) which have different positions of power. The ruling 8 houses form the ruling council. The dark elves admire houses that attack other houses so that they can advance in rank, but horrible retribution is wreaked upon houses that leave survivors that tell of the identity of the attacking house. The Drow worship a god called the spider queen, who is pictured as a spider with a human head. She is the god of chaos. The dark elves have no morals and are either a wizard, a warrior, or a cleric. The clerics are exclusively female, and they are the ones who rule the houses or occupy positions of power among the houses. The story starts at the day of Drizzt’s birth. He is a member of house Do’Urden, ninth house of Menzobarranzan (the Drow city). His house is attacking the fifth house (house De’Vir) to advance in power. They succeed in wiping out house De’Vir. Drizzt is about to be sacrificed to the Spider Queen because he is the third male son, but then news comes in that the first son was killed in the fighting, so Drizzt is spared (the first son was actually killed by the second son, so that he could enjoy a more powerful position).
October 21st, 2009 at 11:19 am
I am recommending the Cherub series, in particular the 6th book in the series, Man vs Beast. This series is written by Robert Muchamore. In the book Man vs Beast the main character James has to go undercover with Kyle (his best friend) and Lauren (his sister) and attempt to infiltrate the Animal Freedom militia. They are different from the normal protesters, as they have taken it too far and have started killing, and threatening people to stop animal testing. Find out of they succeed. I think that you would like this book if you are into action thrillers. I do not recommend this book if you prefer fantasy ones.
October 24th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
I am recommending the settling account series, book one, Return Engagement.
It is an alternate history series about World War II, whereby the south won the American Civil War. It takes place in the United States of America in 1941 and opens with the bombing of Philadelphia by the tyrannical Jake Featherson of the Confederates States of America. It is the first of four books in the series of the grand sage Timeline 101 or the Southern Victory. I recommend this book for kids age 12 and up who are into alternate history.
October 24th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I recommend the book Give me Back My Legions by Harry Turtledove.
It is the story of the infamous Teutoburger forest massacre in Germania 9 AD. The three prized legions of Gaius Varus were led into a trap and massacred by their one time ally, the young war-chief Arminius of the Chersci Tribe in the greater Germania. The book looks at the perspective of both the Romans and The Tribesmen of Germania. I recommend this book to kids interested in historical fiction and Roman and German history.
October 24th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I recommend the book Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock. This is the seventh book in the Charlie Bone series. This is recommended for people around 10 to 14 years old. Charlie has a magical power which is called an endowment. He can travel into paintings and get out with his wand and his endowment. Because he is endowed, Charlie has to go to a school called Bloor’s Academy, which is run by the Bloors who are endowed and they are evil. At the school, there are regular kids but there are also the other endowed children. Charlie is friends with Lysander, Tancred, Emma, Olivia, Gabriel and Billy who are endowed and they are good. Lysander has the power to call up African spirits to protect people and to fight, Tancred can make extremely strong storms, Emma can turn into a bird, Olivia is an illusionist, Gabriel feels the feelings of people that wore his clothes when he wears the clothes and Billy can communicate with animals. These six are always confronting problems with the evil endowed people and it doesn’t help that Charlie’s own Grandma that lives with him and her sisters are evil. In this book, a painting of Badlock arrives at the Bone’s house and they put it in the cellar. Charlie finds himself in the painting and accidentally took his best friend’s dog with him. (This friend is not endowed) Charlie escapes with his wand but the dog could not come with him and now the friend, Benjamin will not speak to Charlie. Charlie manages to get the dog out with Billy’s help. (Billy can communicate with animals) However, there are still other problems because now Billy is stuck in the painting and the mirror of Amoret, a powerful mirror that can be used for evil is getting repaired by the evil people. Also, back at school, there are constant battles between the good and bad endowed children to see which endowments are better. The book is about who will win these battles and can Charlie get the giant from Badlock reunited with his wife, Amoret to help the mirror situation. Fantasy lovers will enjoy this book, as it really is a very exciting book, imagining what will happen next to Charlie and his friends.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I recommend the book The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott. I recommend this book to fantasy readers that are 12 or older. The book starts with Sophie and Josh Newman, who are 16 and have summer jobs across the street from each other. Josh is working a bookstore owned my Nick Fleming. It turns out that Nick Fleming is actually Nicholas Flamel, the immortal Alchemyst and keeper of the Book of Abraham the Mage. Nicholas is trying to protect the book from the Dark Elders, immortal beings who want to use the book to rule the world, and the only place for humans will be as slaves- or food. When Josh and Sophie discover this, they are catapulted into a world of Magic and Immortals. It turns out that Sophie and Josh have auras of Silver and Gold, the rarest of all auras. They are the twins of legend, and must be trained in the 5 elemental magics. However, they have to protect the book from the Dark Elders and their minions. This book has a lot of mythological and historical connections, and it puts a lot of legends, myths, and historical figures in an interesting context. Some mythological and historical figures that appear in this series are: Nicholas Flamel, his wife Perenelle, Dr. John Dee, the Morrigan, Hekate, Bastet, the Witch of Endor, Niccolo Machiavelli, the Comte de Saint Germain, Areop Enap, and others.This is the first book in a series of six books, of which three have been released so far.