7th-8th Grade Book Summaries
Marika by Andrea Cheng (featured author)
As a young girl in Budapest in the 1930s, Marika dreams of growing up to be a scientist or maybe an explorer. An older brother who never tells her anything, a beloved rag doll, an embarrassing mother, school, friends -- Marika's life revolves around ordinary things until her father decides to build a wall in their home, creating separate living quarters for himself. Why can't they live together, like her friend Zsofi's family? Then, when Marika is fifteen, the Germans occupy Budapest, and war surrounds her. Her ordinary life disintegrates as her friends and family separate. Forced into hiding, Marika begins to understand the fragility and strength of the bonds among family and friends, and gradually she comes to terms with her shattered world.
Topics -- Holocaust, survival, war, Catholics with Jewish heritage during WWII, Hungary.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist -- books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
Topics -- World War II, importance of books and reading, Germany, Death as narrator, storytelling, rescue.
All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall
When 13-year-old Josh finds out that he has to stay with his dad in Chicago for a few months, he's not too thrilled. But when he arrives at the airport, he's simply devastated. His father -- who used to be a scatterbrained but pretty normal shoe salesman -- has become . . . Elvis. Well, a sideburn wearing, hip-twisting, utterly-embarrassing Elvis impersonator. Josh is determined to keep his dad's identity a secret, but on his very first day at his new school, a note appears on his locker. It's signed Elvisly Yours, and instead of a name, a sneering purple smiley face. The secret is out, and when his dad is invited to perform at a special 50s concert at his school, Josh is forced to take drastic action. From award-winning author Shelley Pearsall comes a hilarious novel about discovering the important (and sometimes painful) difference between who you want to be -- and who you really are.
Topics -- Elvis Presley, Elvis impersonators, children of divorced parents, honesty, parent child relationships, middle school angst, parents embarrassing their children.
H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute of Villainous Education by Mark Walden
Swept away to a hidden academy for training budding evil geniuses, Otto, a brilliant orphan, Wing, a sensitive warrior, Laura, a shy computer specialist, and Shelby, an infamous jewel thief, plot to beat the odds and escape the prison known as H.I.V.E.
Themes -- Good and evil, artificial intelligence, spies, espionage, fantasy genre, evil geniuses.
Scribbler of Dreams by Mary Pearson
Despite her family's long feud with the Crutchfields, seventeen year old Kaitlin falls in love with Bram Crutchfield, the son of the man her father murdered, and weaves a tangled web of deception to conceal her identity from him.
Themes -- Vendettas, honesty, love stories, high school relationships, journal writing, sweethearts from warring families like Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story.
Peeled by Joan Bauer
Something's rotten in the heart of apple country! Hildy Biddle dreams of being a journalist. A reporter for her high school newspaper, The Core, she's just waiting for a chance to prove herself. Not content to just cover school issues, Hildy's drawn to the town's big story -- the haunted old Ludlow house. On the surface, Banesville, USA, seems like such a happy place, but lately, eerie happenings and ghostly sightings are making Hildy take a deeper look. Her efforts to find out who is really haunting Banesville isn't making her popular, and she starts wondering if she's cut out to be a journalist after all. But she refuses to give up, because, hopefully, the truth will set a few ghosts free. Peeled is classic Joan Bauer, featuring a strong heroine, and filled with her trademark witty dialogue, and problems and people worth standing up to.
Topics -- mysteries, haunted houses, journalism, farm life, reporting, high school