8th Grade Assignment will involve comparing the movie to the book. They will be different! Some of the movies are rather old. Talk with your local public librarian about borrowing the movie through inter-library loan.
Adams, Douglass Watership Down
A group of hardy Berkshire rabbits share many adventures together as they search for a safe place to establish a new warren after the destruction of their community.
Alcott, Louise May Little Women
Chronicles the joys and troubles of the four March sisters--Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth--as they grow into young ladies and marry in nineteenth-century New England.
Alexander, Lloyd Black Cauldron
Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Prydain, faces even more dangers as he seeks the magical Black Cauldron, the chief implement of the evil powers of Arawn, lord of the Land of Death.
Armstrong, William Howard Sounder
Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding with the help of the devoted dog Sounder.
Austen, Jane Pride and Prejudice
In early nineteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the courtship of a snobbish gentleman as well as the romantic entanglements of her four sisters.
Bagnold, Enid National Velvet
A fourteen-year-old English girl wins a horse in a raffle, trains it, and rides it in the Grand National steeplechase.
Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan
The adventures of the three Darling children, Michael, Peter, and Wendy, and Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up.
Baum, L. Frank The Wizard of Oz
After being transported by a cyclone to the land of Oz, Dorothy and her dog are befriended by a scarecrow, a tin man, and a cowardly lion, who accompany her to the Emerald City to look for a wizard who can help Dorothy return home to Kansas.
Bradbury, Ray Farenheit 451
A bookburning official in a future fascist state finds out that books are a vital part of a culture he never knew. He clandestinely pursues reading, until he is betrayed.
Bronte, Charlotte Jane Eyre
When a penniless governess falls in love with the brooding master of Thornfield, she is unaware of the tragic events that will follow.
Bunyan, John The Pilgrim’s Progress
A religious allegory which follows the trials and tribulations of Christian as he journeys to the Celestial City.
Burnett, Frances Hodgeson A Little Princess
Sara Crewe, a pupil at Miss Minchin's London School, is left in poverty when her father dies, but is later rescued by a mysterious benefactor.
Burnett, Frances Hodgeson The Secret Garden
Ten-year-old Mary comes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors and discovers an invalid cousin and the mysteries of a locked garden.
Carroll, Lewis Alice in Wonderland
A little girl falls down a rabbit hole and discovers a world of nonsensical and amusing characters.
Christie, Agatha Murder on the Orient Express
Detective Hercule Poirot has a wealth of suspects to choose from when a wealthy American is stabbed to death en route to Paris on the Orient Express.
Christie, Agatha And Then There Were None, or Ten Little Indians
Ten strangers--each with a sordid past--are summoned by an absent millionaire to a private island off the coast of Devon and begin to die one by one upon arrival.
Crane, Stephen The Red Badge of Courage
During his service in the Civil War, a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.
Cormier, Robert The Chocolate War
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.
Defoe, Daniel Robinson Crusoe
As the sole survivor of a shipwreck, an Englishman lives for nearly thirty years on a deserted island.
Dickens, Charles Oliver Twist
In nineteenth-century England, a young orphan boy lives in the squalid surroundings of a workhouse until he becomes involved with a gang of thieves.
Dodge, Mary Mapes Hans Brinker
Hans and Gretel's dream of competing for the silver skates seems as remote as a cure for their invalid father, until a new friend comes into their lives.
Dumas, Alexandre The Three Musketeers
The heroic young d'Artagnan and his noble compatriots Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are pitted against the master of intrigue, Cardinal Richelieu, and the quintessential wicked woman, Lady de Winter.
Dumas, Alexandre Count of Monte Cristo
After escaping from the island fortress where he has been imprisoned for treason, young sailor Edmund Dantes sets out to discover the treasure of Monte Cristo and seek revenge against the people who falsely accused him.
Dumas, Alexandre The Man in the Iron Mask
In their final adventure, the four Musketeers plot to replace King Louis XIV of France with the mysterious, masked prisoner in the Bastille believed to be Louis' falsely imprisoned twin brother and the true king.
Forbes, Ester Johnny Tremain
After injuring his hand, a silversmith's apprentice in Boston becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American Revolution.
Gibson, Fred Old Yeller
In the late 1860s in the Texas hill country, a big yellow dog and a fourteen-year-old boy form a close, loving relationship.
Golding, William The Lord of the Flies
After a plane crash strands them on a tropical island while the rest of the world is ravaged by war, a group of British schoolboys attempts to form a civilized society but descends into brutal anarchy.
Greene, Bette The Summer of My German Soldier
When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.
Gunther, John Death Be Not Proud
A biography of the author's son, who died at seventeen after a fourteen-month illness caused by a brain tumor.
Hamilton, Virginia House of Dies Drear
An African-American family tries to unravel the secrets of their new home which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel House of Seven Gables
Follows the Pyncheon family who lived for generations under a dead man's curse until his death restored their house.
Hemmingway, Ernest The Old and the Sea
An old fisherman battles the sea and sharks to bring home the giant marlin he caught.
Homer Iliad/Odyssey
"The Iliad" which is a classic account of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans from Agamemnon's visit by the priest Chryses to the burial of Hector and "The Odyssey" in which Greek hero Odysseus makes his long and treacherous journey home from the Trojan War while his wife and son are forced to scheme to protect his throne.
Keyes, Daniel Flowers for Algernon
After being mentally retarded for all of his thirty-two years, Charlie Gordon undergoes an operation designed to change his life.
Kipling, Rudyard The Jungle Book
Presents the adventures of a young boy raised by the animals in an Indian jungle.
Knight, Eric Lassie Come Home
A collie undertakes a 1000-mile journey in order to once again meet her former master at the school gate.
Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
Lofting, Hugh The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
Crewman and future naturalist, Tommy Stubbins, tells the story of Doctor Dolittle and his company's journey to Spidermonkey Island.
London, Jack The Call of the Wild
Jack London's classic tale tracing Buck's entry into the wild and survival among the wolves.
London, Jack White Fang
Follows the adventures of a dog who is part wolf as he eventually makes his peace with man in the wilderness of northern Canada.
Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables
An adventurous young orphan goes to live on a farm with an elderly brother and sister.
Nordhoff, Charles Mutiny on the Bounty
Fictionalizes the mutiny of the British war vessel "Bounty" in 1789.
North, Sterling Rascal
The author recalls his carefree life in a small midwestern town at the close of World War I, and his adventures with his pet raccoon, Rascal.
Orwell, George 1984: A Novel
Depicts life in a totalitarian regime of the future.
Rawlings, Marjorie The Yearling
A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has lovingly raised as a pet.
Sewell, Anna Black Beauty
A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. Includes review questions.
Smith, Betty A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Young Francie Nolan experiences the problems of growing up in a Brooklyn, New York slum.
Spyri, Johanna Heidi
A Swiss orphan is heartbroken when she must leave her beloved grandfather and their happy home in the mountains to go to school and to care for an invalid girl in the city.
Steinbeck, John The Red Pony
Ownership of a beautiful red pony teaches ten-year-old Jody about life and death.
Stevenson, Robert Louis Kidnapped
After being kidnapped by his villainous uncle, sixteen-year-old David Balfour escapes and becomes involved in the struggle of the Scottish highlanders against English rule.
Stevenson, Robert Louis Treasure Island
While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate's fortune.
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, becomes a thief for a band of dwarves and soon finds himself in the midst of a war with the evil goblins and wargs, and forced to make a decision between the call of duty and the pull of the simple life.
Twain, Mark Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Nineteenth-century mechanic Hank Morgan suffers a blow to the head and wakes up in King Arthur's Court where he tries to introduce modern technology and political ideas to the inhabitants.
Twain, Mark The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Huck, escaping from his father, who had imprisoned him in a lonely cabin, meets Jim, a runaway slave, on Jackson's Island on the Mississippi River. Together they float down the Mississippi.
Twain, Mark The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The adventures and pranks of a mischievous boy growing up in a Mississippi River town in the early nineteenth century.
Verne, Jules Around the World in 80 Days
Jules Verne's classic novel featuring Phileas Fogg, a wealthy gentleman who makes a bet that he can travel around the world in just eighty days; and includes a reading group guide.
Wells, H.G. Island of Dr. Moreau
Dr. Moreau, a scientist, finds an isolated island that gives him the freedom to create hideous creatures with human intelligence.
Wells, H.G.The Time Machine
The Time Traveller journeys 800,000 years into the future and discovers two bizarre races at war on the Earth, the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks.
Wells, H.G.War of the Worlds
An intellectually-superior race from Mars invades the Earth with plans to enslave human beings.
Wells, H.G.The Invisible Man
Griffin, a scientist, creates a serum to make himself invisible and eventually goes insane.
White, T.H.The Once and Future King
Tells the story of the youth and reign of King Arthur, the establishment of the Round Table, and the search for the Holy Grail.
Wiggin, Kate Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Talkative, ten-year-old Rebecca goes to live with her spinster aunts, one harsh and demanding, the other soft and sentimental, with whom she spends seven difficult but rewarding years. Includes a reading group guide.
Wyss, Johann Swiss Family Robinson
Relates the fortunes of a shipwrecked family as they adapt to life on an island with abundant animal and plant life.