Tag: Middle School Novel Study

Restart by Gordon Korman Activities

Restart

Restart by Gordon Korman is one of those novels that students love so much that they pass it around the class. Students will laugh out loud, empathize, grow angry, and want to help Chase as he struggles with a difficult situation. Summary Late in the summer before Chase’s eighth-grade year, he wakes up in the hospital …

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Refugee by Alan Gratz Teaching Ideas

Refugee

Refugee by Alan Gratz is a book your students will beg to keep reading. Three stories are twined together. Told in alternating chapters, one story builds to a cliffhanger. The chapter ends leaving the reader on edge. The book continues with the next story, and [You guessed it.] builds to a cliffhanger. This repeated pattern continues …

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ECHO Book Activities

ECHO

Echo, written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, is a breathtaking novel that transports readers through time and across continents. The book weaves together the stories of three young musicians who all share a common bond: a mysterious harmonica.  Set during the tumultuous years of the Great Depression and World War II, Echo takes readers on a …

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Weasel by Cynthia DeFelice

Weasel

Weasel by Cynthia DeFelice is a historical fiction novel. After the Removal Act of 1830, the U.S. government hires a man, known as Weasel, to remove the Shawnees from the Ohio Territory. Once all the Native Americans have fled, Weasel stays in Ohio. He then turns on the white settlers. One of Weasel’s victims is eleven-year-old …

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The Dark is Rising Teaching Ideas

The Dark is Rising

Will Stanton, the seventh son of a seventh son, learns on his eleventh birthday that he is the last of the ‘Old Ones.’ These are people with ancient knowledge of the Light. The Old Ones have special powers and a destiny to save the world. Will receives instructions to go on a quest to collect …

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The Goldfish Boy Teaching Ideas

The Goldfish Boy

In The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson, twelve-year-old Matthew suffers from OCD. He is afraid to leave his bedroom where he has complete control over how clean his space is. Matthew spends his days looking out his bedroom window at the neighbors in the cul-de-sac, cleaning his room, and recording what the neighbors are doing in a notebook. …

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Scar Island Teaching Ideas

Scar Island

Are you looking for a great novel for students? Check out Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart. It is the perfect book for reluctant middle school readers. This gripping adventure story is an easy read (Lexile rating of 610). Twelve-year-old Jonathan has been sent to the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys. Jonathan thinks he deserves to go …

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