Reading List: Books that are Friends, 8th Grade

My 8th grade son has decided that he'd like the "public school experience" for high school.  

I feel like Seinfeld saying, "not that there's anything wrong with that..." because I admit that it makes me slightly uncomfortable!  We made the decision to keep him at home because he always met expectations -- and if the expectations were ridiculously high, so was his achievement.  This has not changed, but many expectations come from within at this point, so his drive is his own. 
I am certain he'll be successful academically, and if the social draw ends up not being what he expects at least he will see that for himself.  So next fall, we are in for a new adventure!

But the questions in my own self have started... Have I given him all the things I think he'll need to be a successful human being with a joy for life and an ability to think and feel deeply?  We have studied philosophy, tons of history, music and art, as well as the science and math that he is naturally drawn to.  As I write, I'm listening to him speak Mandarin into the Rosetta Stone microphone, which he'll continue along with piano and musical theater when he starts high school next year.

So in a purely self-indulgent move, I have assigned him a spring reading list that reflects both books I loved at his age and ones that I enjoy now.  I hope that he will get hooked, feel friendship with the characters, want to read others by some of my favorite authors, and give us a place to connect as he moves into his next phase of life and grows more and more independent.  (As he should!)

THE SPRING "BOOKS THAT ARE FRIENDS" READING LIST!

5 books by Madeleine L'Engle:
   The Arm of the Starfish
    A Ring of Endless Light
   A Wrinkle in Time
   A Wind in the Door
   A Ring of Endless Light

L'Engle's works for young adults are timeless.  They capture perfectly the tension between dependent childhood and independent adulthood, and her characters make LOTS of mistakes.  Just like every real life teenager.  They also are able to positively affect the world in profound ways.  Good examples for any young adult.  He read "Wrinkle" several years ago, but it is my very favorite book, sooo... :)

Little House on the Prairie 
This one is more for my husband than for me, as they were his childhood favorites.  Our young man read one in the series several years ago, but never this one.  A quick read, seeing as he read "Shogun" last semester... but not everything has to be hard, right?
The Phantom Tollbooth... also from my husband's faves... a very funny book that honors smart kids! 

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.
Urban fantasy is not something I think my son has ventured into, and this is a great introduction, with characters up against enormous forces that are able to rely upon wits, ingenuity, and friendship to overcome impossible odds.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Modern Epic Fantasy, and one of the best I've read.  This first in the series is a lot a coming-of-age as well -- good for young men.

And finally...
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
A re-visit on a few, but like so many things, there is more depth each time these are read.  And I think he may be ready to tackle "The Last Battle" which has more solid and controversial theology than most people  realize!  I am excited to see where these take him and to talk about them.

Well-loved and often-read books are beautiful!