Battle of the Books
KLO Grade 8 Titles
2014-2015
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Ender’s Game
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In order to develop a secure defense against a
hostile alien race's next attack, government
agencies breed child geniuses and train them as
soldiers.
A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin
lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic
brother Peter, and the person he loves more
than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and
Valentine were candidates for the soldiertraining program but didn't make the cut—young
Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle
School for rigorous military training.
The war with the Buggers has been raging for a
hundred years, and the quest for the perfect
general has been underway for almost as long. Is
Ender the general Earth needs? If, that is, the
world survives.
TAGS: science fiction, fantasy, war
(First of 5; also has a parallel series)
1:59
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Raven’s Gate
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Matt is being punished for a crime he saw, but
didn't commit. Instead of being locked up, he is
being sent to the middle of nowhere to live with
a new foster mom, as part of a government
scheme called The Leaf Project.
But Matt's new home provides anything but
peace and quiet. His new guardian is involved in
very sinister things . . . and the whole town
seems to be on her side. Everybody who tries to
help Matt winds up disappearing . . . or dead.
The truth is much bigger than Matt, or the town
— but Matt is the only person who can stop the
ultimate evil from being unleashed.
TAGS: fantasy, supernatural, horror
(First of 5)
1:39
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Maze Runner
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When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing
he can remember is his first name. His memory is
blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors
open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids
who welcome him to the Glade – a large, open
expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or
how they got to the Glade. All they know is that
every morning the stone doors to the maze that
surrounds them have opened. Every night
they've closed tight. And every thirty days a new
boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is
sent up – the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade.
And more surprising yet is the message she
delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could
ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark
secrets buried within his mind.
TAGS: dystopia, science fiction, survival
(First in trilogy, also has a prequel)
1:40
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Death Cloud
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In 1868, with his army officer father suddenly
posted to India, and his mother mysteriously
"unwell," fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes is
sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in
their vast house in Hampshire.
There he uncovers his first murder and a
diabolical villain.
TAGS: mystery, suspense, historical fiction
(First of 5)
1:03
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Camp 30
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Jack and George have barely recovered from
their ordeal in Camp X when they are relocated
to Bowmanville, Ontario, where their mother has
been offered a job in a prisoner of war camp
holding the highest ranking German officers.
Soon the boys are offered the after-school job of
delivering the camp's mail, and Canadian agents
ask them to keep their eyes and ears open for
possible escape plans. For it is a matter of loyalty
to their homeland that the German prisoners
must try to escape, even if it costs them their
lives – and the lives of two boys in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
TAGS: historical fiction, Canada, Second World War,
espionage
(2nd of 6 books in Camp X series)
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Boot Camp
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In the middle of the night Garrett is taken from
his home to Harmony Lake, a boot camp for
troubled teens. Maybe some kids deserve to be
sent there, but Garrett knows he doesn't.
Subjected to brutal physical and psychological
abuse, he tries to fight back, but the battle is
futile. He won't be allowed to leave until he's
admitted his "mistakes" and conformed to
Harmony Lake's standards of behavior. And
there's no way to fake it.
Beaten, humiliated, and stripped of his pride,
Garrett's spirit is slowly ebbing away. Then he
hears whispers of an escape plot. It's incredibly
risky – if he's caught, the consequences will be
unthinkable – but it may be his only way out.
TAGS: realistic fiction, adventure
0:58
http://vimeo.com/35713228
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Daniel X
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Daniel X was born with the world's most
extraordinary power: the power to create.
With his secret ability, he can conjure anything
and everything, from inanimate objects to living,
breathing people. This talent has helped him
survive – but couldn't save his parents from
being brutally murdered.
Discovering a strange list of names, Daniel vows
to complete his father's mysterious mission and
hunt down his family's assassin.
Now, on his own, he must uncover the dark truth
behind an apocalyptic struggle that will
determine the fate of all mankind. But hot on his
trail is a cunning killer – one who knows exactly
what Daniel X can do.
TAGS: science fiction, adventure, paranormal
(First of 5)
1:14
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Divergent
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In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world,
society is divided into five factions, each
dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue
– Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless),
Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and
Erudite (the intelligent).
On an appointed day of every year, all sixteenyear-olds must select the faction to which they
will devote the rest of their lives.
For Beatrice, the decision is between staying
with her family and being who she really is—she
can't have both. So she makes a choice that
surprises everyone, including herself.
But Beatrice also has a secret, one she's kept
hidden from everyone because she's been
warned it can mean death. And as she discovers
unrest and growing conflict that threaten to
unravel her seemingly perfect society, Beatrice
learns that her secret might help her save those
she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
TAGS: dystopia, romance, adventure, social classes
(First in trilogy)
1:59
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Lost Cause
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Steve thinks a trip to Europe is out of the
question—until he hears his grandfather's will.
Suddenly he's off to Spain, armed with only a
letter from his grandfather that sends him to a
specific address in Barcelona.
There he meets a girl named Laia and finds a
trunk containing some of his grandfather's
possessions, including a journal he kept during
the time he fought with the International
Brigades in the Spanish Civil War.
Steve decides to trace his grandfather's footsteps
through Spain during which time he learns about
his late grandfather's involvement with the
Spanish Civil War.
TAGS: realistic fiction, war
(One of 7 books in Seven series, Note: books do not
have to be read in any particular order)
0:44
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The Other Side of Truth
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Will the truth harm them – or save them?
When Nigeria's corrupt military government kills
their mother, twelve-year-old Sade and her
brother Femi think their lives are over. Out of
fear for their safety, their father, an outspoken
journalist, decides to smuggle the children out of
Nigeria and into London, where their uncle lives.
But when they get to the cold and massive city,
they find themselves lost and alone, with no one
to trust and no idea when – or if – they will ever
see their father again.
TAGS: realistic fiction, refugees
Sequel: Web of Lies (2006)
1:13
The Keeper of the Isis
Light
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It was her tenth birthday on Isis. By Earth years,
she would be sixteen. But Olwen Pendennis had
never been to Earth. She had been born on Isis.
Since her parents' death, Olwen had lived there
alone, manning the Isis Light – a "lighthouse" in
space designed to aid ships, and to bring settlers
from Earth.
And now, on the day of her tenth year, the
settlers are coming at last. Olwen is ready to
welcome them, but are they ready for her? She
was once human, like them. But the harsh
climate of the alien planet has changed her,
transformed her into something else –
something the settlers could never be prepared
for...
TAGS: science fiction, fantasy
(First of trilogy)
Touching Spirit Bear
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Within Cole Matthews lie anger, rage and hate.
Cole has been stealing and fighting for years. This
time he caught Alex Driscal in the, parking lot
and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Now,
Alex may have permanent brain damage and
Cole is in the biggest trouble of his life.
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on
Native American traditions that attempts to
provide healing for the criminal offender, the
victim and the community. With prison as his
only alternative, Cole plays along.
Cole receives a one-year banishment to a remote
Alaskan island. There, he is mauled by a
mysterious white bear of Native American
legend. Hideously injured, Cole waits for his
death.
Rescuers arrive to save Cole's but it is the attack
of the Spirit Bear that may save his soul.
TAGS: realistic fiction, adventure, Aboriginal people
Sequel: Ghost of Spirit Bear (2008)
2:52
http://vimeo.com/37484792