Entering Grade 8

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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How to Give up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time
by Will McCallum
​An accessible guide to the changes we can all make—small and large—to rid our lives of disposable plastic and clean up the world’s oceans.
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements (Young Readers Edition)
by Sam Kean
Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history? Follow the elements as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
by Dan Harris
Too busy to meditate? Can’t turn off your brain? Curious about mindfulness but more comfortable in the gym? This book is for you.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
“From the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe” Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down astrophysics for the laypeople.
Zero to Maker: Learn (Just Enough) to Make (Just About) Anything
​by David Lang
Read up on some of the basics of tools, machines, software and lingo for the Maker Movement. Some fun project ideas as well. (nonfiction)
Red Madness                            
by Gail Jarrow
One hundred years ago an epidemic rendered thousands of Americans insane and disfigured; killing men, women, and children alike. With photos, maps and graphs the author takes you through the discovery of a disease, and the way that knowledge change how we eat today. ​
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
In 1951 Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cancer. The ethics of race and science intersect when her cells are harvested without her knowledge and serve as the basis for some of the greatest developments in scientific and medical history--completely without her knowledge or permission.