Eighth Grade Literature Guide Set with Novels (for Vita Beata)

This Penguin Classics edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is compatible with the Second Edition of our Student and Teacher Guides.

From the publisher:

"He was not the Model Boy of the village. He knew the model boy very well though-and loathed him."

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an iconic work of American fiction. Students will delight in the sheer pleasure of following the rollicking, mischievous adventures of Tom, a consummate prankster with a quick wit. Through the novel's nostalgic portraits of life on the Mississippi River and humorous escapades - from the famous episode of the whitewashed fence to the ordeal in the cave - Mark Twain explores the deeper themes of the adult world that Tom is one day destined to join.

Student Guide Sample

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Student Guide, Second Edition serves as the perfect companion to Mark Twain's classic work. Essential for any complete literature program, this book and the accompanying Teacher Guide make learning from Tom Sawyer simple and accessible.

The Student Guide features reading notes, vocabulary, comprehension questions, and Socratic discussion questions that dive deeply into the main themes of the text.

Teacher Guide Sample

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Teacher Guide, Second Edition serves as the perfect companion to Mark Twain's classic work. Essential for any complete literature program, this book and the accompanying Student Guide make learning from Tom Sawyer simple and accessible.

The Teacher Guide features the answers to all comprehension questions and Socratic discussion questions from the Student Guide. The Teacher Guide also includes a unit test to be administered after completion of each of the three units.

As You Like It is a delightful comedy, but it is not just a comedy. None of Shakespeare's comedies are simply comedies. There is always much gravitas within the levitas, much that is serious within that which is merely fun or funny.

At the heart of the play are the hearts of the lovers, Rosalind and Orlando, and at its rhetorical heart is the meaning of love itself. What is love? Is it as blind as Cupid? Or is it the laying down of one's life for another, even if the other is thine own worst enemy?

Sample

As You Like It by William Shakespeare is one of the finest English comedies ever written. The play follows the heroic Rosalind as she flees into the Forest of Arden after being banished by her uncle. Accompanied into the forest by her faithful cousin Celia and the court jester Touchstone, Rosalind disguises herself as a young boy shepherd in order to escape detection. While in the forest, Rosalind encounters Orlando, the man she loves, who has fled to the forest from the persecution of his older brother. Under the guise of Ganymede, the boy shepherd, Rosalind attempts to help cure Orlando of his love-sickness. Lovers are united, quarrels are settled, and fortunes are restored as Shakespeare's cast of characters look for love in the idyllic forest. The As You Like It Student Guide trains students to become active readers by providing in-depth word studies that help students build vocabulary as well as journal prompts and comprehension questions to teach students to identify important concepts and compose clear, concise answers to questions.

Sample

As You Like It by William Shakespeare is one of the finest English comedies ever written. The play follows the heroic Rosalind as she flees into the Forest of Arden after being banished by her uncle. Accompanied into the forest by her faithful cousin Celia and the court jester Touchstone, Rosalind disguises herself as a young boy shepherd in order to escape detection. While in the forest, Rosalind encounters Orlando, the man she loves, who has fled to the forest from the persecution of his older brother. Under the guise of Ganymede, the boy shepherd, Rosalind attempts to help cure Orlando of his love-sickness. Lovers are united, quarrels are settled, and fortunes are restored as Shakespeare’s cast of characters look for love in the idyllic forest. The As You Like It Teacher Guide contains all answers to the As You Like It Student Guide as well as all quizzes and tests.

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest —
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

Jim Hawkins first hears these words sung by a mysterious old buccaneer who comes to stay at his family's inn. The stranger's arrival sets off one of the great adventure stories in literature.

After the discovery of a map charting the course to an island that holds the promise of fortune, Jim joins the colorful crew of the Hispaniola as cabin-boy and meets the ship's cook, Long John Silver, a one-legged pirate with a talkative parrot. Jim recounts the ensuing expedition — a tale of danger, greed, and mutiny.

Treasure Island Student Sample

From the publisher: Filled with mystery, murder, mutiny, and the daring bravado of its young hero, Jim Hawkins, Treasure Island has been thrilling readers young and old since it was first published in 1883. Originally intended by the author for the private amusement of his stepson, this gripping story of Jim's perilous encounters with the treacherous Long John Silver and his fellow pirates has enthralled many generations. This attractive edition of the beloved classic is sure to be cherished by your own family for years to come.

Treasure Island Teacher Sample

From the publisher: Filled with mystery, murder, mutiny, and the daring bravado of its young hero, Jim Hawkins, Treasure Island has been thrilling readers young and old since it was first published in 1883. Originally intended by the author for the private amusement of his stepson, this gripping story of Jim's perilous encounters with the treacherous Long John Silver and his fellow pirates has enthralled many generations. This attractive edition of the beloved classic is sure to be cherished by your own family for years to come.

The Wind in the Willows Sample

Steadfast, loyal friendship can make the inexperienced wise, restrain the reckless, and point the wayward home. Befriend Kenneth Grahame’s classic characters—the decisive Rat, the sensible Mole, the stout Badger, and the reckless and conceited (but good-hearted) Toad—as they endure seasons and trials, rejoice in the small pleasures of life, and battle for the sake of each other. Delight with them in the comforts of good food, the light and -warmth of the spring and summer sun, and the familiar course of the River. Be content with them in the joy of coming back to an inviting home safe from the winter snow. And attune your ears all the while to the rustling of the Wind in the Willows.

Sample

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a timeless classic that has captured young readers' imaginations for more than a hundred years. From the beloved river to the Wild Wood, and from stolen sports cars to Toad Hall the novel follows the adventures and misadventures of Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger. Since its publication in 1908, The Wind in the Willows has been praised as a classic tale of camaraderie, cunning, and the celebration of nature. The Wind in the Willows Student Guide, Second Edition increases the student’s vocabulary and reading comprehension by providing in-depth vocabulary study, reading notes, comprehension questions, and more.

Sample

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a timeless classic that has captured young readers' imaginations for more than a hundred years. From the beloved river to the Wild Wood, and from stolen sports cars to Toad Hall the novel follows the adventures and misadventures of Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger. Since its publication in 1908, The Wind in the Willows has been praised as a classic tale of camaraderie, cunning, and the celebration of nature. To better assist students in understanding the text, The Wind in the Willows Teacher Guide, Second Edition provides all answers to questions in The Wind in the Willows Student Book and all test and quizzes.