Eighth graders offer librarians and language arts teachers the greatest challenge of matching the student with just the right book. These duplicitous creatures have a foot in two worlds. They are both children and young adults. While sixth graders may be emotionally immature, three years later, they are usually prepared for the young adult world. Most of them will have outgrown children's literature, and be ready for popular young adult or adult fiction. "Booked Conversation" is a program that builds student self-confidence and energizes free choice reading. Instead of talking about books with classmates, this program encourages students to have a conversation with an adult about a specific book. Books serve as a platform for discussion in a very personal way. Developing a compelling booklist of about thirty titles in collaboration with teachers is essential. Books on the list should contain both challenging and easy reads. This article presents a compiled list of book choices based upon feedback from students and 8th grade teachers.