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Id' like to discuss how relavant this book is to today's 8th grader's. How much has America changed in 100 years? What challenges face 8th grader's today? Has poverty really changed? Are children safer today?

You've asked a lot of questions! I taught 8th graders for four years, and I can tell that things have changed for them just in the 30+ years since I was an 8th grader. Sex and drugs (including tobacco and alcohol) have always been and will always be issues for all teenagers. But my generation didn't have to worry about catching a virus that could kill you. We didn't have images of sex and violence digitally pumped into our homes every day. There probably were gangs, but they would have been limited to certain areas of town.

I don't think children have ever really been safe since the first child was born. There have always been evil people who do evil things. But children aren't forced into factory work as they would have been 100 years ago. 

I'll be interested to see what other responses you get!

Our children seem to be reaching maturity more quickly today than in the past.  Scientific research points to the use of steroids in animal production for food (beef, pork, poultry) which also effects the human consumer.  Therefore we have young girls becoming a "woman" at age eight or nine much less in middle school.  Hormones are a huge issue in 8th grade which definitely effects their lives and the lives of those around them. I'm not sure poverty has changed much.  There are still many people who are in dire need of help in order to live and pay their bills.  With the rising fuel costs and the housing market in the state it is, more people may end up in the category of "impoverished".  I am of the belief that our government is not responsible for supporting whole groups of people.  Welfare, etc. should be a temporary pick-me-up--not a way of life.  People who take advantage of the system cause so much damage to our plan to help those who really need the assistance.  The majority of people who are suffering from poverty are children. As far as safety goes, I agree with Linda.  I worked at the middle school where Jessica Lunsford would have attended and her abductor had been on our campus daily as part of a construction crew remodeling our science building.  While as a parent I don't want my kids to grow up afraid of their shadows, all you kids do need to be aware of your surroundings and listen closely to your instinctive voices.