A good, and not too long, book on World War I is the Zimmermann Telegram by Barbara Tuchman. It is well written with naval history, broken codes, military supplies and comes in at 250 pages +/-.
A great Robert Mitchum movie is "Night of the Hunter". Was not very popular at the time of release, but it is a classic that has stood the test of time well.
A great courtroom drama is "Anatomy of a Murder" with Jimmy Stewart, George C. Scott, Lee Remick, ect.....
A very good western, with a non-typical storyline, is "The Ox-Bow Incident"
Re: Suggested title(s) for 7-8th graders on WWI / WWII
A good, and not too long, book on World War I is the Zimmermann Telegram by Barbara Tuchman. It is well written with naval history, broken codes, military supplies and comes in at 250 pages +/-.