New ideas for essays

I'm in the middle of literature circles with 8th graders. They are reading White Fang, The Giver, The King's Fifth, Roll of Thunder- Hear My Cry, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, or The Eagle of the Ninth. I have come up with a new idea for an essay topic. Actually, I've developed a list of 30 essay topics based on ideas I've gleaned from websites, and I'm going to give each group a choice of several different topics. They can choose, but they must all write on the same one. I think this will enrich their discussion during their groups. I'm planning on making the due date several days after the completion of the literature study because I want them to completely finish the book, to have the whole picture as they write their essay. We'll see how this works, if it works.