Books for 8-year-olds
Welcome! Today is all about recommendations again. This time I’m going to be talking all about books for the 8-year-old crowd (or so). Once again, this comes with the caveat that not all books are good for all kids at the same time. I know that, and you know that, but sometimes lists like this can be hard for parents whose kids struggle with reading. Just know, it’s really okay. Your kid can get to these too someday. If they want to. I have to say, out of 4 daughters only 2 of them have read most of these books today. The others read just fine, and mostly above grade level these days, but reading isn’t as much of an adventure for them and they choose to spend time on other things (like dance, soccer, music…). So if you’re looking for some great and fantastical books for kids around 8 years old, here are some ideas for you. I’ve read just over half of these myself, and my kids strongly recommended the others when I asked. This is not a deep dive in to middle grade fantasy, it’s just a few of our favorites off the top. There are TONS of great books out there in this age grouping, with more out all the time. I’m going to do these in some kind of order by difficulty/length, so the longer and harder books will come at the end.
1. The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. This book and its two sequels are classics of the middle grade world. Who doesn’t love a mouse that can save the day by driving a motorcycle? Ralph is a scared mouse who finds his courage by driving Keith’s (the human child) toy motorcycle. First printed in 1965, it can still be a fun story for kids today; we just imagine different hotel rooms and motorcycles.
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and others by Roald Dahl. So many fun stories here, and most of them aren’t that long. The difficulty for American kids can come in with the more English writing style, but it’s still really accessible. Most of his books are also adapted into good (or mostly good) movies, so these can be fun summer reads with movie nights for a treat. Chocolate factories run by Oompah Loompahs, enormous flying peaches, and more to get you questioning what is really impossible.
3. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. Narnia was actually my first solo chapter book reading, and I still love giving it to people to read. Don’t listen to what the marketing people say about the book order. This series is truly best when read in publication order, with The Magician’s Nephew 6th and The Horse and His Boy 5th. The first four books have a continuity to them that really gets broken up when you read them out of publication order. Otherwise, this introduction to Portal fantasy is just as fantastic as when it originally came out. The religious themes can be ignored or heightened depending on what is best for your family as you discuss the books together.
4. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. This book is silly and as an adult I struggled through it with the pure nonsense that is in it. So I gave it to my then 7yo to read, and she thought it was weird but awesome. The allegory of why learning is important is really strong here, as Milo learns about the different lands on the other side of the Tollbooth. As a note, we read this for an adult book group earlier this year, just as the author passed away at age 91. Sorry! If we’d waited to read it later he might have had a longer time to live. And if you really believe that, then this might be the exactly right book for you!
5. Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke. Igraine is a princess who wants to be a knight. And just as she’s turning 12 she is going to get the chance! Her castle is under attack, her parents are accidentally turned into pigs, and it’s up to Igraine to save the day. If she can! This fun story is translated from the original German by Scholastic and my kids have all loved it. It’s a great bridge between her picture books (The Princess Knight is one of our favorites) and her older middle-grade-to-YA books (Inkheart, The Thief Lord).
6. Ever After High by Shannon Hale. This series of fractured fairy tales is slightly more challenging than the ones in my post for 6 year olds. Starting with The Storybook of Legends, there are at least 3 books in this series. Also, you can watch the show on Netflix. (Or if your kids love the show, you can give them the books to try!) There are 3 seasons and a bunch of specials.
7. Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland. Starting with The Dragonet Prophecy, this series is currently at least 13 or 14 books long, with graphic novels and all kinds of other fun for kids. My 8yo has been reading these since she got the first book for Christmas and she just devours them. Different types of dragons working together (or not!) with or against the prophecy that has control of their lives. It’s a lot of fun, and a great dragon introduction if they haven’t had much of that yet.
8. The Unicorn Quest by Kamilla Benko. The first in a series that’s a portal fantasy. The girls climb up a ladder and into a new world where help is needed. And of course, they have to find the unicorn. The first in a series, there are at least 3 of these out though I think more are coming. This was a lucky Scholastic Book Fair find for us a few years ago, and my youngest two have really enjoyed them.
9. Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison, first of her Thyme series. These second world stories are fractured fairy tales that the characters have to work to get to their happily ever after. Besides Rapunzel, there is a Cinderella book and a Frog Prince book that came out last year.
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling. I can’t let this post go without adding Harry Potter in. Making my kids wait until they’re 8 to start these books has been a challenge, they all want to read them as soon as they figure out chapter books. I, as a mean parent who wants their kids to be able to understand what they’re reading, make them read the first 3 in the series after their 8th birthday, and then wait for the rest after they turn 9. I do this because the first books are fun and light and fast, but they take a much darker turn and the difficulty level increases dramatically as the series progresses. Not that they understand SO much more at 9 than 8, but I hope it makes a difference. Also, my kids aren’t allowed to watch past movie 3 without having read the book first, for the same reason. So my youngest (who is currently devouring …Prisoner of Azkaban doesn’t know anything about Cedric Diggory or the Dark Mark yet. Watching them learn these life lessons is a lot of fun too.
11. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Super cute retelling of Cinderella that has a lot of heart and depth. This one is on the more difficult side for 8yo, but if they are reading above grade level it shouldn’t be too difficult. Levine also has Fairest which is a Snow White retelling set in the same world, which is almost better. Okay it’s not almost better, I really love Ella of Frell. The movie done with Anne Hathaway bears only passing resemblance to the book, so beware. After your kids read the book, they won’t want to watch that one anymore.
12. Beauty by Robin McKinley. One of my all-time favorite fairy tale retellings, Beauty is just amazing. This is by far the most difficult book on the list (unless you’re including the later HP books), and may belong more on the 10yo list. Kids this age though are still going strong on fairy tales if they can, so that’s why I’m including it here.
There are SO many more books that could be included here. This is just the cream of the crop for our favorite fantasy stories for this age group. And this age is great for trying lots of different genres of stories. My kids all have to read some of Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys mysteries, Little House on the Prairie, the Shoes books, a few by Andrew Clements, and others. There are so many choices for these kids as they experiment and start finding out who they are or who they want to be that sticking them in only one genre is not cool. But if they’re looking for fantastical stories, this list is a great place to start.
