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What books do your 8 year olds love?

25 replies

howmanyhats · 15/04/2021 22:31

Has anyone got any book recommendations for an 8 year old?

Here are some we've enjoyed.

The Frostheart series by Jamie Littler. Brilliant adventure, great characters and illustrations.

The Accidental Pirates: Journey to Magical North by Claire Fayers - great fun, female protagonist, beautifully written.

Varjak Paw by SF Said - Cat adventure, we loved this. Not-so-subtle message about your moral fibre being about what you do in your life, not the class / family you come from. (Although possibly worth mentioning the second book is a lot bloodier than the first, not quite so sure about it for younger or less robust DC!)

And she's just getting into Harry Potter too.

What are yours reading? Thanks :)

OP posts:
EvilOnion · 15/04/2021 22:33

My 8yo struggles to read independently but we're currently reading her the Worst Witch before bed and she's really enjoying it :)

howmanyhats · 15/04/2021 22:36

Oh, we're mostly reading them to her too!

Not a stealth boast about reading level at all!

She's just started reading chapter book and she can read a few pages it to herself if she's really in the mood, but she hasn't got into the habit of reading it on her own, I think she hasn't quite got the concentration to do that yet. It's coming, though. And she loved being read to.

Worst Witch is a great suggestion, thanks! I loved them as a child.

OP posts:
GravityFalls · 15/04/2021 22:39

Recent bedtime story books I’ve read to my 7 and 9 year olds -

Stig of the Dump
Diggers
Boy Under Water
The Demon Headmaster
Five Children and It
Millions

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EvilOnion · 15/04/2021 22:43

Haha I didn't think it was a stealth boast!

I must admit we only discovered the WW via Netflix. I'm in my 30's and write enjoy the show and the books now Grin

Think we'll give the Accidental Pirates a read next :)

Dancetherain · 15/04/2021 22:47

Mines currently obsessed with Narnia. We are working our way through them at bedtime. The accidental pirates looks good though, maybe when we finish Narnia!

PulledPineapple · 15/04/2021 22:52

DS really enjoyed Podkin One Ear, I think there are a few books in the series.

noblegiraffe · 15/04/2021 22:57

DD loves the Daisy and the trouble with.... books by Kes Gray. They're hilarious and great to read out loud.

Also the Izzy books by Pamela Butchart - The Spy who Loved School Dinners etc.

howmanyhats · 15/04/2021 23:20

Also the Izzy books by Pamela Butchart - The Spy who Loved School Dinners etc

Brilliant suggestion, thanks! I hadn't heard of them but I can see they're by the same author as There's a Yeti in the Playground, which DD also loved.

OP posts:
howmanyhats · 15/04/2021 23:24

@GravityFalls

Recent bedtime story books I’ve read to my 7 and 9 year olds -

Stig of the Dump
Diggers
Boy Under Water
The Demon Headmaster
Five Children and It
Millions

She had Stig of the Dump in school, her class did a project on prehistoric people and they read Stig of the Dump in class. The teachers also pretended that Stig had been staying in a hut in the school grounds and he left clues for them about how he lived, which they explored and investigated. It was brilliant.

(I know Stig's not actually prehistoric, but we forgave them that and suspended our disbelief as it was such lovely thing to do! Grin)

I just about remember Stig of the Dump from when it was on the telly in the early 80s, I loved it! I found it on Youtube not long ago. It's feel so ancient, a different world!

OP posts:
howmanyhats · 15/04/2021 23:26

Here it is! OMG, prepare for a trip down memory lane if you're old enough!

OP posts:
carrietwick · 15/04/2021 23:28

My 8 year old has really got into reading during all these lockdowns, her favourite collections have been;
Daisy and the trouble with ...
The Naughtiest Unicorn
Dotty Detective
Tom Gates (read all of them, definitely her favourite)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Anything by the author Holly Webb
Most of the newer David Walliams books like Slime, Fing and Beast of Buckingham Palace

howmanyhats · 15/04/2021 23:28

Oh, another one DD really loves is My Life as a Cat by Carlie Sorosiak.

DP read that one to her though, so I have no idea what it's about.

OP posts:
carrietwick · 15/04/2021 23:31

I should say with the exception of the David Walliams books these are all quite easy to read, either laid out in diary style, large spaced out writing or have pictures in them, I think starting with these types of books has definitely encouraged her to read on her own.

oobedobe · 15/04/2021 23:41

My 8yo is really enjoying Pippi Longstocking, her sister loved Judy Moody and Worst Witch at this age.

snowball98 · 15/04/2021 23:48

Have you read any of tom fletcher books , I've been reading lot to my 8 year old and we have both really enjoyed them, the Christmasarous and the Creakers. I'm currently reading them a Pinch of magic and its been pretty good do far.
I'm pretty much exclusively reading kids books at the moment but there really us a wealth of good books for kids these days.

Mybestestfriend · 16/04/2021 00:39

Swallows and Amazons
Gentle Ben
Black Beauty
The Wind in the Willows
The Princess and the Goblin
The Incredible Journey
The Penderwicks
The Little Grey Men
Bridge to Terebitha
Walk Two Moons
All in the blue unclouded weather
Annabel and Bryony
Pippi Longstocking
The Magician's Nephew
Stig of the Dump (it's mostly a construction manual, isn't it)
The Borrowers
Ramona Quimby
Little House on the Prairie
Tom's Midnight Garden
Pony Club Plot
The Little Princess
Five Children and It
The Little Sea Horse (Cresswell)
The Little White Horse (Goudge)
Skellig
How to train your dragon
Casey the Impossible Horse
Any fairytale compilations we can get our hands on.

They just don't write 'em like they used to. I have a nature obsessed child who likes a nice book about beetles, strange adventures and fairies before bedtime. If anyone has a similar child and knows of other books like this, please post!

Sometimes we re-read old favourites like Mog in the Dark, because birds with teeth are deliciously scary.

A perk of lockdown has been this year of reading and rambling instead of judo and swimming and coaching etc etc.

Like others, I'm not pretending my child read these by the way. I read them to her and we talk about them.

Hempden · 16/04/2021 01:40

The Worst Witch
Ramona Quimby series
Enid Blyton school stories
The Secret Garden
Horrible Histories
Roald Dahl

MilkWasABadChoice · 16/04/2021 01:45

Brendan Chase
Kid Normal
The Hunting of Shadroth
The Willard Price books (despite being a bit dated)

Springisspringing2 · 16/04/2021 06:11

Op worst witch is good and how to train your dragon series, spider wick chronicals

But what I want to say is my dd 1 could read all those books independently... And so what.. Why is that a boast.. Isn't it important we are honest where different dc are?
My dd 2 at 8 can't read anything like that yet independently and that's fine!

FixItUpChappie · 16/04/2021 06:25

My 8yr old love LOVED this Blue Jay pirate book. I was a bit Hmm about how interesting bird pirates would be but actually I really enjoyed reading it to him.

What books do your 8 year olds love?
Sleephead1 · 16/04/2021 06:30

I have read most of these but my little boy who is seven nearly eight has read some of them. The Boggart, The unintentional adventures of the Blank sisters, The Mr Tiger and Betsy series, wind in the willows, The train to impossible places series , Alice and wonderland , The wombles, famous five , secret seven, faraway tree, wishing chair , some but not all the Rohal Dahl books.The whizz pop chocolate shop He will read some chapter books himself like Winnie and Wilbur, Flying Fergus. He loves being read to and sometimes I read him parts of my books if suitable.

FixItUpChappie · 16/04/2021 06:36

A few others we have enjoyed

-The Nima Island Books (delightful)
-The Narnia Books
-The Guardians Book series (William Joyce)
-The Hobbit (loved it)
-The Little House Books especially "The Long Winter" and lOn the Banks of Plum Creek"

**special mention to this great little series called "The Number One Car Spotter" (Atinuke) about a tiny Nigerian village - charming and diverse with wonderful characters

FixItUpChappie · 16/04/2021 06:37

That should say "Nim's Island" book series

Lolly86 · 16/04/2021 06:43

Some great suggestions on here Smile
DD is 7 and has loved being read Harry Potter series, all Roald Dahls including Boy we are now reading Going Solo at her request which I think is a bit dry and dull for her but she insists she is enjoying it Grin
She has loved the Daisy and the Trouble with... books- we still have a few more of those to read.
Isadora Moon was a hit
Jacqueline Wilson- Tracy Beaker 1&2, The Suitcase Kid, Double Act
She loves to be read to and also to read to herself.

Mybestestfriend · 16/04/2021 09:03

The Children of Green Knowe

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