Recommendations for an 8 year-old boy?

[beatricequimby]

Would really welcome any suggestions. He has read and enjoyed lots of Enid Blyton, Jeremy Strong, Willard Price, Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter,. Liked some Michael Morpurgo but found some too sad.

Anything with an adventure or humour would be good. He doesn't like anything with sad or scary bits.

My son enjoyed "Hatchett" by Gary Paulsen, the Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz, Paul Jennings, especially short stories like Unbelievable. Jenny Nimmo is also good, especially the Charlie Bone books. You could also try an Unfortunate series of Events.

I hope this helps.

My ds sounds very like the op's.My son wouldn't touch USofE as too scary or MM after the first v sad one.

He has enjoyed Tom Gates,David Walliams,The Indian in the Cupboard series,the Laura Marlin mysteries,some of the Helen Moss mysteries,Dr Proctor etc

Just bought The Whizz Bang Chocolate shop which looks good.

Agree Charlie Bone if he likes Harry Potter (they're less scary/sad than HP)

The Lionboy trilogy by Zizou Corder (adventure)
Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones, particularly Charmed Life (magic + funny)
My Friend Mr Leakey (though may be out of print)
Professor Branestawm books (old, but very, very funny)
Mr Gum books (dd didn't like these so much, but generally they seem popular)

Also the Molly Moon series

my 8 year old daughter loved the books by David Walliams ( and so did I). very entertaining and good for boys too.

Jeremy Strong
Old but funny, Jennings by Antony Buckridge
How to be topp, Ronald searle
Roald Dahl?
Prob too young but Pippi Longstocking? Wonderful.Swedish anarchy.
Kate Seredy The good master. Hungary before WWl.
Emil and the detectives, kastner. Not scary.
The wheel on the school, meindert de yong.
The secret garden hodgson burnett
The phantom tolbooth
The.swallows and amazon series
The London eye mystery.
My friend Flicka by Mary o'Hara
The little house series. As enjoyable for boys as girls, you can make things from them. Do not go by the awful tv series.

Some of these are old fashioned. But they cover a range of countries and he should enjoy some of them. Agree professor branestawm.

Thanks very much everyone. Am going to write down these suggestions and try the library tomorrow.

Percy Jackson?

My DS likes most of the authors you listed and also Captain Underpants books, Spy Dog books, Astrosaurs books and Roald Dahl books.

Bit old fashioned but great adventures, Arthur Ransome? The swallows and amazons series.

The Oliver Moon books by Sue Mongredian are good.

Alexander McColl Smith (as in Ladies No 1 detective Agency) has also written some kids books, set in southern Africa, which my DS (8) has really enjoyed. Try 'Akimbo and the lions', 'Akimbo and the crocodile man', 'Akimbo and the baboons' (there are more). Also, 'Precious and the monkeys'

Otherwise would second many of the above :)

ww

would also like to add Diary of a Wimpey Kid, the Hobbit, Tom's midnight garden and I would suggest finding an interested librarian, she suggested some great things for Ds when he was getting a bit stuck choosing new things after listening to what he had been reading ( pretty much a lot of the above)

The Zac Power series by H.I. Larry is popular with 8 year old boys at our school. Also the Beast Quest books by Adam Blade.

Room 13 by Robert Swindells - it's one that is aimed at a younger reader than most of his and is "scary" without being too scary iyswim. If your son is very nervous or timid, maybe not, but "averagely timid" should be fine
It's more Scooby Doo scary iyswim rather than actually frightening.
The "Connie Companion" Quartet are good if he likes Percy Jackson type stuff - I can't for the life of me remember who wrote them or the individual titles, but they're easily googled.
The Tide Knot and Ingo are nice, about two children who discover they are half merpeople.
Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising sequence maybe? he might be a tad young for that yet.

Ds has recently really enjoyed the Wolvern books by Di Toft. The Mysterious Benedict Society series. Skullduggery Pleasant and the Lemony Snickett books.

Roald Dahl definitely. Lots of adventure and humour :)

My son likes Roald Dahl, The adventures of Narnia books, and of course Beast Quest. There are a few ideas here - www.book.co.uk/Best-books-for-7-and-8-year-olds/

My DS is loving the David Walliams books at the moment, actually, even I am enjoying them, they are very funny!

Thanks very much everyone. I took your suggestions along to our local library. Tried eight different authors but nothing available. One Diana Wynne Jones book for older children and nothing by any of the other authors. Then I tried the request system. Again, either nothing or not available til late August cos of library refurbishment.

Its not the library's fault, I suppose they just don't have any money. I will get ds some books for the summer hols from Abe books or Oxfam but feel very sad for all the children whose only source of books is the library. It was so much better when I was a child. But many thanks for all your suggestions.

Have you tried your local charity shops? Round us they are a great source of slightly battered books, which means it doesn't matter if they get. Ketchup on them or fall in the bath. And for not v much you can find all sorts of things. As long as you don't mind second hand.