Book for me to read out loud to 8 year old

[BrightonBB]

I feel we’ve got out of the habit of me reading a book out loud as I listen and then write in their school reading record.
Please could you suggest books for me to read to them - I’m not a fan of fantasy, sci fi or Walliams.
Thank you for suggestions - 8 year old in Yr 4.

At that age your DC would get more benefit from them reading aloud to you. It’s the routine more so than your reading that’s important.

Definite yes to Emil & the Detectives - wonderful book!

The Family From One End Street - delightfully of its time.

How about Lorna Doone? Utterly magnificent and not something today’s child is likely to stumble upon themselves.

The Eagle of The Ninth and its sequels - superbly absorbing historical fiction.

The Wind on the Moon - rather profoundly affecting. (Fantasy, sorry.)

The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris, and anything else by the same author.

Which reminds me of The Graveyard Book ... Fantasy.

Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series - more fantasy but benchmark writing. They may want to follow up with the works of Alan Garner and Ursula Le Guin if you don’t fancy reading those aloud.

More fab suggestions - thank you. They are boy/girl twins so happy with all types of stories. The fantasy books I’ll leave to my OH who loves The Hobbit.

@GrumpHoonmain I agree that them reading to us is the most important and they do pretty much most days. I just think that me reading to them could help bring out more difficult words/story lines and discussion too.

When I had an eight year old around to read to we used to share the reading aloud between us, a page or short chapter each, then switch over. Even more fun with three of you, if they enjoy it.

I found this an excellent way of getting through much more advanced novels than they might ever have read alone.

Oh! Remembered another great read - From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler - about a brother and sister who run away and hide out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY.

My son in particular is not into reading anything too complex (he mostly reads comics to himself by choice + wimpy kid, etc) but really enjoys something more meaty if I read to him. That's why I read to them rather than they read to me. For me snuggling up and me reading to them is a nice relaxing end of day thing, I'm not sure them reading to me would feel the same.

The Katherine rundell novels are also very popular with that age group. I seem to be the only person who isn't a fan!

I would also like to second Mr Gum if you can cope with extreme random silliness.

When I was 8 my mum read me the Hobbit. LOVED it. I would heartily recommend it

Another vote for the Mr Gum series. Very funny and perfect for 8 year olds. They are my favourite books to read for bedtime (the audiobooks read by the author are great too).
My daughter also really enjoys the 'Daisy and the trouble with...' books by Kes Gray. We've read them to her and she is now enjoying reading them herself.
We've also just started reading some books by Jeremy Strong. 'My brothers famous bottom' books have quite short chapters and they're quite funny in places.

Railway Children
Mrs Pepperpot stories

For something more up to date, we had a fab book out of the library the other day about a Syrian refugee family, 'A House Without Walls'.

A much overlooked classic - Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Wonderful animal characters, great adventure. Every child I've known has loved it.

Charlotte's Web (have tissues to hand)

Books by Eva Ibbotson are great too, big hits with our children.

Some great suggestions above especially Stig of the dump which we all loved! Am taking notes. We are currently on the third Borrowers book (Mary Norton) and they are excellent - funny little bits of dry humour, lovely characters and details - yes they are little people but the world they live in is real so I don’t read them as fantasy at all, in fact I have been choked up at times at how beautifully the subtext depicts displacement and essentially refugees fleeing from their home. A subtlety lost on my 5 & 7 year olds but extremely present and relevant to me.

We've done -

The Demon Headmaster series
The Queen's Nose
Mrs Pepperpot books
Worst Witch books
Stig of the Dump
The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler
Dear Hound (Jill Murphy)
The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark and similar
Olga da Polga

I love reading aloud to mine and disagree that it is less important than them reading aloud. My 8yo wouldn't attempt these more challenging chapter books but loves the stories, and I want her to know how good stories can be!

I’ve really enjoyed reading The Accidental Secret Agent to my 7yo - it’s funny for the both of us. There are other books in the series too - The Accidental Prime Minister etc.
He also likes The Worst Witch series.
The great piratical rumbustification is another fun (silly) one.

I used to read Harry Potter to mine when they were about that age. It took a couple of years to get through the whole set.