Books recommendations for 8yo DD

[Minibea]

Please can I have your recommendations for books that your similar age children have loved? She’s read a lot of Enid Blyton (faraway tree, magic chair, secret 7) and enjoyed them, loves HP and has read books 1-3 but has got a bit stuck/overwhelmed by the size of book 4 so had paused that half way though. She’s read all of the Worst Witch series and we’ve got a few Isadora Moon books but I think she finds them a bit samey/boring.

I’ve got her some classics like the Borrowers and Charlotte’s Web which are on her list to start and she’s currently half way though Alice in Wonderland (inspired by her WBD costume!) but just feel like she’s not got anything that she’s really loving that she can get her teeth into.

Would be grateful for any suggestions of series etc that she might enjoy reading independently! Thanks!

Diary of an Accidental Witch series
Witch School series by Em Lynas
Kitty books by Paula Harrison
Victoria Stitch
Anisha Accidental Detective
Peanut Jones

Jacqueline Wilson? Some of her books are aimed at older, but many are perfect for that age. The Suitcase Kid was always a favourite of mine at that age.

Roald Dahl is another obvious one.

Holly Webb is a great author for this age group, especially if she loves animal stories.

Helen Peters has a lovely series too about rescue animals (the main character is called Jasmine Green, I think).

My 8 year old loves toto the ninja car series and roald dahl. We are currently reading a book called the dragon with a chocolate heart which is longer and a bit slow going at first but we are both now really enjoying it. Its something a bit different.

David Walliams might he a hir, not my dds thing though.

She also loved the rescue club series by Jess Butterworth about a girl who travels to different countries helping with animal conservation. There are 4 books

Warrior cat, Lottie Brooks.

What does she like?

Ds liked historical (esp WWII) or adventures
Dd2 liked gentle old stories with nothing scary
Dd1 liked mystery and adventure with a bit of excitement

So dd1 loved at that age "The Roman Mysteries" and Enid Blyton adventures
Dd2 loved the Little House Books, Anne of Green Gable set, and Chalet School
Ds loved Biggles and the Lone Pine Series.

Oh, thank you there’s some good ideas here, there’s lots I hadn’t heard of so will look them up and get a few ordered.

She likes fantasy series, things about animals (bonus points for horses) and also stuff like horrible histories so some of the suggestions for historical novels might be a hit. I think I still have my Anne of Green Gables set so will try those. Mallory Towers and similar would probably be popular too, it just helps to jog my memory of what’s out there!

Roald Dahl has been a big hit, but she’s read almost all of them. She’s also loved the Claire Balding books about the racehorse who wouldn’t gallop. I got her a Lottie Brooks book for Xmas which I don’t think she’s started so we’ll put that on the list and will maybe try Jacqueline Wilson too.

I have to say I really miss the days of buying all my books in a proper bookshop and having the opportunity to really browse. Buying online or in the paltry selection in WH Smith’s doesn’t really have the same appeal and I wonder if that’s why she’s struggled to find books that really engage her interest. I’d be interested in how your children choose their books- do you look together and choose something?

My 8-year-old DD has loved a lot of Enid Blyton too. Has yours tried the Naughtiest Girl series or the short story collections (Eg the Spring, Summer or Winter stories, there's the Five-Minute Stories collections too)?

DD has also devoured and loved all of the:

Daisy and the trouble with... series (Kes Grey)
Baby aliens got my teacher series (Pamela Butchart)
Oliver Moon series (Sue Mongredien)
The Worst Week Ever! series (Eva Amores)
Tom Gates series (Liz Pichon)

She has also really enjoyed several Jacqueline Wilson (some of the older ones like the Suitcase Kid, but also newer ones like Sleepovers, The Girl Who Wasn't There, The Butterfly Club and The Other Edie Trimmer).

Enjoyed the first Demon Headmaster book.

And also some of the more child-friendly Judy Blumes, like Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing and Sheila the Great.

I'd also recommend Toto the ninja cat. Agent Weasel and Mr Penguin are also big hits in our house.

Cross-posted! If she's interested in history, some of the newer Jacqueline Wilson's might appeal as she's written quite a few set in historical, particularly Victorian, times but with a contemporary feel with young female characters. Eg Hetty Feathers, Rose Rivers.

And the Edie Trimmer book is quite an interesting one as it's about a girl from the present day who is involved with a drama group doing a performance of Oliver Twist, but then sort of time travels back to Victorian times, has to live in a workhouse etc and then meets Charles Dickens.

I basically do a lot of research into what books I think my DD might like, Amazon is quite a useful source of information, and then I just reserve a load at the library!

Wind in the Willows
Terry Pratchett's books aimed at younger readers might suit too

Fantasy and Animals - try the Beaver Tower series.

Gobbolino the witches cat- Ursula Moray Williams
The smallest horse in the World - Jeremy Strong

Humphrey Hamster series ❤️ 🐹

(Ivy & Bean if she hasn't read them already)

Fantasy -
Tuesdays at the castle Jessica Day George
First Aid for Fairies Lari Don
(Both are first books of a series)
Impossible creatures Katherine Rundell

Can you take her to the library for risk free book experimentation? 😃

Impossible Creatures and The Explorer by Katherine Russell
Greenwild by Pari Thomson (and sequels)
Ghostcloud and Nightspark by Michael Mann

All have some magical elements and are exciting but not too long .

Rundell, not Russell! Stupid autocorrect....

My 8yo dd loves anything funny, with pictures ideally, and fantasy as long as it's funny.

Funny fantasy:
Cressida Cowell's Which Way to Anywhere series, and her Wizards of Once series although that was a little scarier;
Alfie Steel's cosmic map of the galaxy;
Spiderwick Chronicles (not very funny but def fantasy).
She has some Terry Pratchett to try next.

Funny;
Philip Ardberg's Awful End trilogy or the fall of Fergus series;
A Series of Unfortunate Events;
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (endlessly rereads this series);
Dexter Proctor by Adam Kay (she also constantly rereads his non fiction books).

My older daughter loved Gobbolino the witches cat; also Carbonel (about a cat); the Fish in Room 11 and The girl with a broken wing by Heather Dyer. These are more gently playful but very absorbing.

Oh also, The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke - great fun.

Land of dragon books by Hannah Sparks, a nice size (approximately 100 pages), exciting and lovely!

Tom’s Midnight Garden
The Secret Garden
Just William